Joe Bautista

Professor, Director

Joe Bautista is a Los Angeles-based designer and educator. His passion is helping clients, students, designers, and entrepreneurs reach their goals. His design work deals with the research, concept, design, and development of user experiences (UX) and user interfaces (UI). His artwork revolves around user collaboration and contribution to creating new and expressive art forms that connect users and viewers. Joe has over 20 years of experience at creative agencies in the Los Angeles area and has been an educator for over 19 years in the Art & Design Department at California State University, Northridge (CSUN). He serves as director of IntersectLA – The Center for Creative Collaboration, an on-campus, student-driven creative strategy agency.

Shally Juarez

Professor, Associate Director

Shally Juarez is an accomplished designer and dedicated educator based in vibrant Los Angeles. As an assistant professor at CSUN’s Mike Curb College of Arts, Media, and Communication, she teaches transformative user experience courses, specializing in interaction design and user interfaces. Shally’s passion lies in equipping her students with the skills to create impactful and intuitive interfaces, covering a range of topics from introductory UX/UI to advanced web design techniques.

Beyond the classroom, Shally serves as associate director of Intersect LA (IXLA), an on-campus creative strategy agency. Her leadership in this role helps shape the future of design and communication, empowering the next generation of creative professionals. Shally is an advocate for user research, recognizing its role in creating meaningful interactions, and she champions web accessibility and universal design, making digital experiences inclusive for all.

Perry Grundman

Copywriter

Perry Grundman joined IntersectLA (formerly VISCOM) in 2013 as a copywriter to complement the team’s talented graphic designers and communication design specialists with his seasoned writing skills. His previous experience includes more than 20 years as a creative consultant for the home entertainment divisions of Disney, Fox, and Warner Bros., and he co-founded a regional advertising/design agency with two CSUN colleagues who are also highlighted on this page, but you have to guess which two. Perry’s interests include verbs, nouns, adjectives…and candles that smell like food. He recently signed a long-term contract with Netflix (when he upgraded to their Premium tier) and currently lives in Chatsworth with his two Amazon devices, Alexa and Alexa.

Magdy Rizk

Professor

Magdy Rizk is a Motion Graphics and Design Professor at California State University, Northridge. He believes that an instructor has to be instrumental in students’ understanding of the responsibilities and opportunities of a graphic designer. Magdy Rizk uses his impressive knowledge of all aspects of graphic design to be able to apply his knowledge in his classes to better prepare his students for their careers. Teaching graphic design should foster problem-solving techniques and habits that instill a productive and effective work ethic, as well as reinforce fundamental principles and elements of design. In this field, designers tend to elevate technology far too high and give less regard to strong conceptual skills. There must be balance, where craft and concept function harmoniously. When completed, the resulting successes paint a beautiful image of the power of technology in the modern era.

Dave Moon

Professor

Dave Moon currently serves as an art and design professor at California State University, Northridge (CSUN), where he leads the Communication Design area and advises IntersectLA. Previously, he chaired the Art/Design Department and served as Interim Dean of CSUN’s Mike Curb College of Arts, Media, and Communication.

With nearly 35 years of teaching experience, Dave has founded or co-founded numerous student-centered creative ventures providing industry experience embodying a ‘learn-by-doing’ philosophy such as the Center for Visual Communication (VISCOM), Impact DesignHub, Artpreneur, META+Lab, RADIUS 2.0, and IntersectLA. Additionally, Dave continues to advocate for accessibility and inclusivity, aligning with his commitment to diverse student groups and equitable design practices.

Reflecting his commitment to students’ success he authored textbooks: Design Strategy for Effective Branding and Power-Up YOU: A Personal Branding Handbook for Artists, Creatives, and Designers which has impacted helping countless students launching successful careers. 

Through his teaching, commitment to students and innovative approaches in advancing student success, Dave received the Wang Family Excellence Award for Outstanding Faculty Innovator in Student Success from the CSU system.

Melissa Soriano

Project Manager

Melissa Soriano graduated from California State University, Northridge in 2019 with an emphasis in Marketing and Communication Design. She has over 4 years of experience as a Project Manager at a variety of advertising and technical agencies such as IntersectLA, Hello Design, Scorpion, and Meta. Melissa currently is a Staff Project Lead at IntersectLA, mentoring and assisting students with client-facing work. 

Through her time as a student working at IntersectLA, Melissa received hands-on experience working with clients, which was a valuable and unique opportunity. She plans to support current and future IntersectLA students, as they work professionally so that they’re set up for future success. 

Sol Lopez

Project Manager 

Sol launched her career at IntersectLA, where she gained valuable experience. She also took on freelance projects, broadening her skills. Notably, she had the opportunity to contribute her expertise to the CSUN HERE Center.

Currently, Sol thrives as a Project Manager at IntersectLA. Her genuine excitement lies in working and mentoring students.

Outside of her professional life, Sol finds joy in running along the beach, meeting new people, and embracing adventurous opportunities.