kHyal has been an invited mentor, speaker, panelist, judge and educator on the topics of design, marketing, technology, art, fashion, sustainability, entrepreneurship and innovation at conferences, special events, universities and colleges in North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia.

SCHOOLS, UNIVERSITIES + ORGS  WE’VE WORKED WITH

2023

Juror
Connections by Le Book, New York
The international marketplace connecting the top brands, advertising agency buyers and technology companies with the best creative partners and solutions in the image & content creation space.Producer / Presenter

Creativity and Climate Action Forum

MoCA Westport

Mentor
Mastering Art & Design in the Web3 Era
ADPlist Product Day

Speaker
“Character Development”
School of Visual Arts (SVA), New York
Professional Practices — BFA Illustration, BFA Comics

2022

Juror
Connections by Le Book, New York

Creator / Publicist
World-Record Global Book Signing
Produced an independent event at Atticus Books in New Haven, CT in concert with The Carbon Almanac International book-signing — #1 best-selling book on climatology

Contributor
LinkedIn Learning course:
“34 Things to Know About Carbon and Climate”
Launch film:
https://vimeo.com/727950704

Contributor
The Carbon Almanac project, founded by Seth Godin
Spearheaded the Sustainable Fashion online resource guide
Guest Writer, The Daily Difference
Writer, social media content
Connector, outreach to industry network

Senior Design Portfolio Reviewer
Tyler School of Art
Temple University
Philadelphia, PA

Speaker
Design & Creative Advertising Programs
Michael Graves College
Robert Busch School of Design
Kean University
Union, NJ
via The ANA Educational Foundation

Speaker
Walden Behavioral Care
Amherst, MA

2021

Mentor
IDPList.org
Design and Product Management

Invited Judge 
Faculty Research Day
University of Bridgeport

Graduate Resume + Portfolio Reviewer
Portfolio Center / M.AD School of Ideas

TEACHING

Adjunct Professor | 2020 via WeChat, VooV + DingTalk
Typography
School of Arts, Anhui Polytechnic University, China
2 + 2 International Cultural Exchange Program
via Shintaro Akatsu School of Design, University of Bridgeport

Designer in Residence | 2020 in-person + via Zoom
USC Roski School of Art and Design
MFA Forum with April Greiman
Los Angeles Arts District

Your unique contributions in design and applied art are very appreciated, incredibly rewarding for our students to have access to, and to further the understanding of the fields that they will pursue. The impact of your body of work, through process and wide-ranging reach into the practical world, is forever influential and memorable to all.

– Ewa Wojciak, MFA Design Director and April Greiman, Professor, USC Roski

Visiting Professor | 2018
Design Thinking and Methodologies
Graphic Design Studio II
School of Arts, Anhui Polytechnic University, China
2 + 2 International Cultural Exchange Program
via Shintaro Akatsu School of Design, University of Bridgeport

Industry Heroes teaching residency | 2017
Advertising Workshop
Miami Ad School

Adjunct Instructor | 2016
Product Creation and Innovation
Miami Ad School New York

Industry Heroes teaching residency | 2015
Advertising Workshop
Miami Ad School

Visiting Professor, Flagship Program | 2015
Design Thinking and Methodologies
School of Arts, Anhui Polytechnic University, China
2 + 2 International Cultural Exchange Program
via Shintaro Akatsu School of Design, University of Bridgeport

“A Great Success.”
— Jin Chengxing, Director, Office of International Exchange Program, Anhui Polytechnic University

“Excellent curriculum.”
— Dr. Feng Baifan, Professor, Anhui Polytechnic University

WORKSHOPS

Resume Workshop for Graphic Designers and other Creative Professionals | 2018
CADC Student Conference at Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts, University of New Haven

“… the 2018 CADC Student Conference … run by the fabulous Karl Heine and kHyal …”
— Connecticut Art Directors Club

Diversity Dialogue: An exchange of ideas and opinions for Wakeman Keystone Club Members | 2015
Wakeman Boys & Girls Club, How does social media help and harm the world?

“Awesome presentation by kHyal on the importance of being aware of privacy and concerns via social media!”
— State Senator Tony Hwang, Diversity Dialogue Keynote Speaker

Run Your Career Like A Business — On- and Offline Techniques for Professional Success | 2015
Hygienic Academy, Fundamental Business Skills for Creative Entrepreneurs

“Your workshops are very popular …”
— Sharma Piersall Howard, Artist Academy

Web Design and Online Marketing | 2014
Hygienic Academy, Mastering The Art of Business on The Internet

“Brilliant.”
— Joseph Celli, Hygienic Art Inc, Development Director

Custom Workshop with DesignerJournals™ | 2014
Teen Advisory Group, The Amistad Center for Art & Culture
The Wadsworth Atheneum

“Wonderful project!”
— Olivia White, Executive Director, The Amistad Center for Art & Culture

Digital Publishing and Branding Project | 2013–14
Teen Advisory Group, The Amistad Center for Art & Culture at The Wadsworth Atheneum
Six-month project of ongoing workshops with the Teen Advisory Group focused on branding, marketing and design — and, culminating with the launch of a teen-centric website with fresh editorial content intended to promote the institution’s vast art collection, the inherent meaning of individual pieces, and to increase visitation to the museum.

PUSH Design Camp | 2011–12
Mobile design camp for creative professionals on Block Island, Rhode Island. Included three days of design workshops, salons, talks and hands-on creative activities

“PUSH Design Camp was the ‘perfect storm’ of scheduled inspirational events, enlightened discussions, exotic flavors, ideal mix of personalities, peaceful bicycle journeys and superb, high-summer weather.”
— Mary Ellen Butkus, VP/Senior Designer, TFI Envision

Social Media Bootcamp | 2010–2011
Advertising Women of New York (AWNY) Annual Career Conference at Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT)

SELECT TALKS / PRESENTATIONS

Guest Presenter
Book Talk: The Carbon Almanac
Realism Meets Optimism
Office of Sustainability | 2024
Yale University
New Haven, CT

Podcast Guest
Plastic Pollution Art & Activism
Climate Gist | 2024
Mexico City, Mexico

Guest Lecturer
Character Development: Art & Activism
School of Visual Arts | 2023
BFA Illustration and Comics Program
New York, NY

Producer, Presenter, Moderator
Creativity and Climate Action
MoCA Westport | 2023
Westport, CT

Invited Branding Expert
Lehman College CUNY | 2020
Marketing Management Program
via ANA Educational Foundation, New York, NY

MFA Thesis Forum Panelist
Pratt Institute | 2019
Graduate Communications Design
Brooklyn, NY

Closing Keynote Speaker
A Better World by Design | 2018
RISD/Brown University, Providence, RI

Guest Lecturer
Connectionism International Design Innovation Forum | 2018
Anhui Polytechnic University, School of Arts, China

Invited Expert, Omnichannel Marketing Roundtable
Intersect Fashion Retail Leadership Summit | 2018
New York, NY

Guest Artist / Fashion Designer
Arts Count Day | 2018
Art as Fashion as Art / Making Art from Trash, Bridgeport Public Schools, CT

Guest Artist + Panelist
The implications of appearance; living in a female body; and the transformative power and therapeutic value of art and design
Art Intersects with Medicine | 2017
City Lights Gallery

Guest Lecturer
New Media and Digital Design Program | 2017
Fordham University, New York, New York

Panelist
CADC Student Conference | 2017
Western Connecticut State University, Danbury, Connecticut

Guest Lecturer
Industry Heroes | 2017
Miami Ad School–Wynwood, Miami, FL

Presenter
Get Worked Up Conference | 2016
AIGA Upstate New York, SUNY Oswego Metro Center—Syracuse, NY

Guest Lecturer
Industry Heroes  | 2016
Miami Ad School–New York, NY

Invited Keynote Speaker
Digital Media and the Arts | 2016
Professional Development Event
Connecticut State Department of Education
Office of Academics
Bureau of Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment

Guest Lecturer
Industry Heroes  | 2015
Miami Ad School–Wynwood, Miami, FL

“kHyal, you are definitely an Industry Hero who makes a statement with your presence and way you see the world.”
— Miami Ad School

Guest Lecturer | 2015
The Housatonic Museum of Art
Bridgeport, CT

Guest Lecturer — CADC SONO Studio Crawl  | 2015
Presentation — Metropolitan interactive projects:

  • Whitney Museum of American Art
  • Lincoln Center
  • Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM)

Guest Lecturer — Self Promo | 2015
School of Art, Anhui Polytechnic University, Wuhu City, China
via University of Bridgeport, Shintaro Akatsu School of Design, USA

Guest Lecturer — Tips for Professional Success | 2015
AIGA Rhode Island at Rhode Island College—Providence, RI

Presenter Branding, Marketing and Social Media for Creative Professionals
Sacred Heart UniversityConnecticut Art Directors Club (CADC) Student Conference

Guest Lecturer — Branding, Marketing and Social Media for Creative Professionals
The Creative Circus—Atlanta, GA

Guest Lecturer — Branding, Marketing and Social Media for Creative Professionals
School of Visual Arts (SVA)—New York, NY

Guest Artist + Presenter — EGGO Arte Art Fair + Conference
Centro Cultural Recoleta—Buenos Aires, Argentina

Guest Artist + Lecturer — Character Development
Bridgeport Arts and Cultural Council—Bridgeport, CT

Presenter — Social Media Tips and Tricks
The Grove—New Haven, CT

Presenter — Crafting a Creative Career
HOW Design Live—Boston, Creative Freelancers Conference

Guest Expert — Social Media for Power Users
Don’t Get Me Started (DGMS) A Podcast About Advertising
The Creative Circus, Atlanta, GA

Guest Lecturer — Self Portrait Fashion Photography
Lower Eastside Girls Club, New York, NY

Presenter — Building an Interactive Advertising and Software Development Agency
FleetBoston Financial’s Women Entrepreneurs’ Connection

Facilitator Cash Flow Management in the Information Age | 1998
TechnoPOP Digital Community Events

SOCIAL MEDIA / MARKETING CONSULTANT

Designers & Books — Inaugural Event at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) featuring speakers on architecture, fashion, graphic design, interior design, landscape architecture, product and industrial design, and urban design. The book fair included 35 design book publishers and booksellers, antiquarian book dealers, author book signings, and book artisans demonstrating calligraphy, bookbinding, and letterpress printing.

Pictoplasma — The world’s largest character design conference and festival — New York City edition of Berlin-based conference and festival

Governors Island Art Fair — New York City
“New York’s largest independent exhibition.”

MEDIA PARTNER

NYC Creative Tech Week Fundraiser
A Better World by Design Conference, RISD/Brown University
Leaders in Software and Art (LiSA) Conference, Guggenheim Museum

INDUSTRY INVOLVEMENT

Moderator, Contributing Illustrator
SHIFT Summit  | 2020
AIGA Design Educators Community
AIGA Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Task Force

Career Advisor | 2020
LinkedIn
Mentored candidates matched by LinkedIn

Digital and Social Committee | 2019–2021
ANA (Association of National Advertisers)
New York, NY

Content Marketing Committee | 2019–2021
ANA (Association of National Advertisers)
New York, NY

Recruited Influencer
The Event Planner Expo | 2019
New York, NY

Reviewer
5th Annual Portfolio Review | 2019
American Society of Media Photographers—CT

Judge, Digital Marketing
51st Annual Awards | 2019
NJ Ad Club

Judge
Design Awards | 2018
School of Arts, Anhui Polytechnic University, China

Mentor
Con Artist Collective Summer Residency 2018
30+ international fine art graduate students
119 Ludlow Street, New York, NY

Judge
Faculty Research Day | 2018
University of Bridgeport, Bridgeport, CT

Juror
2018 Industrial Design Society of America (IDSA) Student Merit Awards
Shintaro Akatsu School of Design, University of Bridgeport, Bridgeport, CT

Member
Internet OT Foundation
Where New Media goes for Knowledge and Perspective

Member
New York Media Collective
A networking group for digital media executives

Mentor
Graphic Design Program
Hartford Art School
University of Hartford

Member
Americas Society/Council of the Americas
Uniting opinion leaders to exchange ideas and create solutions to the challenges of the Americas today

Judge
Faculty Research Day | 2017
University of Bridgeport, Bridgeport, CT

Design Critic
VPA School of Design at Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY

Design Critic
SASD Industrial Design Review
Shintaro Akatsu School of Design, University of Bridgeport, Bridgeport, CT

Advisor
Program Development Group | 2015–16
Connecticut Forum, Hartford, CT

Judge
Design Awards | 2015
Design Arts Museum
School of Arts, Anhui Polytechnic University, China

Communications Consultant / Marketing Director | 2015
Clementina Arts Foundation
Stamford, CT

Judge
Portfolio Awards
The Shintaro Akatsu School of Design
University of Bridgeport, Bridgeport, CT

Materials Juror | 2014–2015
Material ConneXion
New York, NY

Advisory Board
GraphicDesign.com
London

Marketing Committee
MIT Enterprise Forum of New York City, Inc.
New York, NY

Communications Chair
AIGA Brand Central
Greater New York Metro Area

Fundraising Cochair
Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts
Los Angeles

Events Committee
Bookbuilders Boston
Boston, MA

Website Committee
Book Industry Guild of New York
New York, NY

Technology Committee
Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce
New Haven, CT

Vice President of Marketing Forum
Connecticut Technology Council
East Hartford, CT

Steering Committee
Spirit of Women Healthcare Marketing
Stamford Health

Juror
London Interactive Advertising Awards
London, UK

Juror
Big W Awards
Westchester Ad Club
Westchester, NY

Judge
Project Upcycle Design Awards
Hasbro Corporation
Providence, RI

Member
Annual Career Conference Committee
Advertising Women of New York (AWNY)
New York, NY

Member
Annual Career Conference Resume + Portfolio Clinic Subcommittee
Advertising Women of New York (AWNY)
New York, NY

Member
Yale Amiga Users Group
New Haven, CT

Member
ASCI (Arts + Science Collaborations)
New York, NY

Member
WWWAC (World Wide Wide Artists Consortium)
New York, NY

Member / Digital Artist
Rhizome at The New Museum
New York, NY

Founder / Cofounder

Founder / Producer / Curator
LOOK in the Windows
stARTling Public Space™ Projects

Cofounder
Microtech International Inc (2.0)
Stamford, CT + Copenhagen, Denmark

Founder + Editor-in-Chief
SECTION Magazine
Art + Culture Magazine
New York, NY

Cofounder
PUSH Workshops
Design, Marketing + Business Practices for Creative Professionals

Cofounder
PUSH Design Camp
Mobile Design Camp for Creative Professionals
Block Island, Rhode Island

Cofounder + Creative Activator
kHyal + Karl
Creative Consultancy
New York, NY

Cofounder + Space Cadet
SoNo Spaces
South Norwalk, CT

Founding Member
Manufacture New York
NYC fashion incubator and small-run production facility focused on sustainable design and cutting-edge technology practices.

Cofounder
Fairfield County Adobe Users Group
Stamford, CT

Cofounder + VP Marketing / PR
SunStar interactive
Software Developer and Publisher
New Haven, CT

Cofounder + VP Marketing / PR
blowtorch studios
Interactive Agency and Software Developer
New Haven, CT

Cofounder + Marketing Director
TechnoPOP
Digital Professionals Community
Grew to over 100 members in 1998
CT/NYC

Founder (1997)
New Media Division, WondriskaRusso Associates
Clients: MFA Boston, Neurogen, MIT Enterprise Forum

Founding Member
Women’s Internet History Project
Preserving the History of Women Who Inspired the Usage and Purpose of the Internet
New York, NY

INDUSTRY AFFILIATIONS

  • New York FinTech Meetup
  • New York Augmented Reality Meetup
  • Internet of Fashion (IoF) Meetup
  • Fashion and Tech New York Meetup
  • Art Directors Club—New York
  • Type Directors Club—New York
  • American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA)—New York
  • 212NYC
  • The One Club—New York
  • Women’s Internet History Project
  • Manufacture New York—Garment Center Pilot Program
  • Brooklyn Fashion + Design Accelerator
  • Open Source Fashion—New York
  • Fashion 2.0—New York
  • Arts, Culture and Technology Meetup—New York #ArtsTech
  • wimlink (Women’s Network for Technology and Media Pros—New York)
  • New York Tech Meetup
  • New York Tech Women

BOOKS

ARTS JOURNALISM

  • Huffington Post: HuffPost Arts & Culture
  • Miami Herald: Art Basel Miami Beach coverage
  • Time Out
  • SECTION Magazine
  • New Haven Magazine
  • The Canadian Consulate, New Media Division, NYC
  • Art Dirt at Pseudo Networks and ArtNet.com, NYC
  • Silicon Alley Reporter at Pseudo Networks, NYC

DESIGN TRADE CONTENT DEVELOPMENT

SENIOR PORTFOLIO / RESUME REVIEWER

  • Hong Kong Polytechnic University—Hong Kong, China
  • AIGA Upstate New York Design Review—Beacon, NY
  • Fashion Graduate Week, London, UK
  • ITP, Tisch School of the Arts, New York University—NYC
  • VPA School of Design at Syracuse University—Syracuse
  • Miami Ad School—NYC
  • CADC Student Conference—University of Bridgeport
  • The Shintaro Akatsu School of Design—University of Bridgeport
  • AIGA Rhode Island: Design Portfolio and Resume Review—Providence
  • SUNY New Paltz Design Review, NY
  • The One Club, Young Ones, Creative Week Portfolio Reviews—NYC
  • AIGA Philadelphia Design Review—Philadelphia
  • AIGA Connecticut, Emerging Professional Workshop—University of Hartford
  • The One Club, Multicultural Career Fair—NYC
  • The Art Directors Club, National Portfolio Review—NYC
  • School of Visual Arts (SVA)—NYC
  • Miami Ad School—Miami
  • The Creative Circus—Atlanta
  • Advertising Women of New York (AWNY), Annual Career Conference—NYC
  • Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT)—NYC
  • Pratt Institute—NYC
  • Parsons The New School for Design—NYC
  • Rhode Island School of Design (RISD)—Providence
  • Tyler School of Art at Temple University—Philadelphia
  • Kutztown University—Pennsylvania
  • Carnegie Mellon University—Pittsburgh
  • Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT)—NYC
  • Newhouse School of Public Communications, Syracuse University—NYC
  • University of Hartford Art School—Hartford
  • Massachusetts College of Art and Design—Boston
  • Cleveland Institute of Art—Cleveland
  • The Portfolio Center—Atlanta

3, 2, 1 ... CONTACT