Meet Stacy Surla, Curator of Poster Night

Backstage Blog - 2020 -

Stacy Merrill Surla

Stacy Surla is Vice President of MetaMetrics Inc., a veteran-owned, family consultancy that provides UX and evaluation services in support of a democratic and open-market world. She is an adjunct professor at the University of Maryland iSchool, was a twice-elected officer of the IA Institute, and is on the editorial board of the Journal of IA. She also pulls together Poster Night at IAC. Here are some words to introduce Stacy.

What’s been your favourite moment as an IA (so far)?

Too many to name! But becoming one with the IA community through karaoke is definitely one of my high points every year.

What made you decide to volunteer for IAC?

I was invited by Abby Covert to curate the Poster Session last year, and I found it a really fun, non-stressful, and high impact way to support the community. Apparently it’s now my ongoing gig.

What does the theme mean to you – what are you hoping to see, hear, sense or share in New Orleans?

I was raised in New Orleans during my very youngest years, and those experiences embedded a riotous abundance of semi-tropical sensation and memory into my being. I look forward to loud, crowded gatherings in high-ceilinged rooms, warm rain and the swish of rushing cars on shiny streets, and joining serious diners from all walks of life in eating amazing food in the lowest dive restaurants.

Where can people find you?

linkedin.com/in/stacysurla

Stacy Surla has created and led workshops for government, industry, and the UX community for over 20 years. Drawing on her experiences as a performance artist, UX practitioner, and teacher, Stacy helps people transform meetings into more engaging and effective ways to get work done. Recent workshops include a bootcamp-style training for Lean UX delivery managers, a team-driven workshop for integrating UX into Agile, co-planning the annual IA Academic and Practitioners Roundtable, and a workshop on designing and facilitating workshops. As with all her work, she integrates design thinking, Lean UX, and user-centered methods to put people at the heart of each effort. Stacy is Vice President of MetaMetrics Inc., an adjunct professor at the University of Maryland iSchool, and was a twice-elected officer of the Information Architecture Institute.