Medill associate professor Susan Mango Curtis honored for lifetime achievement by design organization
Society for News Design honors Curtis’ teaching, work in journalism
Medill Associate Professor Susan Mango Curtis has received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society for News Design (SND). SND is an international organization for news media and visual communications professionals who create print, web and mobile publications and products.
Curtis joined Medill in 1997 and has taught students to report, create, edit and design visuals to tell the news in both digital and print. An award-winning Adobe Education Leader, she was an early adopter of digital publishing on smartphones and tablets.
“Susan’s creative energy is infectious and she is a true asset to the Medill faculty,” said Medill Interim Dean Charles Whitaker. “As storytelling methods and platforms continue to evolve, Susan’s journalistic perspective, visual skills and unique approach are helping Medill students and graduates tell critically important stories in new ways.”
Curtis has applied her expertise in strategic planning and product management to champion visual thinking and immersive storytelling. She is a design consultant for publications and organizations in the U.S. and other countries, and is frequently invited to lecture at various universities and media events.
Prior to her academic work, she was assistant managing editor for the Akron (Ohio) Beacon Journal, and a member of the team that won the Pulitzer Prize gold medal in 1994 for a series titled “The Question of Color.” Curtis is also a founding member of the National Association of Black Journalists’ visual task force.