Design [VIRTUAL]

Itzel Islas (she/her) is a freelance graphic designer and illustrator from Tijuana, Mexico, currently living in San Diego, California. Itzel's work is inspired by Mexican culture, vibrant color palettes and playful elements of everyday life. Her main medium is the computer, but she also loves sketching and incorporating hand-drawn elements into her designs. As founder & CEO of YAY Itzel, Itzel's mission since 2016 has been to create a positive bi-cultural impact through design and empower folks to pursue their creative career.

Erwin Hines is an artist, designer, and creative director. Throughout his career, he has focused on doing work that fosters empathy and inclusivity across all disciplines. He uses design to examine and reflect tensions within the current cultural landscape. Most recently worked as the Creative Director of BASIC, a leading brand and digital design agency based in San Diego. During his years at BASIC, he not only led the creation of industry-defining work for brands like COACH, SONY, BEATS BY DRE, and GOOGLE but also helped to grow the agency from a 5 person studio into an internationally recognized agency with offices around the globe.

In May of 2020, with the murder of George Floyd and general political unrest around the world, Erwin sought ways to cope with all of the emotions and ended up choosing the medium of garments to create visual articulation of his confusion and frustration with society. The garments became a pathway for personal healing and a way to incite conversation around race, equity, and social change. This body of work became FUTURE IS COLOR.

Michèle currently serves as the Associate Director of The Design Lab at UC San Diego, co- founder and President of the Design Forward Alliance, and principal at Hardpoint Solutions consulting. Working with companies and organizations that range from startups to Fortune 500, government to academic institutions, Michèle takes a collaborative, systems approach to helping colleagues and clients rethink the way they navigate, remain relevant, and thrive in an evolving global marketplace.

Proudly called a career “misfit,” Michèle has also served more than a decade in the United States Secret Service, started two companies, worked as journalist and radio producer, and been engaged with multiple performing arts organizations as a professional dancer/choreographer and outreach strategist.

Michèle discovered her love for design as a strategic tool at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business and Stanford Law School’s Center for Negotiation and International Conflict. Other alma maters include The Catholic University of America and Université de Nantes. Michèle’s greatest privilege is being a mother. She loves to travel and cartwheel around the world and believes in the transformative powers of a cup of tea, a scoop of gelato, and ‘dancing it out.’