CCA appoints three new trustees: Jessica Farron, Lucille Tenazas, and Marv Tseu
San Francisco, CA—Wednesday, August 4, 2021—California College of the Arts announces the appointments of Jessica Farron, Lucille Tenazas, and Marv Tseu to the Board of Trustees for an initial three-year term.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Jessica, Marv, and Lucille to our board of trustees,” says Board Chair Lorna Meyer. "Jessica’s experience across marketing and communications, Marv’s expertise in technology and corporate management, and Lucille’s deep knowledge and background in design and education are undeniable assets to CCA as the college looks to the future and expands, enhances, and fosters an exemplary and creative educational environment for our dedicated and multi-talented students.”
“This is a transformative period for CCA as we continue our work to unify our academic programs on an expanded San Francisco campus,” says Stephen Beal, CCA president. “I’m grateful to have Jessica, Lucille, and Marv joining the board during such an exciting time for CCA.”
Jessica Farron
Jessica Farron is a marketing advisor focusing on early and mid-stage consumer brands. Prior to advising, she was the vice president of global marketing at Banana Republic overseeing all elements of marketing, strategy and creative with a particular emphasis on digital. Earlier in her career, she held senior digital marketing leadership roles at Piperlime (a division of Gap, Inc.), Williams-Sonoma, and The North Face. She holds a BS in finance from Boston University.
Farron is an active supporter of education-focused organizations, serving as board secretary at the Bay Area Discovery Museum and a board member at SLS Preschool. She lives in San Francisco with her husband, Matt, and two children.
“CCA is an incredible institution that is weaved into the fabric and culture of the Bay Area,” says Farron. “I am beyond excited to join the board during such a critical moment in CCA's evolution—both as a college and as an integral part of the San Francisco community. I look forward to helping CCA extend its reach across the community and beyond to further the college’s mission as a place of ingenuity and originality driving cultural transformation.”
Lucille Tenazas
The founding chair of the MFA Design program at CCA launched in 2000, Lucille Tenazas is currently the Henry Wolf Professor of Communication Design at Parsons School of Design, where she served as associate dean of the School of Art, Media, and Technology from 2013 to 2020. Originally from Manila, the Philippines, Tenazas has taught and practiced in the United States since 1979. Tenazas’ design work is at the intersection of typography and linguistics, with design that reflects complex and poetic means of visual expression.
Tenazas is a trustee of the American Craft Council and was the national president of the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) from 1996–1998. She was awarded the AIGA Medal in 2013 for her lifetime contribution to design practice and outstanding leadership in design education. She received the National Design Award in Communication Design from the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum. Her work has been featured in many national and international exhibitions, including a one-person exhibition at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and surveys at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Centre Pompidou in Paris. An authority in the evolving state of design education, Tenazas has conducted workshops in institutions throughout the United States, Asia, and Europe. A graduate of the MFA Design program at Cranbrook Academy of Art, Tenazas is considered an authority in the evolving state of design education, having conducted workshops in institutions throughout the United States, Asia, and Europe.
“The year is 1978 and a young graphic designer in Manila, Philippines is considering graduate school in the United States,” says Tenazas. “She goes to the American Embassy library to do research (pre-internet) and is drawn to an orange-covered brochure of summer classes from California College of Arts and Crafts (CCAC) in San Francisco. So begins my creative trajectory in the United States, with CCA as the starting point. I will leave my story here to say that my appointment as a trustee 40 years later is somehow pre-ordained. As I enter a new phase of my involvement with CCA (sans the final ‘C’), my commitment to the value of an art and design education is stronger than ever.”
Marv Tseu has had a long career as an executive across the technology, media, and telecommunications landscapes. A graduate of Stanford University, he began his career at AT&T and spent many years at Plantronics. As an operating executive, he was a key member of the company’s management team, taking the Plantronics private in 1988 and public again in 1994. He was appointed as chairman of the board in 1999 and served in that capacity until 2018 when he assumed the vice chairman role, coincident with the $2 billion acquisition of Polycom. In 2008, Tseu established his own consulting practice, Waypoint Strategy.
Tseu serves on the Fine Arts Museum Foundation Board of Trustees. He and his wife, Mary Mocas (MFA Fine Arts 2016), have been patrons of the San Jose Museum of Art for over 20 years. They also support the Institute of Contemporary Art San José and the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, DC. Tseu is a graduate of Stanford University.
“The rich history of CCA as a premiere art institution provides the base for an even more exciting CCA of tomorrow,” says Tseu. “I am excited to be able to be part of building the next chapter of CCA and making it an art institution that sets the standard for all others to follow.”