When I joined SCAD as Chair of the Advertising Department in the Spring of 2016, my priority was to infuse the program with a sense of enthusiasm, family and positive collaboration. My experience in the agency environment had taught me that when people are supportive of one another, it helps everyone and everything - including the work - to rise. With this, and with the help of faculty and students who were eager for such energy, we formed a joyful department that possesses a true sense of connectedness that has resulted in fantastic work. Along the way, we also created a productive SCAD Ad Club that has hosted industry speakers, created mentorships and joined with departments across SCAD to workshop improv, dramatic writing, stop motion and more.

I was also given the challenge and opportunity to remold the advertising B.F.A. curriculum to better prepare students for the quickly evolving industry. This was done with a complete overhaul through every class, based in strategy, craft and a lean toward innovative thinking to create impactful storytelling. And to supplement the coursework, we launched a collaboration with film and entertainment arts to give our students firsthand experience in content and commercial production. This little endeavor resulted in none other than an Emmy nomination.