Dear AIGA members,
We’re asking you to cast your vote (in the form below) for the incoming AIGA Chicago board members. The term for these positions will commence in June 2018. Please, take a moment to cast your vote today—voting ends May 16, 2018, which will be here before you know it.
To better reflect our chapter’s commitment to Design Ethics and Community Engagement, we’ve created positions for each of these initiatives. These new roles also align with AIGA National’s mission to become more diverse, inclusive, and civically engaged.
We’d also like to extend our sincere thanks to outgoing board members Brenda Bergen, Design Chair; Amir Berbić, VP of Education; Amy Guterman, Co-VP of Member Experience; Kevin Leahy, VP of Communications; and Erin Huizenga, Vice-President of Design for Good. Their service and dedication helped advance our mission, forge new partnerships and strengthen our community.
FINAL SLATE
VP of Communications – Bianca Smith
Bianca is a writer who marries personal anecdotes and colorful language to communicate compelling brand messages. As a trained journalist and editor, she is passionate about the entire scope of the creative process. From pitching a story idea through to creating a piece’s social media posts, she is invested in all facets of the projects she’s a part of. Bianca is currently a copywriter and junior strategist at One Design Company, and on the Editorial Committee at AIGA Chicago. Most recently, she edited Mouthwash magazine and was the managing editor of Echo Magazine—a nationally award-winning student-run publication—while she completed her BA in Magazine Journalism at Columbia College Chicago.
VP of Community Engagement – Mary Foyder
Mary loves to partner with clients to plan, envision and bring content to life. An award-winning interdisciplinary designer, brand strategist and IDEO alumnus with over 15 years of experience, Mary is a versatile communication design leader who has worked with dozens of clients from fortune 500 brands to top nonprofits. Her experience includes a diverse range of projects—from microfinance banking in rural Kenya to the creation and branding of a birth control support network for women. She has worked with a broad range of clients, including The Trust for Public Land, The University of Chicago, The Chicago Department of Public Health, American Express, Nike, Sara Lee, Bank of America, and The National Campaign to Prevent Teen & Unplanned Pregnancy.
No matter the project, Mary believes in a Human Centered Design approach—great design starts with understanding the needs of individuals and organizations. Among the press and accolades Mary’s work has received, her work with Bedsider garnered an IDEA gold for service design, an IDEA bronze for both research and design strategy, as well as a Core77 strategy and research award. Her work was also featured in the Pasadena Museum of California Art.
VP of Education – Jo-Nell Sieren
Jo-Nell Sieren is a photographer, designer, educator, and advisor. Currently, she is an Internship and Career Advisor for the Career Center at Columbia College Chicago. She advises students majoring in Photography, Design, Art, Art History and Interactive Arts Media (IAM). In addition to this role, she is Adjunct Faculty for both Design and Photography departments. Jo-Nell also mentors and directs a small group of students each semester who create Frank Magazine, a digital publication available from the Apple App Store and created with Adobe Digital Publishing Suite (DPS). A graduate of the School of Visual Art in New York City, Jo-Nell’s professional background includes working as a photographer, designer, assistant gallery director, curriculum director, and instructor for a children’s art program.
Design Ethics Chair — Theresa Stewart
Theresa Stewart is a designer and cultural consultant who has been crafting meaningful experiences in a range of industries, including consumer electronics, retail, and healthcare. She’s supported design for both consulting and in-house organizations and has worked in innovation consulting as well as at a boutique shipping and logistics company respectively. In addition to design, Theresa is passionate about diversity and inclusion. She’s been a fierce advocate for creating spaces for designers of color in the industry.
Editorial Chair – Myriha Burce
Recently joining VSA Chicago as a writer, Myriha Burce graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 2013 with a B.A. in Business Management. Myriha kicked off her career in New York City working at the headquarters for women’s luxury clothing retailer, EILEEN FISHER. She has had the opportunity to work very closely with numerous creative teams while honing marketing, writing, and communications skills across fashion, tech, and non-profit industries. Outside of work, Myriha is an avid fashion and lifestyle blogger. On the weekends you’ll likely find her exploring the city, or collaborating with some of her favorite local photographers, designers, and other Chicago creatives.
Editorial Chair – Terez Stewart
Terez Stewart is the Digital Marketing Manager for Peapod managing social, influencers, and digital partnerships. With a degree from DePaul University in Communication and Media, she believes in great design, words and visuals considered. Prior to her time at Peapod, she led the Chicago Social Promotion & Engagement department for a Content Marketing Agency, where she oversaw social strategy for clients and partners like Hertz, Dollar, Pearson Education, New York Yankees, Spotify, Next Door, Lettuce Entertain You, and Bon Appetit.
She’s also developed social media strategies for over 10 years—an early adopter and a digital influencer and blogger. n 2013, She authored 11 Beautiful Tools and Social Media strategy guide—the first-ever for the beauty industry. She hopes to, one day, be considered an “avid diarist” in history books. She’s an expert amateur photographer, taking tons of pictures of flowers and food for work and play.
Terez believes that humanizing brands brings better engagement, and as social grows up, she’s excited to continue teaching and speaking about where brand, design, digital marketing, and strategy meet. Her first connection to AIGA was a Mentor on Leadership for the Spring 2017 session and she hopes to bring interest and insight to the table as an Editorial Chair.
Education Chair – Robert Zolna
Robert Zolna is a human-centered researcher, educator, and designer. A self-professed people-nerd, he is fascinated with people and how they interact with objects, services, space, and each other. Currently, Robert steers the Design Research Methods curriculum at the UIC School of Design, teaching human-centered methodologies to graduate and undergraduate students. He strives to make “research + design” a core part of the student-designer journey. His research focus is on understanding and defining the aesthetics of patient care delivery and their impact on improving patient health. He was recently appointed Director of the HealthCare Lab at UIC’s Innovation Center and is a Senior Research Fellow at UIC’s Population Health Sciences Program.
As former Associate Partner and Director of Visual Communication at gravitytank, he was responsible for shaping a culture of critique and collaboration across the design, research and strategy disciplines. As Director of Brand and Visual Storytelling for dscout, Robert oversaw the development of brand strategies for the firm’s products and platforms.
Active in the Chicago design community, he has a passion for inspiring designers to look more broadly at opportunities to apply their creativity and make an impact. When not teaching, researching or designing he can be found walking his two dogs around the West Town neighborhood with his fiancé, also a designer.
Co-Partnerships Chair – Lance Curran
Lance Curran studied music business at Columbia College Chicago only to find that he missed his DIY days. He dropped out of school and spent a few years playing and booking shows while managing artists. Since joining Threadless in 2005, he and his pals have forged a workplace that encourages off-kilter personalities and rebellious kindness.
Lance has partnered with many companies and brands on creative projects, fundraisers, and events through Threadless and Arcade Brewery, which he co-founded in 2011 and served as Creative Director. Currently, Lance is the Artist Shops Account Director and Comic Book Czar for Threadless where he manages and supports over 800 VIP clients (and growing).
He has been the curator for the monthly rotating Graffiti On Green mural series at Soho House Chicago since 2014 and has worked with many local businesses and artists from around the world on mural and street art projects.
Lance loves to invite like-minded misfits to the Threadless HQ for tours, interviews, and possible projects. He’s an art, music, video game, and comic book junkie who likes to get his brain caught in the marketing cookie jar. He was an advisor and exhibition chair for the Hey! Play! Exhibit at the Chicago Design Museum and is the curator for the Art Gives Me Hope charity art fundraiser that benefits Hope For The Day and their mental health awareness and suicide prevention efforts.
Lance is happily married and earned the title, “Best Father Ever” from Esquire Magazine when an Instagram series featuring his family went viral.
Co-Partnerships Chair – Jeannine Ringland-Zwirn
Jeannine has spent most of her career at the crossroads of emerging technologies and serving client needs. In the financial industry, she worked with the country’s stock exchanges helping develop the first wireless stock execution system in the US. From there, she worked as a solutions architect in the wireless communications industry and participated in the incredible growth of cellular for over 20 years. Her customers ranged from Fortune 1000 companies to utilities and public sector clients.
Now, as Business Development Director at Daily Planet, Jeannine is working with the best content-creators, designers, directors, animators, and editors around. She helps clients find solutions to their communication, branding, and marketing needs—bringing them a level of creativity and service that helps them be the most powerful brands possible. In addition, she also helps develop the social media, public relations, and marketing programs that
continue to build the successful Daily Planet brand. She is also the Intern Manager at Daily Planetr, helping to seek out the city’s emerging talents through an internship program.
Jeannine has also helped run GiveAShi*t, Daily Planet’s passion project. For the last three years, GiveAShi*t has raised over $75,000 by having local artists donate designs for t-shirts that are then hand-screened and sold online as well as at a yearly pop-up shop. All proceeds go directly to Streetwise and Streetwise vendors.
When she is not working, she is a potter and tile maker at Lill Street Studios.
