Creative & Print Services Team

Mary Forde joined the Institutional Advancement staff after 25 years of service to Columbia College Chicago in various capacities; her career here evolved from Junior Designer to Director to Assistant Vice President. A native of Wisconsin, Mary graduated from Lawrence University with a major in art and minor in art history and philosophy. After undergraduate school, her educational and vocational interests took her from Santa Fe, New Mexico, (one of the youngest recipients to receive a National Endowment for the Arts Grant to study cross cultural symbol systems there) to Albuquerque (to begin her masters degree and study with the venerable photographer Beaumont Newhall) to Chicago. She moved to Chicago to pursue her Masters of Fine Arts degree at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. After graduation, she worked in ad agencies, had her own freelance business (clients included Shedd Aquarium, the Field Museum, numerous photographers and artists), and then came to Columbia. Her interests beyond graphic design include gardening, travel, interior decorative arts, and her beloved Cairn terriers Finn and Fergus.

Born in Pennsylvania, raised in Massachusetts, graduating from high school and college in Illinois, Corey also trained for a career in graphic arts in California. He came to Columbia in 2000 from a college vendor that specializes in large-scale graphics production; his accomplishments there included a Re-image Program at 60 Sunoco fueling stations in New York State. For the preceding twenty years, Corey held positions in Account Management/Sales, Cost Estimating/Production, and Technical Illustration for companies and clients including Motorola, Shure, John Deere, McDonald’s, Walgreens, and the U.S. Government. His work at Columbia has focused on moving graphic design capabilities toward digital media while maintaining the highest standards for print communications. Together with his wife, Barbara, Corey pursues interests in public architecture around the world - visiting libraries and gardens - and enjoys the diversity of ethnic vegetarian cuisine.

Edward was born and raised in Houston, Texas where he attended Rice University and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Musicology before pursuing an MFA in Directing at the Theatre School, DePaul University. His previous experience includes working as business managers for 2RZ Architecture and On Track Visual Communications. While holding down these full-time positions, he has also pursued theatrical ambitions as an artistic associate of Live Bait Theatrical Company and one of the founders of BoyGirlBoyGirl, a collective of solo theater performers.

Benjamin Bilow
Creative Director/Senior Graphic Designer
312.369.7311
bbilow@colum.edu

Guido Mendez has been working as a professional graphic designer since graduating from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign in 1990 with concurrent BFAs in graphic design and photography. Since that time, Guido has experienced a design career from multiple perspectives and specializations ranging most notably among the fine arts, healthcare communications, magazine and book publishing, and creative direction of on/offline branding strategies for technology corporations. Most recently Guido is based in the Creative and Printing Services Department of Columbia College Chicago, where he primarily designs DEMO magazine and the Annual Report for the Office of the President. Guido has been recognized on a number of occasions for his design work including most recently for his work at Columbia College.

Jehan Abon is a Senior Graphic Designer/Web Specialist for Creative & Printing services, where she started as an intern during her final semester as a Graphic Design major in Columbia's Art & Design department. Jehan began her studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago as a Computer Engineering major. During this time she discovered a passion for the web, leading her to transfer to Columbia College to pursue graphic design to complement her technical background. Since graduation and in addition to working at Columbia College Chicago, Jehan has worked on print and web design projects for several organizations including The Harris Theater for Music and Dance, the University of Illinois at Chicago, the City of Hope Cancer Center and the Young Presidents' Organization. She is also a member of the American Institute of Graphic Artists (AIGA).

Abigail Friedman is a Graphic Designer and Web Specialist for Creative & Printing Services, where she has worked for over three years. After graduating in 1998 with a degree in Visual Communications from Ohio University, Abigail began her career as a designer for web development firms in Cleveland and Chicago. Abigail is also an avid doodler and occasionally freelances as an illustrator.

Noel Cunningham
Graphic Designer
312.369.7577
ncunningham@colum.edu


Stefan Coisson
Junior Graphic Designer
312.36.7172
scoisson@colum.edu

Kevin Riordan is a native Chicagoan who began working for Columbia's Printing Services in 1988 after a variety of positions as a printer, plate maker, camera operator and production artist for over a dozen years. He attended UIC and SAIC, and completed his B.A. at Columbia in 1996. He is an adjunct professor in the IAM department and visual artist, whose artists books appear in the Museum of Modern Art's collection.

Anita has been a part of the Office of Creative & Printing Services for over twenty years and is also a graduate of the class of 1996 with a degree in Liberal Arts. She is a fourth generation Chicago native, enjoys traveling and is planning a future excursion to Egypt and Jordan. Anita has had her jewelry exhibited in Fashion Columbia and was published in the first edition of The South Loop Review.

Photography Intern
312.369.6939
cpsphoto@colum.edu


Graphic Design Intern
312.369.6838
cpsintern@colum.edu