Kopec, George
Assistant Professor
216-987-2380
Department: Visual Communication
Office Location: Eastern Campus, EEC 215
Education: BFA, University of Akron
M.S., Cleveland State University
M.A., Savannah College of Art and Design
About: George Kopec is an assistant professor in the Visual Communication and Design department and lead faculty of Tri-C's Illustration program. He has a Master of Arts in Illustration (Savannah College of Art & Design), a Master of Education (Cleveland State University), and a BFA in Graphic Design (University of Akron). He has been teaching at Tri-C since 2011, and his focus has always been to provide students practical skills in a positive learning environment. Prior to teaching at Tri-C, his professional experience includes designing and creating media for the Cleveland Museum of Natural History's educational outreach program, technical writing in various IT and manufacturing industries, and news reporting. He has had a lifelong interest in art, especially figure drawing and portraiture. George Kopec also holds an associate degree in electrical engineering from Kent State University and is a proud graduate of Tri-C's Visual Communication and Design program.
Levin, Daniel
Associate Professor
216-987-5275
Department: Visual Communication
Office Location: Western Campus, WLA B238
Education: BFA, Rochester Institute of Technology
MFA, Vermont College of Fine Art
About:
Daniel Levin is an author, contemporary artist, documentarian, filmmaker, and educator whose visual and written works primarily address his societal interests.
Levin is a member of the advisory board of Tri-C's Mandel Leadership program, where he has taught several Mandel Scholars courses. He is a member of Tri-C’s Speakers Bureau. He was the recipient of Tri-C’s Ralph M. Besse Excellence in Teaching Award and the League for Innovation in the Community College's Innovation of the Year Award.
Levin has an extensive national exhibition resume. His book Violins and Hope | From the Holocaust to Symphony Hall was the winner of the Independent Publishers’ Book Award Gold for History – Coffee Table Scale, as well as a finalist for the Foreword National Book of the Year Award for Photography.
His photographic exhibition of the same name was shown along with the actual Tel Aviv-based violins of Violins of Hope for two months in New York’s venerable Herbert & Eileen Bernard Museum of Judaica, located within Temple Emanu-El — the largest synagogue in Manhattan. The exhibition has been shown in San Francisco, Pittsburgh, Memphis, Cleveland and Phoenix. Exhibitions are upcoming in Detroit and Minneapolis. He speaks throughout the U.S. and abroad on a variety of topics relating to his art practice. In June of 2024, Levin was a guest lecturer in Tokyo, where he gave a talk on Violins and Hope | From the Holocaust to Symphony Hall.
Levin has been commissioned to create photographic portraits of luminaries, including architect I.M. Pei, violinist Joshua Bell, Barbara Bush and President George H. W. Bush, Gov. Mario Cuomo, Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, boxer George Foreman, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Colin Powell, astronaut Sen. John Glenn and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
Meola, Suzanne
Assistant Professor
216-987-2378
Department: Visual Communication
Office Location: Eastern Campus, EEC 140
Education: BFA, University of Akron
M.A., Kent State University
Morgenstein, Sarah
Assistant Professor
216-987-5713
Department: Visual Communication
Office Location: Western Campus, WLA B148
Education: AAB, Cuyahoga Community College
B.S., Cleveland State University
MSc, Kent State University
Mun, Seong-Ae
Associate Professor
216-987-5098
Department: Visual Communication
Office Location: Western Campus, B226
Education: BFA, Ewha Womans University in Seoul, Korea
MFA, Rhode Island School of Design
About: Seong-Ae Mun is the faculty coordinator of the Visual Communication and Design department at the Western Campus. She received the Besse Award for Teaching Excellence in 2015. Before taking up her tenure at Tri-C, she taught at Shoreline Community College in Seattle (the graduate school of Seoul University), Duksung University and Kunkook University. She has also offered classes at the now-closed Notre Dame College in Cleveland and freelances on various design projects, including infographics for the Open Source Electronic Health Record Alliance, the Tri-C College Catalog, the International Foundation of Ewha University Project and League of Innovation Publications.
Typography and page layout are her special interests, and she offers international collaboration projects with the design department at the Korea National University of Transportation. Two books written and designed by Mun were selected for the University of Washington's rare book collection.
Wayne, Jonathan
Associate Professor
Department: Visual Communication
Office Location: Western Campus, WBT C220
Education: BFA, Cleveland Institute of Art
MFA, Maine College of Arts
Whetsel, William
Assistant Professor
216-987-2374
Department: Visual Communication
Office Location: Eastern Campus, EMHC 137
Education: BFA, University of Cincinnati