Faculty biographies (S–T)

Faculty Bios | A-B | C-F | G-H | J-L | M-N | P-R | S-T | V-Z

Ron Saks, media studies professor, is the chair of the time-based media studies department and teaches time-based media design, animation, computer animation, film, portfolio, history of documentary cinema, and computer graphics. Mr. Saks has 20 years of experience in animation, special-effects animation, and computer animation for film and television. In addition to producing his own independent projects, he has worked on major theatrical releases such as Time After Time, Star Trek: The Movie, and Resurrection, as well as numerous television programs and commercials. Before coming to CCAD in 1988, he worked for Universal Studios and Cranston-Csuri Produnctions. He received his BFA from UCLA in fine art and an MFA from UCLA in theater arts/film animation.

Christopher Sauerzopf, interior & industrial design adjunct instructor, teaches computer modeling. He has a BFA from CCAD in industrial design. Mr. Sauerzopf works at Eagle Exhibit Services as a designer and handles all of the company’s computer modeling needs. He has worked on designs for clients such as Nationwide, AEP, Bath & Body Works, Fitch, and Ohio Health.

Bryan Saums, cultural anthropology instructor, founded the education consulting service, BC Science Education, in 2002. BC Science Education provides curriculum design and educational delivery services to several Ohio colleges and universities in the biological and social sciences. BC Science Education clients include DeVry University, Hondros College and Columbus State Community College. In addition to founding BC Science Education, Mr. Saums has been involved with central Ohio's community development. He has also helped plan regional water quality initiatives and designed state-wide environmental education programs. Mr. Saums holds master's degrees in anthropology and environmental science from Miami University. He will complete his certification in geographic information systems at Columbus State Community College in autumn of 2006.

Karen Scholl, liberal arts adjunct instructor, teaches copywriting for new media. Karen works full-time as a Creative Director at Resource Interactive, an integrated interactive marketing agency. She works with clients across a range of categories including retail, consumer packaged goods and branded manufacturing. She has written for on-line media and off - websites, blogs, email and magazines. Karen holds a BA degree from the University of Michigan.

Kristine Schramer, fine arts assistant professor, teaches painting, drawing, and anatomy. She earned her BA as a Monroe Scholar at the College of William and Mary and studied at the New York Academy of Figurative Art, the Art Students League of New York, and the Ecole Albert Defois in France before earning her MFA from Indiana University. Her paintings and drawings have won awards in exhibitions across the Midwest and Southern U.S. and are included in the collections of the College of William and Mary and the City of Bloomington, Indiana. Ms. Schramer was awarded a travel grant from the Institute of International Education to study in Florence, Italy, and in 2000 she received a grant award from the National Society of Arts and Letters. Visit www.kschramer.com.

Aaron Searles, industrial & interior design adjunct instructor, teaches modeling techniques and presentation techniques. He earned a BFA from CCAD in industrial design. Mr. Searles has experience in both graphic and product design, and currently works as an industrial designer for Anchor Hocking Glass Co. in Lancaster, Ohio. He maintains an active freelance practice in graphic and identity design.

Linda Shanahan, liberal arts adjunct, has an M.A. and Ph.D. in art history from The Ohio State University. She taught at Maine College of Art (2002-03) and at the University of Southern Maine. She was coordinator of adult education and a research assistant in the curatorial department at the Columbus Museum of Art. At CCAD she teaches Renaissance, Late 20th century, and American art, in addition to the art history survey.

Duncan J. Snyder, media studies associate professor, is chair of the still-based media studies department and is Vice President of Faculty Council. He received his BFA from CCAD and MFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art. Mr. Snyder has received individual artist grants from the Greater Columbus Arts Council and the Ohio Arts Council and is currently Chair of the Upper Arlington Cultural Arts Commission. Mr. Snyder was a visiting artist at the Burren College of Art in County Claire, Ireland in the fall of 2006 and is preparing to take CCAD students to Ireland in 2008.

Cheryl Steele, visual communications instructor, teaches draping and historic costumes. She has worked in visual merchandising and retail education and has had an active freelance career for more than 20 years. Ms. Steele has a BS from The Ohio State University in Home Economics, focusing on textiles and clothing, and an Associate of Applied Science degree from The Fashion Institute of Technology. She is an active community volunteer for the Ohio Historical Society and several organizations in Delaware County.

Julie Taggart, dean of fine arts division and foundation studies. Dean Taggart’s paintings have been in exhibits throughout the U.S. and Europe. Ms. Taggart is represented by Rebecca Ibel Gallery in Columbus, Ohio.   BFA-CCAD, MFA-Syracuse University

Kaname Takada, fine arts associate professor, teaches ceramics, and created the ceramic mural on the Canzani Center. His work is represented in a number of collections, including those of the Columbus Metropolitan Library, Zanesville Art Center, Lamar Dodd Art Center, and Ohio Craft Museum. He has shown his award-winning work in six international exhibitions in France, New Zealand, Japan, and the U.S.; and in 23 solo and group exhibitions, more than 30 national exhibitions, and numerous regional exhibitions. Mr. Takada has an MFA in ceramics from the University of Notre Dame.

Georgia Tangi, liberal arts adjunct instructor, teaches art history. She has served as the director of the art department at Kentucky Wesleyan College and as the artist in residence to Franklin University’s MBA program. Her artwork includes traditional drawing and painting as well as digital video installation pieces. Her works are in the permanent collections of the Coca Cola Foundation in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, the Owensboro Museum of Fine Art, The Ohio State University, and many other permanent and private collections. Dr. Tangi earned her Ph.D. from The Ohio State University, her undergraduate in fine arts from Kansas City Art Institute, and she has an interdisciplinary background in theory and curriculum.

Ronald Tardino, visual communications professor, is a freelance illustrator and painter whose clients include Hills Corp., the Columbus Bar Association, and the Ohio Historical Museum and Ohio Village. He also has worked as a courtroom sketch artist. Mr. Tardino received a BFA in illustration from CCAD.

Linda Taylor, liberal arts adjunct instructor, teaches screenwriting with an emphasis on storytelling and the art and craft of filmmaking. She has an MFA in film production from New York University, where she wrote, directed, and edited five films. She is the broadcast producer of Open Line, a public affairs talk show, on WOSU-AM. She taught screenwriting and film production at The Ohio State University, was a guest lecturer at the Wexner Center for the Arts, and consultant for the OSU International Film Series. Her review of the documentary, Circles, was published in the Journal of Film and Video, and she wrote a chapter of the Kaplan International Films textbook.

Mike Todd, Foundation Studies adjunct instructor, teaches three dimensional design. Mr. Todd is a freelance furniture designer and his focus is on contemporary graphic styling through hand-built furniture and sculptural boxes. He earned his BFA in Visual Communications from CCAD in Advertising and Graphic Design.

Lowell Tolstedt, fine arts professor emeritus, has work represented in a number of collections, including the Art Institute of Chicago, the National Museum of American Art at the Smithsonian Institute, the Columbus Museum of Art, the Evansville Museum of Art, and the Minnesota Museum of Art. Mr. Tolstedt has received three Individual Artist Fellowships from the Ohio Arts Council, and was awarded a Visual Artist Fellowship by the National Endowment for the Arts in 1983. He has a BFA from the University of South Dakota and an MA in painting and drawing from the University of Iowa. Mr. Tolstedt retired from CCAD after teaching for more than 35 years and serving as dean of the division of fine arts since 1981.

Bob Towner-Larsen, liberal arts adjunct instructor, teaches psychology. He has worked in student affairs offices at Princeton University, Grinnell College, Kenyon College, and Ohio University. Currently, he is a counselor at The Ohio State Medical Center. He has earned Master of Divinity and Master of Theology degrees from Princeton Theological Seminary and an MA and Ph.D. in counseling from The Ohio State University.