New AIGA leadership joins national board of directors; Debbie Millman assumes presidency

NEW YORK, July 1, 2009. The newly elected board of directors for AIGA, the professional association for design, begins its term today. AIGA professional members elected seven new directors through elections held in March for the 15-person national board of AIGA. Assuming the presidency is Debbie Millman, a longtime AIGA member, branding expert and respected voice in the design profession. Outgoing president Sean Adams will remain involved in an ex officio role.

As the new directors assume their roles, AIGA recognizes those who have just completed their three-year terms, a period marked by numerous accomplishments. AIGA membership and number of chapters have grown; the association has gained greater international recognition as a leading voice in design and design education; AIGA has held extraordinarily successful design and business conferences; it has completed the digitization of its archives from its first eight decades; and it has become more involved in socially responsible areas of design. Following extended research into the needs and interests of members, the 2008–2009 board advanced a mandate for change in AIGA direction to serve new generations with unanimous support from leaders of all 64 chapters.

AIGA board members completing their service

• Jim Ales, Monterey Bay Aquarium, Monterey, California, brought insight, creativity and experience to AIGA’s efforts to engage our members, as well as those who are not yet members, with the vision of AIGA.
• Laurie Churchman, University of Pennsylvania, AIGA Philadelphia, led the AIGA Design Educators community to a new level of professional representation through conferences, research, engagement and professional practices.
• Bennett Peji, Bennett Peji Design, AIGA San Diego, completed longtime service in advancing design’s role in the civic experience, promoting a diverse design community and opening channels for designers across many cultures.
• Shel Perkins, Shel Perkins and Associates, AIGA San Francisco, served as an attentive steward of our members’ trust as AIGA treasurer and established the AIGA Center for Practice Management, a testament to his knowledge as a designer, manager, mentor, teacher and source of best practices in the business of design.

President emeritus Sean Adams, Adams Morioka, AIGA Los Angeles, completed his two-year term as AIGA president on June 30, 2009, and will continue his involvement on the board in an ex officio role as he begins to take on the task of developing a history of AIGA for its centennial in 2014. Adams has been recognized for more than two decades of engagement, inspiration, coaching, teaching, protecting, defending, fundraising and leadership for the entire design profession, culminating—but not ending with—service as national president of AIGA from 2007 to 2009.

Incoming AIGA board members

Five board members will begin three-year terms, effective July 1, 2009:

• Julie Beeler, co-founder/studio director, Second Story Interactive Studios, AIGA Portland
• Zia Khan (AIGA treasurer), president and creative director, Lucid Partners, AIGA Atlanta
• James Koval, president, VSA Partners, Inc., AIGA Chicago
• Debbie Millman (AIGA president), president of the design division, Sterling Brands, AIGA New York
• Angela Shen-Hsieh, president and CEO, Visual i|o, AIGA Boston

Three board members will begin positions to finish the incomplete terms of former directors:

• Shelley Evenson, associate professor and director of graduate studies, School of Design at Carnegie Mellon University, AIGA Pittsburgh
• Louise Sandhaus, professor of graphic design, California Institute of the Arts, AIGA Los Angeles
• Lynda Weinman, co-founder and executive chair, lynda.com, AIGA Los Angeles

Current members of the national board continuing their service are:

• Stanley Hainsworth, Tether, Inc., AIGA Seattle
• Kenna Kay, TV Land/MTV Networks, AIGA New York
• Vernon Lockhart, Art on the Loose, Inc., AIGA Chicago
• Elva Rubio, Rubio Studio, AIGA Chicago
• Laura Shore, Mohawk Fine Paper, AIGA New York
• Brad Weed, Microsoft, AIGA Seattle
• Pam Williams, Williams and House, AIGA Connecticut

AIGA sincerely thanks those board members completing their service this year for their many extraordinary contributions, and welcomes the thoughtful insights of incoming board members for the 2009–2010 term. To learn more about each of the directors, please visit www.aiga.org/about-board-bios.

About AIGA

AIGA, the professional association for design, is the oldest and largest membership association for design professionals engaged in the discipline, practice and culture of designing. AIGA’s mission is to advance designing as a professional craft, strategic tool and vital cultural force.

Founded in 1914, AIGA is the preeminent professional association for communication designers, broadly defined. In the past decade, designers have increasingly been involved in creating value for clients (whether public or business) through applying design thinking to complex problems, even when the outcomes may be more strategic, multidimensional and conceptual than what most would consider traditional communication design. AIGA now represents more than 22,000 designers of all disciplines through national activities and local programs developed by 64 chapters and 240 student groups.

AIGA supports the interests of professionals, educators and students who are engaged in the process of designing. The association is committed to stimulating thinking about design, demonstrating the value of design and empowering success for designers throughout the arc of their careers.

For further information, please contact:
Jennifer Bender
Manager, communications and marketing
AIGA | the professional association for design
Tel 212 807 1990   Fax 212 807 1799