The DEC Steering Committee is composed of 15 dedicated educators providing service and leadership to the entire Design Educators Community. A “Call for Nominations” is announced annually by March and new committee members are notified by the end of April. The steering committee membership term begins in May and is 3 years with an option to extend for 2 additional years. Each year the number of open spots vary. New members are selected by the current DEC Steering Committee to represent a range of experience, interests, types of programs, and regions.
Minimum qualifications for consideration to the DEC Steering Committee are experience in teaching visual communication, graphic design, or a related field of study; membership in good standing with AIGA; experience with local chapter board leadership or committee service.
All DEC Steering Committee members meet once a month for a conference call and annually for a retreat. We support the participation of members at any phase of their career, in parenthood, relocations, and other life events and recognize the challenges associated with these types of transitions. We are a communicative, hard working, collaborative team with roles and tasks that are transparent, open, and transferrable. Members are expected to lead an initiative that will benefit the entire DEC and be active in managing the tasks associated with maintaining the mission and goals of the DEC Steering Committee.
Current Steering Committee Members
Natalie Tyree
Steering Committee Co-Chair
Assistant Professor of Graphic Design
Western Kentucky University
joined 2020
Katie Krcmarik
Steering Committee Co-Chair
Assistant Professor
Illinois State University
joined 2021
Jason Alejandro
Assistant Professor of Graphic Design
College of New Jersey
joined 2021
Tasheka Arceneaux-Sutton
Associate Professor of Design
The University of Texas at Austin and Vermont College of Fine Art
joined 2023
Patricia Childers
Adjunct Professor of Graphic Design
Citytech, CUNY
joined 2022
Victor Davila
Associate Professor
University of Central Florida
joined 2020
Ashley Hairston Doughty
Associate Professor of Art
Graphic Design & Media Program Coordinator
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
joined 2021
Jarrett Fuller
Assistant Professor of Graphic Design
North Carolina State University
joined 2022
Lee-Sean Huang
Design Education Manager
AIGA National
joined 2018
Vinicius Lima
Associate Professor of Graphic Design and Foundations
Grand Valley State University
joined 2022
Lisa Maione
Assistant Professor of Graphic Design
Kansas City Art Institute
joined 2023
Lisa Elzey Mercer
Ph.D. Student
The University of Edinburgh
joined 2021
Devon Nassif
Graphic Design/Illustration Magnet Teacher
Skyline High School, Dallas, TX
joined 2024
Yvette Shen
Associate Professor of Visual Communication Design
The Ohio State University
joined 2022
Zack Tucker
Assistant Professor of Communication Design
Miami University
joined 2023
Shannon Zenner
Assistant Professor of Communication Design
Elon University, Elon, NC
joined 2024
