UCDA Staff, UCDA Board & UCDA Foundation Board
UCDA STAFF
The UCDA Executive Director provides association management and leadership—overseeing day-to-day operations, organizational structure, finances, and programs, and works with board members in the execution of organizational governance, policies, strategy, and objectives. The executive director drives strategy formulation, develops strategic planning, works with sponsors and partners, and develops stakeholder relationships toward achieving the organization's ongoing mission, vision, and strategic priorities on behalf of both UCDA and the UCDA Foundation.
Matherne brings visionary leadership with a profound impact on both design education and the professional design landscape. She has a background as a design educator, entrepreneur, designer, a leader within organizations such as AIGA, and as a communications, business development, and marketing executive. Susan brings a unique blend of skills to elevate UCDA’s mission of connecting, inspiring, and supporting a creative community in education. She has an MFA in Graphic Design from Vermont College of Fine Arts, and a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism/Communications and Art.
For information and inquiries about UCDA including programs, events, initiatives, and sponsorship opportunities contact Susan Matherne, executive director, at susan@ucda.com.
SUSAN MATHERNE
Executive Director
Phone: 615-459-4559
Email: susan@ucda.com
UCDA BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The member-elected UCDA Board of Directors serve staggering two-year terms. The board of directors executes governance, policies, and strategic objectives on behalf of the organization by providing ongoing programming, events, resources, support, and other benefits for the association's membership. The board directors oversee committees and other volunteers.
ELISSA CHUDZICKI
President
Email: president@ucda.com
Elissa Chudzicki is senior graphic designer at Notre Dame. Before her current position, she worked with Asher Agency and RHB/The Agency. It is at RHB that she gained her passion for higher ed and served universities and colleges all over the country. She has been in the arts since a child, but her passion truly began in high school and then continued at the Herron School of Art and Design where she earned her BFA. She considers herself a garage sale junkie and has a slight obsession with finding deals. So you may find her at a local garage sale looking for something to spray paint. Elissa is the proud mother of three young girls, the youngest of which are twins.
KATHARINE McCANN
Vice President/Treasurer
Email: treasurer@ucda.com
Katharine McCann is art director for the University of Lynchburg in Lynchburg, Virginia. Her design career began in 1996 as a work-study in Radford University's Creative Services. After a brief 10-month stint in the corporate world, she happily rejoined the higher education design community in 2000. She joined UCDA in 2001 and took her first-ever flight to attend the Design Summit in San Diego that same year. She loves Nancy Drew, Wordle, cats, ketchup, puns, pop culture, pinball, music, trivia, true crime podcasts, is an introvert, and routinely goes down internet rabbit holes. She, her husband, two kids, and three cats live in Altavista (pronounced like ‘Al’ the name, not ‘All’ like the proper Spanish pronunciation), Virginia.
LESLIE EHLER
Co-Membership Director
Email: ucdamembership@gmail.com
Leslie Ehler is creative director at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
VANESSA HARRIS
Co-Membership Director
Email: ucdamembership@gmail.com
Vanessa F. Harris is director of visual communications at Meredith College. In this position, Harris provides art direction and design leadership to the College's in-house design team. Before joining Meredith in 2006, Harris was director of graphic and print production for the International Society of Automation. She has also worked for UNC TV, Home Mechanix and Games magazines and is a published children's book illustrator. Harris earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration from Parsons School of Design. She has been a member of UCDA since 2006.
FELISHA WEAVER
Communications Director
Email: fweaveracc@gmail.com
Felisha Weaver is the owner of Weaver Ink. She served as director of publications and creative services at her alma mater, Arkansas Tech University, for more than eleven years. As part of a centralized marketing and communications office, she now focuses on prospective student marketing and university and presidential brand initiatives. After attending her first UCDA Conference in 2014, Weaver began volunteering and later joined several volunteer committees. She served as conference co-chair for the 2020 (virtual) conference and was chair for the 2021 Conference.
ALLISON BAUMBUSCH
Secretary
Email: secretary@ucda.com
Allison Baumbusch is creative director at Anne Arundel Community College, Arnold, Maryland. She has been in higher education for 25 years and has her Master's in Integrated Design. She has been a member of UCDA since 2008, serving as a volunteer and as a member of the UCDA Designer Magazine Advisory Board.
RYAN SPROWL
Programming Director
Email: ucdaprogramming@gmail.com
Born and raised in Ohio, Ryan has spent his entire design career working in higher education. Before relocating to Richmond, Virginia to work at VCUarts, he spent more than nine years as a designer and art director at Oberlin College. Ryan has been an active member of UCDA since 2014, during which time he has attended many Design Conferences, served as a conference breakout session speaker, and chaired the Creative Summit.
KALI BEAU DANIEL
Digital Content Director
Email: ucdadigitalcontent@gmail.com
Kali Daniel is the Creative Director and Founder of Humble Onion Creative, LLC, which aims to empower those in education, nonprofits, and small businesses to pursue their marketing potential through strategy and technical application. She first joined UCDA in 2018 through her two-time alma mater (and current client), the University of North Alabama. She lives in The Shoals with her partner, Sam, and their boxer-labrador Salazar.
STEPHEN RUSSELL
Development Director
Email: ucdaprogramming@ucda.com
Stephen is lead graphic designer at Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky. Stephen has two decades of freelance and in-house design experience, including almost a decade in higher education.
UCDA FOUNDATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The UCDA Foundation Board of Directors is the primary policy-making body of the foundation. The board is empowered to determine policy, propose and direct long-term planning, raise funds and develop relationships to support fundraising efforts, and to establish ongoing programs for the benefit of the foundation, UCDA, and its members.
DAVID WHALEY
President
Email: whaleymd@longwood.edu
David Whaley serves as Design Director for Longwood University in Virginia, where he is instrumental in the design and implementation of Longwood's graphic identity and the promotion of principal academic programs—especially those of the university president, provost, deans, the Longwood Center for the Visual Arts (LCVA), and the Robert Russa Moton Museum. He has received over 80 national awards for his design work, including first place from the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) for the catalogue 'Reflecting Centuries of Beauty: The Rowe Collection of Chinese Art' and the gold award from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) for the catalogue 'Three Ring Circus: Highlights from the William and Ann Oppenhimer Folk Art Collection.' David is active in the leadership of the University and College Designers Association (UCDA) where he serves as President of the UCDA Foundation Board of Directors. He has also served on boards at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA), 1708 Gallery, and The Folk Art Society of America (FASA) in his hometown of Richmond, Virginia. David is a graduate of Hampden-Sydney College and is currently pursuing a Master of Liberal Arts degree in Museum Studies at Harvard University.
K. JOHNSON BOWLES
Secretary
Email: Kjohnsonbowles@gmail.com
K. Johnson Bowles is Vice President for Advancement at Reinhardt University.
PENNY DREXEL
Email: pennydrexel@gmail.com
Penny Drexel has worked at Allegheny College in northwestern Pennsylvania for over a decade and currently serves as director of art and publications in the College Relations office. She is a graduate of Kent State University's Visual Communication Design program. Penny has been a member of UCDA since 2006 and credits the professional connections and friendships that she has made via UCDA for her continuing passion for design and success in higher education. She has served one term on the UCDA Board of Directors, chaired the annual conference in 2010, and has served as conference volunteer coordinator for several years.
AMANDA J. EARNEST-REITMANN
Email: amanda.earnest-reitmann@wright.edu
Amanda J. Earnest-Reitmann is web developer/designer for the Office of Marketing at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. Prior to Wright State, Amanda worked for the University of Cincinnati Foundation and Auburn University's College of Education. She’s been in the field of higher education marketing and branding, specifically print and web design, for 15+ years. Amanda received her bachelor’s degree in art (graphic design) with a music minor from Morehead State University and received her Master of Fine Arts degree in graphic design from Savannah College of Art and Design. Being a member of UCDA since 2005, Amanda has served as a conference volunteer for many years, was co-chair and then chair of the UCDA Design Summit in 2015/2016, and was co-chair and chair of the UCDA Design Competition in 2018/2019. She was on the Board of Directors 2020-2023.
PAMELA FOGG
Email: foggpamela@gmail.com
After a 20-year career at Middlebury College, most recently as the creative director and as the long-time art director for the award-winning Middlebury Magazine, Pam began her own effort as Pamela Fogg Editorial Design. Her clients include the University of Puget Sound and National Peace Corps Association as well as a handful of authors and a PR firm. Since she began working in higher education, she has relished her involvement with UCDA and has served on the UCDA board of directors, is a past president, created and chaired a committee on sustainability, co-chaired several design conferences and has served as a judge for the annual design competition. Pamela has worked in higher education over 20 years and in the design arena for more than 30. She received her B.F.A. in advertising and design from the School of Visual Arts in New York City. In her spare time she makes art, ice cream, and hikes and bikes around her home the Green Mountain State of Vermont.
MATT KROB
Email: matt.krob@slu.edu
Matt is the Director of Design Services in the Division ofMarketing andCommunications at Saint Louis University and has survived 20+ years in higher ed design. UCDA highlights include attending my first conference (in San Francisco) as a senior in college, serving on the UCDA Board of Directors from 2014 to 2017 with 2016 as the Board President, 2020 UCDA Design Awards Chair, UCDA Design Awards Judge in 2021, and joining the UCDA Foundation Board of Directors in 2023. Matt received his bachelor’s in fine arts from Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri.
TINA LEMAY
Email: lemayd@clemson.edu
Tina came to Clemson University for undergraduate school, stayed for graduate school, accepted a full-time position, and swore she'd only stay two years. She has now been there 27 years and currently is the director, student affairs publications. Tina oversees a team focusing on supporting the communication and creative needs of areas such as Housing, Parking Services, Major Events, Career Center, Dining Services, Campus Recreation, TigerOne Card Services, Development, Student Life, Campus Life, and Vice President for Student Affairs.
ELANA TRAGER
Email: elana.trager@mcgill.ca
Elana is associate director, communications in university advancement communications at McGill University. She is a successful marketing and communications professional with 15+ years experience in the education environment. Elana is recognized as a critical thinker with impressive achievements in developing strategies for increased growth locally, nationally, and internationally.
JODY ZAMIROWSKI
Emeritus Member
Email: jody.z@comcast.net
Jody Zamirowski was the first president and founder of the UCDA Foundation. As a UCDA board member and officer, Jody developed new programming for UCDA including the Hot and Now workshop, RE Workshop, and the Insight Workshop. She also conceived and led the first two UCDA Design Education Summits, chaired two national conferences, and served as co-editor and designer of UCDA's Designer Magazine. In developing these programs, she saw the need to support and enhance the programming of UCDA. Potential attendees don't always have the funding to attend the professional development programs that could be so beneficial to their careers. Through the foundation, UCDA is able to meet some of these needs. Jody also started the 'Design Matters' limited edition poster campaign to benefit the UCDA Foundation. Her background includes creating campaign materials for many fundraising efforts at the College of DuPage, and participating in general development and capital campaigns.