The GDC National Executive is voted from the National Council and serve a 2-year term, to a maximum of 6 years (exclusive of the position of Past-President). The Executive committee manages the affairs of the Society and has the functions, duties and powers of a board of directors.
 

Roderick CJ Roodenburg MGDC, Vancouver BC
President

Rod is the past GDC National VP Communications, past GDC BC VP Communications, Events Coordinator, and Association Liaison serving the Graphic Designers of Canada BC Chapter over 10 years. He is the past Chair of BC's Alliance of Professional Design Associations representing architecture, interior design, apparel design, industrial design and communication design. He has been named among the 'Top 40 under 40' by Business in Vancouver, and the Emily Carr Institute of Art & Design presented him with an Emily Award for lifetime career and community achievement in 2000. Rod has lectured to business and design associations, students and professional designers throughout Canada and judged design awards shows. He is a past sessional faculty member at University College of the Fraser Valley and Emily Carr Institute of Art & Design. Co-founder of Ion Design Inc. in Vancouver, BC (with David Coates), Rod is active in all aspects of the firm, from creative through to administration.

Dean McNeill MGDC, Halifax, NS
Past President

Dean McNeill is a graduate of the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (1978) where he earned a Bachelor's Degree in Communication Design. He has been amember of the GDC for over 23 years, a professional member for 16, has served as Vice-President and two terms as President of the Atlantic Chapter. Dean has served on the board of directors of Design in Business Nova Scotia (DBNS) and recently served as judge for a national Annual Report competition. His career has included stints as an ad agency art director and creative director, then a walk on the client-side as a marketing director before returning to his roots as a freelancer then partner in a graphic and web design firm.

He's now found his niche as partner at Colour Creative Persuasion, which provides an outlet for his management, client contact & design passions as he runs a design practice associated with a marketing firm. Dean's broad background has brought him in contact with all facets of visual communication including: publication design; corporate identities; annual reports; television production; signage systems; web sites and advertising. His expertise has helped market world-class golf courses, tourist destinations, high-tech firms; oil companies, bio-industry and investment firms and has been recognized with over twenty national and international creative, marketing or design awards. When he's not designing, Dean provides copy-writing, marketing strategy, counsels clients on branding and facilitates client sessions on developing sound strategic directions. He has written for business and trade publications and been an industry panel member at various design related events. Dean has an uncanny ability to quickly understand issues and identify actionable avenues for resolution.

Now a long time resident of Halifax, Nova Scotia, he grew up living in various cities across Canada. He is married and has three teenage children.

Matt Warburton FGDC, Vancouver BC
Vice President, Communications Chair

Matt graduated from Durham College in Oshawa, Ontario in 1983. He entered the business with Typsettra, one of Canada’s leading typesetting firms where he learned pre-computer era typography, handlettering and art assembly. Matt’s next move was to the Toronto office of world-renowned corporate identity specialists, Gottschalk + Ash International, where he worked as a production designer until 1989. That year he migrated to Vancouver where he joined one of the city’s leading firms, Herrainco Design Associates, where he worked until 1997 when Emdoubleyu Design became a full-time operation.

Matt is known as a strong advocate for design in Canada and beyond. He has been actively involved with the GDC since joining the BC Chapter in 1990, (he served as President on the GDC National Executive from 2002–2004), and was President of the BC Chapter from 1997 to 2000 and VP Communications from 1993 to 1997. He was also VP Communications on the National Executive 1998–2002 and was instrumental in developing the gdc.net newsletters, the GDC membership binder contents in 2001 and various award-winning promotional materials and ads for the GDC—especially the large AGM commemorative posters. Matt has also co-chaired the Environs Conferences in Vancouver 2000 and 2002 and was actively involved with the Vancouver Icograda Regional Meeting in March 2002. Matt coordinated a series of profiles on the GDC Fellows with Applied Arts magazine which were published in 2002–2003 and in 2003 he chaired the Graphex’03 National Design Awards. His work with the GDC has enabled him to promote the economic benefits of a strong community of graphic designers.

Matt’s outspoken and direct nature has led him to participate on a number of design-related committees such as the Alliance of Professional Design Associations (APDA) which was formed in BC in 1997; the Canadian Craft & Design Museum Advisory Committee from 2001–2002; the editorial advisory board of the GDC Journal from 1996 onwards; and the Canada Post Stamp Advisory Committee from August 2001 to 2008. He currently serves as Chair of the Kwantlen Graphic Design for Marketing Degree Program Advisory Committee.

Patrice Snopkowski, BA, MGDC, Victoria, BC
Vice President, Membership Chair

A professional member of the Society of Graphic Designers of Canada (GDC), Patrice has more than 20 years experience in the design industry. Currently, a principal/member of Beacon Hill Communications Group Inc., she spent 11 years as a designer for the University of Victoria, and worked as a print and web designer at Hot House Marketing and Design. Patrice also designed for New Star Books, spent time as the art director at Key Pacific Publishers, and was production manager at Pacific Rim Publications. She graduated from the University of California with a degree in Psychology/Women's Studies. Her main areas of expertise are identity and logo design, publication design, and new media, including designing and producing websites and CD and video packaging with a focus on community and environmental organizations. Patrice is past National Council Representative for the Vancouver Island Chapter.

May Chung MGDC, Halifax NS
Vice-President, Education

May Chung, MGD, MGDC, is Associate Professor of Design at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, NSCAD University in Halifax, where she teaches Typography and Graphic design as it relates to cognition, technology, and culture. Her own practice focuses on institutional, exhibit, and corporate systems design with clients including colleges and universities in Alberta, British Columbia, and throughout the Maritimes; Vancouver EXPO' 86; Dow Chemical Inc.; Parks Canada and a variety of international partnerships with design practitioners in South Asia, South America and the United States. May has initiated and coordinated numerous collaborations between organizations such as Feed Nova Scotia, Heritage Trust (Atlantic Historical Architectural Preservation Society), 2b Theatre Company, and Brigadoon Children's Camp Society to foster awareness and her own interest in design opportunities for improvement of life. She was a board member of Design in Business Nova Scotia and currently serves on the board of the Mulan Chinese Cultural Centre and is a member of the Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia.

Jim Hudson MGDC, Moncton NB
Corporate Secretary

President of Hudson Design Group, Jim is one of Atlantic Canada's leading graphic designers. A graduate of the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, receiving a Bachelor's degree in Communication Design in 1981, Jim has more than 25 years experience in conceptual development, communications and graphic design for regional, national and international clients. A professional member of the Society of Graphic Designers of Canada, he is the recipient of several design awards throughout his career. Jim began his professional design and advertising career in Halifax as a designer at Bruce Law & Associates Advertising, before taking a position as a senior designer with the Nova Scotia Department of Government Services. Late in 1983, Jim returned to Moncton and opened his own firm Hudson Design Group. Today, the firm continues to prosper and its 16 employees offer a full range of design, advertising and public relations services. A master problem solver, Jim�s creative approach to visual communications have made him among the most sought after and respected designer in Atlantic Canada. Jim is a former Director of the Greater Moncton Chamber of Commerce, and served as chair of the Communications committee for five consecutive years.

Jennifer Luckay MGDC, Athabasca AB
Treasurer


Since graduating from Red River College’s Advertising Art program in 1991, Jennifer has experienced the gamut of communication/design challenges, picked up awards and continues to be a strong advocate for the GDC since joining as a student member in 1989.

Jennifer Luckay has served as Treasurer on the Executive of the Manitoba and Vancouver Island Chapters, and is a founding member of the Arctic Chapter.

Jennifer started her design career with Fanfare Communications Group in Winnipeg, Manitoba. After a few short years, working her way up to Art Director, Jennifer won several awards for her creative design and art direction. But it wasn’t long before Jennifer got the itch to move beyond.

And after several years as creative director for an advertising agency in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, she started her own studio, working primarily with environmental organizations dedicated to protecting the Northern wilderness and preserving cultural heritage and resources. Jennifer continues to provide communication and creative services to her northern clients.

Currently enrolled with Athabasca University’s (AU) Bachelor of Professional Arts program, majoring in Communications – Jennifer also works in the Communication and Creative Services department at AU as Print Communication Coordinator. Jennifer is also Marketing Coordinator for the Athabasca Arts Alliance, continues to be an avid outdoor explorer with Canada’s north, partakes in several art classes around Alberta, and is waiting for the big call from Rolling Stone to be their next drummer. 

Lisa Statt Foy B.A., LL.B. Associate, Field Law, Calgary AB
Legal Advisor

Lisa Statt Foy joined the firm of Field Law as a student-at-law in 2005, after articling with the Alberta Court of Appeal and Court of Queen's Bench. Prior to articling with the courts, she was employed as a research assistant for the Alberta Law Reform Institute and as an editor for the International Ombudsman Institute. Upon completing law school, Lisa was awarded the Bronze Medal in law for achieving the third highest academic standing overall. She was recently published in the International Ombudsman Institute Yearbook for a submission on ombudsmanship in the aboriginal context, and received the William Morrow Essay Prize for a submission on the administration of justice in the North. Prior to pursuing her legal studies, Lisa worked and traveled extensively throughout Europe, Australia and the Middle East. She received her LL.B. With Distinction from the University of Alberta in 2004 and was admitted to the Alberta Bar in 2005. She is a member of the Canadian Bar Association, and the Law Society of Alberta. Her preferred areas of practice include Intellectual Property/Technology Law; Wills, Trusts & Estates; Business Law; and Real Property Law.

GDC National Secretariat
Arts Court, 2 Daly Ave
Ottawa, ON K1N 6E2

Melanie MacDonald
Administrative Director

Melanie joined the GDC as the Administrative Director in 2006. She has a decade of accumulated experience in people and project management through customer-facing roles in the retail, finance, and high-tech sectors. Melanie is a voice-of-the-customer advocate and is an experienced training workshop designer and facilitator. She holds a B.A. in History from Carleton University, as well as a Certificate in the Study of Adult Education from St. Francis Xavier University.