Biography
Susan Mango Curtis is considered a visual journalism leader, creative thinker with expertise in strategic planning product management in digital and print, teaches digital storytelling and graphic design, specializing in immersive storytelling. A dedicated educator, provided students with the capability to effectively find, interpret, evaluate, recognize, use, create and appreciate visuals—a champion of visual thinking throughout her design career. Enthusiastically seeing the potential for digital news delivery, an early adapter of digital publishing on mobile phones, tablets and recognized as an Adobe Education Leader, official Northwestern campus Adobe creative representative. Beta software tester for Scroll Motion Ingage app and Adobe; Spark, Premiere Rush, DPS, Dimensions, Animate, Character Animator, Photoshop iPad, Lightroom mobile, Capture mobile apps. A former president of Society of News Design and the driving force behind developing the first SND Design Code of Ethics, used by visual journalists worldwide, and 2019 recipient of SND Lifetime Achievement Award. Formerly, assistant managing editor for the Akron (Ohio) Beacon Journal, leading a total redesign in 1991, winning numerous awards for the visual look and organization. She was part of the team that won the Pulitzer Prize gold medal for a series titled “The Question of Color”. She operates a design consulting business in the United States and abroad and frequently lectures on design for various universities and newspaper societies. A founding member of National Association of Black Journalists Visual Task Force and NABJ Journalism Educator of the Year 2020 and VTF 2021 Legacy Award―recognizing her visual communication career and continued support of young journalists.
Northwestern University, Medill School of Journalism
Professor Emeritus, Digital Literacy & Creative Storytelling August 30, 2021
Professor, Digital Literacy & Creative Storytelling 2020 to 2021
Associate Professor, Digital Storytelling & Design Strategists 2015-2020
Assistant professor, Visual Journalism 1997-2015
mangocurtis@northwestern.edu