ARTIST

Hank Willis Thomas lives and works in Brooklyn, NY as a conceptual artist working primarily with themes related to perspective, identity, commodity, media, and popular culture. His work has been exhibited throughout the United States and abroad including the International Center of Photography, Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, Musée du quai Branly, Hong Kong Arts Centre and the Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art.

INVESTIGATOR

Daniel J. Jones is the founder and president of Advance Democracy, Inc. (ADI), a nonpartisan, non-profit organization that conducts public interest investigations around the world that promote accountability, transparency, and good governance. Jones is also President of the Penn Quarter Group, and has spent more than a decade leading, managing, and participating in complex investigations for the U.S. Senate and F.B.I. As a staff member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Mr. Jones led the investigation for the “Senate Torture Report,” one of the most extensive reviews of U.S. intelligence.

CURATOR

Isolde Brielmaier is the Deputy Director of the New Museum, Guest Curator at the ICP in NYC, and formerly the Executive Director and Curator of Arts at Westfield World Trade Center. An Associate Professor at NYU's Tisch, she's also Editor at Large at Air Mail and has collaborated with artists like Carrie Mae Weems and Wangechi Mutu. Author of 'I am Sparkling' (2022), she has worked with institutions like the Guggenheim and is deeply involved in social justice initiatives, including the Women’s Prison Association. Holding a PhD from Columbia University, Isolde lives in NYC.

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY

Katherine Harris Pomerantz is the Director of Photography at TIME. Prior to joining TIME in 2017, she had been Director of Photography at Newsweek and was the founding photo lead at The Daily Beast. She has also worked in various creative roles at Magnum Photos, Airbnbmag, and ABC News.

EXPERIENCE DESIGNER

Barton is Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Local Projects, an experience design firm that creates groundbreaking museums and public spaces. Credits include landmark projects like the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, Greenwood Rising Black Wall Street History Center, The Cooper-Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum, StoryCorps and Planet Word, the Museum of Language Arts. Local Projects has won every major award, including the National Design Award, Cannes Lions; Jake's TED Talk has over one million views and he is on Fast Company Magazine’s list of top fifty designers, and is an Emerson Collective Climate Fellow.

CURATOR

Nancy Spector is widely recognized as one of the leading curators of her generation, known primarily for her 34 years at the Guggenheim. With an expertise in contemporary art, she is renowned for championing living artists, working to realize their respective visions in numerous paradigm-shattering exhibitions and accompanying scholarly catalogues. As the Guggenheim Museum’s first Artistic Director and Chief Curator, Spector played a cardinal role in conceptualizing and overseeing the creative programming for the institution and its affiliates around the world.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ADVANCEMENT PROJECT

Judith Browne Dianis is a preeminent civil rights advocate and lawyer, currently leading the Advancement Project National Office in efforts to combat structural racism in various social sectors including education and voting. Recognized as a voting rights expert, she initiated the organization's Voter Protection program in 2000 and has been instrumental in major legal and advocacy campaigns against voter suppression and the school-to-prison pipeline. Dianis, a Columbia Law School graduate, has received numerous accolades for her work, including a Prime Movers Fellowship and being named one of Essence magazine's "Thirty Women to Watch."

ARTIST

Fairey is an American contemporary street artist, graphic designer, activist, illustrator and founder of OBEY Clothing. He first became known for his “Andre the Giant Has a Posse” (…OBEY…) sticker campaign while attending the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). He became widely known during the 2008 U.S. presidential election for his Barack Obama “Hope” poster. The Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston has described him as one of the best known and most influential street artists.

DIRECTOR OF VISUALS

Whitney Johnson Latorre joined National Geographic in 2015 as the magazine’s deputy director of photography and served the Director of Visual and Immersive until June 2023, overseeing photography, video, Instagram, and podcast teams. From 2007 to 2015, Whitney was on the staff of The New Yorker, first as a picture editor and later as the director of photography. Prior to joining the magazine, Whitney worked at the Open Society Foundations, where she managed an international grant competition and curated an exhibition of documentary photography.

PHOTO EDITOR

Kaya Lee Berne is a photo editor at Time magazine. Prior work includes her tenure with National Geographic where she specialized in wildlife photography and played a key role in the maps and graphics department, earning gold Malofiej and silver SND awards for her innovative content. She's collaborated with celebrated photographers, managed critical archives, and freelanced for esteemed outlets like Burn Magazine and The New York Times magazine. Kaya lead the final year of LOOK3, Festival of the Photograph.

SENIOR PROGRAM OFFICER, NGS

David Y. Lee supports National Geographic's grant-making programs and spearheads initiatives in storytelling, leading a global portfolio of Storytelling Explorers that continue the organization's rich legacy of illustrating and protecting the wonders of our world. With over a decade of experience, he's left an indelible mark on visual storytelling. Based in Washington, D.C., David has captured significant moments for Time, Newsweek, and served as the official photographer for Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. His collaborations with entities like the Public Welfare Foundation and the U.S. Holocaust Museum further underscore his vast impact in the field.