Liz Underwood

Hi! I’m Liz! I’m a graphic designer, dog mom, and co-host of the podcast “Far Side Chats” (shameless plug.) In my ample spare time (ha!) I enjoy spending time outside, traveling to new places, catching the latest original series on Netflix or Amazon Prime, getting buried in my Kindle, and losing myself in easy-going video games like Lego Marvel. To sum it up, I enjoy the simple things in life.

It may be a little funny when you realize that I’m on the board for UNIVERSITY & COLLEGE Designers Association (UCDA,) but I no longer work in higher education (technically.) But, before I took my role as Senior Graphic Designer for the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute (which is a really cool place affiliated with the University of Arkansas system!), I worked at Arkansas Tech University (ATU) for over five years. Not only that, I grew up in a family of educators - both of my parents have their Ph.D.’s and are passionate about academia. All these elements combined, I have cultivated a serious respect for higher education.

I joined UCDA in 2014 while in my role at ATU because I was looking for a group of people who “got it.” I needed to relate with professionals outside my personal circle about the unique challenges and issues of working as a creative in higher education. After attending my first conference, I felt an immediate sense of belonging and I craved more. Being an introvert (shocker!) I slowly started getting more involved by volunteering at the annual conference. I quickly realized that literally everyone in attendance was on the same boat with me - their issues and frustrations mirrored mine. I started building my network (buzzword!) making connections and eventually ran for the board. Fast forward a few years and I have a reserved seat on a national board. I still don’t feel like it’s real!

Anyway…all of this rambling to say, regardless of your background or your interests, if you’re a creative, then UCDA is where you and I belong (and we creatives need to stick together.)