AIGA staff

Sue Apfelbaum, editorial director, 212 710 3131
Sue is the chief editor of the AIGA website and oversees the editorial direction of online publications. She is the managing editor of Voice: AIGA Journal of Design and Gain: AIGA Journal of Business and Design, and also works with authors to manage publications for the AIGA Design Press, a co-publishing partnership with New Riders.

Sue earned a BA in English from the University of Vermont, where she was the music director of radio station WRUV. Most recently, she was managing editor and co-editor of RES magazine, a bimonthly publication about film, music, art and design. Her writing also appears in pop culture and design magazines Lemon and Print.

Katie Baker, conference producer, 212 710 3146
Katie organizes AIGA’s biennial design conference, design and business conference, and annual leadership retreat. She collaborates with staff and volunteer committees to develop conference programming, manages the design and production of all event collateral, and coordinates presenters, their materials and logistics.

Katie brings a range of experience to AIGA. Most recently, she was a member of the marketing team at Two Twelve Associates, a multidisciplinary graphic design firm in New York City. She previously lived in China, where she studied in Beijing and taught English at a women's college in Fuzhou. Katie earned a BA in history and a BA in East Asian studies from New York University.

Jennifer Bender, director of communications and marketing, 212 710 3136
Jennifer manages all communications and marketing originating from the AIGA national office, including member communications, newsletters, media outreach, event promotion, news and policy statements. As AIGA’s social media leader, she manages the organization’s brand across multiple channels, oversees staff involvement and leverages opportunities in emerging platforms. Her primary responsibilities are to provide value through communications to members and stakeholders, and to advocate for the profession by communicating the value of design to business leaders, government officials, media and the public.

With a background in marketing and the arts, Jennifer brings both a sharp eye and an analytic mind to the communications team. Her decade of experience has run the gamut from print production to developing marketing strategies, and from regional nonprofits to national financial institutions. Jennifer holds a BA in fine arts from the College of St. Catherine in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Elaine Bowen, director of strategic partnerships, 212 710 3125
Elaine develops corporate partnerships through sponsorships and affiliations, and builds relationships with foundations, government agencies and related nonprofits, all of which enable AIGA to advance its mission. Her role helps communicate the value of design to the business community and the general public and creates value for partners through their relationships with members. Members benefit from these partnerships as they allow AIGA to produce conferences, exhibitions, initiatives and events that might not otherwise be possible. Elaine also works with chapters on sponsorship and related issues.

Elaine brings more than thirteen years of experience as a development professional in the arts and culture sector. A skilled strategic planner, she has a track record of building successful partnerships for a wide range of arts organizations. Most recently, she was the director of development with Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (LMCC), an entrepreneurial arts council dedicated to supporting the work of creative professionals. Elaine earned an Honors BA in art history from the University of Toronto.

Steve Burhans, facilities/traveling exhibitions coordinator, 212 710 3110
Steve’s areas of responsibility include the daily operations and maintenance of the National Design Center, AIGA’s headquarters. He is also responsible for office supplies, equipment, mail and shipping. Steve is the liaison for traveling exhibitions, including the “365: AIGA Annual Design Exhibition” and “50 Books/50 Covers” shows.

Steve is currently completing his BA in communications.

Christine Caruana, administrative assistant, 212 710 3111
Christine helps maintain AIGA’s relationships with its sponsors and partners. She provides outreach for annual competitions and exhibitions and is the main contact for the WorldStudio Scholarships. She also serves as the first point of contact with visitors to the gallery at the National Design Center and those who call or email AIGA.

Christine has worked for paper and letterpress studios, Dieu Donne in New York City and Pistachio Press in Rochester, New York. She is a print and paper enthusiast and in her spare time enjoys printing and bookmaking. Christine earned a BA in Studio Arts and Anthropology from the University of Rochester.

Amy Chapman, project manager, 212 710 3137
Amy works to recruit and connect interested and active members with various AIGA programs and initiatives and helps to develop systems for maintaining member involvement and communication. In this role, she is the primary contact for engaging designers who want to advance the mission and goals of AIGA for the profession. Amy is also AIGA’s principal liaison with other organizations and with the board and board committees.

Amy earned a BFA in painting from the State University of New York at Buffalo.

Kathleen Cox, controller, 212 710 3127
Kathleen is responsible for AIGA’s accounting, bookkeeping and administration. Her duties include internal controls, policies and procedures according to established audit norms, liaison with outside auditors overseeing the annual audits, corporate tax returns and financial reports. She assures that AIGA’s business activities comply with AIGA policies aimed at fiduciary responsibility as well as with federal, state and local regulations.

Kathleen has many years of experience in accounting. She served as the director of finance for the New York Society for the Deaf for three years and as its executive director for four years. Kathleen earned her BS in accounting from Georgian Court University.

Jonathan Feinberg, director of events, 212 710 3142
Jonathan has the overall responsibility for site selection, vendor contract negotiation, logistical application and post-event reconciliation for AIGA’s conferences and meetings. He collaborates with the programming team to develop, maintain and adhere to the meeting and conference budgets. Jonathan also serves as a tactical consultant for Design Educators and other regional conferences. Additionally, he schedules events and meetings within the AIGA building.

Jonathan earned his BA in business from the University of New Hampshire and brings more than 10 years of event planning and hospitality management experience to AIGA.

George Fernandez, membership director, 212 710 3132
George maintains AIGA’s membership database and is the primary customer service contact for membership inquiries from chapter membership coordinators. He is responsible for providing membership recruitment materials, helping coordinators use the workroom, generating invoices and monitoring and maintaining group memberships as well as sending out regular mailings (postcards, new-member packets, membership cards). He answers questions about membership status, which benefits members should have been sent and who belongs on a group membership.

George holds a BA in liberal arts from Queens College. Previously, he was responsible for membership at another association and maintained client records for a health care organization.

Amy Gendler, director, AIGA China, direct inquiries to 212 710 3111
Amy Gendler is founding director of AIGA China and also acts as a full-time professor at Beijing’s Central Academy of Fine Arts. Since 2006, she has crafted the vision of AIGA’s presence in China, stressing the importance of building bridges between international and American designers, and advocating on behalf of designers everywhere.

An award-winning designer and design educator, Amy founded Thinking Eye Visual Communication in Hong Kong in 1996. She also worked as Art Director Asia/Pacific for Arthur Andersen. She has taught design in the United States and Asia throughout her career.

Amy graduated from Yale University with a BA in art history and an additional concentration in design. She studied at Yale’s joint program with the Basel Kunstgewerbeschule in Brisaggo Switzerland. And subsequently, she received an MFA with honors from Rhode Island School of Design. She has more than 15 years of experience in Greater China and speaks Mandarin Chinese.

Richard Grefé, executive director, 212 710 3100
Ric is the CEO of AIGA, the professional association for design. He is generally involved in all of AIGA’s activities, although his major contributions are in strategy, formulating new initiatives to enhance the competitive success of designers and advocating the value of design.

Ric earned a BA from Dartmouth College, crafted books at Stinehour Press, spent several years in intelligence work in Asia, reported from the Bronx County Courthouse for AP, wrote for Time magazine on business and the economy and then earned an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business. Following a career in urban design and public policy consulting, Ric managed the association responsible for strategic planning and legislative advocacy for public television and led a think tank on the future of public television and radio. He has been at AIGA since 1995, developing programs that reinforce the relevance of design as an extraordinary creative gift and a critical element of business strategy.

David Hall, member experience manager, 212 710 3133
David is AIGA’s primary liaison to student groups and faculty coordinators, as well as student members in general. David also serves as the liaison to a task force addressing the needs of designers working in corporate and institutional design departments. In responding to member inquiries by phone or email, he pays close attention to ways in which AIGA can improve the member experience and works with the team to implement those improvements.

David has several years of experience processing payments, working with financial databases and working with the public. He has a BA in music and performs regularly.

Mike Joosse, director of chapter development, 212 710 3121
Mike works directly with chapter leaders to provide resources, information, design work, planning and support for whatever initiatives and programs chapters may undertake. He helps chapters to become more successful and self-sustaining through increased communication, board strategy and facilitation, coordinated initiatives and national events. He also serves as a resource for new chapter board members and AIGA members who are considering joining their chapter boards.

Mike earned a BGD from NC State University’s College of Design and has worked in design, marketing and advertising in Washington, D.C., and across the Triangle region in North Carolina. He has also spoken to student groups across the country about the transition to becoming a professional designer. Prior to joining AIGA as a staff member, he served as president of AIGA Raleigh and the presidents' council chair on AIGA's national board of directors.

Tiia Schurig, web production manager, 212 710 3134
Tiia is responsible for technical aspects of projects that support AIGA’s mission. Her responsibilities include coordinating with colleagues to ensure that web content includes visually appealing elements and is current, working with technical integration partners to implement CSS changes, website maintenance, user support and needs analysis, web activity reporting and project managing. She also oversees the development and execution of Communiqué, AIGA’s monthly newsletter, as well as all other electronic messages.

Tiia earned a BA in art history and a BA in humanities from the University of South Florida.

Heather Strelecki, information specialist, 212 710 3145
Heather provides support on a wide variety of information resources. She is the primary contact for event registration inquiries, and she manages the AIGA library and institutional archives. In addition, she assists with annual competitions and exhibitions, the online design archives and journal publications. Her responsibilities include effectively communicating with conference attendees and competition entrants, timely processing and notification of financial transactions; monitoring the AIGA website for necessary updates and organizing digital and print information and artifacts.

Heather earned a BA in art history from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania and an MS in library and information science with an advanced certificate in archives from Pratt Institute. She brings customer service and administrative experience from STERIS Corporation. She was a contributing art writer for the Erie Times News, and she volunteers at Kentler International Drawing Space in Brooklyn.

Rasika Welankiwar, managing editor, 212 710 3123
Rasika is an integral part of the team devoted to making the AIGA website an inspiring and informative destination for students, designers, business leaders and the public at large. In addition, she’s engaged in advancing AIGA’s social media presence and works with staff to improve communications in general.

Most recently she was an assistant editor for Harvard Business Review, where she developed content on self-management and entrepreneurship. She has also contributed to New England Runner and This I Believe, and covered arts and culture for a daily paper in Harrisonburg, Virginia. She earned a BS in media arts and design from James Madison University.

Denise Wood, chief operating officer, 212 710 3135
Denise is responsible for operational decisions within AIGA, overseeing development and implementation of AIGA’s budget. She is responsible for knowledge management within the organization and AIGA’s information systems. She works closely with the executive director to implement plans in virtually all membership and strategic areas of AIGA.

Denise earned a BA from Oberlin College and an MBA in information management from George Washington University.