UCDA : connecting, inspiring, and supporting a creative community in education
page header

2023 UCDA Board Candidates

The following candidates are running for the UCDA Board of Directors for a four-year term, starting January 1, 2024:

Allison Baumbusch
Kali Daniel
Stephen Russell
Ryan Sprowl

Members may vote for UP TO TWO of the candidates. Voting open through November 15.

Voting may be done using the online ballot.

 
Allison Baumbusch

Creative Director
Strategic Communications
Anne Arundel Community College

Years as a UCDA member: 12

UCDA experience:

  • Attendance at UCDA conferences, local events, online events and summits since 2007
  • Creative Conversations co-host, January 2022
  • Designer Magazine Advisory Board member through December 2022
  • UCDA Design Conference volunteer
  • UCDA Bookclub member 2022
  • UCDA Mentorship Program Chair

Describe Briefly Why You Would Like to Serve on the UCDA Board of Directors
Out of all of the organizations and professional events I have attended over my career, I can say with confidence that UCDA bring me the most inspiration, creativity and value for my time. Every UCDA event, online or in person, leaves me charged and ready to bring new ideas to my college and team. My entire team looks forward to our attendees returning from a conference because they find the information we return with so exciting. UCDA has given me the motivation and gifts to achieve and grow in my own career. I also feel I can offer a unique perspective from the community college point of view. Achieving connection in a commuter school isn't easy, but over my 15 years serving in a community college role, I've learned how to unite in big ways through design.

What Skills or Personal Qualities Will You Bring to This Role?
On my team, I'm known as the planner/organizer. Taking a vision and creating a plan on how it will be executed is my super power. I'm also known as dependable, responsive and authentic. I love a new creative challenge and I find inspiration pretty much everywhere. I'm always working, always looking for design solutions and always thinking of how design solutions can scale to impact our students and college.

How Can UCDA Enhance the Professional Lives of its Members or Their Institutions?
If you have a passion for higher education and design, you WILL find something you need here. The solo designer finds therapy, the designer on a team finds inspiration and perspective, and even those non-designers attending can find value in UCDA. This organization truly understands how we want to connect as well, introverts and extroverts will feel comfortable here. UCDA continue to reinvent new ways to engage and connect and welcome everyone.

 

Kali Daniel

Humble Onion Creative, LLC

Years as a UCDA member: 6

UCDA experience:

  • Attended two UCDA Design Conference (with Altanta being her third)
  • Serves on the Digital Strategy committee
  • Engaged on the listserv, Slack, and in-person when possible
  • Attended UCDA workshop
  • Contributed to Designer magazine and the UCDA Journal

Describe Briefly Why You Would Like to Serve on the UCDA Board of Directors
I would like to serve on the board of directors because I am passionate about design and education. I believe that my experience and insights in both fields can contribute to the organization's mission of fostering creativity and collaboration among professionals in higher education design. Serving on the board would allow me to help actively shape the direction of the association, share my expertise, and work alongside like-minded individuals to advance the field of design in academia, and in general.

What Skills or Personal Qualities Will You Bring to This Role?
My business has grown in the last year because of my dedication to adapting and learning new strategies. I believe there are many ways to continue to foster UCDA's successes, including more strategic communication, ad targeting, and social media engagement. My background in journalism, community development, and marketing will be a fantastic asset in this endeavor.

How Can UCDA Enhance the Professional Lives of its Members or Their Institutions?
UCDA can and does enhance the professional lives of its members and their institutions by providing networking opportunities, fostering professional development, promoting knowledge sharing, advocating for the importance of design, and offering research resources and recognition. I believe that in its new trajectory, UCDA can connect with professionals in new ways on social media, online, and other advertising.

 

Stephen Russell

Lead Graphic Designer
Marketing and Communications
Transylvania University

Years as a UCDA member: 7

UCDA experience:

  • Attended UCDA Design Conference
  • Attended several UCDA programs
  • I was mainly involved in the email listserv, but started attending the online events as those began to be offered. UCDA has been invaluable for me in my professional career in higher ed. My office and institutions have regularly benefitted from my UCDA membership.

Describe Briefly Why You Would Like to Serve on the UCDA Board of Directors
UCDA has been such a benefit to me over the years that giving back to an organization that has helped me so much seems like a natural step. I would consider it an absolute honor to help shape and guide the direction of UCDA and give a voice to other small institutions. I know there are a lot of designers either by themselves or who are a part of a small team like mine, and I would love to see us create meaningful programs to help these designers. Designers on small teams are often asked to be designers, photographers, videographers, project managers and UCDA is a great resource that can help them gain skills in areas outside of their core competencies, and to help them grow as designers.

What Skills or Personal Qualities Will You Bring to This Role?
One of the things I do in my role that a lot of designers may not is facilitate conversations. We are currently conducting focus groups for market research that I lead. The goal being to create a welcome environment where everyone can share, but also to keep conversation moving. Generally, I come from a place of wanting to make sure that groups collaborate, that every voice is heard, and that everyone is clear on responsibilities and next steps.

How Can UCDA Enhance the Professional Lives of its Members or Their Institutions?
I think the greatest benefit that UCDA provides is the network of designers. Being able to reach out to colleagues facing similar institutional and professional challenges to look for solutions to whatever you're dealing with is by far the best part of UCDA. Ongoing programming that fosters those connections such as conferences/events, Creative Conversations, Mentoring relationships, etc. are really useful. I think the educational/inspirational material—Designer magazine, design conference, webinars, etc. really help designers expand their skills, stay current on issues and best practices, and be inspired by other designers/processes/etc.

 

Ryan Sprowl

Art Director
Office of Communications
Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts

Years as a UCDA member: 10

UCDA experience:

  • Attended UCDA Design Conference
  • Served as UCDA Creative Summit co-chair and chair
  • UCDA Design Conference Attendee for six years
  • UCDA Design Conference Volunteer for five of those years
    UCDA Design Conference Breakout Speaker (2017) 

Describe why you would like to serve on the UCDA Board of Directors
As UCDA prepares to enter a new chapter, I feel that I would be well-equipped to help chart a new course for an incredibly important and relevant professional association in an evolving and increasingly segmented creative profession. There are difficult decisions to be made in the coming months and years, but they will certainly be for the good of the organization and its membership. I believe that I can apply my skills as a forward-thinking and detail-oriented creative problem solver to help implement the strategies necessary to grow UCDA’s membership, strengthen its programming, and overcome financial difficulties. As a young designer early in my career, UCDA was an invaluable resource for inspiration, commiseration, and rejuvenation. I have never been part of a more welcoming, friendly, and encouraging group of colleagues and I would be honored to serve as a member of the UCDA Board to ensure that the organization continues to thrive for years to come.

What skills or personal qualities will you bring to this role?

I am a skilled creative problem solver who is able to think through projects from both a high level and in great detail, anticipating potential roadblocks and pitfalls. I work with and am comfortable leading a team and I also work well individually. Outside of my expertise as a designer and art director, I am working to hone my writing and editing skills. I thrive in a collaborative environment and I am always willing to pitch in and help move a project to the finish line.

How can UCDA enhance the professional lives of its members or their institutions?
Through accessible, high quality programming, UCDA members directly benefit from the organization's commitment to elevating the importance of design. Providing a diverse array of programming that resonates with creatives working in academia is key to growing UCDA's membership and increasing its visibility and reputation in our industry. The relationship between UCDA, its members, and their institutions is mutually beneficial.