THE DESIGN ACCELERATOR - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Director, Foundation and Government Relations
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Trustees
- Artist, Strategist
Bruce Heavin is an artist, strategist and entrepreneur. As the chief creative officer and co-founder of lynda.com, his creative vision was integral to the company's success as a leader in online training. He created the company's iconic logo of his wife Lynda Weinman, designed many of the distinctive illustrations on the website and course DVD covers, and authored some of the site's first video tutorials in Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, and ImageReady. He and his wife sold lynda.com to LinkedIn in 2015.
An illustrator with experience in both traditional and electronic media, he earned a BFA degree from ArtCenter in 1993. With an extensive background in illustration, photography and motion graphics, he has created illustrations for national publications as well as clients including Adobe, MSNBC and E! Entertainment Television.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Trustees
- President, Nearburg Producing Company / Founding Nearburg Producing Company
Founding Nearburg Producing Company in 1979, Charles Nearburg grew it into one of the Top 100 Independent Producers in the U.S.*, and-always operating in an environmentally conscious way-received two Environmental Awards from the Bureau of Land Management. In 2016-2017 Nearburg sold the majority of its producing assets to two firms backed by Warburg Pincus and Carnelian Capital. Nearburg also owns STOL Aviation, which is developing a world class "back country" short take-off and landing airplane, and Nearburg Racing which prepares vintage Formula 1 cars for competition. He is also a minority owner and advisory board member of McLaren Racing LTD, a top Formula 1 and IndyCar Team.
In honor of his son, Rett, who lost an 11-year battle with Ewing's sarcoma at age 21, Nearburg devotes substantial time and resources in support of Ewing's sarcoma cancer research. He was instrumental in founding the Rett Nearburg International Ewing's Sarcoma Research Symposia, a biennial gathering of researchers and clinicians specializing in the disease (rett.org).
A lifelong car racer, Nearburg's career includes driving the Ferrari 333 SP at the 24 Hours of Le Mans sports car race, finishing fourth and 10th overall at the 12 Hours of Sebring endurance race, and driving the late Walter Payton's IndyCar in the inaugural CART/FedEx Championship Series in 1997. In September 2010, driving the "Spirit of Rett" streamliner at the Bonneville Salt Flats International Speedway, Nearburg set a 414 mph FIA World Record with a top speed of 422 mph. This made the "Spirit of Rett" the fastest single engine normally aspirated car in history, as well as the third fastest internal combustion engine car in history. Nearburg is one of only six people in history to have set a piston engine car record at over 400 mph. The "Spirit of Rett" was built in the Nearburg Racing shop.
A graduate of Dartmouth College, Nearburg received Bachelor of Arts (AB), Bachelor of Engineering (BE), and Masters of Engineering (ME) degrees at Dartmouth's Thayer School of Engineering, where he has been on the Board of Advisors for 30 years. He is also a Trustee of University of Texas Southwestern Medical Foundation, the Petersen Automotive Museum (Los Angeles), ArtCenter College of Design (Pasadena), and a Life Trustee of the St. Mark's School of Texas (Dallas). He is a past Trustee of the Maryland Institute College of Art (Baltimore), The Hockaday School (Dallas), and Dartmouth College's Hood Museum of Art
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Trustees
- Founder and Chief Creative & Culture Officer, COOLA
- Founder of COOLA
Chris Birchby is the founder of COOLA and Bare Republic. His journey to entrepreneurship began after both of his parents' fortunate recoveries from melanoma, which inspired him to help prevent skin cancer and dive deeply into the world of organic skincare and sunscreen formulation. Over 15 years later, Chris is recognized as a leading eco-entrepreneur and expert in the field of sun protection and sustainable business practices.
Chris received a BA in English and Art from Lafayette College and an MFA from ArtCenter. He's a passionate art collector, enjoys helping other start-ups, is on the board of trustees at both ArtCenter College of Design and the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (MCASD), and is an executive board member at IBA (the Independent Beauty Association).
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Trustees
- Chairman and CEO of CMS Hospitality
- Hospitality Entrepreneur
Clarence A. Daniels, Jr. was Chairman and CEO of CMS Hospitality (CMS), an airport food and beverage concessions company. Founded in 1992 and headquartered in Los Angeles, Daniels executed the sale of the company in 2016. Among the fastest-growing companies in its industry segment, Daniels built the company from three stores at LAX to over 40 locations in eight major airports, including Los Angeles International, Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson International, Washington Reagan and Houston George Bush International.
Daniels is a graduate of Bowling Green State University, where he received his Bachelor's and Master's Degree in Education, and Howard University School of Law. Prior to starting CMS, he was a Vice President of the Marriott Corporation, Vice President of Development for Host International, the largest company in the airport concession business, and President of Educational Dining at Aramark Corporation. Daniels started his professional career as a child advocate and civil rights lawyer with the Children's Defense Fund.
Daniels has been actively involved in civic activities. He served on the Board of Directors of AMAC, a national airport trade association, on the national board of directors for the 100 Black Men of America, and locally as a Board member of the Los Angeles Urban League, a board member of The Los Angeles Educational Partnership, President of the Board of the Greater Los Angeles African American Chamber of Commerce, and was appointed by the Mayor of Los Angeles as a Commissioner on the Los Angeles Convention Center Authority. Daniels joined the ArtCenter College of Design Board of Trustees in 2019.
Job Titles:
- Chairman Emeritus
- Emeritus Trustee
Job Titles:
- Executive Director, Foundation and Government Relations
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Trustees
- Dean 's Advisory Council
- Design Principal, AC Martin Partners and Co - Founder, MADWORKSHOP
David C. Martin, FAIA, a third-generation architect, continues the tradition established by his grandfather of major involvement in the architectural planning and civic life of Southern California. Martin received his Bachelors of Architecture from the University of Southern California (USC) and his Masters of Architecture from Columbia University. Upon completing his formal studies, Martin spent four months on a traveling fellowship studying the great urban spaces of the world.
Martin was design principal for AC Martin Partners, a 110-year old architecture firm noted for its historic and contemporary landmark projects, through which he transformed neighborhoods, academic institutions and cities. One of Martin's last projects for AC Martin Partners was the 80- story high-rise hotel and office complex in the heart of downtown-the new Wilshire Grand.
Martin is a member of the Dean's Advisory Council at USC, a past president of the Southern California Chapter of the AIA, and a former Board Member of the AIA California Council. He is currently on the Boards of the Los Angeles Conservancy, USC School of Architecture and ArtCenter College of Design. He is an award-winning designer that has been recognized for his innovative, inspirational and cutting edge projects. David, along with his business partner and cousin Christopher C. Martin, FAIA, has received the American Institute of Architecture (AIA), Los Angeles Chapter's Gold Medal of Honor, for their major contribution to the built environment in the City of Los Angeles.
Martin is an avid watercolorist and his works have been exhibited throughout the United States, including "On Site: Travel Sketches by Architects" at Hunter College, "line.dot-Drawing the Design Process at the Martin Design Studio" at UCLA, and "Form Follows Software: A Revolution in the Architectural Process" at USC, University of Arizona, and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
He and his wife, Mary Klaus Martin, established MADWORKSHOP, a foundation that endows innovative design students with the opportunity to freely explore their ideas from inspiration to reality.
Job Titles:
- Asst Director, Admissions
Job Titles:
- Senior Vice President, Development
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Trustees
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Trustees
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Trustees
Job Titles:
- Asst Director, Admissions
Job Titles:
- Chairman Emeritus
- Emeritus Trustee
Job Titles:
- Asst Director, Admissions
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Trustees
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Trustees
Job Titles:
- Director, Graduate Admissions
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Trustees
Lynda Weinman and Bruce Heavin Co-founders of lynda.com
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Trustees
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Trustees
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Trustees
Job Titles:
- Associate Director Development
Job Titles:
- Assoc Director, Admissions
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Trustees
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Trustees
Job Titles:
- Vice President, Strategic Partnerships
Job Titles:
- Chairman Emeritus
- Emeritus Trustee
- Appointed Chair Emeritus Recognizing 10 Years of Leadership
- Chairman of the Board for Five
Robert C. Davidson, Jr. formed Surface Protection Industries, Inc. (SPI) in 1978. Under his leadership, SPI became one of the largest African American-owned manufacturing companies in California, ranking in the top 100 on the Black Enterprise list of America's top black-owned industrial/service companies.
Davidson has a strong entrepreneurial résumé. In the early 1970s, he headed his own management consulting firm and, prior to that, served as chief executive officer of Avant Garde Enterprises, a Los Angeles-based entertainment holding company.
In Boston, Davidson co-founded and served as vice president of the Urban National Corporation, a private venture capital company that was established to increase mainstream industry's investment in minority-controlled businesses. The organization raised $10 million in capital from many Fortune 500 companies.
The entrepreneurial spirit of Davidson's career path is also reflected in his commitment to community involvement. He is the Chair of the Board of Directors for the Ray Charles Foundation and currently sits on the Board of Directors for the following organizations: Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc. (NYSE); Broadway Federal Bank (NASDAQ); Cedars-Sinai Hospital Los Angeles; University of Chicago Graduate School of Business Advisory Council; The Huntington; and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. He is also Chairman Emeritus at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia.
In 1998, Morehouse College honored Davidson, one of its most distinguished alumni, by naming the President's home and its executive center Davidson House. Davidson was the 1997 recipient of the Ronald H. Brown Award and the 1990 recipient of the Raoul Wallenberg Save the Children Award from the Shaare Zedek Medical Center Jerusalem. He was also named Black Businessman of the Year by the Los Angeles Chapter of the Black MBA Association and Outstanding Entrepreneur of the Year by the National Association of Investment Companies.
Davidson earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Morehouse College and his MBA from the University of Chicago. He is a recipient of an Honorary Doctorate of Laws degree from Morehouse College. In 2007, Davidson received the distinguished Benjamin E. Mays Award, which is named in honor of Morehouse College's famous former President. Davidson and his wife, Faye, are parents of three sons, one of whom is an ArtCenter alumnus. The Davidsons are art collectors and Faye is a member of the Pasadena Art Alliance.
Davidson joined the ArtCenter Board of Trustees in 2004 and served as Chair of the Board for five-terms (2010-2020). He is the first African American to serve in this role at ArtCenter, and among the first African Americans to assume board leadership of a member institution within the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design. Davidson was named Chair Emeritus in 2020.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Trustees
Job Titles:
- Executive Director, Campaign Initiatives & Support
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Trustees
Job Titles:
- Asst Director, Admissions
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Trustees
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Trustees
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Trustees
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Trustees
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Trustees
- Founder and Chairman, Idealab
- Member of the Board of Trustees of the California Institute of Technology and of ArtCenter College of Design
Amazed by the inventions of Thomas Edison and Leonardo da Vinci, Bill Gross grew up dreaming of being an inventor. He started his first company-Solar Devices-in high school during the energy crisis of 1973 with a dream of making solar energy practical on a small scale. He sold kits and plans for solar energy products mail order in the back of Popular Science and Scientific American magazines. He sold more than 10,000 copies of plans, helping him pay his way through college at the California Institute of Technology, where he graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering in 1981.
While at Caltech, Bill invented and patented a new high-performance loudspeaker design and started a company to manufacture those speakers called GNP Loudspeakers (Gross National Products). Those speakers went on to become a model for many other high-end audiophile products.
After Caltech, Bill and his brother created HAL, the natural language interface for the Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheet, which was at the time the leading software in the world. Bill's company was acquired by Lotus, and while there he created many software products, including the award-winning Magellan for finding and searching personal information.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Trustees