Title: Assistant Professor of Design, College of Fine Arts and Production
Years at GCU: 5 years
Academic degrees:
- B.S. in Visual Communication from State University of New York at Farmingdale, Farmingdale, New York
- MFA in Illustration as Visual Essay from the School of Visual Arts, New York
What is your most notable accomplishment in your field, and why was it important?
My career has spanned multiple magazine publications and agencies in New York. However, A book cover design for "Joan of Arc" by Mark Twain was my most personal accomplishment. I worked on the design of the cover with an amazing illustrator named Goni Montes (https://www.goniart.com/). It's a great book, but what struck me was my son's excitement when he saw the cover art. He immediately asked my wife to start reading the book. It really showed me how much power and influence highly engaging visuals can have. In that moment it was about sharing a great spiritual novel with my son.
My best celebrity moment was when I worked at Glamour magazine and designed a website for our Glamour Reel Moments event. Tom Hanks commented that he loved the website we did for the film his wife, Rita Wilson, directed.
What are you most passionate about in your field and why?
Visual design is an amazing field today. There are more career avenues than ever with the advent of online media. I love learning about new ways to take my foundational design and illustration principles and apply them to new and emerging technology.
What is a memorable moment you had in class, and what does that reveal about your teaching style?
I love that a-ha moment a student has at some point during the semester. Design is such a project-based learning experience -- we spend a lot of time in class interacting with our students one-on-one. We are part of their educational journey and their struggle, and to watch them have that moment of clarity is amazing.
What do you like to do for fun in your spare time?
I can easily get wrapped up in my work. I have five children at home, and when I am not working I love spending time with them. My oldest, 11 and 9, are part of the Phoenix Youth Symphony, and before the pandemic Vex Robotics was our team sport.
What is something interesting about you that most people don't know?
I do not like the color purple. In fact, yellow is my favorite color, and it's the complement of purple.
