BROOKLYN, N.Y., June 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Prominently featured in The Inner Circle, Forest Young is acknowledged as a Pinnacle Professional Member Inner Circle of Excellence for his contributions to Advancing Creative Leadership in a Changing Digital Landscape.

Forest Young is the founder of Young Studio, a design, storytelling and strategy practice serving new economy companies and select cultural projects. He is a Senior Critic at the Yale School of Art and Global Design and AI Resident at Wolff Olins. His career has moved between the world’s most significant design partnerships and the companies redefining their categories, placing him at the intersection of creative practice, business strategy, and emerging technology.

Mr. Young was raised between Cambridge, Massachusetts and points across the country, the son of a Dartmouth Reynolds Scholar who served under Vernon Jordan at the National Urban League, and an educator who contributed to MIT and Atari’s pioneering computing research alongside Cynthia Solomon and Margaret Minsky. By age five, he had self-published his first illustrated book series. By eighteen, he was a varsity football captain, AP Art scholar, and senior class president. He studied Human Development at Cornell University before choosing Yale’s MFA in Graphic Design over Juilliard’s theater program, a fork in the road decided when his chaise lounge design was exhibited at NeoCon alongside Vitra and Knoll.

At Yale, he studied under Sheila Levrant de Bretteville, Karel Martens, Mevis & van Deursen and Irma Boom, alongside future MacArthur Fellows Tavares Strachan and Titus Kaphar. He was awarded the Mark Whistler Memorial Prize as the most inspirational member of his graduating class.

His professional record reads as a sequence of consequential commissions. At Interbrand, he led the design of Paper Prison for the Mandela 95 Initiative, honored with a Cannes Lion, an ADC Black Cube, a One Show Gold Pencil, and an AIGA Case. He was recruited by Allison Johnson, Apple’s former Global Marketing Officer, to help build the consultancy West, working with founders including Jack Dorsey, Sean Parker, and Patrick Brown. At Wolff Olins, he rose from Head of Design to become the first and only Chief Creative Officer in the firm’s sixty-year history. He led the Uber brand transformation, a 10-month global engagement launched in September 2018 that repositioned the company during a critical pre-IPO inflection point. The engagement spanned a period in which Uber’s proposed valuation reached as high as $120 billion, nearly double its prior private valuation, and it became the largest account across all Wolff Olins offices, contributing to the firm’s recognition by Fast Company as the World’s Most Innovative for Design.

In 2021, Mr. Young joined Rivian as Global Head of Brand, leading a 172-person organization and reported directly to CEO R.J. Scaringe. He led the brand narrative and NASDAQ Times Square activation for Rivian’s $11.9 billion IPO, the sixth-largest in the history of U.S. stock exchanges. In 2025, he returned to Wolff Olins as Global Design and AI Resident, where he is examining the relationship between authorship, automation, and the role of the designer in an era defined by generative systems.

Mr. Young’s work has been received across museums, juries, and cultural institutions. He has been nominated for the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award, named to the Eames Institute’s Curious 100 (the institute’s annual index of the 100 thinkers, makers, and practitioners shaping how curiosity is applied to the world), and invited by Paola Antonelli into MoMA’s landmark exhibition Talk to Me. His collaboration with MacArthur Fellow Titus Kaphar and Reginald Dwayne Betts on Redaction at MoMA PS1 produced an open-source typeface and a catalog published by Gagosian. His work has been exhibited at MoMA, the Royal College of Art, and the Yale University Art Gallery.

Young Studio, which he has owned and operated since 2000, runs a value-priced talent guild model and is simultaneously white-labeled under the world’s most ambitious programs. He serves as fractional Chief Brand Officer at the cybersecurity firm Mimecast. He has taught at Yale for over a decade and previously created the first Future Design course at California College of the Arts. He is a contributing author to The Black Experience in Design and Willi Smith: Street Couture, and his work is featured in Strikethrough: Typographic Messages of Protest. He has written for Fast Company, Source Type, TechCrunch, and Creative Review.

He is a founding advisor to MillerKnoll’s Diversity in Design Collaborative and previously served on the Board of Directors of AIGA NY. His current focus is the mentorship of younger designers in a time of unprecedented change. He teaches meditation. His line: Design is a desire path.

Contact:
Katherine Green
516-825-5634
editorialteam@continentalwhoswho.com

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SOURCE The Inner Circle

Executive board members for the Maryland non-profit recognized

COLUMBIA, Md., June 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Institute for Women Entrepreneur Excellence, Inc.(IWEE), a Maryland non-profit dedicated to empowering and advancing women entrepreneurs across the state, announces the appointment the 2026-2027 board of directors’ executive officers. The newly elected leadership supports the organization’s commitment to strategic transformation, growth and innovation.

“I am excited to work with the board and elected executive officers to advance our mission of removing barriers for entrepreneurs and expanding opportunities for scalable growth across the ecosystem,” said Teresa Payne-Nunn, interim executive director of IWEE. “Together, this talented group brings the expertise and perspective needed to drive meaningful change and help more entrepreneurs succeed.”

IWEE is an organization that dedicates its resources to empower women entrepreneurs through cohort-style programming, workshops, access to capital and ecosystem engagement. By addressing the specific challenges women face in an entrepreneurial ecosystem, IWEE fosters scalable and sustainable growth opportunities for women-led businesses.

The organization’s new executive officers include:

Chair – Arti Santhanam, , Applied Neurons.Vice Chair – Treava Hopkins-Laboy, EEO Services LLC.Secretary – Erica Anthony, Morgan State University.Treasurer – Ann-Marie Waterman, Coppin State University.

“I am honored to serve as board chair for the Institute for Women Entrepreneur Excellence,” said Santhanam. “As IWEE continues to expand its reach and impact, I look forward to working with my fellow board members to strengthen the organization’s foundation, support its strategic priorities, and help ensure more entrepreneurs have access to the resources and opportunities they need to succeed.”

The IWEE board currently consists of 9 members, many of whom have served on the board since the organization’s inception in 2022. IWEE was established in collaboration with four of Maryland’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), including Bowie State University, University of Maryland, Eastern Shore, Morgan State University and Coppin State University. Each institution provides a professional to serve on the board, aiding in programmatic advisement and implementation.

“The next chapter of the Institute for Women Entrepreneur Excellence will build on the organization’s momentum, expanding access to critical resources and opportunities for entrepreneurs across Maryland while fostering a more vibrant and sustainable innovation ecosystem,” said Tammi Thomas, president, TEDCO.

A full list of the IWEE board members includes chair Santhanam, Applied Neurons; vice chair Hopkins-Laboy, EEO Services LLC; secretary Anthony, Morgan State University; treasurer Waterman, Coppin State University; Allison Alexander, The Marathon Fund; Pamela Allison, University of Maryland, Eastern Shore; Johnetta Boseman Hardy, Bowie State University; Farrah Holder, Blue Fire Equity; and Troy LeMaile-Stovall, TEDCO.

About TEDCO

TEDCO, the Maryland Technology Development Corporation, enhances economic empowerment growth through the fostering of an inclusive entrepreneurial innovation ecosystem. TEDCO identifies, invests in, and helps grow technology and life science-based companies in Maryland. Learn more at www.tedcomd.com.

Media Contact

Direna Cousins, Vice President, Marketing, TEDCO dcousins@tedcomd.com
Rachael Kalinyak, Associate Director, Marketing & Communications, TEDCO, rkalinyak@tedcomd.com 

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SOURCE TEDCO

Strategic expansion enhances trenchless infrastructure capabilities across key regional markets

HOUSTON, June 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Vortex Companies (Vortex), a global leader in trenchless infrastructure solutions, today announced the acquisition of Municipal Pipe Tool Company LLC (MPT), a well-established provider of sewer maintenance and rehabilitation services headquartered in Hudson, Iowa.

The acquisition marks another step in Vortex’s strategic expansion across the Midwest, leveraging MPT’s strong regional presence and trusted customer partnerships throughout Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, North Dakota, and South Dakota.

Originally founded in 1967 as a supplier of sewer components and cleaning services, MPT has grown into a comprehensive trenchless rehabilitation contractor. Over the decades, the company has built a reputation for reliability, technical expertise, and long-term customer partnerships. As an early licensee of CIPP Corp.—a Vortex-owned company—MPT has maintained a longstanding relationship with Vortex, making the integration a natural next step.

“MPT has a long track record of delivering dependable, high-quality work in the communities it serves,” said Mike Vellano, Chief Executive Officer of Vortex Companies. “Bringing their team into Vortex allows us to build on that legacy while accelerating our ability to serve municipalities and industrial clients throughout the Midwest.”

Mark Kaler, who has led MPT since acquiring the business from its founders, will remain along with the rest of the existing operations team. “Key to a successful ownership transition is our management team’s continued role in day-to-day operations” said Kaler. “Our history with Vortex, particularly through CIPP Corp., has shown us the value of collaboration and shared expertise. Joining forces allows us to expand what we can offer our customers while staying true to the principles that have guided MPT for decades.”

Vortex leadership emphasized the strong alignment between the two organizations, particularly in their shared focus on safety, quality, and execution.

“MPT’s team brings deep regional knowledge and a commitment to excellence that mirrors our own,” said Ryan Graham, Chief Operating Officer of Vortex Companies. “As demand for trenchless rehabilitation continues to grow, this partnership positions us to respond with greater scale and capability.”

About Municipal Pipe Tool Company LLC (MPT)

Municipal Pipe Tool Company LLC, based in Hudson, Iowa, provides sewer maintenance and rehabilitation services to municipalities and industrial clients throughout the Midwest. Since 1967, the company has supported infrastructure longevity through proactive solutions designed to improve system performance and environmental protection. MPT is a founding member of CIPP Corp., one of the largest cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) installation networks in North America. The company operates with a strong commitment to safety, teamwork, accountability, and results-driven service. For more details, visit www.munipipe.com.

About Vortex Companies

Vortex Companies is a global leader in trenchless water and sewer infrastructure solutions, delivering advanced technologies and turnkey services for the rehabilitation, replacement, and protection of critical infrastructure assets. Operating across 50, locations worldwide, Vortex specializes in pipe, manhole and structure rehabilitation, the development and manufacture of CIPP liners, geopolymer and hybrid mortars, polymeric coatings, resins, grouts, UV curing technology, sewer robotics, and high-speed drain cleaning tools. With a focus on innovation, quality, and customer partnership, Vortex serves municipal, industrial, and commercial markets worldwide. For more information, visit www.vortexcompanies.com.

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SOURCE Vortex Companies