MIAD welcomes new chair and four new trustees to board

Hans Eckholm, Kellie Hamilton, Todd Stone, Melissa Perez.
At its June Board of Trustees meeting, the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) welcomed four new trustees and recognized two new office appointments, including board chair.
Deanna Tillisch, retired president & CEO of the United Performing Arts Fund, was appointed Chair of the Board of Trustees for 2023-2024, with immediate past board chair and Astor Street Foundation president Sarah Zimmerman rejoining the board as a member. Geoffrey Mackey, director of marketing & communication at Robert W. Baird & Co., serves as Secretary of the Board during the 2023-2024 year, and Jason W. Allen, partner at Foley & Lardner LLP, continues as Treasurer.
The new members of the Board of Trustees are Hans Eckholm, Kellie Hamilton, Melissa Perez and Todd Stone. Hans Eckholm, the global design director for Trek Bicycle, has an “optimistic view of the future and seeks to inspire younger students and designers to take a role in improving our planet and its inhabitants’ lives.” Kellie Hamilton, who serves as manager corporate affairs at WEC Energy Group, brings passionate and engaged leadership to her role on the board. Melissa Perez, co-owner and director of customer experience at Stone Creek Coffee, also works locally as user experience designer for Gomoll Research + Design. Todd Stone, executive creative director at Cramer-Krasselt, specializes in “the fine line between creativity and commerce” in his role at one of the country’s largest independent advertising agencies.
Learn more about MIAD’s new board chair, Board of Trustees and find out how to get involved.
News
Paris study abroad illuminates creative practice for students
Madison Boeder ’25 found that study abroad trips through the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) resonated so strongly with their practice that the Fine Art + New Studio Practice major (Art History minor) went on two: Florence in 2024 and, this year, Paris.
Illustration & Animation rank top in state, highly in Midwest and U.S.
In Animation Career Review’s 2025 college rankings, the Illustration and Animation programs at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design were once again ranked number 1 in the state.
Art direction and alumni connection: Design student interns at Nike
This past summer, Olivia Nava ’26 (Communication Design) landed a fiercely competitive internship at athletic footwear and apparel brand Nike. Now that she’s back, the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) senior reflects on the experience, and the MIAD classes and connections that prepared her for this opportunity.
MIAD gallery offers photo students contemporary perspectives
In the photo area of the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design, where digital technology and the darkroom intersect, the Perspectives Gallery shines its own light on contemporary image makers.
Transformational reflection: Studying abroad in The Burren, Ireland
Each year, a group of Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) students spends four weeks in May investigating the Burren in County Clare, Ireland through text and image. Based at the Burren College of Art and led by Professor Leslie Fedorchuk and printmaker Matthew Presutti, the two-decade-long partnership between the colleges has produced meaningful reflection and transformational experiences for students.