Bios of national board members

Sean Adams is a partner at AdamsMorioka, Inc., in Beverly Hills, California. Since AdamsMorioka's founding in 1994, Adams has been globally recognized by every major competition and publication including; Communication Arts, AIGA, Graphis, The Type Directors Club, The British Art Director's Club, and the New York Art Director's Club. In 2000, The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art exhibited AdamsMorioka in a solo retrospective. Adams holds the honor of being named to the ID40, citing him as one of the forty most important people shaping design internationally. Adams is a Fellow of the International Design Conference at Aspen. In 2006, Adams was named as a Fellow of AIGA.

Adams is a past national board member of AIGA, past president of AIGA Los Angeles and chair of the AIGA Creative Leadership Campaign. He currently teaches at California Institute of the Arts. Adams is a frequent lecturer and competition judge internationally. He is the co-author of the best selling, Logo Design Workbook, and Color Workbook. AdamsMorioka's clients include ABC, Adobe, Barton Myers Associates, Gap, Old Navy, Frank Gehry Associates, Nickelodeon, USC, Sundance and The Walt Disney Company.

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Jim Ales is the art director for the nonprofit Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey, California. He is responsible for the creative direction, design and maintenance of the aquarium brand identity and visual communications. The aquarium is consistently ranked number one in the United States for its innovative exhibits and unsurpassed visitor experience and is recognized as a world-wide leader in ocean conservation. Jim has embraced the challenge of redefining what a conservation voice sounds like: modern, relevant, respectful and positive. Seamlessly integrating the aquarium brand, Jim and his team develop simple and visually powerful messages that inform and inspire a broad audience. His work, and that of the aquarium, is changing the way individuals, corporations and government agencies understand and interact with ocean environments.

Jim has lectured extensively on nonprofit branding and the positive economic and social impact it brings to the organization. Jim’s work has appeared in many design and museum award publications and he is the recipient of the AIGA Environmental Leadership Award.

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Connie Birdsall is a senior partner at Lippincott Mercer, a leading brand strategy and design consultancy in New York, where she has led the design practice for the past five years. Her experience encompasses a diverse range of project work, including creating global corporate and brand identity programs, marketing communications systems, information design, launch and implementation programs and developing the tools required for successful brand management.

She has directed programs for a host of fortune 500 companies including IBM, Citigroup, Continental Airlines, DaimlerChrysler, Goldman Sachs, Samsung, Sprint and TimeWarner, and most recently completed the launch of a new identity for The Bank of New York. Current projects in the studio include development of a new brand identity for the American Express Financial Advisors being spun from American Express a sensory identity program for a global tech company and several retail identity programs for major consumer brands. In her role at Lippincott, Birdsall works closely with both business strategists and designers and has had the unique opportunity to experience the special power and magic that happens when these disciplines come together in a combined creative effort.

AIGA, Graphis, and Communication Arts magazine’s Annual Reviews have cited her work for excellence. The Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum featured the Continental Airlines program in their exhibition “Mixing Messages, Graphic Design in Contemporary Culture.” She has won international design awards for her work with IBM. Birdsall has also been a speaker at the American Center for Design and the Design Management Institute and has lectured at Tuck Business School. She holds a B.F.A. from Kansas City Art Institute and an M.F.A. from Cranbrook Academy of Art.

In May 2005, Birdsall completed her term as secretary, treasurer and sponsorship chair of the New York board of AIGA where she worked like mad to raise funds for the chapter's ambitious programming goals which yearly include 24 events, a conference and a mentoring program. When not working at Lippincott or on behalf of AIGA she has become pretty good in the kitchen canning homemade jams and pickles or in her garden in the Catskills mountains picking fresh green beans, her most successful crop.

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Laurie Churchman is the principal of Designlore, a place for thinking, making and writing about design. She is also an assistant professor in Fine Arts, Graphic Design, at the University of Pennsylvania.

Prior to founding Designlore, she had over 20 years of branding and corporate design experience directing projects for clients including IBM, Goldman Sachs, Museum of American Folk Art, First Union and COMEX. Now at Designlore, her interests are centered on nonprofit and cultural projects, and her research looks at the intersection of craft, design and technology. She is also committed to partnering with her students and the community to offer solutions through design. Her prior teaching experience includes North Carolina State University and Seton Hall University.

Churchman's work has been recognized by Communication Arts, Creativity, How Magazine, PDN:Nikon, Fox River Paper, and Neenah Paper among others. She is a past board member of World Studio Foundation, AIGA New York and AIGA Raleigh. As an admitted AIGA junkie who has been active in the organization since 1983, she recently co-chaired the 2005 AIGA "Revolution:Philadelphia" design education conference and is a member of the AIGA national Design Education steering committee.

Churchman holds a BS in visual communication from the University of Delaware and an MFA in graphic design from Yale University. She also attended the AIGA/Harvard Business School Design Leaders program.

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Moira Cullen has built a career directing creative business solutions that honor the essence and heritage of organizations, institutions and brands. A design strategist, educator and writer, her expertise is uniquely informed. She has worked as creative director and U.S. representative for one of Japan's leading fashion specialty retailers; design research manager at Pentagram; marketing director at The Pushpin Group; national program director at the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA); and chair of the Communication Arts department at Otis College of Art and Design. She led the corporate design group at Hallmark Cards, Inc. prior to assuming her current position as creative development strategist responsible for development and implementation of broad-scale internal and external brand issues.

Her essays and criticism have been published in leading design publications and anthologies. She is a former president of AIGA’s Los Angeles Chapter and currently serves as president of AIGA Kansas City and president of AIGA’s Brand Experience board.

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Bill Grant is President and Creative Director of Grant Design Collaborative in Atlanta. Grant Design Collaborative's cross-discipline work includes communication design, brand strategy, advertising, product development, branded interiors and experience design. Grant served on the National Board of the American Institute of Graphics Arts (AIGA) from 2001-2004. He was a member of the Board of Directors of the Atlanta chapter of AIGA from 1993-1999 and served as the chapter’s president from 1997-1999.

Grant helped author and produce the AIGA “Business and Ethical Expectations for Professional Designers” and chaired GAIN, the 2002 AIGA Business and Design Conference. Grant also assisted in curriculum development and attended the inaugural AIGA Harvard Business School program “Business Perspectives for Design Leaders.” He is a 2005 Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award nominee for Communication Design.

Grant’s work has been featured in Communication Arts, Print, ID, STEP, HOW, AIGA Communication Graphics, Graphis DesignersUSA, Metropolis, New York Type Director’s Club Annual, Graphic Design:usa, Graphic Design America 2, Interior Design, Interiors, and IIDA Perspective among others. He has served as a judge for numerous international design competitions and is a frequent speaker at design events. Grant has produced award-winning communication design programs for clients such as Adobe Systems, Herman Miller, Muzak, Blackberry Farm, Geiger International, Georgia-Pacific, Blue Ridge Commercial Carpet, Steelcase, Mohawk Paper Mills, Contract Magazine and Smart Papers.

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Nikolaus Hafermaas Nik Hafermaas is department chair of Graphic Design at Art Center College of Design since August 2004, He has created a new Graphic Design curriculum and co-hosted studio abroad programs in Berlin, Copenhagen and, most recently, in Tokyo. His current large-scale environmental artwork PowerPLANTs–a major public work awarded by the City of Pasadena–was featured as a top winner of design in Newsweek, June 2006.

Prior to Art Center, Nik was a Professor of Integrated Design and Temporary Architecture at the University of Arts, Bremen and curator of the Berlin-based network Young Creative Industries. His clients include the Bertelsmann Media Group, World Expo 2000, Audi, Deutsche Telecom AG, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen and Zurich Financial Services, Expo.02.

Nik is also the former principal and chief creative officer of the design company Triad Berlin where he and his two partners formed an integrated professional team of over 50 employees, shaping it into one of Germany’s leading design firms specialized in the field between industry and the arts, new media and contemporary culture. Most recently, he founded the design company UeBERSEE, specializing in the artistic development of exhibitions and narrative spaces.

Nik was recipient of the IF Design Award in 1999 and 2004, the German Design Club Award in 2000 and 2002 and the Art Directors Club Design Award in 2002. He studied Visual Communications and Architecture at the University of Arts, Berlin.

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Steve Hartman is founder and principal designer of Creativille, Inc., located in his hometown of Edwardsville, Illinois near St. Louis, Missouri. Hartman has spent his 14-year career designing brand and print solutions for a national list of Fortune 1000 companies, institutions and non-profit organizations.

Hartman’s work has been recognized by many award competitions and publications, including Communication Arts, Graphis, Dynamic Graphics, HOW Magazine, Graphic Design USA, Print Magazine, a number of published books, and his mother's refrigerator.

Hartman has taught design at Maryville University, the University of Missouri-St. Louis, Washington University and Webster University in St. Louis. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Illinois; and he survived the first AIGA/Harvard Business School Executive Training program: Business Perspectives for Designers.

AIGA has been large focus for Hartman. He most recently served as Development Director for AIGA St. Louis, and has served as Vice-President and President. Hartman sat on two national committees and was very active in developing the AIGA Midwest Leadership Retreats and Midwest initiatives. He also sits on the board of his hometown arts organization in southern Illinois, The Edwardsville Arts Center.

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Kenna Kay is the vice president/creative director at TV Land, a division of MTV Networks. She directs a team of in-house designers and animators, as well as out-of-house studios and freelancers, to produce print, three-dimensional items, multimedia and motion graphics. Previously, she was art director at Nickelodeon. Kenna has received numerous broadcast design awards, including recognition from Promax, Print, Communication Arts, HOW, Art Directors Club and D&AD. She has spoken on design issues for the AIGA, the How Conference, the University of Kansas, the Art Director’s Club and in Caracas, Venezuela, as well as judged American Illustration 16 and the Minnesota Design Show “Design Excellence 2006,”. From 2003 to 2005, Kenna served on the board of directors as vice president of the AIGA New York chapter, and organized the “MOVE: Design for Film and Television” conference. She currently teaches “Beyond Editorial” in the illustration department at Parsons the New School For Design.

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Vernon Lockhart is the founder and principal of Art on the Loose, Inc., a Chicago-based multidisciplinary firm specializes in corporate identities, exhibition and environmental design, and multimedia design. With Art on the Loose, Lockhart has provided art direction for many significant projects in the Chicago area and has served an impressive lists of clients, including: Northwestern University, University of Illinois Laboratory Schools, Hyatt Regency, Nike, Whirlpool, DuSable Museum of African American History, Museum of Science and Industry, Bronzeville Children’s Museum and Namasté. Lockhart is the recipient of awards and praise from Print, Communications Arts, Graphic Design USA and Graphis. Lockhart served on the AIGA Chicago Board as Community Outreach Chair, managing the Poetry In Motion program and student contest. He also participated as a rider with Team AIGA/Roll Over Aids during his tenure.

After serving nine years as chair of the Chicago chapter of the Organization of Black Designers, Vernon helped co-found Project Osmosis, a not-for-profit arts based education and mentoring initiative. The organization has helped over 300 inner city students gain access and knowledge about career opportunities in design. Throughout his work and career, Lockhart has helped to nurture creativity amongst professionals and students alike.

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Debbie Millman has been in the design business for 23 years fulfilling her dream of working in branding and furthering the meaning, purpose and stature of brands in our culture. Debbie is a managing partner and president of the design division at Sterling Brands, the largest independent brand consultancy in the country. She has been there for 11 years where she has led long-term partnerships with global clients including Gillette, Kraft, Nestle, Pepsi, Campbell’s, Johnson & Johnson, Glaxo-Smithkline, Pfizer and Unilever.

For 12 years, Debbie also worked as the creative director for Emmis Broadcasting’s Hot 97, where she helped transform the image of the radio station from a dance music format to the vibrant, hip-hop station it currently is.

Debbie is an author on the design blog Speak Up, which will be included in the 2006 Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum Triennial. She is also a regular contributor to Print Magazine, and teaches Creative Leadership at the School of Visual Arts. In 2005, she began hosting the first live weekly radio talk show about graphic design on the internet. The show is titled "Design Matters with Debbie Millman," and it is featured on the Voice America Business Network and as podcasts on iTunes. Debbie frequently lectures on the virtues of brands and authenticity. She believes that the condition of brand reflects the condition of our culture and is bound and determined to further the causes of brand consultants everywhere.

In May 2006, Debbie completed her term as secretary, treasurer and sponsorship chair of the New York board of the AIGA where she worked to raise money for the chapter, participated in many of the chapter’s events and served as a mentor at the High School of Art & Design. She attended the inaugural AIGA Harvard Business School program "Business Perspectives for Design Leaders" in 2003, she was on the board of the AIGA Center of Brand Experience from 1998-2002 and in 2005 she presented a Corporate Leadership award at the AIGA Design Legends Gala.

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Bennett Peji is a commissioner of arts and culture for the city of San Diego and an AIGA Fellow. His firm, Bennett Peji Design, specializes in helping the revitalization of cities and cultures through urban design and district branding. Believing that form follows culture, he was awarded the master planning city contract for the Filipino Village development in National City—a first for a graphic designer. He is the recipient of the 2005 Arts, Business and Culture Award from the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, the 2004 Outstanding Professional of the Year Award from the Filipino-American Chamber of Commerce and the 2004 Asian Heritage Award for Cultural Preservation. Besides business and community service awards, his firm has received over 200 design awards.

Mr. Peji serves on the board of the AIGA Center for Cross-Cultural Design and attended the inaugural AIGA Harvard Business School program. While serving as chapter president, he and the gutsy AIGA San Diego board members launched the annual AIGA "Y Design" conference 11 years ago. He is inspired by those board members’ passion to this day. In 1996, he chaired the AIGA Chapter Presidents Council. He is a co-founder and regent of the Baja California Missions Foundation, founded to renovate and preserve the historic missions in Mexico.

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Shel Perkins is a graphic designer and educator with 19 years of experience in managing the operations of leading design firms in the United States and the U.K. He writes the "Professional Practice" column for STEP magazine, the "Design Business" newsletter for AIGA, and the "Design Firm Management" column for Graphics.com. He has given presentations and workshops for many organizations, including IDSA, SEGD, HOW, ACD, Dynamic Graphics, STEP, Seybold and the Graphic Artists Guild. Shel teaches courses in professional practices at the California College of the Arts, the Academy of Art in San Francisco and the University of California.

He has served on the national board of the Association of Professional Design Firms and has been honored as an AIGA Fellow. He chairs the national task force responsible for planning the new AIGA Center for Practice Management. He co-authored the latest AIGA Standard Form of Agreement for Design Services, and his book Talent Is Not Enough: Business Secrets For Designers has just been published by New Riders and AIGA Design Press.

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Hank Richardson is President of Portfolio Center, one of the country's premier graduate-level professional programs for the communicating arts, located in Atlanta, Georgia. He is an AIGA Fellow and has served on the Boards of AIGA Atlanta, the Allied Design Council/Atlanta, and the Atlanta Ad Club. He holds memberships in the College Art Association, New York Art Directors Club, One Club of New York, Creativity Atlanta, the American Academy of Advertising, Dallas Society of Visual Communicators and the University College Designers Association.

An avid teacher and inspiring leader in design education, Richardson travels widely, speaking at universities and conducting workshops and seminars at conferences around the country. Most recently, he spoke on Approaches to Teaching Design History at the AIGA Schools of Thoughts conference, held at Art Center College in Pasadena, California.

Richardson wrote the commentary for the “Graphis New Talent Design Annual, 2001,” Education for the Real World, and his articles, speeches, and columns are published frequently in print and online. As a consultant, he has also contributed to books by such industry notables as Steven Heller, Elizabeth Resnick, Luke Sullivan, and Cheryl Heller. /p>

During his tenure, Richardson’s students have garnered over 5000 local and national awards. His graduates are employed in the most highly respected design firms and advertising agencies in the world.

He believes steadfastly it is most important for designers and design educators to convey the philosophy that being a designer is the opportunity to confirm one’s own integrity and to promote design as a personal advocacy and a catalyst for change.

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Laura Shore is senior vice president of communications for Mohawk Fine Papers, where she leads a team responsible for strategy and execution of corporate branding, marketing communications and product support. In her 20 years with Mohawk, she has developed a seamless marketing environment where corporate identity, public relations, advertising, relationship marketing, product development, product promotion and the web are all intricately linked. Shore and her team have used the power of design to differentiate commodity products and have contributed to the evolution of Mohawk from niche player to the leading manufacturer of premium printing papers in North America. She has raised Mohawk’s profile by commissioning work from America’s best designers and printers and by linking Mohawk with people and ideas across multiple disciplines.

Mohawk’s work with designers has been recognized by leading publications and organizations in the U.S. and internationally such as Communication Arts, Print, D&AD, GD:USA, Step, HOW, The One Show, IDSA, the Type Directors Club, AIGA, Inc. Magazine, Graphis, Eye.

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