Our community of graduates extends across the globe and we are proud of all of you making a difference. Alums, stay in touch! We encourage you to submit your latest info.
Class of 2019:
Hieu Vu, Freelance Motion Graphics Designer
Class of 2018:
Ania Bui, UX/UI Designer & Digital Art Director
Joi Pelayo, Graphic Designer
Class of 2014:
Rebecca Ebben, Art Therapist
Rebeccah Erickson, Senior Product Designer, Etsy
Class of 2013:
Leeya Rose Jackson, Senior Art Director & Multi-disciplinary Artist
Class of 2005:
Jon Robinson, Head of Design and Research, Pager Health
Class of 2000:
Eric Snowden, Senior Vice President, Adobe Design
Class of 1994:
Justin Ahrens, Chief Creative Officer, Rule29
William Matznick, Head of Creative, Abbvie
Class of 1981:
Jeff Curto, Photographer
Hieu Vu '19
Freelance Motion Graphics Designer
Chicago, IL
B.A., Graphic Design
After graduating in 2019, Hieu Vu secured a position as a Junior Motion Designer at We Are Royale, a visual design studio in Los Angeles, CA, with projects for clients like Amazon and Meta. A standout project was the motion and broadcast package for the first iteration of the Call of Duty League where he contributed to the design process from concept to execution. Following his time at Royale, Hieu returned to Vietnam to freelance, participate in exhibitions with friends, and create a social media presence. In addition to freelancing, Hieu creates educational content online, including motion graphics tutorials and animation breakdowns.
Ania Bui '18
UX/UI Designer & Digital Art Director
Berlin, Germany
B.S. Computer Science and B.F.A. Graphic Design
Joi Pelayo '18
Designer
Chicago, IL
B.F.A., Graphic Design
Joi Pelayo is a graphic designer at Chicago-based DesignScout and its wine & spirits division, VINT. Now in her sixth year, you'll find her working on branding, packaging, and everything in between. work site:
Rebecca Ebben '14
Art Therapist 
Chicago, IL
B.F.A., Painting and Drawing
Rebecca Ebben is an artist and art therapist who currently works at a . After graduating from IWU, she worked in art galleries in both Chicago and New York before returning to school in 2017 for an MA in Counseling and Art Therapy from Adler University. She currently holds both LCPC and ATR-BC licensure and practices both talk and art therapy with clients ages 12 and up. Rebecca has worked as an art therapist in a wide variety of clinical settings, including substance use treatment, non-profit based community mental health, and in an inpatient setting at a behavioral health hospital. In the private practice where she currently works Rebecca maintains a full caseload while also supervising another provisionally licensed art therapist.
Rebeccah Erickson '14
Senior Product Designer at Etsy
New York, NY
B.F.A., Graphic Design
Beccah Erickson is a digital product and UX designer based in New York City currently working at Etsy's corporate office in Brooklyn. She graduated with an interest in applying her art degree in user experience design after her senior year design project for the Gates Foundation, where she and classmates redesigned prototypes for a new global medical record for children. The challenge of organizing and simplifying complex health information was directly applicable to her first design role out of school at bswing, a Minneapolis based UX consultancy specializing in healthcare design. After another agency role at Duffy in Minneapolis, Beccah moved to NYC to pursue in-house roles in design. She worked at Managed by Q, an office services marketplace startup that was acquired by WeWork during her time there. She then carried her marketplace design knowledge over to Etsy where she has worked ever since. She designs across the buyer side of Etsy's website and app, and plans to continue to stay at in-house design teams. Outside of work, she spends time decorating her Brooklyn apartment, collects vintage clothing, designs for print for friends and family every so often (most recently for her own wedding invitations), and enjoys drawing and making collage art.
Leeya Rose Jackson '13
Senior Art Director/Multi-disciplinary Artist
Minneapolis, MO
B.F.A., Studio Art, Painting & Printmaking
Leeya Rose Jackson is a multi-modal , , art director, writer, and from Detroit, based in Minneapolis. She currently serves as an Art Director for and has worked at advertising agencies including Weiden + Kennedy, Carmichael Lynch, and Fallon, creating work for brands such as Heinz and Rocnation. Her work explores intersecting themes of identity—Blackness, femininity, motherhood, neurodivergence, and queerness. Leeya's creations span various mediums, characterized by vibrant colors, maximalism, magical realism, and Afro-surrealism. Her diverse portfolio includes portrait painting, printmaking, typographic design in wood, animation, digital installation, and textiles.
Her client work includes Afropunk, Metro Transit, APM Studios, Sony Music, Timberwolves, MPR, Comcast, Target, Adobe, AdCouncil, Girl Scouts, Giphy, and NPCA. In 2023, she directed "The Mask" for the CW—a panel discussion series for youth about the COVID-19 pandemic. As a 2024 MCAD–Jerome Fellow, she has completed arts residencies with the Grand Marais Arts Colony, Pears Printmaking Studio of NDSU, and Arthouse of Moorhead, MN. She has also illustrated children's picture books, most recently "We Miss You, George Floyd" by Shannon Gibney. Leeya is a new mom who enjoys reading science fiction, hiking, and dancing.
Jon Robinson '05
Head of Design and Research, Pager Health
St. Louis, MO
B.F.A., Graphic Design and Art History
Jon Robinson is the Head of Design and Research at Pager Health, a connected health platform that enables insurance providers to deliver high-engagement, intelligent health experiences through technology, AI, and concierge services. At Pager Health, Jon leads the product design, creative design, and research departments.
Before that, he did a bunch of other stuff: Freelanced, a decade of agency gigs, worked in not-for-profits and in-house design teams, and built experiences for global brands as a tech consultant. Jon has a bachelor's degree in fine arts from Illinois Wesleyan University, a graduate degree in creative technologies from Illinois State University, and a graduate degree in design thinking from Indiana University.
At heart, he's a polymath. In spirit, he's someone who would never actually use the word "polymath." He's lectured and spoken on everything from user experience to the convenience economy, from service design to his passion for anything published by Kurt Vonnegut. In addition to his general love for learning, Jon taught design for nearly a decade, most recently with the School of Art, Design, and Media at Lindenwood University and the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis. He co-authored 97 Things Every UX Practitioner Should Know from O'Reilly Media in 2021, and authored You Are Not an Artist: A Candid Guide to the Business of Being a Designer in 2022.
Eric Snowden '00
Senior Vice President, Adobe Design
San Francisco, CA, and New York, NY
B.F.A, Graphic Design and Printmaking
As SVP of Design and head of Adobe’s design organization, Eric Snowden leads the multidisciplinary and globally distributed design organization responsible for Adobe products and experiences including Photoshop, Firefly, Express, Journey Optimizer, and Acrobat, as well as Spectrum, Adobe’s design system. He’s an expert at connecting dots across Adobe Design’s many cross-functional disciplines (including experience design, design research, product equity, design engineering, and program management).
An accomplished design leader with a strong vision for product strategy, Eric is helping to shepherd Adobe into the future with generative AI advancements across its product portfolio. He is a passionate advocate for building healthy and sustainable design team habits. A frequent public speaker, Eric has shared his insights at SXSW, Leading Design, UX+, and San Francisco AIGA Design Week.
Prior to Adobe, Eric was the Head of Mobile for Behance, VP of Product for Atlantic Records, photography and web design faculty at Parsons School of Design, creative director for Warner Music Group, and the design and photo editor for photographer Lynn Goldsmith. Eric splits his time between Adobe’s New York and San Francisco offices. You can connect with Eric on .
Justin Ahrens '94
Chief Creative Officer, Rule29
B.F.A., Graphic Design, Minor in Education
Justin Ahrens is a brand marketing specialist and creative leader dedicated to helping companies and leaders thrive. As the Chief Creative Officer of Rule29, he champions the agency’s Making Creative Matter® approach—uniting creativity and strategy to drive business growth, build strong cultures, and position organizations as forces for good. Over his 30-year career, Justin has guided brand strategies for startups, nonprofits, Fortune 50 companies, and international organizations, earning Rule29 recognition as a Certified B Corporation®.
A sought-after speaker, Justin has presented at TEDx, Adobe Max, and the Obama White House. He has taught design at Notre Dame and Kent State, mentored leaders, and contributed to AIGA’s Design for Good initiative. His social impact work includes Wheels4Water, a campaign that provided clean water and sanitation training to over 20,000 Africans—recognized by Fast Company as a 'world-changing idea.'
Beyond agency life, Justin shares insights through his book Life Kerning, over 19 LinkedIn Learning courses, and the Design Of and Creative Sh!t Show podcasts. He’s been named a 'Person to Watch' by GD:USA twice.
Justin has been married to his IWU sweetheart, Sarah (Brubaker) Ahrens, for over 30 years, and together they have four amazing kids.
William Matznick '94
Head of Creative, AbbVie
Chicago, IL
B.F.A., Graphic Design
William currently leads the in-house creative agency for AbbVie on global brands including Skyrizi, Rinvoq and Botox. He spent the majority of his 30+ year career working for advertising agencies including Digitas, Young & Rubicam, VMLY&R & Cavalry.
He’s led talented teams to make everything from Super Bowl spots and pre-roll ads
to web sites and social posts. He’s been lucky to work for a long list of Fortune
500 clients including: Modelo, Kim Crawford, Whirlpool, Mini Babybel, Allstate, Disney,
Nokia, Best Buy, Eli Lilly, KitchenAid, Harley Davidson, Hillshire Farm, Walgreen’s,
Taco Bell, BP America, eBay, Miller Lite, Coors Light and Budweiser.
His work has won recognition from the Effie's, CLIO’s, One Show, Addy’s, Webby’s,
Shorty’s, Communication Arts and the IAB Mixx awards.
Jeff Curto '81
Photographer
B.F.A., Studio Art concentration in Photography