Faculty

Douglas Van Praet

Doug Van Praet

Executive Director / School of Brand Communications

Doug is a leading branding expert, brand strategist, management consultant and industry best-selling author. He’s recognized as a pioneer in the application of behavioral science to brand and marketing innovation. Doug’s applied psychology methodology for inspiring and optimizing data-driven brand growth and change management draws from Unconscious Behaviorism and is grounded in evolutionary and social psychology, behavioral economics, and cognitive science.

Doug has positioned some of the world’s most iconic brands through results-oriented, award-winning campaigns with demonstrable financial and social ROI (Return on Investment). His proprietary approach has helped generate billions of impressions in earned media and hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue growth. He has worked with leading advertisers and brands like Volkswagen, Procter & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson, General Motors, Toyota, Lexus, Nike, Burger King, AB InBev, Dr Pepper, Snapple, Neutrogena, DIRECTV, Bank of America, City National Bank, Royal Bank of Canada, Mitsubishi, etc. He has also worked with leading nonprofit brands including World Vision, Mercy Ships, Concern Worldwide, International Center for Missing and Exploited Children, etc.

Anna Vilano

Anna Villano

Executive Director / School of Brand Communications

Anna is a trained graphic designer with a background in architecture. From managing design departments to leading creative teams at digital agencies her career has spanned many areas in marketing communications. She’s been on the forefront of the evolution from pre-digital to post-digital and the use of various social media platforms for ad campaigns. 

She was a Creative Director at VaynerMedia, a disruptive award-winning social media agency led by digital pioneer Gary Vaynerchuk. At VaynerMedia Anna oversaw multiple creative teams to create some of the most innovative and successful ad campaigns. She’s an expert in understanding how the social media and ad machine really work and how they influence viewers’ buying decisions.

In addition, she’s worked at top-tier agencies such as Deutsch, FCB and Rapp. She’s worked with big name clients like Volkswagen, Taco Bell, Microsoft, Neutrogena, Unilever, Naked Juice, Sonic Drive-In, Toyota, City National Bank and P&G, to name a few. She was a judge for The Addy Awards, one of the leading award shows in advertising.

Our Faculty

Fred Mchale
Director School of Interaction & UI/UX Design

Spring 2024 Part-Time Faculty

Faculty MemberEducational Background
Anton Wannenburg20+ yrs exp producer, animator & editor & a certificate in anim frm School of Comm Arts
Clarke RobinsonSan Jose State University, San Jose, California (Bachelor of Fine Arts, Photography)
Dale JonesCalifornia State University Northridge, Northridge, California (Master of Communications, Computer Science)
Edward ChoUniversity of California, San Diego, California (Bachelor of Science, Mechanical Engineering)
Frank PietronigroSan Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, California (Bachelor of Fine Arts, Interdisciplinary)
Heather NorvallAcademy of Art University, San Francisco, California (Bachelor of Fine Arts, Web Design and New Media)
Michael Catanzaro30+ yrs of exp as a front end programmer and project manager, and exp in web development
Michael LeeUniversity of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California (Bachelor of Arts, Political Economy - Globalization)
Nikki KippleAcademy of Art University, San Francisco, California (Bachelor of Fine Arts, Computer Arts, New Media)
Nikolai LokteffSan Jose State University, San Jose, California (Bachelor of Science, Graphic Design)
Roger MullerAcademy of Art University, San Francisco, California (Master of Fine Arts, Advertising)
Ryan HanauArt Center College Design, Pasadena, California (Master of Fine Arts, Media Arts)
Ryan MedeirosUniversity of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California (Bachelor of Arts, Fine Art)
Terry JonesAcademy of Art University, San Francisco, California (Bachelor of Arts, Advertising Design)
Teylor FelizUniversity of Denver, Denver, Colorado (Master of Science, Information Technology)

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