AIGA Welcomes New Leaders to the Board of Directors and Opens Self-Nominations for New Board Seats

New York, NY—AIGA, the professional association for design, announces the appointments of a new President-Elect and Treasurer of the AIGA Board of Directors. These new Board officer appointments are effective immediately.

The new Board officers were elected to their roles by AIGA Board of Directors and play a crucial role in determining the mission of AIGA, and ensuring the organization remains a relevant and contemporary association for the profession.

Meet the new leaders of AIGA’s Board of Directors:

Cesar Rivera, President-Elect
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention*
*Mr. Rivera is serving in his personal capacity

A San Antonio native, Cesar developed a passion for design at an early age, and excelled at communication design by earning his first competitive awards while in high school. Following his service in the United States Army (HOOAH!), he continued to garner design awards as he earned two associate’s degrees in art and design from San Antonio College in 2005, then his bachelor’s degree in Communication Design in 2007 and his master’s degree in 2015, both from Texas State University. Cesar’s work has been recognized with more than 50 awards from top organizations such as Graphis, AIGA, and AdFed. 

Cesar joined the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in July 2020 to lead visual communication for the agency. His team provides expertise in visual communication design, data visualization, campaign management, medical and digital illustration, and publications and presentation design. Prior to joining CDC, Cesar worked at design companies in San Antonio on projects for Miller Lite, Splenda, Coca-Cola, and WellMed Medical, then he ran his own small design studio for over 7 years focused on health and environmentally conscious organizations. During his career, Cesar co-founded the AIGA San Antonio chapter, served on the professional advisory committee for San Antonio College, and has more than 5 year’s experience teaching in higher education.

Cesar will serve in his own capacity as President-Elect until June 30 and then step into office as AIGA’s board president from July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2026.

Dawn Davidson, Secretary
President and Creative Director, Alpha Business Images LLC

Dawn serves as Partner, President and Creative Director for Alpha Business Images, LLC (ABI), the largest woman-owned and woman-led advertising agency in the state of Texas.

Dawn is a powerhouse creative, strategist, idea generator, and communicator who has helped to not only build strong, diverse creative teams, but also build ABI’s strong-growing revenue -- playing a key role in securing clients, including some of the largest and respected civic organizations, educational institutions, travel/ transportation companies, and healthcare systems in the nation.

ABI has been named to Adweek’s 100 Fastest Growing Agencies list 3 years running — demonstrating the power of authenticity and diversity in helping clients understand how to communicate with the full audience.

With many creative awards under her belt, she’s most proud of her philanthropic and volunteer efforts for over 25 years through mentorship, advocacy and board service in the arts, education, and creative industries, including AIGA National Board Executive Team, The Ad Council Advisory Committee Member, and Girls Inc of Tarrant County board member.

Dawn’s term as Secretary will run through June 30, 2025.

AIGA is currently accepting self-nominations from AIGA Members AIGA for individuals to fill up to six open director-at-large seats on the Board of Directors, each one for a three-year term effective July 1. Interested candidates can apply online until April 14, 2024.

Other continuing members of the AIGA Board:

• Art Taylor (Treasurer), President & Chief Executive Officer, BBB Wise Giving Alliance
• Victor Davila, Assistant Professor at the University of Central Florida
• Rachel Elnar, Senior Creative Producer, Adobe
• Aleksey Fedorov, Director of Global Brand Marketing, Microsoft
• Reggie Tidwell, Owner/Creative Director, Curve Theory

The departing members of AIGA’s Board of Directors are:

• Manuhuia Barcham (President), Managing Director, Archetekt
• Oen Hammonds, IBM Distinguished Designer, IBMer Experience, IBM HR
• Xouchee Moua, Chief Financial Officer, Goods & Services
• Eileen Prado, Chief Financial Officer, CAP3
• Elise Roy, Vice President of Accessibility and Inclusive Design, Salesforce
• Isaiah Steinfeld, GM/Director, Startup Acquisition and Customer Experience, Amazon Web Services (AWS)
• Anna Thomsen, Director, Central Financial Planning & Analysis, United Airlines

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