Dale Fahnstrom is a Professor and former director of the Institute of Design, where he has been on faculty since 1966. He is a member of the interdisciplinary faculty team that leads the graduate demonstration class, and he works individually with students on human-centered product development theses. Professor Fahnstrom helped lead ID's transition to its new facilities in downtown Chicago, and he continues to work with the Director on facilities planning and coordination.

Professor Fahnstrom has a personal interest in responsible products in the environment. He consults with USPL/Eaglebrook for whom he invented the RecycleDesign line of outdoor public seating amenities. An example of this recycled brand was recently added to the collection of The Design Museum, London. He continues to pursue another area of interest with his partner, Michael McCoy, as they develop proprietary products for the small office/home office market.

Professor Fahnstrom has designed outstanding products for such diverse corporate clients as Knoll International, Philips Electronics, Steelcase, NEC, and ACCO Brands. His work has collected accolades throughout the years: packaging design, done in the 1960s for a division of Gillette, is featured in the permanent collection of the Cooper-Hewitt Museum; his "Bulldog" chair, co-designed with Michael McCoy and introduced in 1990 by Knoll, is currently the largest-selling seating product in the manufacturer's line. Both his individual efforts and projects through his partnership in Fahnstrom/McCoy have won many design awards including a Best of Category Industrial Design Excellence Award (IDEA) and a Japan Design The Future Competition 2nd Prize. He is also a partner in the consulting firm of Fahnstrom/White. He holds a B.A. and M.F.A. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.