Instructors

Stan is a graphic designer with more than 23 years of experience working with Adobe Creative Cloud applications, including Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign. He studied graphic design at Dallas College and the University of North Texas, where he developed a foundation in visual communication, branding and design tools.

Drawing on his professional design experience, Stan helps learners build the technical skills and creative judgment needed to turn ideas into clear, compelling visual work. His instruction emphasizes hands-on application, problem-solving and the creative process behind effective design.

Karen Damwijk is a creative designer whose work with marketing agencies and large corporations has included projects for clients such as Dodge, Yamaha Motorsports and Johnny Rockets. She holds a Bachelor of Applied Arts in graphic design from Central Michigan University and a Master of Educational Technology from Lawrence Technological University.

With a background in graphic design and educational technology, Karen combines industry experience with a strong understanding of how people learn and apply creative tools. Drawing on her professional design experience and Adobe expertise, Karen helps learners develop the technical skills, creative process and visual communication judgment needed to produce effective work.

Matt is a graphic designer and illustrator with nearly 30 years of experience creating print and digital work across a range of industries. He holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from California State University, Long Beach and a certification in web design from The University of Texas at Arlington.

Throughout his career, Matt has designed websites, email campaigns, packaging, brochures, catalogs and logos while also leading design teams and mentoring other creatives. Drawing on his experience as both a working designer and creative leader, Matt helps learners refine their portfolios, strengthen their design skills and better understand the professional standards that support successful design careers.

Mandy Engleman is a graphic designer and educator with more than 20 years of experience in the design field, primarily serving art and science museums. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in design communications from Texas A&M University–Commerce and brings experience in brand development, print, publications, environmental design and creative direction.

Mandy’s work includes leading in-house design teams at the Dallas Museum of Art and Perot Museum of Nature and Science, as well as co-owning Boldface Studio, a design boutique specializing in nonprofit design. With 15 years of teaching experience in typography, graphic design and portfolio development, she helps learners strengthen their visual communication skills, refine their design process and prepare work for professional creative careers.

 Alyssa Galganov is a web and graphic designer with more than 15 years of experience in advertising, publishing and visual communications. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and English from Hofstra University, a full stack web development certification from freeCodeCamp and a certificate in copywriting from Humber College.

Alyssa serves as the marketing and communications manager in the Office of Research and Innovation at The University of Texas at Dallas, where her work includes web design, digital content and creative communications. Her background includes 10 years at The Dallas Morning News and work with organizations including Sabre, Freeman, American Airlines and RTKL. Drawing on her experience with Adobe Creative Cloud, WordPress, HTML, CSS and JavaScript, Alyssa helps learners build practical design and web development skills for today’s digital workplace.

Stacy Wewe is a visual communication designer with 20 years of experience shaping print, advertising and brand-focused work. She holds a bachelor’s degree in broadcasting and graphic design from Washburn University and a master’s degree in advertising from the University of Kansas.

Stacy’s background includes strategic marketing, brand identity, magazine design, consumer packaging and web design, allowing her to approach design as both a creative and business tool. Through her freelance practice and experience teaching advertising and design, Stacy helps learners connect visual strategy with strong execution and develop work that is thoughtful, polished and professionally relevant.