Thank you to outgoing JDH Chair Grace Lees-Maffei and welcome to the incoming Chair and Managing Editor

28 September, 2026

The Design History Society and Journal of Design History would like to thank outgoing Chair of the Editorial Board Prof Dr Grace Lees-Maffei on the completion of her tenure and for her stewardship of the Journal over the last five years. Despite the challenges faced by the Journal due to production backlogs as a result of the global pandemic, the rise of papermills and AI, a move towards open access and budgetary cutbacks within higher education, Grace implemented several initiatives for the Journal including reviving the DHS/JDH Translations section and the Archives, Collections and Curatorship section, redefining the role of Social Media Editor, working with the ‘new formats’ Editors to develop the Explorations section and introducing three new editorial roles: Obituaries, Explorations Managing Editor and Asia Editor. 2026 marks the end of a long association of Grace and the DHS and JDH, serving 9 years in post for the Society and 17 years in post for the Journal. We thank Grace for her dedication and commitment to the Society and Journal over the last 28 years and look forward to continuing our association with her as member of the JDH Advisory Board. 

We are pleased to welcome outgoing Managing Editor of the Journal Dr Sarah A. Lichtman as incoming Chair of the Editorial Board. A longstanding member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Design History, Sarah brings extensive editorial and academic experience to the position of Chair. Sarah earned her master’s and doctoral degrees in design history from the Bard Graduate Center and her bachelor’s degree in art history from Vassar College. She is Chair of the Department of History of Art and Design at Pratt Institute, New York, and former Dean of the School of Art and Design History and Theory at Parsons School of Design, The New School, New York. Sarah has co-edited several books and journal special issues and served as the JDH’s Book Reviews Editor and Managing Editor. As Chair, Sarah will prioritise collaboration and inclusivity and hopes to develop networks of support and mentorship for early-career researchers, both as Journal authors and peer reviewers. She intends to strengthen connections and disciplinary collaborations with other academic societies and explore new Journal formats that can engage broad audiences.

We are also pleased to welcome Dr Jane Tynan as incoming Managing Editor. Jane is Assistant Professor of Design History and Theory in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Her research on fashion and politics, sartorial uniformity, and more recently, climate and clothing, all concern the material ecologies and micro-political practices shaping fashion and clothing cultures. Waterproofing is the topic of her current NWO-funded research project, which explores the relationship between outdoor clothing design, high-carbon lifestyles, and changing perceptions of weather. Recent publications include articles in Feminist Studies (2026) and
The Politics of Uniforms (2026), and books Trench Coat (2022) and Uniform: Clothing and
Discipline in the Modern World (2019). Jane is co-editor of the book series Palgrave Studies
in Fashion and the Body and advisory board member of Fashion Theory.