Joel Golombeck is a co-founder of A Thing Design, the website development firm that built this website. He is a designer and illustrator with many years of experience working in web and digital platforms. His clients span a wide range of industries and organizations such as publishing houses, jewelry designers, photography retailers, medical professionals, investment firms, as well as individual artists and poets. He holds an MFA in Design and Technology from the Parsons School of Design and a BS in Studio Art from NYU.  Golombeck's grandfather, born in Belgium, received a precious visa from Aristides de Sousa Mendes in 1940, and was able to escape Nazi-occupied Europe via Portugal to the United States.