Carole Huberman-Talerico has joined Miami International Institute of Art and Design as a professor in business and finance after a successful career with Pennsylvania State Government. For many years Dr. Huberman-Talerico held the position of Chief Audit Executive for Pennsylvania State Treasury. During the last year of her career at Treasury, Dr. Huberman-Talerico won the prestigious Bright Light Award for innovation in government from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Dr. Huberman-Talerico holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Temple University, a Masters in Accounting-Tax Law from Temple University, a Masters in Administration from the Fels School of Government at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Huberman-Talerico began her doctorate in Public Affairs at Pennsylvania State University and completed her Ph.D. in Public Policymaking at the Union Institute and University in Cincinnati. Additionally, Dr. Huberman-Talerico is a Fellow at the Educational Leadership Institute in Pennsylvania. Additionally, Dr. Huberman-Talerico is a Certified Public Accountant, a Certified Forensic Accountant and a Certified Fraud Examiner.

As a passionate representative of Design Management, Marcela has specialized in the application of design thinking to the resolution of management challenges. She has been invited to share her knowledge of design management with audiences internationally, where she engages attendees in understanding how design can constitute a tool to generate innovation. She is in the process of finishing her doctorate degree in Business Administration with emphasis on design leadership. Upon graduating from the University of South Florida with an MFA degree, Marcela pursued a career managing national and international design campaigns for companies like Capital One, Bankers Insurance Group, the International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineers, Creative Tampa Bay, and La Alianza of Hispano-American Organizations. Along the way, she earned certificates on Project Leadership, Management, and Communications from George Washington University and Interactive Publications from Stanford University. In her career, she has been recognized for ensuring implementation of business objectives through the creative process and leading cross-functional teams. Marcela is a recipient of the James Rosenquist Scholarship. Her artistic work has received 7 awards and has been featured in the Tampa Tribune, the University of South Florida magazine, Latino International newspaper and Ybor Connections magazine. She has held two solo exhibits and participated in 22 collective exhibits. Marcela recently served as project evaluator for the redesign of the design curriculum in Colombia, a project sponsored by the National Institute of Science and Innovation (Colciencias).Her enthusiasm for design management has guided students to develop projects of great impact that rely on design as a tool to present an innovative solutions to existing societal challenges.

Allison Johnson received her Ph.D. in English from the University of Miami in 2010 and has taught courses such as English and American Literature by Women, American Literature, Introduction to Poetry, Creative Writing, and English Composition at the University of Miami and Miami International University of Art & Design. Her scholarly interests include women’s writing, poetry, and the depiction of friendship in early modern English literature. Her dissertation, “Virtue’s Friends: The Politics of Friendship in Early Modern English Women’s Writing,” won the 2010 David John Ruggiero Dissertation Award in the Humanities and the 2010 University of Miami Benstock prize for the best dissertation in English. She also received the 2009 College of Arts and Sciences Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award at the University of Miami. Her article, “The ‘Single Lyfe’ of Isabella Whitney: Love, Friendship, and the Single Woman Writer,” was recently published in Discourses and Representations of Friendship in Early Modern Europe, 1500-1700 (Ashgate 2011). She is currently working on a book on marriage and friendship in early modern English literature.

A practicing attorney and law partner specializing in civil business litigation, Seth Finkel has over 30 years of experience in the legal field, including private law offices, the California Court of Appeal, and the Federal District of Florida. He currently serves as Arbitrator for the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, where he decides cases involving security fraud and violations, and contract and corporate disputes for the New York Stock Exchange and the National Association of Securities Dealers—just the kind of real-world knowledge of business ethics he can share with his classroom. Seth earned his Law degree from Southwestern University School of Law, but in addition to his legal expertise, he also has a serious creative streak. He first earned his bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism from The University of Florida, leading him to work as a television and film producer. He was also involved in the formation of the Miami Beach Film Society, a group of passionate film lovers devoted to promoting film culture to Miamians using the area’s premier art house cinema.

Presenting The Master’s Courses:

- Law, Policy & Ethics in Design & Media Arts

Rene Alvarez has been an Internet evangelist since he first opened a browser to surf the World Wide Web nearly 14 years ago. Building on his broadcast and print advertising background where he worked with regional and national brands as diverse as Macy's, World Wrestling Federation, and Verizon, Rene has since planted himself firmly in the interactive universe. After working as a freelance web developer and project manager, he created Sumo Media in 2002, a virtual interactive agency specializing in guerrilla techniques to launch small businesses on the web. After earning an M.B.A. in e-Business from Phoenix University, Alvarez joined Starmark International as Interactive Manager for brands including Norwegian Cruise Line, Citrix, and Greater Fort Lauderdale, where his team won several regional ADDY® Awards for their interactive work. On top of his work as a member faculty at Miami International University of Art & Design, he continues to lead Sumo Media in working with local businesses to develop their online strategies and objectives, keeping him right in the middle of the next generation of interactive challenges.

Presenting The Master’s Courses:

- Information Management & New Technologies in Design & Media Arts

- Managing New Technologies in Creative Organizations

- Entrepreneurship in Design

- Entrepreneurship in Media Arts

Direct response marketing. Strategic planning. Campaign management. Branding initiatives. Jessica Matias is the rare kind of creative professional that can not only assess client marketing needs, but effectively deliver strategic communication solutions for both clients and agencies. Jessica began her educational career at Boston University where she earned a BA in Psychology, giving her an understanding human behavior that she now applies to the world of marketing and advertising. After earning an MBA in Marketing Management from Baruch College's Zicklin School of Business, she launched her career as she delved into both the advertising and marketing sides of the business. She has since developed and managed campaigns and communication plans for a variety of products and services ranging from educational services (Pace University) to financial services (Fleet Bank & Western Union).

Presenting The Master’s Course:

- Strategic Planning & Management in Creative Organizations

- Collaboration at a Distance

- Planning, Producing & Promoting a Design Venture

- Planning, Producing & Promoting a Media Arts Venture

Throughout his career in academics, Eric has demonstrated an ongoing commitment to students. From his earliest days teaching English as a second language in Puerto Rico, then Spanish to elementary and continuing education students in Washington, DC, Eric has embraced a lifelong passion for researching, writing, and developing learner-centered courses. With an M.F.A. in computer animation and a doctoral emphasis on education technology, Eric has been an instructor for the past eight years with Miami International University of Art & Design. His courses include Computer Concepts and Applications, Introduction to Visual Effects and Motion, as well as Spanish Language and Linguistics. He is also a former volunteer academic advisor of the Delta Epsilon Iota academic honor society, spotlighting student excellence, dedication, and leadership.

Presenting The Master’s Course:

- Information Management & New Technologies in Design & Media Management

From his earliest days as an art student at Southwestern Oklahoma State University, to his recent appointment as chair of our newly formed Master of Arts program, Jerry has built a career balancing art and leadership experience. After earning a bachelor’s in commercial art, followed by successive master’s degrees in art education and fine arts, Jerry commenced a blended career as both art practitioner and educator. His success as a commercial and fine artist is measured in numerous ADDY Awards and gallery exhibits. In the world of academics, he advanced his career over a dozen years at Southern Arkansas University—from graphic design instructor to department chair. In his subsequent 10 years at Troy University, where he served as professor and chair in the Department of Art and Design, he was director of the fine arts gallery, founder of the International Center for Collaboration and Creativity, and cofounder of the Center for Design, Technology, and Industry. Along the way, he’s served as chair and presenter at innumerable conferences across the U.S. and abroad. He’s won equally varied awards—at juried art exhibits, on behalf of corporate clients, and as a faculty member for both his scholarly activity and personal character. He’s served on or chaired more than two dozen university committees focusing on the arts and academics. But perhaps even more telling than his own accomplishments are those countless achievements earned—and yet to be earned—by the generations of students whose lives and careers he has influenced so far.