Meet our 2023 nominees for the AIGA Cleveland Board!
AIGA Cleveland members may vote to support the current nominees via a link provided through email.
Ben Fogarty, VP of Partnerships​
Ben is a product and brand experience design leader. He founded Council, an experience design consultancy, and has collaborated with numerous cities, brands, and individuals, including Spotify, Google, Store No. 8, The Washington Post, and Mozilla. His company was established to foster creativity, growth, and innovation through inclusive design practice. Ben moved back to Cleveland to focus that energy on the city he loves.
Jennifer Knotts, Director of Membership
Jennifer currently works as a freelance graphic designer. In 2015, she created Knotts Design, an independent design practice focusing on print design and data visualization. Over the years, Jennifer has built long-lasting relationships with many nonprofit organizations, professional associations, and small businesses. Jennifer has a Data Analytics and Visualization MPS from the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), a B.B.A. in Marketing, and an A.A.S. in Communication Design. She is new to Cleveland and is looking forward to building a community of creative collaborators and exploring her new hometown.
Shay Murray, In-House INitiative Chair
Shay currently leads all things creative for Pet Honesty. She has been working as an in-house designer for the last 10 years which has included the fashion, music, tech, and food industries. Shay received a BFA from the Tyler School of Art at Temple University in Philadelphia. When Shay isn’t designing she loves reading, watching docuseries, hand-lettering, and spending 24/7 with her dog, Dobby.
Joel Zika, Student Development Co-Chair
Joel is an immersive media specialist who studies the entertainment industry and creates contemporary design works from that research. As a media designer, Joel has led projects in virtual reality film, documentary, interactive animation, and public installation for over 15 years. Recently his creative works have screened at the Moss Arts Center at Virginia Tech, Federation Square in Melbourne, and Dark Mofo in Hobart. Joel is best known as the creator of the Dark Ride Project, an initiative to conserve and study the heritage of haunted entertainment. He is currently an Assistant Professor in the School of Visual Communication Design at Kent State University.
Thao Nguyen, DEI (Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion) Co-Chair
Thao Nguyen is a Korean-Vietnamese illustrator, designer, and creative. She’s currently employed at American Greetings, working as a product designer on a variety of different projects. Outside of work, Thao has taken contracted work for companies to create custom, hand-lettered logos, and illustrating the highlights of the minority experience. Her curiosity over the world fuels her drive for art. Overly optimistic, she spreads her happiness and passions with the people she meets every day. Thao is dedicated to expressing the beauty in life and supporting other creatives in their own journeys.
Designers, Communications Team
Carmen Dotterer
Tyanna Reeves
Holly Wright-Fletcher
Continuing Board Members
Anne H. Berry, President
Stephanie Boyle, VP of Finance
Michael Rogers, Design730 Co-Chair
Asha McClendon, DEI Task Force Chair
Shawn Gray, Web Chair
Malieka Gurrera, Communications Co-Director
Kristen Pokorny, Communications Co-Director
Jeff Haynes, Email Chair
Olivia Vitou, Women Lead Chair
Kyra Wells, Community Outreach Director
Austin J. Reitz, Community Outreach Co-Chair
Maria Ahmad, Community Outreach Co-Chair
Lauren Zawie, Student Development Co-Chair
Jennifer Vokoun, Design for Good Chair
