Meet
the board

The volunteer leaders helping build AIGA OC’s next chapter.

Leadership

Confirm with the board: Kimberly’s board title, and a photo and bio for Daniel

President

Prax Cruz

Prax Cruz is the current President of AIGA Orange County and a freelance web designer, developer, and brand strategist based in Newport Beach, California. He’s been at it for over 20 years and still gets excited about clean design and good visual storytelling. He loves working with startups and individual clients, and teaming up with design studios and agencies to create creative solutions that help them succeed. Along the way, he’s worked with brands like Audi, Oakley, Toyota, UChicago Medicine, and Waste Management.

For the past two and a half years, Prax has also taught intro and advanced UX/UI design at Chapman University. His favorite part is giving back to students and watching them grow from their first class to the advanced one. You have to “Never stop learning.”

Before becoming president, he served on past OC AIGA boards, mentored in the chapter’s mentorship program, and took part in Chapman’s Portfolio Review. What he loves most about AIGA is being part of a creative community, and as president, he wants to grow that community into a place where all kinds of creatives feel welcome and help build each other up.

When he’s not working on client projects, teaching, or leading the chapter, you’ll probably find him running, reading, traveling, or at the beach with his two Rhodesian Ridgebacks.

A few other fun facts:

He collects fountain pens and uses them every day.
He drank out of the Stanley Cup in the Ducks locker room when they won it.
He builds mid-century modern furniture in his spare time.
He’s ridden his dirt bike over 1,300 miles from the California border to Cabo San Lucas four times.

Vice President

Joven Orozco

Joven Orozco is the founder of Jovenville, based in Irvine. He has designed for major players across consumer products, commercial real estate, and the public sector. Somewhere along the way, his work has been seen in hundreds of publications; he has spoken to large groups about design and business, and he has made a whole lot of people look great.

Big wow.

The work he is most proud of is the birthday invitations, garage sale signs, AYSO soccer team signs, and custom shtuff he has created for friends and family.

As vice president of AIGA OC, Joven is interested in building a chapter that feels as unique as Orange County itself. The vision is to support and nurture students, emerging designers, and the next generation of leaders who will shape the Orange County creative ecosystem.

Outside of work, he doesn’t take himself too seriously and is always up for a good laugh. Please walk up to him and strike up a conversation.

And yes, ChatGPT wrote this.

Marketing Director

Michael Berg

Michael Berg is the Marketing Director of AIGA Orange County and a Global Group Creative Director who has built a career on turning big ideas into work people remember. He has led 360º campaigns, product launches and content systems for companies like SharkNinja, Kawasaki, Disney, HP, Monster Energy and Verizon. From global in-house brands to independent studios, he inspires his teams to love the craft they’ve chosen and make work they’re proud to put their name on.

He trained as a graphic designer at Cal State Fullerton and still believes great work starts with a disruptive idea, the right typeface, and a bold design. Lately that curiosity runs through AI-assisted creative workflows, which he treats as one more set of tools for making better work, with people still at the center.

As Marketing Director, Michael is leading the chapter’s new website. He wants AIGA OC to feel as creative as the people in it: easy to find, easy to join, and somewhere every designer in the county wants to show up.

Away from work, he’s a husband and a dad who recharges by disconnecting in nature, charging hard on his mountain bike and snowboarding.

Co-Education Director

Mike Schnell

Writing about yourself is weird. Every designer knows this. We can spend three weeks obsessing over someone else’s brand story and then completely fall apart when someone says “so tell us about yourself.” Suddenly you’re staring at a blank document wondering if “I like fonts” is enough, and then you close the laptop, go find a snack, and start seriously considering whether you can get away with just posting a picture of your dog instead.

I do not have a dog. That was a hypothetical. Moving on.

I checked on the fonts thing too, by the way. Not enough.

So here’s the honest version.

I’m a husband, a dad, a Graphic Designer with over 20 years of experience, and somewhere in there, a guy with strong opinions about movies and video games that nobody asked for but is going to share anyway.

I also teach, which I love more than I expected to. There’s something about being around emerging creatives who are still figuring out their voice that genuinely energizes me. They haven’t gotten cynical yet. I try to learn from that as much as I teach into it.

That’s mostly it, honestly.

I’m just a designer who cares deeply about the work, the people making it, and occasionally beating a video game before my kids do.

So far, two out of three.

Co-Education Director

Fernando Del Rosario

A seasoned advertising creative, artist, and educator, Fernando Del Rosario bridges marketing, design, and teaching. For three decades, his client portfolio has spanned brands like Hyundai, Taco Bell, Oakley, and Pacifico Beer. Holding an M.A. Ed. and an M.F.A. in Graphic Design, Fernando currently teaches at CSU Fullerton and Santiago Canyon College. Also a gallery artist with over 55 art gallery exhibitions, Fernando created the expanding REAL HEROES Art Show.

Fernando Del Rosario is a multidisciplinary creative, educator, and artist whose work bridges advertising, graphic design, fine art, and higher education. He recently earned his Master of Fine Arts in Graphic Design from VCFA, building upon his Master of Arts in Education. Fernando has taught for over two decades at institutions including California State University, Fullerton, Santiago Canyon College, and The Art Institute of California–Orange County, while also serving as a guest speaker at CSU Long Beach, Chapman University, and the College for Creative Studies. His pedagogy integrates professional practice with research into his Filipino heritage and cultural identity, exploring how storytelling, design, and education intersect to inspire empathy, connection, and a community-centered practice rooted in service.

Programming & Events Director

Cat Realce

Cat Realce is a Creative Director and Designer whose work spans brand identity, entertainment marketing, experiential design, and interactive storytelling. Her career includes creative leadership roles with organizations such as Amazon, IMDb, and EY, developing campaigns and brand experiences for physical and digital platforms.

Catherine maintains an independent creative practice through visualchemist, encompassing creative direction, design, and letterpress printing. She is also the founder of Imaginary Friends, an indie art and game design studio, and is developing Secret Type Club, a type foundry. Her work has been featured in design publications including The Vandercook 100 and LogoLounge Book 4.

As Programming & Events Director for AIGA Orange County, Catherine leads the chapter’s event programming, including the development of the AIGA Design Symposium, a speaker series bringing industry perspectives to the regional design community.

Catherine holds a BFA in Visual Communications from California State University, Long Beach; an MA in Design Strategy and Innovation from Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design; and an MFA in Game Design from Laguna College of Art + Design. She is also an instructor in the Design Communication Arts program at UCLA Extension.

Board Member

Kimberly Fields

Born and raised in New York, Kimberly Coderre-Fields brings a vibrant energy and effortless authenticity to everything she does. Kimberly has built a dynamic career grounded in authentic connection, acute recruitment marketing intuition, and creative leadership.

Throughout her journey at Arrowmac—a boutique staffing and recruitment firm specializing in creative, marketing, and digital talent—Kimberly continuously demonstrated an exceptional ability to bridge top-tier talent with industry-leading brands across CPG, luxury retail, apparel, and digital advertising. Her strategic vision and track record of building lasting client partnerships paved her way through key growth milestones within the firm, culminating in her current role as Director of Client Relations. In this executive position, she oversees strategic client engagement, recruitment marketing, and talent procurement initiatives.

Kimberly is a seasoned creative recruitment and talent management professional specializing in matching top-tier design, marketing, advertising, and digital talent with industry-leading brands and agencies. With expertise spanning freelance, temp-to-hire, and direct-hire placement, she partners with companies across high-end luxury retail, consumer packaged goods (CPG), apparel, digital advertising, and pharmaceuticals to build high-performing creative teams.

Kimberly holds her management and business education from Pepperdine University’s Graziadio Business School. Known for her strategic, relationship-driven approach, she combines deep market insight with brand-conscious talent acquisition strategies. She excels at aligning organizational needs with dynamic recruitment solutions, helping businesses navigate evolving workplace trends, hybrid model strategies, and talent retention while empowering creative professionals to advance their careers.

A true lover of life’s finer experiences, Kimberly balances her professional drive with a passion for art, music, travel, and outstanding food paired with a great glass of wine. Whether she’s uncovering local cultural gems, exploring global destinations, or building executive relationships, her broad curiosity and warm approach make her a trusted partner and inspiring leader.

Join the board

Your seat is open

What the board does

The board plans events, keeps the books, runs the newsletter and social accounts, and works with schools and AIGA National. Every seat is a volunteer role.

Confirm with the board: roles and meeting rhythm

Each director owns one part of chapter life, from programming and education to marketing, and recruits volunteers to help. Directors meet to plan the year’s events and decide where the chapter’s money goes.

Help shape the chapter

See open roles and what each one asks of you.

Meetthe board