Susannah Hainley

Susannah Hainley is an Adjunct Professor in the Graduate Comics Program at California College of the Arts (CCA), specializing in digital storytelling and visual design. She holds a Master’s in Food Studies from the University of the Pacific and has over 16 years of professional design experience, including roles as Senior Art Director at The New York Times’ T Brand Studio and founder of her own design consultancy. Her teaching career includes a six-year tenure at General Assembly, where she was honored as 'Distinguished Faculty' (top 1% globally) and contributed to curriculum development as Visual Design Product Advisory Board Chair.

Her research interests focus on interdisciplinary visual storytelling, particularly in non-fiction narratives exploring gender, women’s health, and food history. Her comics have been featured in major publications like The Washington Post and The New York Times. She also teaches in CCA’s BFA Comics program and offers extension courses on Food & Comics.

Notable awards include the Distinguished Faculty designation from General Assembly. Her mentorship extends beyond academia, with tutoring at the San Francisco Public Library’s FOG Readers program for grades 1–4. She resides in San Francisco with her wife, Rachel Gogel, a CCA Interaction Design educator.