CCAD launches Alumni Advisory Board
Columbus College of Art & Design is pleased to launch the CCAD Alumni Advisory Board, a group designed to serve as a representative body for alumni and provide a forum for the exchange of alumni points of view.
The inaugural advisory board, composed of 12 alumni with broad and diverse backgrounds and experiences, seeks to identify engagement opportunities for alumni and is committed to strengthening connections between CCAD alumni, the college, and one another. The board will have an active role in CCAD’s signature alumni engagement activities, including local and regional reunions and the annual Alumni Awards.
Members will serve a one-year term commitment during the inaugural board launch, with the voluntary option to renew. In coming years, the term will transition to a two-year commitment. The inaugural board is chaired by Robert Coles (Retail Advertising, 1995), senior director of creative and digital services at Stanford University and an active leader in diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.
These first board members were selected to represent a cross-section of the alumni body, with a goal of bringing a diversity of perspectives and experiences based on professional discipline, gender, race, ethnicity, age, and other qualities to best represent CCAD’s alumni body. Founding members include:
- Chavilah Bennett (Advertising & Graphic Design, 2012), art director, Apple TV+
- Robert Coles (Retail Advertising, 1995), senior director, creative & digital services, Stanford University, and principal, Brand Creative Marketing, LLC
- AG Ford (Illustration, 2007), illustrator, AG Ford Arts Inc.
- Devin Goetz (Advertising & Graphic Design, 2017), senior art director, The Mars Agency
- Kristen Harris (Retail Advertising, 1991), COO & co-owner, Portfolio Creative
- Cathy Ann Johnson-Conforto (Illustration, 1989), managing creative director, Luv-it Studio LLC
- Susana Madrid (Fashion Design, 2006), founder & designer, Susana Madrid
- John McCutcheon (Fine Arts, 1979), gallerist & curator, Sean Christopher Gallery
- Paitoon Ratanasirintrawoot (Industrial Design, 1993), president & CCO, Paitoon Ratan, LLC
- Pily Támara (Industrial Design, 2013), design research & insight translation director, Lextant
- Rose White (Interior Design, 2019), designer & graduate student, University of Texas at Austin
- Albert Y. Wong (Fine Arts, 1970), professor emeritus, University of Texas at El Paso
Moving forward, applications will be open annually January–April for those interested in serving on the board. New members will be considered based on nominations and applications, then selected by the existing Alumni Advisory Board membership, along with select CCAD faculty and staff. To keep up with Alumni Advisory Board activities and board nominations, or simply to stay engaged with the CCAD alumni community, sign up for the CCAD alumni newsletter.
For questions about the Alumni Advisory Board, please email [email protected]. To learn more about CCAD’s comprehensive alumni efforts and network, visit ccad.edu/alum.
