Meet our team of dedicated professionals leading the way for advancements in the sign industry.
Sarah Wexler | Chair
Sarah Wexler is a recognized retail design leader and corporate retail executive. She is a passionate leader and strategic problem solver who balances vision with reality. Sarah is the Senior Director of Global Store Design for Foot Locker, overseeing store design, new concept design, global guidelines & standards, and regional implementation for the Foot Locker family of brands. In this role, she leads global storefront signage & branding initiatives to institute a globally consistent program for the Foot Locker brand.
Prior to Foot Locker, Sarah led global store design for Under Armour, where she led the effort to establish brand consistency and recognition globally by developing branding & signage principles and guidelines across both retail & wholesale channels.
Sarah understands how to navigate the intricacies of signage regulations in the multitude of spaces represented by her brands– whether on city streets, in shopping & outlet malls, and in shop-in-shop environments – to provide clarity on best practices and effectiveness, ensuring both design intent and quality are maintained across the variety of sign types.
Sarah graduated from the University of Michigan’s Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning with a degree in Architecture, and is a LEED Accredited Professional. She spent the first decade of her career at architecture firms working on projects ranging from national retail rollouts to large scale commercial retail, lifestyle centers, hospitality, workplace, and multi-family. Her experience also included regularly working with and presenting to zoning & planning boards throughout the East Coast, with a focus on signage ordinances.
Max Fulton | Secretary/Treasurer
Max Fulton focuses on driving positive change to unlock human potential. Mr. Fulton is currently a Senior Director at Alvarez & Marsal. He focuses on Interim CFO roles and leads the CFO Services Training Committee.
Mr. Fulton was previously the CEO of Gordon Sign Company and Radio360. Prior to this, Max built his career helping troubled companies navigate restructuring or bankruptcy processes. By assuming interim operational roles within struggling companies, Max was instrumental in increasing value, which led to several successful emergences or acquisitions. He has visualized the future of companies and potential investments during critical stages of the business cycle and operated business from start-ups to 100 year old entities. Mr. Fulton started his career with PriceWaterhouseCoopers in consulting and later joined Alvarez & Marsal, where he developed his operational experience.
Mr. Fulton has significant experience leading organizations and implementing change. He also has experience developing negotiation strategies, financial forecasts, performance improvement plans, operational restructuring, offering memorandums, simplification plans, strategic alternatives and business plans. He continually surrounds himself with successful people and enjoys leading and contributing to high-performing teams.
Mr. Fulton received a bachelor’s degree in finance and marketing from the University of Denver (DU). He received the Pioneer Award while attending DU for his leadership and making a significant contribution to the campus community. He holds two patents (one pending). He has held the following designations: Certified Distressed Business Valuation (CDBV), Certified Turnaround Professional (CTP) and Certified Insolvency and Restructuring Advisor (CIRA). He serves on the Mountain Goat Kids board and has helped Sacred Heart House, Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, Denver Founder’s Network, Junior Achievement, Habitat for Humanity and Food Bank of the Rockies. Recently, Mr. Fulton has developed exercise and fitness products for kids (XtremeStax) primarily used in physical education classes. Mr. Fulton has also served as a RAD Ambassador since 2013, exemplifying how people can remain more active though RAD’s self-myofascial release products and educational platform.
Stacey Brown
Stacey Brown is a visual communication and visual branding expert providing powerful solutions to help her clients build their brand and increase customer engagement. She is the owner of Signarama Silver Spring since 2010 and, in late 2018, opened a new location, Signarama DC North. Signarama Silver Spring is a full-service signage company delivering powerful marketing tools to help businesses promote their brand. What makes her different from other sign companies is that she focuses on the organization’s business and marketing objectives first and then utilizes that information to provide optimal signage solutions. She was recently featured in the October 2020 issue of Signs of the Times highlighting her full-service marketing approach.
Stacey has over 20 years of experience in project management, business operations and marketing, which she leverages to provide her clients with a consultative and holistic approach to visual communication and branding. She has a BS in Marketing from Rutgers College and an MBA from The University of Maryland. She is also a certified PMP (Project Management Professional) and holds the Certified Apartment Supplier Credential (CAS) from the National Apartment Association. She is currently an adjunct professor at Prince George’s Community College Center for Entrepreneurial Development where she teaches about visual branding strategies and solutions.
She is very involved in her local business community. She is a member of the Maryland Black Chamber of Commerce, Greater Silver Spring Chamber of Commerce and Montgomery County Small Business Association. She currently serves on the Purple Line Transit Community Advisory Team and served as the Chair of the Economic Development Committee of the Silver Spring Citizens Advisory Board. She received the 2018 Top 100 Minority Business Enterprises Award and the 2019 Employer Champion Award from Cornerstone Montgomery, a non-profit behavioral health services organization.
Elizabeth (Liz) Griswold
Liz Griswold is a seasoned leader, practitioner, and passionate advocate for Experiential Design. She is the Special Projects Director for SEGD, overseeing a diverse portfolio of key projects and initiatives for the organization. Before joining SEGD, Liz held pivotal roles leading Experiential Design markets at two A/E firms, earning a total of 28 design awards throughout her tenure at each firm.
Committed to advancing the experience design industry, volunteer efforts include: SEGD Raleigh Chapter co-founder and co-chair 2017 – 2022; SEGD Emerging Experiential Professionals co-chair 2019 – 2022; SEGD Member 2005 – 2022; SRF Research Committee Member 2018 and 2019; AIA accredited session development and presenter; EDRA 2019 co-presenter; SMPS Communications Committee member 2016 – 2017; and a guest speaker, mentor and portfolio reviewer for various events and organizations.
Liz Griswold earned her B.S. in Graphic Arts from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications of Syracuse University, with a minor in English and a concentration in Public Relations. She was honored with the 2022 SEGD Chapter Chair Award and in 2024, she became a Board of Trustee for the Sign Research Foundation.
Manish (MJ) Jaisinghani
MJ is an accomplished and multi-faceted veteran of the branding industry. His career has spanned more than 17 years with a variety of executive-level responsibilities within manufacturing, operations, design, engineering, sales, and sourcing at various national organizations.
In his new role, MJ will lead Design Development and Global Sourcing for AGI, one of the largest branding firms in the US. His global travels encompass researching viable sourcing partners for a complete branding solution. MJ is passionate about building long-lasting relationships with people and organizations. He has lived in Mexico City for several years, during which time he led teams for a 2000-plus telecom store rebranding project that spanned signage, graphics, and furniture/millwork, along with light GC work.
MJ has a Master’s in Operations Management from Texas A&M and an undergraduate in Industrial Engineering from the University of Bombay. He is certified in Six Sigma and Kaizen and is very accomplished in leading continuous improvement across organizations.
MJ loves to hike, travel, and read. He has two beautiful kids – son Rohan, an undergraduate at Northwestern (Chicago); and daughter Rhea, pursuing a Master's in Statistics at Columbia (NY). He resides in Nashville with his loving wife, Aarti, and Pablo the Pug.
Brenda Velázquez
Brenda is the CEO of Future Sign Company. Her purpose for serving on the SRF Board of Trustees is to collaborate and bring ideas to the table that may assist the sign industry. With 20-years of experience in the sign industry and trust from local and national partners, she is open and available to talk about what she's learned and is still learning. Success stories are great, and Brenda has many to share. However, the chaos, lessons learned, code changes, and tough situations throughout the years are where she has grown the most. These experiences combined have given Brenda and her team the ability to share much needed creative ideas.
Sapna Budev | Executive Director
Sapna Budev works with the Board of Trustees to establish vision and direction for the Foundation.
She establishes and oversees program, financial, and operational goals; guides the creation and implementation of the strategic plan, and represents the Foundation before key constituencies. She works closely with academics at Tier 1 universities to manage the research pipeline and enable academic research.
Ms. Budev previously served as the Director of Strategic Initiatives for the International Sign Association (ISA). Her interest in academic research was launched where she partnered with the Sign Research Foundation to spearhead the 2013 joint publication of the Urban Wayfinding Planning and Implementation Manual. This research produced a series of webinars and workshops which educated over 2,000 planners and downtown managers on the concepts surrounding complex wayfinding systems and projects.
Ms. Budev has published numerous articles and spoken around the world on the global sign industry, international commerce, integrated design and sustainability. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in International Studies and Political Science from Miami University and has worked in business development and strategic operations for more than 15 years with top technology companies and nonprofits, such as Compaq Computers, Hewlett-Packard, Trilogy Software, and RosettaNet. She lives with her husband, son and rescue black lab in Washington DC.
Michel Williams | Senior Manager, Programs
Michel Williams is a dedicated Project Manager and mother originally from California. After living in Virginia for 10 years, she settled down in Georgia with her two children.
She honed her administrative skills while working as an Office Manager and Executive Assistant for the International Sign Association (ISA) from 2008 to 2012. After taking time off to start a family, Michel returned to the workforce doing medical billing for four years. In 2020, she came back to ISA, also working extensively with their partner organization the Sign Research Foundation (SRF).
As a Project Manager, Michel leverages her keen organizational abilities, eye for detail, and knack for data to streamline processes and implement new technologies.
Outside of work, Michel cherishes time with her family, including her two children and three dogs. She enjoys the outdoors and getting back to the beach whenever she can. She continually strives for work-life balance, dedicating time to both her flourishing career and quality time with her children.
