NEXT – meet the team

P. Faith Carmichael

Faith Carmichael is a musician, PR strategist and arts activist. She is the co-founder and Executive Director of NEXT and principal of its parent company Mustard Seed Communications. When not putting out communication fires as a global storyteller for the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, she is a working musician and avid arts activist. A four-year member of the National Black Arts Festival board, she was selected in 2014 to the Atlanta Regional Commission’s Arts Leaders of Metro Atlanta.. Carmichael is also a jazz musician and performs throughout the city as the lead vocalist for Atlanta jazz group, the Faith Carmichael Quartet. (www.faithcarmichael.com). 

Beverly Isom

Beverly Isom is a senior-level communications and public affairs consultant with over 23-years experience communications. Isom is one of the city’s leading communications consultants and has served as the campaign communications director for Georgia Congressman John Lewis and former City of Atlanta communications director during the Shirley Franklin administration. Beverly is a former journalist who was educated at the University of Missouri-School of Journalism.

Yana Lee-Fong

Yana Cooke is a graphic artist and artistic director-- creating, developing and implementing powerful brands and marketing campaigns for several Fortune 500 companies. For several years she served as artistic director and a creative force for many artists and entities in the music industry. A lifelong patron of the arts, Yana and her company are the driving force behind several local art galleries and visual artists.  As if that weren’t enough, she is also the matermind behind local the culinary powerhouses, Epicurean Cafe and 1494 Underground Supper Club. www.articalagency.com

Mike Robinson

Michael Robinson is CEO of Ion Communications, an international multi-media marketing and design firm www.thenucleus.co. A formally trained sculptor, he is also an award-winning writer and an illustrator of children's books. For over a decade, Michael's art has been exhibited in Jamaica, Aruba, Curacao and Japan. As a writer, he has received national awards as well as the Caribbean Media Award. As an illustrator, he has several titles under his belt, including the critically acclaimed Little Lion series created by himself and the title's author. For the man who considers himself an "imagesmith", design is always fulfilling, whether the tool at hand is a chisel, a pencil or a keyboard. www.ioncommunications.co