Atlanta Design Festival Announces Advisory Board to Shape Next Era, Doubling Down on Community, Knowledge, and Global Perspectives

The Atlanta Design Festival today announces the formation of its inaugural Advisory Board, marking a significant shift in how the city shapes its cultural leadership through design. As many design festivals fade after chasing commercial relevance, Atlanta is growing, grounded in human connection, education, and real-world exchange.

Why an Advisory Board Is Essential to Atlanta Design Festival’s Future

The Festival’s growth demands more than creative programming, it needs strategic guidance. The new Advisory Board supports this next phase as ADF expands its reach, enters new markets, and explores new funding models. Board members bring high-level insight from business, policy, and education, filling critical gaps where the Festival lacks full-time capacity. Their involvement opens doors to new partnerships and strengthens ADF’s ability to work across industries and cultures. This group brings the fresh thinking needed to move beyond a plateau and improve the Festival’s inclusion, quality, and long-term impact. Members serve two-year terms on a voluntary basis and meet primarily online. While they do not vote on operations, their input is essential.

“Design doesn’t live in a silo. If we’re not in conversation with economists, policy-makers, and CEOs, we stay in a bubble,” explains founder Bernard McCoy. “This board helps us stay connected, relevant, and effective.”

Founded in 2007 by Bernard McCoy and cofounder Elayne DeLeo, the Atlanta Design Festival has grown into one of the Southeast’s most respected design platforms. With roots in architecture and design, it now connects a broader creative ecosystem. The Advisory Board reflects this expanded scope, offering outside perspective to help ADF remain relevant and responsive to a changing global design landscape.

Advisory Board Members:

1. 1. Ingrid van der Wacht – World Design Weeks board member; affiliated with Dutch Design Foundation
   2. Katherine Dirga – Director, MARTA ArtBound, Atlanta’s transit-based public art program
   3. Todd Bertsch – Architect, former Design Director at HOK
   4. Andrew Graves – Economic Researcher of ORTUS + Author of the Design Council UK’s premier design economy study. Specializing in brand insight and culture
   5. Dr. EunSook Kwon – Chair and Professor, School of Industrial Design, Georgia Tech College of Design
   6. LeKeith Taylor – Principal, M-SCELLANEOUS™️ and Co-Founder, DESYN.LAB™️, working at the intersection of equity and design
   7. Adriane Jefferson – Executive Director of The City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs
   8. Simon “Sy” Gray – Brand builder, Co-Founder of The Honey Pot Co. and DESYN.LAB™️, and BFA student at SCAD, based in Amsterdam

Unlike commercially driven events, the Atlanta Design Festival focuses on in-person experiences, knowledge exchange, and cross-disciplinary dialogue. It has become a unique hub for emerging talent, offering space for designers whose work speaks for itself, whether or not they are household names.

The Festival serves as a launchpad for young designers, a platform for idea sharing, and a place where every discipline is welcome, from industrial and graphic design to urbanism, architecture, and material research.

The Atlanta Design Festival runs September 27–October 5, 2025, with flagship events including the Creative Futures Conference, Blueprints & BBQ, CEU-accredited seminars, and the MA! Architecture Tours.