Communications Director

she / her

Iyana Moore is a creative communications professional with a decade of experience executing communications, media relations, and public outreach strategies. She is a national award-winning diversity leader, having served as Ad 2 DC’s Diversity and Inclusion Chair and Vice President, helping them win Club of the Year. 

Iyana is the owner and principal consultant of The Digital Media Studio, a digital communications firm specializing in social media, content creation, and brand positioning. Some of her clients include Future Business Leaders of America, BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport, and Phoenix International School of the Arts, a tuition-free arts- and international-focused public charter school.

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iyanammoore/

Operations Director & Treasurer

she / her

Customer and employee experience leader for over 5 years, Jessica Hoang, has spent the last 3 years as a Multidisciplinary Freelance Designer pursuing her passion for accessibility and inclusivity. She is a Guru for Good leveraging strategic design and research-based execution between corporate teams and local nonprofits organizations to increase social impact through inclusivity, accessibility and social equity. Find her crushing her next outdoor adventure with Kiba the Shiba from climbing to travel with a toolkit of podcasts, and books. 

Links:

LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessforux/

Sponsorship Chair

he / him

Gene Alexeyev is presently a Programs Communications Manager for the AARP Foundation. He spent the previous decade leading marketing campaigns and program and workforce development in the hospitality sector. Earlier in his career, he was a wine director, a strategist and partnerships manager for social and community advocacy organizations, and an editor for two weekly newspapers. He immigrated to the U.S. as a teenager, graduated college in Massachusetts, has traveled extensively throughout the country, and now lives in the Bloomingdale neighborhood of Washington, DC with his partner.

Links:

Linkedin – https://linkedin.com/in/gene-alexeyev/

Design Continuum Fund Chair

she / her

“Attitude determines altitude” has been her mantra since justifying to her Middle Eastern parents why she should study art. That included a specialized Fashion Design program, then graduating from VCU’s School of the Arts with a major in Fashion Merchandising and a minor in Mass Communications. Currently, she is an Experience Manager at a design-centered organization, but you can usually find her spending time with her dog, Athena while researching and advocating for environmental sustainability.

You can find the beginning of her content creation journey at chromaandco.com.

Managing Editor

he / him

With close to 30 years of professional design and communications experience, Greg Aylsworth is a designer and brand coordinator at the National Park Service. He manages visitor center exhibit projects for a variety of park sites across the country and leads the NPS Brand Ambassador Program, Identity Work Group, and is a member of the Arrowhead Committee which oversees the use of park service intellectual property. Previously he was founder of Octoblend, a brand identity consultancy, and also served as Assistant Communications Director, Senior Designer and a brand innovator at The Ohio State University Department of Athletics.

Links:

Portfolio – www.behance.net/AylsG

Linkedin – www.linkedin.com/in/greg-aylsworth-304385108

Social Media Chair

she / her

Supreet (Preeti) Kaur is currently a Project Manager working as a federal contractor with the US Department of Transportation. Her passion for design, web development and art led her to graduate from University of Maryland, College Park with a double BA in art studio (graphic design) and art history with a minor in astronomy. As a member of the AIGA and Graphic Artists Guild, she continues to share her love for graphic and web design to the design community at large. She also has a passion for mentoring and community service. She is a sixth-degree black belt cross training in the Sikh and African martial arts.

Links:

LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/skaurdesigner/

DC Design Week Deputy Director

she / her

Kafi Waters is an experienced design leader passionate about design, business, and technology. An ambassador of social impact innovation, she helps organizations act strategically and deliver bold solutions. Focusing on social impact, she takes a human-centered design approach to developing business models with social entrepreneurs. As an Innovation Champion with AARP Innovation Labs, Kafi influences and shapes products and services through her design thinking and innovation work with startups. Kafi is an Adjunct Instructor at the Maryland Institute College of Art teaching in the MPS, UX Design Program. She is also a co-producer of UXCamps DC and NYC.

Links:

Website – https://www.bykafi.com/

LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/kafiwaters/

Social Programs Chair

she / her

Ashley Evans is a northern Virginia native that is passionate about creating opportunities for creatives, entrepreneurs, and people in tech. With experience in non-profits and venture capital, she brings a wealth of knowledge in project management, pitching, and event planning. Ashley currently runs a boutique design agency, PearlLumi Creative, out of Alexandria, where she leads a team of UX designers and developers building MVPs for early stage companies. In her spare time you can find her curating international vacations for friends and family, or trying out new restaurants in the DMV. 

Links:

Portfolio – www.pearllumi.co 

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/pearllumi.creative/

Linkedin – https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleyev/

Design for Good Deputy Chair

he / him / they / them

Eric Chiu is a service designer and researcher who focuses on improving interactions between the public and institutions through design. On a professional level, Eric’s work strives to redistribute decision power to underserved communities, thereby amplifying the voices of those who are experiencing scarcity. Outside of work, Eric’s a proud plant parent and an avid home chef.

Links:

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/erickeemonchiu

Portfolio: www.erickchiu.com

Twitter: @ohlookitseric

Salon Chair

he / him

David Spears is the Design Director at Burness as well as a professor at the Academy of Art University. He completed an artist residency on Building Brands With Type at the School of Visual Arts in August 2021 and received an MFA in Graphic Design in 2016 from the Academy of Art University. For his thesis project, David developed a texting app with animated weather backgrounds that aimed to infuse text messages with nonverbal cues and address the problem of miscommunication. David received his undergraduate education at the University of Pittsburgh, double majoring in Studio Arts and Psychology.

Links: 

Portfolio: www.david-spears.com

Linkedin – www.linkedin.com/in/davidspearsmfa

Awards Chair

he / him

Juan Pablo Madrid is the Sr. Director of Design Innovation at Online Optimism, a creative digital agency, where he manages the Design+Development team and explores new technologies. Throughout his time at Online Optimism, he’s overseen the launch of dozens of design and interactive projects. Previously he held roles at the University of New Orleans’ Marketing and PR office and PepsiCo in Latin America. Juan Pablo is originally from Guatemala and, prior to relocating to D.C., he spent nearly a decade in New Orleans, LA. When not designing, he enjoys brewery-hopping, exploring the Smithsonian museums, and visiting Apple stores.

Links: 

Linkedin – https://www.linkedin.com/in/jpmadrid/

Mentoring Chair

she / her

Megan Kimmitt is the Creative Director of an award-winning design team at AHIP, where she supports the healthcare industry through advocacy campaigns. She has over a decade of experience leading teams and mentoring designers to execute effective creative materials for the health care, energy, federal agency, and craft brewing industries. Outside of work Megan volunteers with local non-profits, chases her toddler around at the playground, and visits family and friends in Baltimore.

Link

Linkedin – https://www.linkedin.com/in/mkimmitt/