The Department of Community Development and Applied Economics (CDAE) is pleased to welcome Renée Reizman to its faculty beginning in Fall 2026. She will be teaching Communication Design 1 and Design Innovation for students in the Public Communication and Community-Centered Design Majors.
Reizman is an interdisciplinary artist, writer, educator, and designer whose work focuses on community storytelling, public engagement, accessibility, and social change. She brings extensive experience teaching communication design and social practice, helping students explore how creative practice can strengthen communities, communicate complex ideas, and address real-world challenges.
“We are thrilled to welcome Renée to CDAE,” said Dr. Jason Konefal, chair of CDAE. “Her interdisciplinary experience and commitment to community engagement make her a wonderful addition to our department. We’re excited for our students to learn from her unique perspective and expertise.”
Reizman has taught digital art, graphic design, visual communications, and social engagement at institutions including Pepperdine University, the University of Southern California, and California State University, Dominguez Hills.
She is the founder of Disability Drawing Club and has led workshops and community-based projects with organizations including the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, Franconia Sculpture Park, and Antelope Valley College. Her artwork has been exhibited across the United States and Canada, and her writing has appeared in The Guardian, Los Angeles Times, The Atlantic, New York Magazine, and Hyperallergic.
Reizman holds an MFA in Art, Critical & Curatorial Studies from the University of California, Irvine, and a B.S. in Television, Radio, and Film from Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.
At CDAE, Reizman will bring her interdisciplinary approach to design and communication to a department focused on helping students address complex community and social challenges.