Julia Welles
Senior Academic Affairs Specialists
Julia received her B.F.A from KCAI and her M.F.A from Cranbrook Academy of Art. She worked in the non-profit art organization sector and taught at the college level before joining the KCAI Admissions staff, which she has been a part of for over 15 years.
Territories: responsible for all transfer, international, and spring applicants.
Contact Information: jwelles@kcai.edu or 816-522-4705
Maret Cissner
Admissions Counselor
Maret Cissner hails from south Alabama and has been living in Kansas City since attending KCAI. She graduated from KCAI with a B.F.A in Ceramics in 2013. One of her passions is environmental sustainability in the studio and is involved with several local and national initiatives to support this cause. Her current studio practice is focused on preserving and practicing textile design and garment construction techniques. Outside of helping students find their path at KCAI, Maret is also heavily involved with organizations supporting women in our community.
Territories: Ohio, Oklahoma, Georgia, Alabama, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, D.C., Maryland, Tennessee and Arkansas
Contact Information: mcissner@kcai.edu or 816-802-3425.
August DeMarea
Admissions Counselor
August DeMarea is from the Kansas City area. He received his B.F.A .from KCAI in Illustration in 2019. As a student he developed a passion for editorial and design work, playing and experimenting between the two in an abstract manner. Now after school he pursues freelance projects and creates a variety of self-published work.
Territories: Alaska, California, Hawaii, Illinois, Kansas (Local), Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Washington
Darcy Deal
Senior Academic Affairs Specialists
First-time Freshmen Territories: St. Louis, Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan
Transfer Student Territories: Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Kentucky, Wisconsin
Contact Information: ddeal@kcai.edu or (816) 982-5344
Bo Hubbard
Admissions Counselor
Bo Hubbard is a Kansas City resident originally from Oklahoma. He received his B.F.A. from KCAI in Painting in 2016. Since graduating, he opened an artist-run event space that promotes the combination of visual and performing arts. In his own studio, he creates tufted rugs that incorporate his interest in painting and fiber arts.
Territories: Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, Missouri (Local), New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Texas (Austin & San Antonio) and Vermont
Alyx Jacobs
Admissions Counselor
Alyx Jacobs is a Kansas City transplant from Omaha, Nebraska. She received her B.F.A. in Graphic Design at the Kansas City Art institute in 2016. During her time at KCAI, alongside her design work, Alyx found a love for printmaking and quilting. Currently, Alyx combines these passions to create naturally dyed and screen-printed quilts, while also doing freelance graphic design work for local clients.
Territories: Minnesota, Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming
Contact Information: asjacobs@kcai.edu or 816-379-8868.
Karen Townsend
Vice President for Enrollment Management
With 19 years of progressive experience in admissions and recruitment, Townsend most recently served as the Director of Admissions of the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University in Boston. Prior to her work at SMFA, Karen held leadership positions at Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Maine College of Art, and the School of Visual Arts in New York. Townsend received her B.F.A. from Corcoran School of the Arts And Design | George Washington University in Washington, DC.