Current Position:

• Director of Creative Services, Lake Forest College

I have been at Lake Forest College since July, 2009. As Director of Creative Services, I oversee design and production for all visual projects and marketing materials for Lake Forest College while supervising a staff videographer and a graphic designer. I also mentor student designers on a regular basis. 

Our projects are wide-ranging: they include videos, books, flyers, brochures, invitations, print and web ads, large scale signage, lapel pins, stickers, GIFs, etc. I supervise and art direct all professional photoshoots and video shoots to ensure all creatives look amazing, follow brand, and are versatile so they may be used across many platforms and by multiple departments.

Past Work Experience:

I started my career in graphic arts at the San Diego Museum of Art in 1994. I ran the IMAGE (Interactive Multimedia Art Gallery Explorer) Gallery, and managed the museum's website. 

In 1996, I bought and restructured a struggling neighborhood frame shop in San Diego and reopened it as North Park Studio. I designed the look and feel of the first gallery in North Park; now a thriving gallery district. I created the corporate identity of North Park Studio, a gallery and a small artisan frame shop that grew to double its square footage in less than 5 years.

In 1997, I worked at Proxima Corp., a multimedia projector company. I worked on projects from start to finish, including photo shoots for advertising materials such as ads, posters, data sheets, and product labels. We had a lot of fun making projectors look exciting.

In 1998, I worked for ad agencies, including Quill Communications (later bought by Wirestone). I left Quill to join Viadesign. I also took on many freelance jobs during this period.

After relocating to Chicago in 2001, I opened BELL Studio, Inc., a gallery and frame shop, in March of that year. I created the BELL Studio corporate identity, designed the look of all gallery exhibits, and curated the featured art. I left the company in 2010.

Educational Experiences:

I spent the years after high school learning about careers in the arts. I traveled, I studied computer design programs, I had a part in a ceramic studio, I painted, and I hustled. I was mentored by talented designers and started temping as a graphic designer. I emerged as a professional graphic artist and by 1996 was a gallery owner. I have continued in this life-long commitment to self-learning and have grown my career to the level Director of Creative Services for a liberal arts college.

I graduated from Lincoln High School (Portland, OR) in 1991. I went on an exchange program to Russia in my sophomore year, and then completed a summer program at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago between my junior and senior years. After high school I moved to London and traveled a bit before settling back in the States. I completed classes in Quark, Photoshop, and Illustrator at San Diego City College. I have continued my education at Lake Forest College, taking classes in studio art and computer science. I attended the Adobe MAX conferences for the last four years and plan on returning every year going forward to continually sharpen my creative skills.