We are steadily preparing for the conference in April. Here are two of our speakers, to look forward to listening to at the event! Stay tuned for more updates!

Joe Ziolkowski (Jacksonville, FL, United States) received a Masters of Science in Education, Concentration: Art Education from Nazareth College of Rochester. A Master of Fine Art from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the Bachelor of Science from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. He is currently Assistant Professor of Photography and Art at SUNY Genesee Community College, Batavia, NY, where he is also SUNY COIL Nodal Network Coordinator. While at SUNY GCC he has also curated a variety of faculty and student photography and art exhibitions, including  “Crime Scene”, “My Pinhole Photography / Mi Fotografía Estenopeica”, “The Land Of Our Land”, “Of This Earth – Cliché Verre”, “Tableau”, “Art Matters”, “Community”, “Clue”, “Environmental Portraits of Western New York”, “Digital/Draw” & “The Sustainable Still Life Photography Exhibit.” He has taught at Rochester Institute of Technology, SUNY Monroe Community College, Center for Creative Studies (Detroit), Barat College (Lake Forest, Illinois), and in Chicago at the Museum of Contemporary Art, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Columbia College, and the American Academy of Art. He has been awarded summer artist residencies at Paul ArtSpace, St. Louis, Missouri, 2016, Jentel Foundation, Banner, Wyoming, 2013, Brush Creek Foundation for the Arts, Saratoga, Wyoming, 2012, English Harbour Arts Centre, English Harbour, Newfoundland, 2011 and Constance Saltonstall Foundation for the Arts, Ithaca, New York, 2010. His work has been widely exhibited, nationally and internationally and he is the author of two monographs, Walking the Line (1992) and Pressure (1997).

Maria Pesin is a senior apparel industry executive with an outstanding history of achievement and over 25 years of field experience. She has developed brands from the ground up and taken well-known names to new heights of excellence. Her proven leadership ability has led her to spearhead marketing operations and construct and implement business plans for New York apparel giants like Fleet Street and GIII Apparel Group building multi-million dollar brands. She has established herself as an expert in everything from merchandising and sales to product development and budgeting. Maria is passionate about the apparel industry and dedicated to working with up-and- coming enterprises that are as devoted to the trade as she is. She takes great pleasure developing close ties with the people she works with and loves sharing the knowledge she has gained over the years as an apparel executive. Establishing new businesses, growing existing businesses and bringing new fashion trends into the marketplace is what she enjoys most about her job.

By Mariah Paddock, Marketing Intern for Director of Business Programs