PHXDW CONFERENCE SPEAKERS

Jonny Arvizu

Role

Art Director, Designer & Illustrator

Organization

Trapdoor Studio & High Jinks Apparel

I'm a versatile art director with deep technical expertise in advertising, branding, and commercial illustration. From national campaigns to local culture projects, I've led teams and collaborated with major brands to build creative solutions that connect, perform and inspire. My work blends storytelling with strategy, transforming ephemeral ideas into meaningful and collectible experiences. I believe in honest collaboration, creative clarity and a community-minded approach to design. My aim is to make something that resonates.

Session: Drawing the Line: Human Intuition Meets AI Assistance

Jason Boesel

Role

Senior Graphic Designer

Organization

Grand Canyon Education

Jason is an award-winning Graphic Designer who has collaborated with a plethora of clientele including local Arizona-based businesses, globally-recognized institutions, and beyond. With a knack for brand management and academic marketing, he currently operates as a Senior Graphic Designer for Grand Canyon Education, mentoring students while developing strategy-driven creative solutions. Additionally, his love for the southwest and saguaro cacti has compelled him to pursue his own creative endeavors, leading to the rollout of his own line of Arizona-themed apparel and accessories under the moniker Sunburnt Merch. With over 10 years of creative experience, Jason remains committed his professional growth and encouraging those around him to vigorously pursue their own creative interests.

Session: Cultivating Your Creativity: The Power of Personal Passion Projects

Erica Brooks

Role

Creative Director

Organization

Hello Creative Solutions

Erica Brooks is a designer and art director who thrives on designing multi-page documents. InDesign is her happy place. She digs details like efficient processes, clean files, and understanding the business goals behind each project. One of the most common responses she hears from clients is “You ask the best questions.” For that, she credits her journalism education and her general disposition of curiosity about the world. When not engrossed in a page layout project or refining a pitch deck, Erica is usually planning an adventure along the lines of hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu or indulging in a tour of Christmas markets around Germany.

Session: Getting Beyond "This Sucks": Critical Advice about Criticism and Advice

Anne Brown

Role

Visual Communicator and Design Researcher

Organization

Words Plus Image

Anne Brownfield Brown is a designer, educator and avid photographer. After a multi-decade career in design and communications at Fortune 500 companies, she now savours the opportunity to create sans client. On a trip to Japan, she discovered emas, an aspect of Japanese culture that hasn't received much attention in the West. She is excited to share these visually compelling images with the design community.

Session: Brand Zen: Unearthing Design Inspiration from Japan

Robby Brown

Role

Owner

Organization

WTF

When I first found my creative outlet in video production, I grabbed on tight and never let go. The idea of a typical 9 - 5 always bummed me out, so I made a home in the creative world and stuck around for two decades. I don't have a plan B. I'm a professional artsy-fartsy type who believes in making cool sh*t with heart and finding ways to sneak personal style into every photo, video, and story I touch.

Session: Rooted in Discomfort: Building a Brand with a Fraud Complex

Chris Carls

Role

Art Director

Organization

Cirrus Visual

Chris Carls is the Art Director at Tucson design and print firm, Cirrus Visual, where he's been for almost 25 years. He holds a BFA from the University of Illinois, and an MFA from the University of Arizona, and he's also an Adjunct Professor at Pima Community College, teaching Adobe Illustrator and After Effects. Chris is an Adobe Community Expert, and is on the Adobe Illustrator Pre-Release team, testing new features and engaging with developers, marketers and other users from around the world.

As a local community leader, he stays busy by hosting monthly creative events. Public speaking is a passion, recently being featured at TenWest and Creative Pro Week in 2025, Creative Mornings and Phoenix Design Week in 2023 & 2024.

Session: Lunch & Learn: Designing for Print

Sara Chambers

Role

CEO + Brand Strategist

Organization

Elly and Nora Creative

Sara Chambers is a brand strategist, speaker, best-selling author, and the CEO of Elly and Nora Creative, a full-service agency that builds brave, bold, brag-worthy brands for entrepreneurs who are ready to lead with purpose and power. With a background in marketing, PR, and communications for nonprofits and a variety of personal and lifestyle brands, Sara has spent nearly two decades helping thought leaders clarify their message, amplify their mission, and own their space. She’s also the founder of Chicks Who Give a Hoot, a nonprofit mobilizing women entrepreneurs as a force for good through media, mentorship, and community.

Session: From Vendor to Visionary: A Tactical Shift for Designers Ready to Lead Brands, Not Just Execute Them

Kameron Davis

Role

Owner / Creative Director

Organization

PWR

An aerospace engineer-turned-designer, Kameron is skilled in branding, motion, and web design. He's driven by a passion to serve clients and partner with them to make their organization the best it can be. As a Black designer, Kameron is proud to play a part in showing the next generation of underrepresented students that design can be a viable career path for them.

Session: Humans Over Algorithms

Paul DeNigris

Role

Chief Creative

Organization

Foxtrot XRay

Paul DeNigris is an award-winning visual effects artist, filmmaker and film educator with three decades of experience in making moving images for screens both big and small. He is the founder and creative director of VFX and motion design boutique Foxtrot X-Ray.

Session: Using CGI and Visual Effects to Elevate Your Brand

Shireen Dooling

Role

Creative Director

Organization

Modulate Media

Shireen Dooling is Creative Director for Modulate Media, a visual science communicator, and a 2023 Brooke Owens Fellow with experience designing for science ensuring intricate topics are accurately depicted for diverse audiences. Her expertise spans various scientific fields including engineering, space, biology, and climate research. She excels at meeting researchers at their level to identify key topics for visual communication, translating complex concepts and data into clear, compelling visuals. Notably, she designed NASA's 35th-anniversary identity mark for the Hubble Space Telescope. An advocate for STEAM fields, Shireen frequently presents to students, highlighting pathways into science, including through illustration and design.

Session: Design's Critical Role in Science and Space

Caroline Fuller

Role

VP of Agency Operations

Organization

Elevation Marketing

Caroline has 20 years of marketing and advertising experience working on global brands in New York, London, Cincinnati & Phoenix. She spent the majority of her career in Account Services at different agencies, including BBDO, Ogilvy, Digitas and McCann. Caroline is currently the VP of Agency Operations for Elevation Marketing, a global B2B marketing agency in the greater Phoenix area and also serves as the VP, Volunteering for AMA Phoenix. Her passion is leading integration across teams to have effective collaboration and strategic creative business impact. She likes taking on complex situations and making it better all while partnering with others to understand the full view of what is needed for success. Connecting the dots is the fun of it all!

Session: Connecting the Dots

Jessica Gerlach

Role

Senior Designer

Organization

University of Arizona

Jessica Gerlach is a designer, illustrator, and full-time wrangler of competing deadlines, scientific jargon, and—on particularly wild days—four cats. Based in Tucson, she holds an MFA in Visual Communications from the University of Arizona and currently works in-house at a land-grant university, translating complex research and outreach into visuals that actually make sense (and occasionally look great on a t-shirt).

A former design professor, Jessica has taught at multiple universities and previously led an arts-in-education program convincing schools that creativity is, in fact, essential. Her work is rooted in storytelling, nature, and just the right amount of chaos.

Session: Designing for Everyone, Everywhere, All at Once: with AI as Your Sidekick

Karen Loomis

Role

Oracle & Founder, Adjunct Instructor

Organization

No Moss Brands, GCU

Karen Loomis (Gilmore) is the oracle and founder of No Moss Brands (NMB), branding and marketing firm in Phoenix Arizona As a business owner, Karen, spent 18 years in the fitness industry followed by a major career shift into the marketing and advertising industry. After a two year stint with an advertising agency, she spent 10 years as the Creative Director of a $1.5B local retail company with 114 stores in the U.S. In 2012, NMB was formed. Karen also is an adjunct instructor at the College of Arts and Media at Grand Canyon University.

Session: Modern Brands for a Modern World

Serban Mare

Role

Speaker/Program manager

Organization

The Road to Happiness and Fulfillment

Serban Mare immigrated from Romania with $200 and built a 20-year career in the tech industry, rising from technician to Engineering Program Manager. In pursuit of the American Dream, Serban experienced the hidden toll of burnout. He now helps high performers reframe stress, protect their energy, and lead with clarity. His talks blend real-world experience, science, and practical tools to help teams move from burning out to burning bright.

Session: From Burned-Out to Burning Bright

Rachel Perez

Role

Owner & Creative Director

Organization

Composion

Rachel Perez is the owner and sole creative behind Composion, a branding studio based in Tempe. She specializes in brand identity, logo design, and website design for human and animal health and wellness businesses. Rachel works one-on-one with mission-driven professionals, like physicians, veterinarians, private practice owners, health coaches, fitness studios, and other allied health providers, to help them connect with the people and pets who need them most. With 14 years of experience and a degree in Visual Communication from ASU, she brings a thoughtful blend of strategy, storytelling, and design to every project.

Session: Networking for Introverts: Growing Your Roots

Hunter Saylor

Role

Graphic Designer + Video Editor

Organization

Designersaylor

Hunter Saylor is a Phoenix-based creative specializing in video editing and design. His work spans brand storytelling, commercials, social media content, documentaries, and trailers, all brought to life with a sharp eye for design and visual communication. Drawing from his background in graphic design, Hunter also crafts compelling brand identities through logos, posters, merchandise, business cards, and motion graphics.

He has collaborated with a range of clients including Bayer, World Animal Protection, The Nile Theater, The Ostrich, Simply Noted, and Patriot Hard Seltzer, delivering visually impactful content that resonates across platforms."

Session: GLIZZYCON: Storytelling through Graphic Design and Merch

Ben Scolaro

Role

Creative Director

Organization

Chicanos Por La Causa

Ben Scolaro is all about people. His design, creative direction, and photography is dedicated to highlighting our shared humanity through a nuanced and dignified telling of our stories as individuals and community. Ben currently serves as the Creative Director at Chicanos Por La Causa, a nonprofit that started as a grassroots activist movement in the 1960s and today has become a community resource for people of all backgrounds across the country. His work regularly receives awards including Best of Show at the American Advertising Federation ADDY Awards and finalist for the AIGA Best of AZ.

Session: Lunch & Learn: Can we go now? An Intravert's Guide to Networking

Nicole Stumphauzer

Role

Senior Graphic Designer

Organization

Paramount

Nicole is a graphic designer and art director who specializes in branding, on-air graphics, and events. She's a senior designer at Paramount on the Brand Studio team which specializes in branded content and partnerships. Past work includes Pepsi, Hollister, MTV, Nickelodeon, VidCon, and much more. Beyond Paramount, Nic designs YouTube thumbnails, binges reality tv, and collects way too many Funkos.

Session: Rooted in Curiosity: How Small Choices Led Me to Big Opportunities

Patience Walton

Role

Senior Graphic Designer

Organization

The Premier Design Haus

Patience Walton is an award-winning Creative Director and author, a true storyteller through visuals and learning. With over two decades of experience, she's mastered the art of blending graphic design with instructional design to craft communications that truly connect. Holding a Master's in Instructional Design & Technology and a Bachelor's in Graphic Design, Patience brings a powerful combination of creativity and strategy to every project. As a dedicated mentor, she loves sharing her insights and empowering others. Get ready for a presentation that's as inspiring as it is informative!

Session: Design for Minds: The Neuroscience of Impact

benjie wilhelm

Role

Founding Principal

Organization

Standard Works Administration

benjie is known for building visually concept-driven, culturally relevant brands that tell stories informed by strategy and insight. He has juried The Big One, Alaska's statewide design competition, and was a keynote speaker at TEDxFaurotPark. benjie has presented at the UCDA Design Educators Conference and was featured as a distinguished alumni by BGSU GD. He was also part of ArtCenter College of Design's inaugural MDes cohort in Brand Design and Strategy. Previously, benjie founded •Singularity, where he designed for global brands like Starbucks and TED. Now, through his solo practice, Standard Works Administration, he puts strategy before form for brands seeking strong identity governance.

Session: Building an Informal Brand Statement