Alumni Advisory Board
Committed to strengthening connections between CCAD alumni, the college, and each other.
About the Board
The Columbus College of Art & Design Alumni Advisory Board is a group of eight to 12 volunteers with broad and diverse backgrounds and experience.
This advisory group serves as a forum for the exchange of alumni points of view, identifies engagement opportunities for alumni, and explores ways to strengthen connections between CCAD alumni, the college, and one another.
The board meets on a quarterly basis and plays an active role in CCAD’s signature alumni engagement activities, including Big Mingles (local and regional social gatherings) and the annual Alumni Awards.
Meet Our Alumni Advisory Board Chair
Robert Coles (Retail Advertising, 1995) is senior director of creative and digital services at Stanford University and is an active leader in diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, both at his employer and in his outside pursuits. Prior to Stanford, Coles held positions at Franklin University and at CCAD. He began his career at Victoria’s Secret and has since built his own company, Brand Creative Marketing, LLC, serving such clients as the Cleveland Cavaliers and Columbus Blue Jackets. Additionally, Coles is a published children’s book illustrator with five books to his credit, each featuring a person of color as the protagonist. In 2023, Coles established the Coles Diversity Impact Scholarship Fund to strengthen access and opportunities for incoming students at CCAD.
Current Advisory Board Members
Our board members for the 2023–2024 academic year are:
- Chavilah Bennett (Advertising & Graphic Design, 2012), art director, Apple TV+
- AG Ford (Illustration, 2007), illustrator, AG Ford Arts Inc.
- Devin Goetz (Advertising & Graphic Design, 2017), senior art director, The Mars Agency
- Kristen Harris (Retail Advertising, 1991), COO & co-owner, Portfolio Creative
- Cathy Ann Johnson-Conforto (Illustration, 1989), managing creative director, Luv-it Studio LLC
- Susana Madrid (Fashion Design, 2006), founder & designer, Susana Madrid
- John McCutcheon (Fine Arts, 1979), gallerist & curator, Sean Christopher Gallery
- Paitoon Ratanasirintrawoot (Industrial Design, 1993), president & CCO, Paitoon Ratan, LLC
- Pily Támara (Industrial Design, 2013), design research & insight translation director, Lextant
- Rose White (Interior Design, 2019), designer & graduate student, University of Texas at Austin
- Albert Y. Wong (Fine Arts, 1970), professor emeritus, University of Texas at El Paso
Headquartered in Columbus, like many of the world’s biggest retail brands, Bath & Body Works has hired a number of talented, skilled CCAD students and alumni over the years—creative thinkers who have found professional success and fulfillment in their work.
Each year, CCAD recognizes some of our outstanding alumni with our Alumni Awards. And this year, we were aided in that process by our inaugural 12-member CCAD Alumni Advisory Board, who aided in selecting the winners from the pool of nominees submitted by our community members.
The Columbus Arts Festival is back in 2023. This year’s festival, presented by the American Electric Power Foundation and produced by the Greater Columbus Arts Council, is Friday, June 9–Sunday, June 11, on Columbus’ downtown riverfront.
Columbus College of Art & Design alum Robert Coles (Retail Advertising, 1995) has established the Coles Diversity Impact Scholarship Fund to strengthen access and opportunities for incoming students at CCAD.
Shorts (Industrial Design, 2006) is the founder/creator-in-chief of Columbus creative agency Artfluential; in addition, he founded the Maroon Arts Group (a collective promoting Black culture and art); has a newsletter, Shut Up and Create; and, with fellow alum—and CCAD Trustee Corey Favor (Illustration, 2003)—is co-founder of artist conference Creative Control Fest.
