Lisa Carnevale, Executive Director at DesignxRI

Lisa Carnevale is an executive director of DESIGNxRI, an organization working to help the RI design sector to thrive. Since 1997, Lisa has ran her own strategic communications firm, started new creative nonprofit organizations, and led innovative initiatives in both Seattle and Providence. She melds her years of experience as a communicator, creative thinker and entrepreneur into forward-looking strategy and execution for start-up organizations.

Sarah Guerette, Program Director and Business Advisor at The Women's Business Center at CEI

Sarah Guerette is a small business advisor who looks at the big picture. She helps entrepreneurs and artists figure out how to make their businesses more successful, and how that fits in with everything else they’re juggling. Sarah has taught business planning to artists at the Maine College of Art, and through the Assets for Artists program at Mass MoCA. She loves the challenge of making business

Ed Shems '91 IL, Illustrator/Graphic Designer at Edfredned Illustration & Design + Creative Relay

Ed is a RISD graduate (IL '91) and has been freelancing for more than 27 years. He’s a middle grade and younger book illustrator who is currently writing his own chapter books. Ed’s also an award-winning graphic designer and an un-awarded gardener.

Justin Perricone, UX Strategist at Image Conscious Studios

Justin Perricone is UX Strategist at Image Conscious Studios, a Boston-based digital design and brand studio. He was a long-time freelancer and still takes the occasional moonlighting gig.

Since 2011, he has presented dozens talks and webinars on freelancing, typography, and printing at Massachusetts College of Art and Design, AIGA Boston, the National Chapte

Greg Kanaan '02 FAV, Attorney at The Law Office of Gregory R. Kanaan, Esq.

Greg Kanaan is a Massachusetts and New York based entertainment attorney who focuses on intellectual property, business, and contract issues for artists and filmmakers. Before earning his J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law in Boston, Greg was a documentary television producer for seven years, working for Discovery Channel, TLC, Court TV, and A&E. He graduated from RISD in 2002 from the FAV department.

Hannah Cole, Artist, Enrolled Agent, & Founder of Sunlight Tax

Hannah Cole is a tax expert who specializes in working with creative businesses and artists. A long-time working artist with a high-level exhibition history, the financial challenges of freelancers and small creative businesses are both relevant and personal to Hannah. Her specialty is communicating complex tax issues in a clear, artist-centered, empowering way.

Jessica Burko '96 PH, Director of Marketing at Kingston Gallery

Jessica Burko is Director of Marketing at Kingston Gallery and has been an exhibiting artist since 1985. Burko is also an independent curator with more than thirty exhibitions produced since 2000, and she supports artists in achieving their creative and professional goals through partnerships with organizations such as Mass MoCA and the Danforth Museum. Burko holds a BFA in Photography from RISD, and an MFA from RIT.

Gretchen Gray-Buchanan, Creative Director for Licensing at Wild Apple

Gretchen Gray-Buchanan has built a career creating and designing licensed products for the home. Gretchen's journey began at her own boutique art-licensing and design studio. For the past 15 years, in her work as Creative Director at Wild Apple, she has been coaching designers and artists to make the art that licensees can't wait to place on their products.

Sue Schlabach, Creative Director for Wall Decor at Wild Apple

Sue Schlabach is a working artist, photographer, and Creative Director for Wall Decor at Wild Apple. She provides creative direction for in-house staff and contracted artists who create work for the home furnishings markets. Her studio is the old taproom in a 1830s brick house in rural Vermont. She makes art with ink, paint, paper, wood, old papers and canvas.

Ben Blanc '04 MFA FD and Aja Blanc '05 MA TLAD , Owners and Designers at Ben and Aja Blanc LLC

Ben & Aja Blanc design and produce sculptural lighting, furniture and objects for the world’s most sought after interior designers and discerning consumers of contemporary design. Their objects are reflective of a rich personal creative practice - infusing a stark, modern style paired with handcrafted technique.

Scott Malloy, Senior Career Adviser at RISD Career Center

As a Senior Career Advisor at Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), Scott works to develop and encourage the career goals and aspirations of art and design students as well as alumni. Through his six years working at RISD, Scott has co-presented at the 2013 Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design Conference, served as an advisor and interviewer for the Fulbright grant process, and co-leads entrepreneurial programming.

Kevin Jankowski, Director at RISD Career Center

Kevin has 25 years of experience in higher education with exceptional commitment to career development and fulfillment for artists and designers. His focus includes career advisement, goal setting, and the application of creative thinking and making across a broad range of job markets, industries and ventures.