Say you are tasked with designing a billboard. A standard billboard that you might see on an interstate is 14 feet high by 48 feet wide. That’s massive, but it’s honestly just a really, really big rectangle.

Now take that assignment and crank it up exponentially. You’re designing a billboard for Times Square. It’s a vertically oriented rectangle, but it’s 10,000 square feet and positioned on a curve. It’s actually on a building exterior, so not only do you have to deal with odd angles, but also you have to account for more than 25 office windows—little black squares—interrupting your design.

It’s a challenge few will face, but Melinda Posey’s students do. Every January, her graphic art students create a billboard for the Nasdaq billboard on Times Square for the United Nations Sustainable Stock Exchanges. The billboard is released for International Women’s Day in March.

“For perspective, the project is the equivalent of a $2-million-dollar ad buy,” said Posey.

These are the kinds of career-making projects Posey brings to CBU through the many connections she has cultivated over the years. Her students get instruction and experience through “doing,” a technique with big payoffs when they prepare to enter the job market.

“The opportunities Professor Posey brings to CBU and her classes are life-changing for many of our current students,” says Nick Pena, Interim Associate Dean and fellow Visual Arts faculty. “She’s a skilled instructor who allows students the freedom and safety to explore. Plus, students benefit greatly from observing and connecting with a successful, working designer.”

The eldest daughter of a high school football coach / middle-school math teacher, and a kindergarten teacher, Posey had no plans to become an educator, but in true teacher’s kid fashion, life had other destinations.

After completing a Master of Fine Arts in Studio Art from Memphis College of Art, she joined the faculty of her undergraduate alma mater, Union University, in Jackson, Tenn., as a professor teaching graphic design and photography.

She grew that program exponentially during her tenure, earning the No. 1 ranking for graphic design and No. 2 ranking for photography in national rankings for Christian colleges and universities.

Posey’s instincts—“My heart was always in Memphis,” she says—brought her to her current role at Christian Brothers University as a graphic design professor in the Department of Visual & Performing Arts.

“I love it,” Posey says of CBU. “It is a wonderful place to work. I especially appreciate the atmosphere, support, and camaraderie among faculty.”

Posey’s many artistic talents, paired with her warmth and willingness to explore new projects, have resulted in a plethora of real-world opportunities for students.

“There’s always a client right up the road. Why make up a problem for my classroom space when there is something real to solve,” she says. “There is an English department that needs a literacy journal. There is a nonprofit client that just needs a helping hand with social media. A real project will always get an employer’s attention in a portfolio compared to a fake scenario.”

As a result, her students manage projects from start to finish. They problem-solve and participate in the back-and-forth that occurs between agency and client. They work through issues and identify answers. That’s the kind of preparation that builds portfolios and puts job candidates on a prospective employer’s shortlist.

Current projects include graphic design work and internships with the United Nations (an ongoing partnership Posey brought with her to CBU), design needs for CBU programs, Study Tennessee, and various partnerships across Shelby County.

“I believe that connections and partnerships will shape our CBU Visual Arts program into an exceptional place to grow as a professional,” says Posey. “CBU does a wonderful job creating spaces for our students to thrive in Memphis. We hope to be an incubator that helps our city’s creative community grow and diversify.”

On the horizon, Posey is preparing for the Nov. 12, 2024, ribbon-cutting ceremony for CBU’s new Innovation Lab, which will feature large-format and 3-D printing (filament and resin), vinyl cutters, a laser cutter, and brainstorming space.

“The sky’s the limit,” Posey says. “Once you open up more tools, it creates more opportunities for these students to push design from prototype to reality.”

Professor Posey’s office is in the Rosa Deal School of the Arts.