Election results: New board of directors named

  • September 16, 2021
New SND Board of Directors: Tara McCarty, Ryan Hildebrandt, Becky Markovitz, Björn Heselius and Douglas Okasaki.
800 450 Society for News Design

The Society for News Design is excited to announce the new Board of Directors: Tara McCarty (17.6%), Ryan Hildebrandt (16.4%), Becky Markovitz (16.4%), Björn Heselius (14.6%) and Douglas Okasaki (13.43%). 

Thirty-four percent of SND members participated in the election, each casting five votes for the individuals to represent them on the board. In June, SND members passed a motion to dissolve the former SND board and hold an open call for board candidates followed by a full member vote. All SND members could nominate a candidate, recruit a candidate, or run for the board themselves. 

The SND Leadership Council, consisting of President Aly Morris, VP Joe Greco, at-large members Steve Dorsey and Ryan Sparrow, will now move to advisory roles, assisting the new board as they transition into their roles and take up the business of the Society. As part of the transition, Paige K. Connor will continue her role as Interim Executive Director through the term of her current contract with SND, or until the board hires an executive director. 


Board of Directors Statement

We extend our sincere thanks and appreciation to everyone who worked behind the scenes to keep the Society for News Design running during challenging times, and also to everyone who answered the call for volunteers to help lead it into the future. As your newly elected board, we are all passionate, dedicated and ready to hit the ground running, knowing that there are many challenges ahead. 

Interim Executive Director Paige K. Connor has started to brief us on decisions and priority issues facing this new Board. More than anything, one fundamental belief we all share is that the most valuable element of the Society is its membership, and all of the passion, experience and knowledge that each individual brings to the table. We are also excited to grow that membership, and welcome all designers from around the world, from organizations large and small, with decades of experience or just starting their careers, to join us in creating a Society that works for everyone.

As a group, we are eager to listen to the needs of the Society members and make decisions in the best interest of our collective future. One of our first goals will be to focus on our internal leadership structure, with more information about our specific positions and terms coming soon. In the meantime, please reach out to any of us if you’d like to become more involved or have an idea to share. We’re ready to get started, and this will, undoubtedly, be a team effort. 
(To reach the Board members, send us an email at snd@snd.org or Slack us directly with any suggestions/feedback.)