Creative director.
Studio builder.
Mentor.
Dog lover.
Kylo is my blue heeler and creative muse. He keeps me grounded, keeps me moving, and occasionally reminds me to take breaks.
I’m Jen Lemerand, a design and studio leader who believes that creativity is a team sport.
I’ve spent my career building environments where ideas flow, designers grow, and organizations learn to think like designers.
Across agency, corporate, and innovation spaces, I’ve helped teams move from ambiguity to clarity—scaling studios, systems, and mindsets that make creativity repeatable and measurable.
But the real work? Helping people rediscover the joy of making things that matter.
Built by community, shaped by design
My leadership style was forged through community.
As VP of Program Strategy for AIGA Chicago and founder of SheSays Chicago, I built spaces for mentorship, learning, and connection—platforms where creatives could share ideas, ask bold questions, and grow together.
Those experiences shaped how I lead today: with empathy, curiosity, and a belief that creativity scales best when people do.
Recognition & Speaking
Emcee for Re:imagine Retail
2024 // Sam’s Club
Served as Emcee at flagship innovation conference—the face of the event and key orchestrator of an experience that convened 325+ attendees and 30+ sprint teams tackling enterprise-wide retail challenges.
Glantz Annual Values Award
2021 // Glantz
Winner of the annual employee of the year award for embodying company values: be a team player, act with kindness and honesty, be nimble in nature, do the right thing, learn every day.
Celebrating Women in Innovation
2018 // Chicago Innovation
Recognized SheSays Chicago as a women focused organization making a major impact in the lives of Chicago’s innovative women.
Building Better Mentorship
2017 // AIGA Leadership Conference
Workshop presenter for annual AIGA Leadership Retreat, helping other chapters build successful mentorship programs.
Design Your Future: Making the Transition to Digital
2015 // General Assembly
Panel moderator on what it takes to make the career switch from traditional to digital design.
The Heres Award
2014 // Revelry Agency
Second annual recipient of The Heres Award, given to a leader in the company who instills value in their team and the company: honesty, integrity, service to others..
