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.

Dean McNeill MGDC, Halifax, NS
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.

Peggy Cady FGDC, Victoria, BC
Past President 

Peggy Cady has been an active member of the GDC Vancouver Island Chapter since 1993. She served on the Chapter Executive for 10 years, first as South Island Representative and Membership chair 1994-1998, then as President of the Chapter for two terms, from 1998 to 2002. Her commitment, diplomacy and advocacy contributed to the strong growth, success, and public recognition of the VI Chapter. She was honoured by the Chapter in 2002 in recognition of her inspirational leadership. She served as VI Past President until January 2003. She served on the National Council, first as a Chapter Representative 1998-2000 and then as National Vice President and Membership Chair for two terms, 2000-2004. She was the 4th female president in 50 years of GDC history. She is a graduate of Leadership Victoria. She has owned and run Cady Graphics, an award-winning design studio since 1986, and is highly regarded for both her integrity and her volunteer contributions to the Canadian design community. She was awarded GDC Fellowship in 2006.

Judy Snaydon MGDC, Vancouver, BC
Vice President, Membership Chair

Judy brings twenty years of design and advertising know-how to the GDC table. Since obtaining a BA in Information Design from Leicester Polytechnic in the UK, her career has meandered across the globe from London to Vancouver, with an eight year stint in Paris along the way. Judy has worked as a designer and advertising art director, both on staff and freelance. In September 2004 Judy joined Mountain Equipment Co-op as Creative Director for their 11 stores across Canada. Judy was the BC Chapter Membership Chair 2002-2005 and is still very actively involved in the BC 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.

Rod Roodenburg MGDC, Vancouver BC
Vice President, Communication

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. Rod is past VP Communications, past Events Coordinator, and past 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. 

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

An active member of the GDC since 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. Meandering her way around Canada during her 15-year career, Jennifer has experienced the gamut of design challenges, picked up a few awards and discovered grassroots passion along the way. As art director for a publication firm in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Jennifer won awards for her creative design and art direction. 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. Jennifer is currently the Communications Designer at Athabasca University, Canada's Open University.

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.

Dominic Ali
Public Relations Advisor

Dominic Ali is the PR advisor for the GDC's National Board. He is a Communications Specialist with the David Suzuki Foundation and the author of the kids' book Media Madness: An Insider's Guide to Media (KidsCan Press, 2005). Dom has worked for TIME magazine's Canadian edition, and the CBC Radio programs "As it Happens" and "Definitely Not the Opera." He has also contributed to several publications such as DWELL, Azure, The Vancouver Sun, The National Post, Adbusters, The Trinidad Guardian, and OWL. His favorite typeface is Gill Sans and he lives in Vancouver.

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.

GDC Committees