02 Nov Meet Your New National Executive Committee Members
Under the new Guild Constitution, Regional Reps have a powerful voice. They’re responsible for electing the five ExComm At Large Directors. These Directors join the elected officers of the Guild (the President, Secretary, and Treasurer) in forming the full Executive Committee. This past October at our in-person National Board Meeting, our regional representatives did just that, and voted in the first ExComm At Large Directors under the new Constitution.
Many of the faces who stood for election are familiar: Dawn Mitchell, Todd LeMieux, and Rebecca Blake all served on the previous board. However, they were joined by two individuals new to the recent National Board – Yanique DaCosta (who previously served as Southern Region rep) and Rose Lowry (who is returning to Guild leadership after an 18-year hiatus). All five candidates were presented to the regional representatives, and gave a statement of intent, outlining why they were running for the board and how they hoped to serve the organization. All five were elected, resulting in the first-ever full board under the new Constitution.
Meet Your New Directors
Yanique DaCosta, At-Large Director, Representative to ico-D
Yanique DaCosta is familiar to Southern Region members, having served for the past two years as the Southern Region Representative. She has also served for the past year as the Guild’s representative to ico-D, the International Council of Design. DaCosta is a passionate painter, educator, and entrepreneur, leading brand development projects that result in print, web and online, and motion graphic deliverables. Her clientele include Norwegian Cruise Lines, HBO, Atlantic Records, and Clear Channel.
DaCosta was born in Kingston, Jamaica, and came to the United States to pursue her education. She received an Associate Degree in Graphic Design, a Bachelors Degree in Studio Arts, and a Masters Degree in Media Design.
Rose Lowry, At-Large Director
Rose Lowry has a long history with the Guild, having served on the Boston Chapter board from 2001 to 2003, as Boston Chapter President from 2003 to 2004, and on the National Board 2004 to 2005. During that time she also served as National Website Chair, helping to maintain the Guild’s first-ever website. Lowry is an accomplished designer, managing with her business partner the design firm, Beechleaf Design in Temple, New Hampshire. Their clientele consists of both small businesses and agencies, as well as in-house art departments, such as Brookstone and Eastern Mountain Sports, and local municipalities, organizations, and non-profits.
Lowry is an accomplished illustrator, specializing in animal portraits and horse illustrations. She is comfortable in a range of styles and media, both traditional and digital. Her realistic style lends itself to medical illustration, product drawing, technical illustrations, and diagrams.
Meet Your Continuing Directors
Rebecca Blake, Advocacy Liaison
As Advocacy Liaison, Rebecca Blake works in tandem with other visual artists associations in promoting legislation favorable to graphic artists. She also responds on behalf of the Guild to notices from the Copyright Office soliciting feedback from stakeholders on copyright law and registration processes. She works as Design Director at a small design studio in midtown Manhattan, Optimum Design & Consulting.
Todd LeMieux, Communications Chair
Todd LeMieux develops and maintains the Guild’s branding and visual materials. He has served on the Guild’s Advocacy and Communications Committees, as well as the National Board. He works as a graphic designer and an educator, and has won numerous local, regional, and national awards for his innovative and inspiring design work. He earned his BA in Graphic Design from Westfield State University.
Dawn Mitchell, At-Large Director
Dawn Mitchell served as At-Large Chapter President of the Graphic Artists Guild before the organization moved to a regional model, and on the National Board as an At-Large Board Member. She runs G4 Interactive, a design firm located in Greensboro, North Carolina. Her passion lies in helping small- to medium-sized businesses grow and in mentoring design students.