This spring Jennifer Marin and Stacey Fatica begin their first term as Co-Presidents of AIGA Baltimore, replacing the outgoing leadership of Alissa Jones and Brian Ghiloni.

Both Stacey and Jennifer joined the chapter last Spring. As Education Director Jennifer is inspired by Baltimore’s community of artists, designers, and web developers. Stacey, as Social Design Director is motivated by her connections with the local design community. Both believe that individuals are drawn to AIGA because of a need to belong to something bigger than themselves, to learn from both freelancers and business owners while sharing their own unique knowledge with an unusual city of diverse backgrounds, interests, and talent.

As the incoming Co-Presidents prepare to invest themselves into their challenging roles, they are aware that they are expected to build upon the legacy started 25 years ago with AIGA Baltimore’s first president, Bob Shelly. Under Alissa and Brian’s leadership, the board launched Baltimore’s very first Design Week, executed a large-scale student design conference, Ink & Pixels, and in 2012 alone, held 45 other events geared towards professional development.

The goal of the new presidency is, put simply, to continue and strengthen the legacy of the chapter as set by its predecessors. Providing relevant, memorable events to foster actionable conversation appropriate to the impact that design has on society and the lives of individuals, both personally and professionally.

Assisting Jennifer and Stacey in achieving their goal is a board powered entirely by volunteers, each of whom have a specific focus that is added to their respective teams. The Programming Team, led by Courtney Glancy, pioneered AIGA Baltimore’s first Design Week in 2012 and is currently working on the next, this October 2013. Converse, the well-attended monthly design conversation event, continues to be executed by Lauren Zuber. And our communications team Greg Jericho, Kate Lawless, and Vanessa Vichayakul have combined their efforts to create a powerful social media following and are developing an increased online presence.

Maintaining the foundation of volunteers as set by the outgoing presidency of Alissa and Brian is, itself, a primary focus for the incoming leadership. The Co-President’s message is clear:

“We are here for you. This is your AIGA. This year AIGA Baltimore celebrates our 25th anniversary and it is impossible to name the many individuals who have shaped our chapter throughout the years. Stepping into our roles, we know that our time on the board will be short and that we cannot succeed in this alone.”

“Whether you’ve offered your space for an event, volunteered to speak, reviewed a portfolio, or simply attended one of our events, you are the reason we continue to thrive. So thank you, Baltimore: we couldn’t do it without your support. We look forward to the next two years and hope that we provide the leadership that AIGA Baltimore deserves.”