As citizens in a challenging time, it’s our duty to stand up for equal opportunity, representation, and respect in our own creative communities. AIGA Houston is proud to present the Women’s Design Insights lecture series, honoring the leadership and work of today’s women designers. The chapter’s inaugural 2017 series brings three speakers who continue to blaze brilliant trails across a range of industries and disciplines.

First up is Su Matthews Hale, who leads at the highest levels both as an advocate for the profession and as a practitioner and strategic mind. The speakers that follow her, Jiminie Ha and Elana Schlenker, are praised for their wise, adventurous work in the worlds of independent publishing, academia, and the fine arts.

Tomorrow:

• March 22: SU MATTHEWS HALE is a senior partner at the San Francisco office of Lippincott, where she has led rebrands for global clients such as Hyatt, Walmart, eBay, Starbucks, and Shutterstock. Prior to joining Lippincott more than 10 years ago, she was an associate partner at Pentagram in New York. Hale is currently president of the National AIGA, only the fifth in its 113-year history. She heads efforts as co-chair of AIGA Women Lead to promote and celebrate women’s achievements throughout the design industry and to stimulate lively discussion on the issues facing professional women. (Register here.)

Mark your calendar for upcoming Women’s Design Insights speakers:

• April 13: JIMINIE HA. Founding creative director and experimental curator at With Projects, the studio behind redesigns for Harvard Design Magazine and Bidoun. Editor of limited-edition food/culture art book White Zinfandel. CV: 2×4, Yale, Brown. (Register here.)
• May 19: ELANA SCHLENKER. Publisher of “occasional pamphlet of typographic smut” Gratuitous Type and leader of Less than 100, a popup shop devoted to wage equality. An ADC Young Gun and Print Magazine New Visual Artist. Past Designer in Residence at the Facebook Analog Research Lab.