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.

Spring 2023 Part-Time Faculty

Faculty MemberBackground
Bowen MendelsonUniversity of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado (Bachelor of Science, Advertising)
Chip SheeanArizona State University, Tempe, Arizona (Bachelor of Fine Arts, Art (Graphic Design))
Cybele ZufoloColumbia University, New York, New York (Master of Fine Arts, Secondary English)
Dylan SmithAcademy of Art University, San Francisco, California (Master of Fine Arts, Advertising)
Ellen ShakespeareKent State University, Kent, Ohio (Master of Arts, English)
Garrett JonesThomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Bachelor of Science, Graphic Design Communications)
James Brown31+ years experience in Advertising
Jamie ReillyUniversity of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California (Bachelor of Fine Arts, Creative Studies)
Jason TuckerMassachusetts College of Art and Design, Boston, Massachusetts (Bachelor of Fine Arts, Illustration)
Johanna PinoCalifornia State University, Chico, Chico, California (Bachelor of Arts, Information & Communication Studies)
John CoughlanLondon School of Economics and Political Science, London, United Kingdom (Master of Science, Economic History)
Molly McLaughlinCalifornia State University, Chico, Chico, California (Bachelor of Science, Business)
Roger MullerAcademy of Art University, San Francisco, California (Master of Fine Arts, Advertising)
Shawn UtterbackVirginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia (Master of Science, Strategic Planning)
Terry JonesAcademy of Art University, San Francisco, California (Bachelor of Arts, Advertising Design)
Walter WangerCornell University, Ithaca, New York (Master of Arts, Fine Arts)

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