Meet The Board: 2023-2024

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Each year, the members of the Society vote on the officers and directors of the SPD Board. We’re excited to welcome six new board members this year (Carrie, Davian-Lynn, Emily, Karen, Rashida, and Zara) and congratulate our new officers (Emily, David, Chuck, Dennis, and Taylor). Special thanks to our outgoing board members for serving on the board.

Get to know the 2023-2024 Board of Directors and SPD HQ by clicking on each photo below!

OFFICERS

Emily Kimbro
PRESIDENT
Creative Director
Texas Monthly

Music you listen to while creating: my favorite radio station out of New Orleans, WWOZ

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David Cooper
VICE PRESIDENT
Illustrator + Photo Director

What’s your super power? I know how to make a few pencil marks on paper look like a thing.

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Chuck Kerr
VICE PRESIDENT
Creative Director
Entertainment Weekly

What (or who) inspires you? Albums with zero skippable tracks. 

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Dennis Huynh
SECRETARY
Product Design Director, Editorial
GoodRx, New York NY

What’s your super power? Secretly knowing how to work a spreadsheet or Airtable

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Taylor Le
TREASURER
Design Director
Los Angeles Times

3 things you can’t live without: Iced soy lattes, spas, cats

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DIRECTORS

Carrie Mifsud
Art Director
The New York Times

Three things you can’t live without: My family, My vinyl records, My sketchbook

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Jeanne Graves
Director of Photography
Fast Company

What’s your super power? Going warp speed at the 11th hour.

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Rashida Morgan-Brown
Creative Director
Rashidasdesigns.com

3 things you can’t live without: Family, peace of mind, creativity

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Davian-Lynn Hopkins
Senior Designer
Pentagram

Advice for young creatives? Trust your gut!


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Emily Furlani
Art Director
Brooklyn, NY

Three things you can’t live without: Laughter, hugs, good moisturizer

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Jana Meier-Roberts
Design Director
Sports Illustrated Germany

3 things you can’t live without: My family, books, the outdoors

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Josue Evilla
Creative Director
Fortune Design

What’s your super power? No coffee — I'm ready to go!


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Haley Kluge
Creative Director
Variety

Album you listen to while creating: Any original Broadway cast album

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Zara Katz
Photography Director
NBC News Digital

What’s on your bucket list for 2024: Travel outside of the U.S. Not spontaneously combusting during the 2024 election.

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José Reyes
Founder, Executive Creative Director
Metaleap Creative

Advice for young creatives: Stay curious, ask great questions, follow through

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Karen Frank
Freelance

What’s on your bucket list for 2024? Reinvention

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SPD HQ

 

Keisha Dean
Executive Director
SPD

What’s your superpower? Being a Jedi.

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Chelsey Lamwatt
Communications Director
SPD

3 things you can’t live without: Family, my phone, and a good book.

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Emily Kimbro

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EMILY KIMBRO

PRESIDENT

Current job: Creative Director, Texas Monthly

What’s your super power? Making a decent cocktail out of just about any ingredients you put in front of me.

Music you listen to while creating: usually streaming my favorite station out of New Orleans, WWOZ

Favorite streaming TV show: Currently down the Sopranos rabbit hole (for the first time!)

What (or who) inspires you? All of you wonderful people!

Advice for young creatives? Go places! See things!

What’s on your bucket list for 2024? Going places! Seeing things! And hopefully a little downtime for making (mediocre) pottery for my friends :)

David Cooper

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David Cooper

VICE PRESIDENT

Current job: Illustrator and Photo Director

3 things you can’t live without: My life, my love and my kids. 

What’s your super power? I know how to make a few pencil marks on paper look like a thing. 

Album you listen to while creating: Sketches of Spain by Miles Davis

Favorite streaming TV show: Andor

What (or who) inspires you? The human condition. 

Advice for young creatives? Stay even keeled in life. If someone likes the work you're doing, cool; if they don't, cool, just keep it moving. 

What’s on your bucket list for 2024? To finish illustrating four picture books. 


Chuck Kerr

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Chuck kerr

Current job: Creative Director, Entertainment Weekly

3 things you can’t live without: Breakfast tacos, Spotify Premium, and Evie (my dog).

What’s your super power? Writing cover lines.

Album you listen to while creating: Too many to count! (Again, shout-out to Spotify Premium.) 2022's most-played albums were from Spoon, Big Thief, Cate Le Bon, and Beyoncé.

Favorite streaming TV show: In 2022: "The Bear," "Andor," "This Fool," and "Severance." Some all-time faves: "Mad Men," "Halt and Catch Fire," "Better Call Saul," "RuPaul's Drag Race," and "The Venture Bros."

What (or who) inspires you? Albums with zero skippable tracks. 

Advice for young creatives? Ask as many questions as you can. You most likely work with people who have already solved some of the same problems you'll encounter, so learn from their experience. Bonus: if you're industrious enough, you may also discover gaps in your organization that could turn into opportunities for someone with your skillset and unique POV.  

What’s on your bucket list for 2024? A proper, unplugged vacation.

Dennis Huynh

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Dennis Huynh

SECRETARY

Current job: Product Design Director, Editorial — GoodRx, New York NY

3 things you can’t live without: Coffee, bagels, candles

What’s your super power? humor and airtable

Album you listen to while creating: The Calm playlist on Apple Music!

Favorite streaming TV show: Schitt's Creek

What (or who) inspires you? Gen-Z's desire for a better work future

Advice for young creatives? Being patient and try to enjoy the uncomfortable growth phase

What’s on your bucket list for 2024? Hiking trip internationally

Taylor Le

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Taylor Le

Current job: Design Director, The Los Angeles Times

3 things you can’t live without: Iced soy lattes, spas, cats

What’s your super power? Building teams and coaching them towards greatness.

Album you listen to while creating: I let my husband surprise me (we both work from home). Otherwise it's NPR or silence.

Favorite streaming TV show: Succession, The White Lotus, The Boys, and more.

What (or who) inspires you? My mom—she escaped a war-torn country by boat to provide our family a life of opportunity. She was an entrepreneur, a creative, and an inspiration!

Advice for young creatives? Failure is OK. It can foster your critical and analytical thinking skills, allowing you to innovate, redirect and develop new strategies to push through obstacles. Don't be afraid to experiment, fail, and pivot.

What’s on your bucket list for 2024? After micro-dosing travel in 2022, I think it's about time for a big trip overseas!

Carrie Mifsud

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Carrie mifsud

Current job: Art Director, The New York Times

3 things you can’t live without: My family, My vinyl records, My sketchbook

What’s your super power? News content super-psychic abilities. I can take a video or interactive and tell it what its best life will be like as a print layout. The future is always bright and anything is possible.

Album you listen to while creating: It really depends on the project. Bowie is usually the answer if nothing else is.

Favorite streaming TV show: I love old movies. But if I watch TV, I waffle between trashy reality TV and true crime documentaries. No judgement plz.

What (or who) inspires you? Saul Bass. Milton Glaser. David Bowie. They all were true to themselves in their art. They loved their work and were loved for it. They were genuinely kind. They loved their families.

Advice for young creatives? Whatever you want to do, be the best at it. Then you can be anything, anywhere.

What’s on your bucket list for 2024? Ice skating at Bryant Park on my lunch break. Bringing my own skates, of course.

Davian-Lynn Hopkins

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DAVIAN-LYNN hopkins

Current job: Senior Designer, Pentagram

3 things you can’t live without: Brandy (my dog), Music, Magazines

What’s your superpower? Staying sane

Album you listen to while creating: Real Housewives podcasts (don't judge me)

Favorite streaming TV show: Real Housewives of Salt Lake City

What (or who) inspires you? Traveling

Advice for young creatives? Trust your gut!

What’s on your bucket list for 2024? Learn new skills in the world of design

Josue Evilla

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josue evilla

Current job: Creative Director, Fortune Design

3 things you can’t live without: Chocolate. And sadly, my glasses. And lens wipes — they kind of go together.

What’s your super power? No coffee — I'm ready to go!

Album you listen to while creating: 80% of the time, it's Bob Dylan. 20% of the time, the other stuff.

Favorite streaming TV show: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Silo, The Bear, Pachinko, Shrinking, Slow Horses

What (or who) inspires you? Creative folks

Advice for young creatives? This doesn't really change — be curious, experiment, play!

What’s on your bucket list for 2024? Keep traveling!

Jeanne Graves

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Jeanne graves

Current job: Director of Photography, Fast Company

3 things you can’t live without: My beautiful niece, nature, nicorette and my damn reading glasses (ok that's four).

What’s your super power? Going warp speed at the 11th hour. 

Album you listen to while creating:
I must have absolute quiet to listen to my thoughts. I do like to burn a candle or Palo Santo.

Favorite streaming TV show: My fave of all time is The Wire.

What (or who) inspires you? Nature, vibrant color (though I only wear black), the art of Mickalene Thomas and Marcus Brutus.

Advice for young creatives? Persist (in both practice and outreach). Show up each day and keep making. Your personal practice is just as important if not more important than your professional gigs, those will come. Also, be kind to everyone, remember that the intern may be the boss one day.

What’s on your bucket list for 2024? Taking my kid abroad for her first time.

Emily Furlani

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EMILY FURLANI

Current job: Art Director, Brooklyn NY

3 things you can’t live without: Laughter, hugs, good moisturizer

What’s your super power? A very acute sense of smell, and intense spatial recall.

Album you listen to while creating: My inner critic (just kidding). Chet Baker in Paris is pretty chill.

Favorite streaming TV show: The Crown

What (or who) inspires you? The permanent collection at MoMA, traveling, bravery, Pinterest®, uncluttered surfaces, José Andres

Advice for young creatives? Take good notes, keep adding to your skill set, be gracious and never burn a bridge. The world is very small your network is everything.

What’s on your bucket list for 2024? Getting back to Paris, Having a consistent yoga practice, Start a book project

Haley Kluge

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Haley Kluge

Current job: Creative Director, Variety

Three things you can’t live without: Diet Coke, TSA Precheck, my Kindle

What’s your super power? Enthusiasm

Album you listen to while creating: Any original Broadway cast album

Favorite streaming TV show: The Newsroom

What (or who) inspires you? All the creatives out there sharing their work

Advice for young creatives? A work ethic and good attitude will get you far.

What’s on your bucket list for 2024? Cheering on Michigan State basketball in the Final Four

Rashida Morgan-Brown

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Rashida morgan-brown

Current job: Creative Director, Rashidasdesigns.com

3 things you can’t live without: Family, peace, creativity.

What’s your super power? Imagination & Creativity

Album you listen to while creating: Instrumental music

Favorite streaming TV show: I like home makeover & remodeling shows. There's something about the creative transformation process that I love.

What (or who) inspires you? Travel inspires me.

Advice for young creatives? Visualize. Create. Be kind. Kindness can goes a long way.

What’s on your bucket list for 2024? Traveling to a fun place that I haven't been before.

Jana Meier-Roberts

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jana Meier-Roberts

Current job: Design Director, Sports Illustrated Germany, Munich

3 things you can’t live without: My family, books, the outdoors

What’s your super power? Patience

Album you listen to while creating: Miss Anthropocene, Grimes

Favorite streaming TV show: Andor

What (or who) inspires you? Print magazines and books
Peter Mendelsund: https://www.petermendelsund.com/
Gail Bichler and her team: https://www.instagram.com/gailbichler/?hl=en

Advice for young creatives? When you’re thinking about where to apply for jobs consider more whom you will be working with than where you will be working. You can find lots of amazing talent outside of NYC, too. You should be looking to land somewhere where you will possibly find a mentor.

What’s on your bucket list for 2024? Take more time to step away from the screen and find inspiration offline, learn new things, and work on projects outside of my comfort zone

Zara Katz

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ZARA KATZ

Current job: Photography Director, NBC News Digital

3 things you can’t live without: Family, friends, swimming.

What’s your super power? Tenacity and sarcasticy.

Album you listen to while creating: Ethiopiques collection

Favorite streaming TV show: Fleabag

What (or who) inspires you? Industry colleagues, Independent films (documentary and narrative), delicious food

Advice for young creatives? Do your push-ups (with creative process, research and education, relationships and communication).

What’s on your bucket list for 2024? Travel outside of the U.S. Not spontaneously combusting during the 2024 election.

José Reyes

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José Reyes

Current job: Founder, Executive Creative Director, Metaleap Creative

3 things you can’t live without: Negroni's, the outdoors, and my wife.

What’s your super power? Listening

Album you listen to while creating: Afrobeat

Favorite streaming TV show: Severance

What (or who) inspires you? A great interview, regardless of the subject matter

Advice for young creatives? Stay curious, ask great questions, follow through

What’s on your bucket list for 2024? Try running the business—remotely from another city—for a month

Karen Frank

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Karen frank

Current job: Freelance (looking for full-time)

3 things you can’t live without: Chocolate, Laughter, Music

What’s your super power? Grace under pressure

Album you listen to while creating: Lately, I've been turning it over to Spotify DJ

Favorite streaming TV show: Chef and Reservation Dogs 

What (or who) inspires you? Travel, being outdoors, Anselm Kiefer

Advice for young creatives? Don't ever be afraid to ask questions and learn from everyone!

What’s on your bucket list for 2024? Reinvention

Keisha Dean

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Keisha Dean

Current job: Executive Director, SPD

What’s your superpower? Being a Jedi.

3 things you can’t live without: My mom (don’t tell her I just referred to her as a thing), television, and bacon.

Name an inspiring Instagram feed: I don’t have time for IG :-)

Favorite streaming TV show: Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Walking Dead Series, and The Peripheral

What's your advice for young creatives? Join SPD!

What (or who) inspires you? Kick-ass, bone-crushing, sharp-tongued female leads in TV & film.

Chelsey Lamwatt

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Chelsey Lamwatt

Current job: Communications Director, SPD

What’s your superpower? I have a good memory for people.

3 things you can’t live without: Family, my phone, and a good book.

Name an inspiring Instagram feed: Collage artist Sharlene Kayne - @skaynedesigns and Punk History - @punk_history

A mistake you made early in your career: Not being confident enough in my skills and what I bring to the table.

Favorite streaming TV show: The West Wing and Criminal Minds

What's your advice for young creatives? The importance of networking: talk to people and continue to stay in touch with colleagues throughout your career.

What (or who) inspires you? My friends who are fearless in chasing after their dreams; they inspire me to do the same.