President’s goals are to overcome barriers in the design community and celebrate LA’s design diversity.

Los Angeles, California - June 16, 2008 - AIGA/LA, the professional association for design, is proud to welcome its new incoming president Michael Lejeune, whose term began May 2008 and will end in May 2010.

Currently, Michael is creative director for Metro, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. A lifelong Angeleno, Michael started his career in advertising and entertainment management before opening his own writing and design office.

He learned the ins and outs of managing a creative enterprise while building City of Hope’s design department. He furthered his education in great design and design management when he joined AIGA|LA Fellow Kim Baer at KBDA.

He is married and has two children.

As an active member of the design community, Michael was eager to become more involved in overcoming barriers in order to unite LA’s large and diverse community. “I’ve seen how design can engage an unwilling audience and change both perception and behavior. I think there’s a real opportunity for AIGA to act as a bridge between the many, many diffused practitioners of design here. As with Metro’s customers, I think LA’s design community is challenged by geography, and our role is to overcome that distance.”

During his term, Michael and a highly energized board hope to increase new membership and retain current members, create real value for designers in every stage of their career, and develop programming and education opportunities that are relevant to the practice of design today. Celebrating design diversity and excellence in LA are also top priorities.

About AIGA/LA
AIGA Los Angeles is one of the first independent chapters of AIGA, the largest professional association for design in the country. AIGA/LA serves as a local hub for the design community and celebrates excellence in design through its conferences, competitions, exhibitions and publications. AIGA/LA is committed to helping all designers achieve their greatest potential as significant contributors to the economic and cultural vitality of our region.

When you join AIGA Los Angeles, you become part of a group committed to promoting design as a professional craft, strategic tool for business and global cultural force. www.aigalosangeles.org

Contact information:
Kim Flum, AIGA/LA PR Chair
310.945.7499
kflum@prodigy.net

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