Like most boards, the AIGA Baltimore board is comprised of 100% volunteers. So you can get to know the board and recognize some faces at our events, we are featuring board members. Today’s post focuses on Jennifer Marin, our Education & Professional Development Director!

Q. Tell us a little about yourself.
A. I am Northern Italian (from Livorno, a port city on the western coast of Tuscany) and Venezuelan. I moved to Baltimore from Caracas 15 years ago to live with my mother and attend college. I never returned home and eventually I became a citizen, choosing Baltimore as my new home. I’ve taught design courses at Towson University and currently I am the senior designer at an in-house design department in Columbia. We work primarily in book and video publishing, but have begun expanding our expertise as the digital movement sweeps over our industry.

Q. What do you love about design?
A. Design thinking doesn’t provide the “right answer” but rather a myriad of ways to approach a solution. I love being challenged to find creative solutions. Ironically, at best, I can draw a stick figure.

Q. Why did you decide to join the AIGA Baltimore board?
A. I’m excited to be an active part of the Baltimore design community. I see the benefits of a strong chapter, and I want to help make our chapter as strong as AIGA DC.

Q. What is your passion?
A. Other than design, I love to cook. Before I chose my career as a designer, I went to culinary school. I wanted to be a chef. I worked at a few local restaurants when I realized that for me, the art of cooking was more enjoyable in the comfort of my home where I could experiment freely with new ingredients and recipes and where I didn’t have to clock in and out, work long hours and sweat profusely behind a hot stove. Of course, this was before the Food Network craze, when being a chef was not as fashionable and hip as it is today.

Q. What is a must-see spot in Baltimore?
A. I love the sidewalk culture in Mt. Vernon. The architecture of our city is beautiful, especially around the Peabody and Mt. Washington Monument.

Q. What is your favorite summertime drink?
A. Pineapple, cilantro & lime margarita from El Gato Negro in New Orleans. One of the most refreshing drinks I’ve ever had.