Growing up on a turkey farm in Central California isn’t the typical route to a career in graphic design, but performance and art have always come naturally to Jeannie Halverson. She got her first taste for the satisfaction design can bring when she won a rally poster design contest in high school. Later drawn to music and acting, she pursued a Theatre Arts major at UCLA, eventually earning a Bachelor of Arts in Design when the grueling travel and vagabond lifestyle of an actor lost its appeal.

Fourth in a long line of women entrepreneurs, Jeannie founded Shumate Design Associates in 1981 after working as an art director for Standard Brands Paint Company. Her clients include many non-profit organizations, corporate accounts and small businesses.

Jeannie’s strong work ethic and pursuit of perfection are well suited to running a business, and over the years, she’s built an ironclad reputation for innovative design and assured reliability. Her work has garnered several prestigious awards, among them recognition from the Printing Industry of America, Los Angeles Press Club, MarComm Creative Awards, Public Relations Society of America and Dynamic Graphics.

Jeannie’s passions include using her talents for causes that assist the less fortunate, such as Bridges of Hope in South Africa. She has dedicated a significant portion of her personal time to various ministries at Rolling Hills Covenant Church using the creative arts (acting, music, and art) to reach the un-churched.

In addition to her work at Shumate Design, Jeannie keeps busy as a principal on the Molo Creative team. She is currently turning her talents to several new projects, all of them focused in the non-profit sector. She’s a founding member of the non-profit 2Fish Foundation to benefit orphans and adoptions and the driving force behind an internet-based community resource called “The South Bay Gives Back.” She is also marketing a line of bottled water called H2OPE for Humanity, with proceeds benefiting the underprivileged in Southern California.

Jeannie’s travels have taken her to many parts of the world including Africa, Europe and the islands of Hawaii. Along the way she’s discovered a passion for paragliding and an abiding appreciation for the wines of France and Italy. One passion may never be satisfied, however, and that’s her relentless pursuit of the perfect chocolate dessert. Perfectly paired with a good cup of coffee, of course.