Joanne Arbuckle

Member Emeritus
Joanne served as a deputy to the president for Industry Partnerships and Collaborative Programs at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) until her retirement from the college in January 2022. As the liaison between the president, the college, and outside organizations, she develops and expanded partnerships and collaborations nationally and globally for the college. She worked closely with the executive director of the FIT Design and Tech Lab to integrate the work of the lab with the schools and other divisions of the college. Arbuckle co-chaired President Brown’s Workforce of the Future Committee and served on the Workforce Development Advisory Board of AFFOA. Her experience as a creative director, business owner, educator, and higher education administrator, provides her with a comprehensive background in the development and implementation of educational programs.

Joanne served as dean of the School of Art and Design for over a decade. The school enrolls 4,000 students, has a faculty of 537 full-time and adjunct professors and instructors, and offers 17 majors. As dean, she was responsible for all school operations, departmental development, special programs, fundraising, student enrichment initiatives, and faculty recruitment. She was a member of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Schools of Art & Design and served the association as a visiting evaluator on accreditation. She twice served as acting dean of the FIT School of Graduate Studies and is a tenured professor of fashion design at FIT.

An industry professional with more than 30 years of experience, Joanne worked as a designer and merchandiser before becoming president of the fashion industry consulting firm Design Integrity. She has served as a consultant and industry expert witness for law firms on matters concerning the industry and has participated in interviews for numerous media reports on subjects pertaining to fashion and fashion education.