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Home / Archives for Co-Chairs

Co-Chairs

Apply to be the IAC23 Student Co-Chair

Be the IAC23 Student Co-Chair

The 2023 IAC conference (IAC) is looking for a student co-chair. This page describes the role  and responsibilities. We welcome all types of students. If after reviewing this page, you are interested in being the IAC23 Student Co-Chair please apply using the form towards the end of this page.

About IAC23

The IAC conference is the leading gathering for academics and practitioners of information architecture. Since 2000, our community of information architects, user experience designers and researchers, content strategists, and engineers have met to learn about and discuss the intentional design of rich information environments. 

A dedicated team of volunteers from the IA community, along with Kunverj, a conference planning organization, produce the is annual conference. The IAC is organized and managed by a team of co-chairs, composed of three professionals and one student. The student co-chair is expected to devote 5-8 hours per week to the IAC during the academic school year leading up to the event, and to be in attendance during the week of the pre-conference and conference. Active months are October through April.

Student Co-Chair Responsibilities

Our student co-chair program supports our community goals to:

  • foster engagement with students from diverse backgrounds 
  • promote information architecture as a discipline to students, career shifters, and emerging professionals
  • facilitate professional development to produce future leaders for the IAC and the broader practice of information architecture

The student co-chair is expected to:

  • serve as a representative of student perspectives, ensuring they are reflected in conference planning and program curation 
  • establish liaison relationships with their own and other academic programs to promote and encourage sponsorship and subsidies for student attendance to the conference
  • serve as an ambassador, encouraging student participation and welcoming students who engage with the event
  • support the overall conference by:
    • reviewing website content, supporting overall conference planning and 
    • career Center & Mentoring Directors (with Experience and Content Co-Chairs)
    • scholarship Coordinator (with Experience and Content Co-Chairs)
    • additional Student Volunteers as identified

Benefits of Participation*

  • mentorship from industry professionals
  • conference planning experience
  • networking opportunities
  • infinite IA Street Cred
  • full IAC23 conference registration fee covered
  • transportation to New Orleans including round trip economy airfare (or equivalent transportation) and hotel stay during conference

*This is a volunteer, non-compensated position. 


Our Ideal Candidate is:

  • a proactive, proven leader
  • passionate about information architecture
  • currently studying in a relevant field – We welcome applicants from a wide range of study disciplines, including traditional fields such as information architecture, user experience, library science, technical writing, and human-computer interaction, to adjacent or emergent fields such as anthropology, psychology, sociotechnologists, technical ethics/philosophy, etc. 
  • has previous service experience (clubs, organizations, non-profits)

Application/Selection Process

  • the deadline to apply is October 10th, 6pm PST. 
  • three finalists will be selected to advance and meet with the conference leadership team. Finalists will also be asked to provide at least one personal reference.
  • we will announce our 2023 Student Chair by October 19th.

How to Apply

Applications for the IAC23 Student Co-Chair have closed.

UPDATE: We have a Student Co-Chair! Meet Bill Guo

Learn More About the Conference

The theme of IAC 2023 is Change & Resilience. Much has changed in the world since our community last met in person in 2019. Every industry and organization, not to mention humanity as a whole, had to adapt to survive during the global pandemic. So it is fitting that in 2023, we will be examining how institutions and organizations, and the people who run them, deal with change, and how our capacity to manage adversity and thrive in altered circumstances determines our success. Learn more at www.theiaconference.com. 

Meet the IAC23 Co-Chairs

The IAC23 Co-Chairs and Their Priorities.

IAC23 planning is underway led by our 2023 Co-chairs:

  • Jeff Pass, Curation Chair
  • Carol Smith, Experience & Content Chair
  • To-be-named, Marketing & Sponsorship
  • Bill Guo, Student Chair

The Information Architecture conference (and Information Architecture Summit before it) has made significant contributions to the field of information architecture and many related fields and disciplines. It is one of the oldest annual  gatherings in the technology industry and, over the past 24 years, has helped launch careers, establish thought leaders, and produce volumes of work, as well as voluminous works on the field. 

As we move towards the quarter century mark gathering as a community, the IAC23 Co-chairs are committed to making our return to in-person a reminder of the importance and value of this community and its critical work. 

Important note: We are excited about holding IAC23 in New Orleans, especially after having to shift IAC20 from NOLA to virtual. We are angered and deeply concerned by Louisiana’s denial of full reproductive healthcare to Louisiana residents. In response, the IA Conference will make a strategic donation to an organization that supports, promotes, and/or provides full reproductive services to Louisiana residents.


Get to know our IAC 2023 Co-chairs!

Headshot of Jeff Pass, a middle-aged, bald, bearded white male wearing glasses, a shirt, jacket and pocket square, with a squinting smile.
Jeffrey Ryan Pass

Jeff Pass

Jeff Pass has spent the past 23 years as a federal contractor working on dozens of high profile sites including COVID.gov, COVIDtests.gov, USPS.com, HealthCare.gov, CFTC.gov, and MyHealth.VA.gov. 

Jeff served as the Diversity & Inclusion co-director for the inaugural IAC and has been an organizer/volunteer ever since. He got his start at the IA Summit in New Orleans in 2012, helped draft the original IA Summit code of conduct and has helped iteratively update it for IAC. He is excited for IA Conference to return to an in-person format.

Visit Jeff’s page to learn more…

Headshot of Carol Smith, a middle-aged, curly haired white woman, wearing glasses and a wry smile.
Carol J. Smith

Carol Smith

Carol Smith is a senior research scientist in human-machine interaction at the Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) Software Engineering Institute in the AI Division, and an adjunct instructor for CMU’s Human-Computer Interaction Institute. She leads research and development focused on making responsible AI by improving interactions with the nation’s AI systems, robotics, and other emerging technologies.

Visit Carol’s People page to learn more…

Headshot of Bill Guo, a young Asian man with straight hair, wearing glasses and dark shirt, with a gentle smile.
Bill Guo

Bill Guo

Bill Guo is an undergraduate student from Shanghai (China) finishing his senior year at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), where he studies human-computer Interaction (HCI) and learns about the significant impact of artificial intelligence on the many aspects of people’s lives and society. He believes that with growing impact comes a greater need for advancing responsible technology and reliable IA that could lead us towards a more just and equitable world.

Bill currently leads the CMU User Experience Association (UXA), a student organization dedicated to supporting students’ interest in UX academically, socially, and professionally. He is excited to create an inclusive experience for students and everyone else at IAC23.

Visit Bill’s People page to learn more…

Sponsor IAC

We’re looking for organizations who share our commitment to building and sustaining programs that drive a more inclusive industry. Learn more on the Sponsor IAC23 page or contact us directly at info@theiaconference.com for more information.

Thanks to last year’s sponsors!

Logo for sponsor Optimal Workshop
Platinum sponsor
Optimal Workshop
Logo for sponsor Factor Firm
Gold sponsor
Factor Firm
Logo for sponsor Last Call Media
Silver sponsor
Last Call Media
Logo for sponsor Design for Context
Scholarship sponsor
Design for Context

Logo for sponsor A Book Apart
In-Kind sponsor
A Book Apart
Logo for sponsor Balsamiq
In-Kind sponsor
Balsamiq
Logo for sponsor MURAL
In-Kind sponsor
MURAL
Logo for sponsor OOUX Masterclass
In-Kind sponsor
OOUX Masterclass
Logo for sponsor Rosenfeld Media
In-Kind sponsor
Rosenfeld Media

Logo for sponsor UX Camp DC
Community sponsor
UX Camp DC
Logo for sponsor World IA Day
Community sponsor
World IA Day

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