Cleveland Institute of Art announces Board Chair-elect; welcomes new members to Board of Directors

Image: Clockwise, from top left: August L. Fluker, Chris Hart, Jennifer van Dijk and Steve Haynes.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 19, 2025

CLEVELAND—The Cleveland Institute of Art Board of Directors recently voted to appoint August L. Fluker as its Chair-elect following a successful succession-planning process. Fluker is an experienced architect and urbanist who currently serves as Principal/Managing Member at Fluker Consulting LLC. Prior to that, he was responsible for client contact, project management, and the administration and production of projects at Cleveland-based City Architecture for 26 years.

Fluker has served on CIA's Board since 2021. He's currently chair of the Board's Governance Committee and a member of its Executive Committee. The Board will vote to appoint Fluker to a three-year term as Chair in June 2026, when current Board Chair Cynthia Prior Gascoigne's term ends.

"I am delighted by the appointment of August Fluker as Chair-elect of the CIA Board," Prior Gascoigne says. "August brings a rare combination of visionary leadership and the ability to take thoughtful approaches to the challenges facing higher education. His ability to navigate complex landscapes with clarity and purpose will be invaluable as we continue to evolve and strengthen our institution."

Representing CIA's 2025 Board cohort are new members Chris Hart, director of digital experience for the Cleveland Guardians; Steve Haynes, president, CEO and co-founder of Glengary Brain Health; and Jennifer van Dijk, president of the Boston Legacy Football Club.

Combined, their experience and diverse perspectives will help shape CIA for years to come.

"As we look to the future and aim to harness the full potential of CIA's new Interactive Media Lab, it is essential that the Board has members with the strategic thinking and skills required to oversee our institution," Prior Gascoigne says. "The wealth of perspectives from our newest directors—who come from the worlds of venture capital, digital entertainment and sports—is particularly exciting and well-aligned with our goals for CIA and the IML. I am confident their contributions will have a transformative effect on the College."

Hart oversees the Cleveland Guardians' strategy for digital fan engagement while championing human-centered design. He's a seasoned innovator focused on creatively solving business problems using an approach rooted in design methodologies and human-centered design. While his career has spanned professional sports, health care ventures, education and consumer packaged goods, he drives impact no matter the industry through a balance between vision and execution that is built from empathy for consumers and their challenges.

Haynes leads Glengary Brain Health, a Cleveland-based company focused on commercializing innovative technologies aimed at reversing neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s Disease. He has extensive experience in early-stage venture capital and has held leadership roles and been an investor, board director/observer for numerous high-growth companies. Earlier in his career, he served as General Partner at Key Equity Capital and as an investment banker at McDonald & Company. Haynes holds a Bachelor of Science in Accountancy from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio and is a Certified Public Accountant.

Van Dijk was recently appointed president of Boston Legacy FC, a women's professional soccer team that will begin play in 2026. Prior to that, she was CEO of Los Angeles-based entertainment brand Superplastic, an inventive company that blends digital animation, storytelling and pop culture to create a universe of original characters followed by more than 23 million fans. Before joining Superplastic, she served as CEO of Hoonigan, the automotive lifestyle brand behind the viral Gymkhana series. Earlier roles include senior leadership at Wasserman, WME/IMG, the NBA and the LA Clippers.

Contact

Cleveland Institute of Art
Michael C. Butz, Director of College Communications + External Relations
mcbutz@cia.edu / 216.421.7404

Cleveland Institute of Art

The Cleveland Institute of Art is a private, nonprofit college of art and design that has been the training ground for countless students who have gone on to make important contributions to the fields of creativity and innovation since it opened in 1882 as the Western Reserve School of Design for Women. Its students have designed internationally recognized products, their artwork has been exhibited in major museums and private collections around the world, and their entertainment media has been enjoyed by audiences and game players for generations. It enrolls about 550 students nationally and internationally and has a faculty of about 100 full-time and adjunct members, all of whom are practicing artists, designers and scholars.