Meet The Board: 2024-2025

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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 five new board members this year (Susanna Hayward, Dian Holton, Emil Lendof, Brian Lutz, and Chin Wang) and congratulate the 2024-2025 officers (Chuck Kerr, Jana Meier-Roberts, Rashida Morgan-Brown, Emily Furlani, and Taylor Le). Special thanks to our outgoing board members for serving on the board!

Get to know the 2024-2025 Board of Directors and SPD HQ by clicking on each photo below!

OFFICERS

Chuck Kerr
PRESIDENT
Senior Creative Director, Dotdash Meredith
Entertainment Weekly

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

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Jana Meier-Roberts
VICE-PRESIDENT
Freelance Creative Director
& Designer

What’s your superpower? Patience.

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Rashida Morgan-Brown
VICE-PRESIDENT
Creative Director
rashidasdesigns.com

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

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Taylor Le
TREASURER
Creative Director
The San Francisco Standard

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

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Emily Furlani
SECRETARY
Creative Director, Women's Group
a360media

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

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DIRECTORS

Josue Evilla
Creative Director
Fortune Design

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

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Susanna Hayward
Deputy Art Director
New York Magazine

What’s on your bucket list for 2024? Travel more, find more time for creative projects, learn to roller skate!

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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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Karen Frank
Digital Photo Editor
The New York Times

What’s on your bucket list for 2024? Reinvention

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Dian Holton
Art Director
AARP

Three things you can’t live without: Sugar, fun accessories (sneakers, totebag, jewelry), glasses

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Emil Lendof
Managing Photo Editor
The Wall Street Journal

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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Davian-Lynn Hopkins
Senior Designer
Pentagram

Advice for young creatives? Trust your gut!

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Brian Lutz
Illustrator, Adjunct Professor, University of Hartford

What’s your superpower?
I make people happy with drawings

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Carrie Mifsud
Homescreen Art Director
The New York Times

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

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Chin Wang
Vice President
ESPN Creative Studio

What do you listen to while creating: Nothing. Let’s call it multitasking meditation.

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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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Chuck Kerr

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Chuck kerr

Current job: Senior Creative Director, Dotdash Meredith / 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.

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)

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.

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!

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!

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!

Karen Frank

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Karen frank

Current job: Digital Photo Editor, The New York Times

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

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.

Susanna Hayward

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SUSANNA HAYWARD

Current job: Deputy Art Director, New York Magazine

3 things you can’t live without: My miniature dachshund, Bug!

What’s your superpower? Being able to nap....anywhere

What do you listen to while creating? It depends! For an infographic, it's similar to high intensity running music. For something more serious, acoustic piano.

Favorite TV show: Survivor

What (or who) inspires you? I'm constantly inspired by my colleagues! I also find a lot of inspiration on Pinterest and Instagram.

Advice for young creatives? Every internship, design project or task will teach you something, no matter how small!

What’s on your bucket list for the next year? Travel more, find more time for creative projects, learn to roller skate!

Dian Holton

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DIAN HOLTON

Current job: Art Director, AARP

3 things you can’t live without: Sugar, fun accessories (sneakers, totebag, jewelry), glasses

What’s your superpower? Reading the room and gift giving.

What do you listen to while creating? The fan blowing because I'm always hot.

Favorite TV show: Law & Order: SVU

What (or who) inspires you? Deborah, my mom.

Advice for young creatives? Research. Network. Implement. Also, always be prepared. You never know when or where your next opportunity will come.

What’s on your bucket list for the next year? Appearing on a float during Carnival in Rio, Brazil.

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

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.

Emil Lendof

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EMIL LENDOF

Current job: Managing Photo Editor, The Wall Street Journal

3 things you can’t live without: A camera, a good book, Google Maps

What’s your superpower? Finding parking in NYC

What do you listen to while creating? Latin Synth Pop

Favorite TV show: The Sopranos

What (or who) inspires you? My mom

Advice for young creatives? Take on your goals one step at a time! Things are always easier to tackle if you break them down into smaller pieces.

What’s on your bucket list for the next year? Seeing Oasis :)

Brian Lutz

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BRIAN LUTZ

Current job: Illustrator, Adjunct Professor, University of Hartford

3 things you can’t live without: Family, Graphite, Positivity

What’s your superpower? I make people happy with drawings.

What do you listen to while creating? Full albums on repeat. Dinosaur Jr. and more.

Favorite TV show: Seinfeld/Curb Your Enthusiasm

What (or who) inspires you? Family, friends, students, mentors, culture, you.

Advice for young creatives? Always look on the bright side of life! Show up. Make things no one asks you to make. Don't wait for permission. Be nice to each other!

What’s on your bucket list for 2024? Leveling up on the bass guitar.

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.

Chin Wang

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CHIN WANG

Current job: Vice President, ESPN Creative Studio

3 things you can’t live without: 1) Dinner with friends 2) Weekends in the garden 3) Alone time with a book

What’s your superpower? I can keep a secret! (And I won’t judge what you tell me).

What do you listen to while creating? Nothing. Let’s call it multitasking meditation.

Favorite TV show: Killing Eve, Fleabag, Veep

What (or who) inspires you? This young generation of creatives – unapologetic and fearless.

Advice for young creatives? Things that feel big to you now won’t be later. Make space for all the bumps along the way.

What’s on your bucket list for the next year? Finishing the screenplay I started during Covid.

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.