Board of Directors

Sarah is the Co-CEO and Creative Leader for Beardwood&Co, an independent, woman and queer-owned branding agency based in New York City, illumining possibilities to amplify brand growth. With a focus on big, creative ideas made to thrive in the real world, Sarah and team partner with clients to achieve brilliant outcomes, without the egos or silos often found in the agency world. She has led creative for global brands including Westin, Pottery Barn, Danone, Hello Products, and the nation’s largest affordable housing non-profit, Enterprise Community Partners.

In addition to leading Beardwood&Co, Sarah serves as the President of AIGA NY, where she has served on the volunteer board for 3+ years supporting the mission of “Championing the Future of Design for All” through organizing and hosting community-based events. She is a Mom, loves to run, and trek in the woods as much as the streets of NYC for inspiration.

Katie is the founder of Hondo Creative, a dynamic creative studio that partners with clients and agencies to develop strategy-led design for environments, advertising, and branding. Her work has spanned rebrands for international companies; immersive experiences for award winning entertainment properties; and political campaigns for progressive candidates.

Previous to going out on her own, she cut her teeth at agencies like Pentagram and Huge. She holds a B.F.A. in Graphic Design from Rochester Institute of Technology and a M.F.A. in Design Criticism from The School of Visual Arts. She is also the co-author of Typography Referenced from Rockport Publishers and has taught design at RIT.

When not designing, you can usually find her photographing, illustrating, or down an internet rabbit hole of useless knowledge.

David Werzinger serves as the Chief Financial Officer at Smart Design, a leading global design and innovation consultancy. With over 25 years of experience in the industry and an MBA from the Zicklin School of Business at City University of New York, David manages the firm’s finance, accounting, tax, and planning practices. He balances the company’s long-term financial goals with market demands, ensuring projects remain on budget and on schedule. His efforts not only secure profitability but also foster close collaboration with design teams to align project constraints with organizational objectives. Additionally, David has innovated HR tools, notably enhancing a progressive health insurance program that benefits both employees and the company.

Before joining Smart Design, David was the Finance Director at Siegel + Gale and held various positions in management consulting and brokerage and banking. He has extensive experience in financial reporting, cash management, and the development of financial procedures. David is also skilled in managing complex financial transactions, including debt restructuring and company sales. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from The State University of New York at Geneseo.

As a Partner at SYLVAIN, Daniel leads the development of the design practice in collaboration with Chief Design Officer, Michael Ian Kaye. With experience at both creative agencies and design consultancies, Daniel’s focus lies on bridging the gap between business and expression, applying his thinking globally with the likes of Apple, Nike, the New York Times, IBM, PayPal, Marriott, and Noma. He frequently comments on the structures and systems of design, business and strategy across publications, conferences, and podcasts. Additionally, Daniel is a graduate advisor in the School of Visual Arts’ MFA in Design program where he mentors rising designers and strategists across disciplines.

Jessica Moon is an Associate Program Director focused on shaping curriculum and learning paths in continuing education for UI/UX design. Previously, Jessica was a practicing designer with nearly 15 years of experience, spanning across industries from print through digital, working in multi-disciplinary studios, agencies and product companies. Early on in her career, Jessica also took on managing and mentorship roles and helped build teams. She is a life-long student who aims to share her collective experiences and learnings as well as build and be a part of various communities that thrive on the practice of people first.

Brad is an NYC-based creative director currently leading a team at Twigeo, a global paid marketing agency. He blends design and strategy in his work with brands like The New York Times, Duolingo, theSkimm, Uniswap, SoundCloud, and Peloton.

Brad holds a BFA in screenwriting from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. Prior to design, he worked in film and TV as a researcher, PA, and as James Lipton’s assistant on Inside the Actors Studio. Outside of work, he has taken design, photography, and AI classes at SVA and IDEO. He has also had his writing and photography published, most recently in Daybreak Magazine. He gets his podcasts in during long runs around the city.

Archie spent much of his childhood memorizing commercial jingles and replicating the wit of cartoonist Gary Larson. Since then, he has been inspired by visual artists like Romare Bearden, Faith Ringgold, Ed Ruscha, and Kara Walker as well as graphic storytellers Aaron Douglas, George Lois, Saul Bass, Barbara Kruger, and Emory Douglas – all brilliant minds who mastered the art of weaving meaning into a single, magnificent visual. Still a fan of stories told simply, Archie leads Spotify Advertising’s Creative Studio as its Global Director.

The first ten years of Archie’s career began as a silent madman at advertising agencies such as Publicis, Y&R, BBDO, and Arnold NYC — crafting ads and driving business results for iconic brands. Prior to Spotify, Archie spent 12 years in media – building two of the most inventive branded content studios in the industry, One X Studios at Urban One, LLC and the Content Innovation Agency at NBCUniversal.

As an award-winning, multidisciplinary creative with degrees in graphic design, advertising and brand strategy from Howard University, The Portfolio Center and School of Visual Arts (respectively), Archie continues to look for fresh, unexpected ways to illuminate truth and beauty. Outside of directing art + sound, absorbing pop culture and perfecting his sports analogies, he enjoys spending time with his family at their Brooklyn home.

Based in Brooklyn, NY, Jonathan Lee is a design leader who blends product design, brand expression, and strategic storytelling into transformative experiences at scale. Starting with foundational digital experience work at Nike+ and 2×4, through a decade driving Google’s evolution through Material Design and company-wide rebrand, to leading product strategy and successful acquisition at Beeper, and now shaping Meta AI while teaching Product Design at Parsons School of Design, his two-decade career reflects consistent innovation at the intersection of technology and design. As an Emeritus Board Member of AIGANY and former Executive President, he continues to steer the future of design through leadership, education, and community.

Born and raised in Mexico, Aldo Juraidini Zorrilla is a Brooklyn-based product designer at Studio Rodrigo. At Rodrigo, his primary focus is working with early-stage startups, tech companies, and mission driven organizations to help bring products to life—through concept, strategy, and visual design. Over the last four and a half years, Aldo has worked with a wide range of clients in industries like fintech, healthcare, media, and the nonprofit sector.

A proud immigrant, Aldo moved to New York City in 2008 to study graphic design and like so many before him, the magnetism, vibrance, and inclusivity of the design community has made the city feel like home ever since.

Ana is a New York City-based designer + creative director. She has worked with companies like Afropunk, Droga5, Chase, Apple, Hennessy, the Africa Center, and the Poetry Foundation to champion, uplift, and amplify marginalized voices and stories.

Ana holds a Masters in Branding from the School of Visual Arts and is a graduate of Virginia State University, where she earned her BFA in Design, minor in Photography. To her, visual problem solving is such a welcomed challenge. Combining strategy, branding, and rising, she creates solutions that are thoughtful, inclusive, and inspiring. Since college, she has designed at Cassandra, a strategy agency studying young consumers, Afropunk, the music festival, Droga5, the advertising agency, and Apple. Outside of full time work, she’s passionate about building brands for minority and women-owned businesses, groups that are often overlooked and underrepresented.

Creative endeavors aside, Ana enjoys hosting friends, making cocktails, trying new restaurants, going to art museums, exploring the city, buying more books than she has time to read, and naps with her goldendoodle.

Carolyn is a Canadian graphic designer based in New York. Currently, she holds the Graphic Design Lead position at The Frick Collection, where her work focuses on developing the visual identity system and institution-wide graphic design program. Previously, she worked as a freelance graphic designer in Berlin, Germany, as well as for studios Pure+Applied, Pentagram Design, and Office of Luke Bulman. Carolyn graduated from Parsons School of Design (BFA, Communication Design) and the London School of Economics and Political Science (MSc, Culture & Society). She is passionate about maps and interested in issues of spatiality and identity design.

Justin is an art director, designer, and typographer from New York City. He specializes in crafting memorable brand identity systems and campaign creative with a range of clients and agency partners. He holds a dual concentration BFA with Honors in Advertising and Design from the School of Visual Arts. Cultivated in the bustling culture and collectivist spirit of New York City, Justin’s approach to design is rooted in a profound appreciation for the arts and a careful attention to detail. Passionate about building purposeful brands and making people smile, Justin strives to craft insight-backed and provocative work, bringing fresh perspectives and strong, rationale-driven design to every project. His work helps corporations, startups, and individuals define impactful brand experiences.

Justin’s work has been internationally exhibited, covered, and awarded by various organizations like the One Club for Creativity, the Type Directors Club, Print Magazine, Time Out, Graphis, NBC, D&AD, and Communication Arts, among others. Recent clients include Hennessy, the NBA, Facebook, General Electric, Ray-Ban, Meta Reality Labs, and Google Android. Justin also serves on the AIGA Worldstudio Scholarship jury.

Nika is a graphic designer, writer, and educator based in New York. She is a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Communication Design at Parsons School of Design, and the director of the AAS program. Her research explores how design and identity overlap and highlights underreported voices in internet and design history. She has written stories ranging from the digitization of the Serbian Cyrillic alphabet during the Yugoslav Wars to the impact AI has had on spirituality for publications including The New York Times, Eye on Design, and WIRED. She also runs Labud, a design studio specializing in strategy, branding, and web design for clients across fashion, art, and tech.

Paulina is a Latinx strategist and cultural pulse-finder currently at Champions Design. Prior to joining Champions, she forecasted trends at Nordstrom, and launched licensed brands at a global skateboarding retailer. Paulina has her Masters in Branding from the School of Visual Arts—the first and longest lasting program of its kind—and holds an undergraduate degree in Art History from the University of Washington where she rowed crew for the Division I NCAA team.

You can find Paulina at the pool.

Very few people have defined graphic design across culture as Anthony Harrison. Born in London, raised in New York, with stints in Germany and Netherlands he is one of the foremost graphic designers and art directors of his generation.

Bones, as he is known, was one of a handful of black designers who defined the 90s design aesthetic through his work at seminal record labels including Arista Records and its subsidiaries Bad Boy, LaFace, and Rowdy. Working on now iconic campaigns for Whitney Houston, the Notorious BiG, Annie Lennox, Goodie Mob, Patti Smith and others. After leaving music he jumped head first into what later became known as global street wear, working as an art director and designer for for brands such as Mecca USA and Akademiks / PRPS before spending the best part of the last decade working for both of the biggest sports brands on the planet, Nike and adidas in coveted design leadership roles. He is now focusing his attention on purpose led design work and teaching. Passing his knowledge on to the new generation of designers whilst working with the next generation of brands who will come to define the future of design.

David holds the role of Design Lead at the Ford Foundation where he leads creative across all platforms and drives the visual identity and output of the Foundation. Previously, he worked as the Senior Visual Design Manager at the public policy organization, Dēmos, and served as an instructor for Social Movement Technologies where he taught organizers and movement builders the fundamentals of designing for social justice advocacy. David also serves as Art Director of his own design studio, dpicting studio, where he produces art and illustration in support of social good. He is currently pursuing a Masters in Arts Administration and hopes to help create a more equitable working path for designers in the non-profit field.

Eason is a designer, speaker, educator, and social innovator. Having triumphed over cancer, he is now the face of comebacks, inspiring others to realize their full potential despite adversity and life interruptions.

People often compare Eason’s career struggles with Steve Jobs’ return to Apple, Robert Downey Jr.’s comeback to acting, and Lance Armstrong’s cycling victories. Just kidding!

Early in his career, Eason led global creative teams at Uber, Ogilvy, and Saatchi & Saatchi, earning worldwide recognition including the Cannes Young Lion Award in 2012.

In late 2016, a cancer diagnosis drastically changed Eason’s life. Despite overcoming cancer, he was labeled ‘unhireable’ at 35 due to a resume gap. Undeterred, Eason founded Not Entirely Dead (NED), a social enterprise designed to help cancer survivors and caregivers navigate professional comebacks.

Eason’s approach to design and social innovation has earned recognition from every major creative award, including D&AD and AIGA. Fast Company named NED the 2023 World Changing Idea and Most Innovative Design. While creating NED, Eason earned a Master of Design degree from the University of Washington and served as the 2022 Commencement Speaker.

Today, Eason teaches design, mentors young creatives, and speaks globally. Not Entirely Dead is reshaping the narrative around work and health, building the world’s first comeback community for cancer survivors.

Beyond design, Eason is a self-trained marathon runner, having logged over 7,500 km after beating cancer, fueled by his love for classical music and 80s rock.

Kapono is a Founding Partner and Head of Design at Combo. Prior to Combo, Kapono spent over a decade working at some of the industry’s most notable design studios such as BIG at Ogilvy, The Brand Union, AR New York and Mother Design. Under Kapono’s leadership, Combo has successfully created, refined, and transformed some of today’s most innovative brands, including Away Luggage, Saie Beauty, GAP, Instagram, Nike and H&M, amongst others – work defined by Combo’s diverse team and collaborative approach to creative challenges.

Growing up between South Korea and Hawaii, Kapono followed in the footsteps of his father, a designer in Seoul who went on to have a hand in some of South Korea’s most iconic brands throughout the 1980s.

An active member of the community, Kapono is a contributor to For Freedoms, a non-partisan art collective, as well as an integral part in the success of Scope of Work, a talent development agency for underrepresented young people in the creative industry.

Meryl (she/her) is a multidisciplinary designer and art director working in print, digital, and brand systems. Her decade of experience has been primarily focused on in-house teams and nonprofits. She is currently the Associate Design Director at Planned Parenthood Federation of America, where — as part of the Philanthropic Communications team — she provides creative direction, design, and project management for a wide variety of capital campaigns, donor materials, and fundraising events. She previously designed for a range of private sector companies and nonprofit organizations, including Brooklyn Public Library, Housing Works, and General Assembly.

Meryl has volunteered with political campaigns at the state and national level through local organizers and Tech for Campaigns; studied civic leadership as part of Coro NY’s Leadership New York program; and holds a BFA in Graphic Design from the Savannah College of Art & Design.

Kiser Barnes is a creative leader and industry pioneer who works at the intersection of design, technology, and innovation. As Chief Creative Officer and Partner at Red Antler, Kiser supercharges brands through multi-disciplinary creativity. He is known for crafting fantastic futures by fusing transformative design with unique experiences.

From disruptive startups to Fortune 100 giants, Kiser has been instrumental in shaping some of the world’s most iconic companies across a wide range of industries. He brings a holistic, forward-thinking approach to creativity, with experience that spans brand design, advertising, product design/apps, e-commerce, retail, experiential design, AI, augmented reality, gaming design, innovation solutions and more.

Kiser has led groundbreaking work, including Walmart’s entry into the metaverse with WalmartLand on Roblox and Delta’s CES Wonder Window experience, which redefined immersive brand storytelling. A Cannes Lions Grand Prix winner and AdAge Web3 Marketing Trailblazer, Kiser is recognized as a leader in the integration of media disruption with next up technologies and AI

Co-Founder, Executive Creative Director, Team

Amy brings a focus on emotion, connection, and meaning to Team’s work, where she leads the creation of brand identities with depth, clarity, and cohesion. Her approach helps clients uncover unforeseen opportunities, driving long-term brand value and fostering authentic relationships with audiences. In addition to her branding work, Amy is an accomplished visual artist whose immersive, multimedia installations explore the space between the human experience and the natural world. Her work has been exhibited at the Whitney Museum of American Art, the New Museum, and the MIT List Visual Arts Center. Amy previously led award-winning brand and digital initiatives for clients including Lexus, Vodafone, and Red Bull. She serves on the board of the Rema Hort Mann Foundation and has contributed to national initiatives like Artist Relief, helping to raise awareness and distribute emergency funds to artists in need during the pandemic. She holds BFA degrees from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) and Brown University, and an MFA from Columbia University.

Grace Hamilton is a designer and Assistant Professor at Baruch College, CUNY. Her research explores how design builds and reflects culture, with a focus on equity, communication, and accessibility in digital spaces. She is especially interested in how visual systems shape the way we understand each other and how thoughtful design can make space for more inclusive stories. She also leads Everyday People, a creative studio that collaborates with a wide range of clients to shape their digital presence.

Andrew Maruska is a dedicated indoorsman who is multi-capable, hyper-self-reflective, locally infamous, internationally mysterious, musically inclined creative, based in Brooklyn NY, with more than 15 years of experience designing weird and semi-practical things to entertain his and the world’s restless mind. He founded the Brooklyn based design & development studio
House of 207. They work with brands to craft digital solutions, strategically make the right things, and just build fun stuff.

Amelia Nash is a Canadian-born designer, brand strategist, and creative director based in New York City. With over 13 years of experience, she specializes in crafting bold, sustainable brands that inspire, educate, and connect. Her approach combines creativity with analytical insight, diving deep into data to transform ideas into unforgettable visual narratives.

She currently works as the Brand & Marketing Manager for the School of Visual Arts Masters in Branding program. As a Senior Staff Writer for PRINT Magazine, Amelia explores the realms of branding and design, sharing her expertise with a broader audience. She is also a certified member of the Association of Registered Graphic Designers (RGD), Canada’s largest professional organization for graphic designers, where she serves on the Board of Directors as Vice Chair of the Education Committee to empower designers through educational initiatives.

Amelia’s work has been recognized with multiple accolades, including the prestigious Best in Show for Best Visual Appeal – Aesthetics at the 2024 w3 Awards. Her dedication to open, equitable design practices and her passion for collaboration drive her to uncover the extraordinary in every detail.

Beyond her professional endeavours, Amelia’s boundless curiosity fuels her fascination with a myriad of things, from seeking the perfect gin and tonic to immersing herself in colour swatches and finding inspiration in the intricate details of the world around her.

To explore her latest articles, visit PRINT Magazine.

Mike Perry is the Founder and Chief Creative Officer of TAVERN, a Brooklyn-based creative agency focusing on food, beverage and hospitality brands. With 15+ years of success in building industry-leading brands, Perry made a name for himself, both brand and agency side, with stints at NBC Sports Network, Quaker City Mercantile, Stranger & Stranger, Jones Knowles Ritchie (JKR), Design Bridge and TikTok Creative Labs. He has been behind some of the biggest rebrands in the industry, with clients including Budweiser, Beam Suntory, Burger King, and Diageo.

Perry creates timeless brands by taking inspiration from the brand’s past while simultaneously reimagining their equities for contemporary tastes and standards. Through this signature “modern heritage” branding philosophy, Perry and Tavern pair strategic storytelling with archival stewardship. They build brands that resonate with today’s audiences, as is evident in recent work with brands such as Sizzler, Old Grand-Dad, Burt’s Bees, Overholt Whiskey, and Old Crow, to name a few.

Born and raised in Mumbai, India, Vardhini Todi is a New York-based graphic designer with a passion for branding, 3D design, and packaging design. A recent graduate of Pratt Institute with a BFA in Communication Design, she has interned at top global agencies including McCann Worldgroup, Ogilvy, and Genpact, where she contributed to projects for brands such as Garnier, Mini Cooper, Haldiram, and Air India.

Vardhini is a strong advocate for building design communities. She served as President of AIGA Pratt, where she led a 150+ member chapter and produced events that connected students with the professional design community. She also represented Figma Education as a Pratt Campus Ambassador, organizing networking events and bringing Figma products to students.

Nsisong Udosen is a Nigerian-American designer, strategist, and researcher focused on participatory design that advances sustainability, civic engagement, and community care. She holds an M.S. in Strategic Design and Management from Parsons School of Design and a B.S. in Human-Computer Interaction from Case Western Reserve University. Over five years at Google, she helped major clients like Sephora, Macy’s, and DoorDash improve their mobile app design.

Her work connects design, technology, and public policy to develop systems and tools that enable communities to address environmental and social challenges together. Nsisong is also a Climate Reality Leader and Civic Season Fellow, organizing events that engage young people in climate action and democratic participation. Her research and practice envision futures where communities build systems of care and cooperation to address pressing societal needs.

Joshua is an Assistant Professor in the Graphic Design BFA Program at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), where he advances inclusive, interdisciplinary design education grounded in sustainability, ethics, and cultural awareness. His First Nation is the Choctaw Nation, his heritage deeply informs his approach to visual storytelling and pedagogy.

He is the Principal of Best Practices, a New York-based design studio that specializes in interpretive typography and graphic systems for cultural institutions including the American Museum of Natural History, The Museum of Science and Industry, and the First Americans Museum. He holds an MFA from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia and a BFA from Oklahoma City University.

In his free time he enjoys gardening, watching basketball, and cooking for his wife and daughter.