Join us to learn from a diverse panel of leaders in the design industry who will share their perspectives on the critical topic—Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in our profession. Let us all be the agents of change in our industry by participating in this vital dialogue and leaving with actionable steps to help make progress towards better outcomes for everyone.
Schedule:
- Welcome & Introductions
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Panel Discussion followed by audience questions
- Key Takeaways & Insights
Meet Our Facilitators
- Chris-Anne Correa - Senior UI/UX Designer at Exelon
- Lee Walker III - Senior UI/UX Designer at Exelon
Meet Our Panelists
Gavriel Legynd
Gavriel Legynd is a 20 year Technology veteran who is the brain child behind Visioneer IT which specializes in Marketing, Reputation Management, and Web Development. Visioneer's flagship product, RepSec Management; was born out of Mr. Legynd’s 20 year background in cybersecurity where he witnessed the challenges that corporate brands face when integrating marketing with Digital security.
Mr. Legynd has held Technology positions at Booz Allen Hamilton, Northrop Grumman, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Department of Commerce, HHS, ESRI and CACI just to name a few. Mr. Legynd has spoken at John Hopkins School of Business, National LGBT Chamber of Commerce, Metropolitan College of New York Bronx and The Jewish Federation and featured in Hispanic Network Magazine and the Baltimore Business Journal. He currently serves as the Vice President of the African American Marketing Association (AAMA). He is Co-Chair of the mentorship committee for the NGLCC Trans Task force, serves as a Business Mentor at the Baltimore Chapter of the American Marketing Association and has been on the executive board of the Maryland LGBT Chamber of Commerce.
Mr. Legynd attended George Mason University for his Bachelors Degree in Journalism, Capital College for his Masters of Network Security, Nova Southeastern for his PhD in Computer Science, and Oakbrook College of Law for law School.
He is a passionate advocate for the Transgender Community and for Jews of Color.
Greg Walsh
Dr. Greg Walsh is an assistant professor at the University of Baltimore where he is the graduate program director for the MS in Interaction Design and Information Architecture as well as the UX Design program. He is an interaction design researcher who focuses on user-centered design. In his almost 20 years of Baltimore City residency, Dr. Walsh has worked at a number of Baltimore-based interaction design firms and continues to focus on innovation through mentoring start-ups in the art of user-centered design. He is ruggedly handsome and a recipient of a Google Faculty Research Award.
Joan Cox
Joan Cox has over 25 years experience as a graphic designer, illustrator and Art Director. She is highly creative and a visual problem-solver. She was instrumental in founding the Maryland LGBT Chamber of Commerce in 2017 and served as President of the Board from 2018 - 2019 during which time the Chamber won a National Award as the "Rising Star Chamber of the Year" from the NGLCC. Joan still serves on the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors and chairs the marketing and communications committee. She also served three years on the Towson University Alumni Association Board of Directors from 2016 - 2019.
Joan graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Towson University as valedictorian and earned her Master of Fine Arts degree from Massachusetts College of Art and Design. She exhibits her fine art on a regular basis and is represented Baltimore by Catalyst Contemporary gallery.
Leah Vogely
Leah Vogely has worked as the lead product designer and creative director on a large variety of web apps, mobile apps, marketing campaigns, and branding initiatives. Her clients have included brands like Crayola, Wendy's, University of Maryland, and more. As a leader, she has built and grown diverse teams across industries and disciplines.
Currently, she holds the position of Sr. Manager of Solution Design & Digital Ops at Exelon, a Fortune 100 company. Her day-to-day includes the growth and development of designers and solution architects, advancement of digital operations, and advises on digital customer experience strategy.
Nadine Shahal
Nadine is a graphic designer and a creative director with a passion to use design to transform brands and to bring about social change.
Nadine has worked on building brands in different capacities. Starting in the advertising industry at the renowned McCann Erickson global advertising agency, Nadine launched brands such as Hilton Hotels and the Body Shop in new markets.
Currently, Nadine is using design thinking and design methodology to evolve the Special Olympics brand to be aligned across 200 countries all over the world and to deliver on the promise of creating an inclusive world where all abilities are celebrated!
Monique Jenkins
Monique fell in love with design when she created her first photo collage for her MySpace page back in ’05. Her passion for design continued to grow as she realized that design is problem-solving and can shape culture and identity. Ever since, she has used design as a way to solve problems for a variety of users across start-ups, government, and large corporations.
Currently, she holds a position as Sr. User Experience Designer at MotoRefi, a Virginia based start-up that makes auto refinancing a simple and transparent process for their customers. Her responsibilities include developing internal and external applications utilizing human-centered design principles to build frameworks that drive unique approaches to customer problems.
She also sits on the board of AIGA Baltimore as programming chair and is the Co-Lead of the Ladies, Wine and Design Baltimore’s Chapter.
AIGA, the professional association for design, is a national nonprofit organization run 100% by volunteer boards from 75 chapters across the nation. Our mission is to advance design as a professional craft, strategic advantage and vital cultural force. As the largest national community of design advocates, we bring together practitioners, enthusiasts, and patrons to amplify the voice of design and create the vision for a collective future. We define global standards and ethical practices, guide design education, enhance professional development, and make powerful tools and resources accessible to all.
Ladies*, Wine** & Design is a global non-profit initiative with chapters in 280 cities worldwide. LW&D was started by Jessica Walsh after she realized that sometimes peers can be competitive or unsupportive of one another. Only a small percentage of creative directors are women or non-binary, and LW&D wants to help change this through mentorship circles, portfolio reviews, talks & creative meetups.
*Our space is inclusive of all women, non-binary, agender and gender non-conforming people. Self-definition is at the sole discretion of that individual. If you feel you could benefit from a space meant for people who do not identify as cis men to share ideas and collaborate, you are welcome. **Alcohol is entirely optional; you can drink tea, coffee or whatever you like!
Accessibility
If you need any accommodations to fully access the event, please get in touch with us by August 6, 2020 at: info@baltimore.aiga.org.
Code of Conduct
AIGA Baltimore expects that all attendees treat each other with respect, openness, and in adherence to the guidelines specified in AIGA’s Code of Conduct, which can be found here: Code of Conduct.
This event is co-sponsored by AIGA Baltimore and Ladies of Wine & Design Baltimore and a special thanks to the Design team members at Exelon for their contribution to the events coordination and facilitation.
*Events are online on zoom.us. A Zoom link will be sent to your registration email two days before the event. A reminder with the link will also be sent on the day of the event.
