Board members

President

Dave Weinberg, expatriate of Brooklyn, New York, is Creative Director at daveweinberg.com providing integrated cross-media creative services to clients. Formerly Senior Art Director at L.L.Bean, Dave was instrumental in advancing best practices in website design along with creative and marketing synergies across-channel. A founding board member of AIGA Maine, Dave is committed to AIGA's mission within Maine's creative community — to advance designing as a strategic tool, professional craft and vital cultural force. Dave is also an accomplished Illustrator. He holds a BFA from the School of Visual Arts in NYC. Dave continues to explore a broad range of creative forms, both visual and performance-based — over the years, designer, writer, creative director, stand-up comic, improvisational actor, cartoonist, banana-blueberry pancake maker. Dave is a proud and adoring dad who also enjoys a really good nap!!

Jennifer Merrill is a designer with a particular love for sequential matter and everyday typography. After receiving her BFA in Graphic Design from RISD, Jen packed two (monstrous) suitcases and moved to New York City to work for Martha Stewart as an Art Director for the award-winning magazines Kids, Body+Soul, and Blueprint. Later, Jen worked at Little Fury, a small East Village studio, where she designed for a variety of clients including MTV, StartHere, and Target. Done with crazy-fast-paced-city-life, Jen moved to Maine in 2007. She currently lives in Kennebunk and works at McCabe, Duval + Associates. When not scowling at tragic incidents of kerning gone awry, you may find Jen zooming around in her Mini Cooper rocking out to country music — or perhaps NPR.

Megan McConagha is principal at her own practice with clients in the Portland area and throughout the East Coast. She moved to Maine in July 2008 after a decade in New York City where she worked at Vogue and ShermansTravel Media. She graduated with honors from Pratt Institute and was awarded the Atkinson Memorial Fund scholarship. Megan’s communications background includes a Masters of Science in Journalism, which she utilized as a reporter/producer for KXJB TV in Fargo, KOMO Radio in Seattle, C-SPAN, and NPR. In addition to her passion for design, Megan digs pottery, time with her family, and Diet Dr. Pepper. 

Rand Ardell is a principal at Portland-based Simmons Ardell Design. Rand leads the strategic effort on all client projects and manages the firm's client relationships. He is also responsible for the firm's business development and marketing activities, project management, and operations. Rand was most recently the director of marketing for Bernstein Shur, one of northern New England's largest law firms. Earlier, he was the director of client services at McCabe, Duval + Associates of Portland, Maine, and a vice president and director of operations at MacLaren McCann, one of Canada's largest advertising agencies.

Fay Andrada has been living in Portland, Maine since October of 2008. She arrived after twelve years as a New Yorker, nearly half of which were spent producing online content for MTV. She has a Bachelors Degree from NYU, where she studied culture and communications in New York and Paris. She lived in London for two years, freelancing as a designer and illustrator whilst earning her Masters Degree in Graphic Design from the London College of Communication. Fay has also spent a year in the advertising world designing, illustrating and art directing interactive campaigns to clients such as HBO and AMC. Fay is also an amateur metalsmith, deejay and chef.

Mark Smith received a BFA in Communications Design from Pratt Institute and worked as a graphic designer in New York City for 8 years before moving to Maine in 1988. He studied with Milton Glaser at the School of Visual Arts and has instructed graphic design courses at the Maine College of Art. Mark is a principal of Curvwork, a professional graphic design practice in Portland. He enjoys being at home with his family in Falmouth, being on the water in the Gulf of Maine, photography, and cooking.

Mira Alden, founding President of AIGA Maine, has over 15 years of experience in the field of design and visual communications. Currently, she is Design Director at Maine College of Art and Principal and Creative Director of her own practice, Alden Design Studio, located in Falmouth, Maine. Mira holds a BFA in Studio Art from the University of Hawaii and an MFA in Graphic Design from Rhode Island School of Design. After moving to New York City, she worked for five years producing original design solutions at MJM Creative Services (WPP Group). Mira is dedicated to the belief that a collaborative, process-based approach yields both innovative design and successful business solutions. Her favorite Pantone color depends on her mood.

Jessica Simmons is a principal at Portland-based Simmons Ardell Design. Earlier, she served as the design director at McCabe, Duval + Associates of Portland and held positions with design firms Milton Glaser Inc. and WBMG Inc. of New York City, as well as Alexander Isley Inc. of Redding, Connecticut. A Maine native, Jessica studied graphic design at MeCA and has over 15 years of front-line experience across a range of media and industries. She enjoys commuting to the Old Port on her shiny blue cruiser (PMS 8201).

Sean Wilkinson is a reader, a writer, and a thinker. Obsessed with type, enamored by print, and in love with the smell of inks. He's a drummer, a head bobber, a rabid fan of music. A tide pool picker, former deckhand, and crazy about the ocean. A good travel companion, a fan of airport bars, always looking out the window. An accomplished list maker, a failed knitter, a picture taker. He sometimes labels himself a Portland-based designer, co-founder of PICNIC Arts & Music Festival, co-founder and former art director of The Bollard, and a Maine College of Art alumni. He lives in the West End. He enjoys a nice rye manhattan with a twist.

Karan Cushman is principal of Cushman Creative and believes strongly in working with organizations who are making a difference in our communities. Karan’s expertise and desire to raise awareness has made a difference for international biotech corporations such as Genzyme and local non-profit organizations like Make-A-Wish of Maine. Karan has 15 years in the business and holds degrees from Rochester Institute of Technology in Design and Photography. Off-duty, Karan moonlights as a recreational lobsterwoman to help feed her addiction.