SAN LUIS OBISPO – Cal Poly's Graphic Communication Department will begin the academic year in September with new faculty and staff equipped to address current and future industry issues, according to Department Head Harvey Levenson.
 
"This is part of Cal Poly's commitment to keeping its Graphic Communication program strong and recognizing that all facets of the industry – print, digital imaging, software and hardware, management, and multimedia – will need qualified graduates in the future," Levenson said.
 
The two new faculty members are Colleen Twomey and Howard Vogl.
 
Twomey holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Printing Management from Rochester Institute of Technology and an MBA from the University of Delaware. She has worked in the strategic business unit of MacDermid, which specializes in flexographic printing plate materials for the packaging industry. Her positions there included technical service, business development, and product management. She has valuable insight into print and packaging trends, an area in which she will specialize at Cal Poly. She will also assist the Graphic Communication Institute at Cal Poly in areas of research, testing, product evaluations and programs for industry.
 
Twomey is a frequent speaker at industry associations such as the FTA (Flexographic Technical Association), the AICC (Association of Independent Corrugated Converters), TAPPI (Technical Association of Pulp and Paper Industry), PSSMA (Paper Shipping Sack Manufacturers' Association), and at the FPPA (Flexographic Pre-Press Platemakers Association).
 
She serves on the executive committee of PRIMIR (Print Industries Market Research Organization, a division of NPES) and has chaired market research studies on global trends in packaging. She is leading a study titled "Packaging: Evaluation of Vertical Markets & Key Applications."
 
Vogl earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Organizational Management from Roberts Wesleyan College in Rochester, N.Y., and a master's degree in Print Media from the Rochester Institute of Technology. Vogl comes to Cal Poly from the Rochester Institute of Technology, where he taught digital printing technology and personalized communication, areas in which he will specialize at Cal Poly.
 
His more than 30 years' experience in commercial, newspaper and digital printing operations includes serving as manager for regional operations of USA Today. He also worked for Xerox Corp. developing patented image analysis techniques.
 
Vogl has conducted research for the Printing Industry Center at RIT and has written articles on digital printing, personalized communication, and the news media industry. Recently he presented a paper on workflow in personalized communication to the China Academic Conference on Printing and Packaging in Beijing.
 
The Graphic Communication Department also welcomes Eric Johnson as an information technology specialist. Johnson earned a bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from Brigham Young University. He is a member of the national engineering honor society, Tau Beta Pi.
 
His professional experience ranges from computer support and theater technology to video production and music recording. Most recently he was a post-production audio specialist at BYU's multimedia production unit, where he helped produce "New Spice | Study like a Scholar, Scholar," a popular YouTube video parodying Old Spice commercials.
 
"The graphic communication industry is changing to better serve the way people and corporations want to send and receive information," Levenson said. "Cal Poly is committed to remaining in the forefront of addressing these changes to help keep the industry vibrant. Our confidence in the industry remains strong; hence, we are investing in people and facilities to achieve this."