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 superpower? Curiosity.

What do you listen to while creating? Current faves of the year: The Gloss by Cola, Planet Pearl by Pearl & The Oysters. And a lot of Quincy Jones.

Favorite TV show: Mad Men. Vanderpump Rules is a close second.

What (or who) inspires you? Nothing tops watching musicians lock in on stage.

Advice for young creatives? The process is just as important as the final product. If you focus on the process, the outcome takes care of itself.

What’s on your bucket list for the next year? Leveling up on the bass guitar.

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: Creative Director, The San Francisco Standard

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 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 the next year? 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: Homescreen Art Director, The New York Times

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

What’s your superpower? X-ray vision into the heart of stories (and hopefully editors, lol).

What do you listen to while creating? Cassette tapes from shows I recently went to. On a walkman.

Favorite TV show: The Golden Bachelorette. Get it girl.

What (or who) inspires you? Bowie. Saul Bass. Maira Kalman. Milton Glaser. Nina Simone.

Advice for young creatives? Find a way to set yourself apart from everyone else. Tap into what makes you YOU and the work will shine.

What’s on your bucket list for the next year? Writing a book, getting a stamp in my passport, doing that work-life balance thing better.

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

What do you listen to while creating? Real Housewives podcasts (don't judge me)

Favorite 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 the next year? 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 superpower? No coffee — I'm ready to go!

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

Favorite 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 the next year? 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 superpower? Going warp speed at the 11th hour. 

What do 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 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 the next year? Taking my kid abroad for her first time.

Emily Furlani

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EMILY FURLANI

Current job: Creative Director, Women's Group, a360media

3 things you can’t live without: A sense of humor, a good pillow, and regular pedicures

What’s your superpower?I have a really elevated sense of smell/taste

What do you listen to while creating? Cooking shows, vintage television, classic movies I've seen 100 times

Favorite TV show: 30 Rock

What (or who) inspires you? Comedy and the French pays bas

Advice for young creatives? Your network is everything, and it's a small world. Never burn bridges!

What’s on your bucket list for the next year? Paris, encore!

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 superpower? Imagination & Creativity

What do you listen to while creating? Instrumental music

Favorite 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 the next year? Traveling to a fun place that I haven't been before.

Jana Meier-Roberts

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jana Meier-Roberts

Current job: Freelance Creative Director & Designer

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

What’s your superpower? Patience

What do you listen to while creating? Anything from This American Life to Radiohead, depending on the work

Favorite TV show: Blue Eye Samurai

What (or who) inspires you? Being away from my screen

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 the next year? Expand my analog skill set (continue improving my handlettering and Riso skills)

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 superpower? Tenacity and sarcasticy.

What do 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 superpower? Grace under pressure

What do you listen to while creating? Lately, I've been turning it over to Spotify DJ

Favorite 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 the next year? 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.