Judy Cai

Judy Cai is the Director of Grants at the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA). In her role, Judy oversees NYFA’s awards and grants program that delivers over $3 million in funding directly  to artists across the U.S. annually. She is also currently overseeing the administration of the City Artist Corps Grants, part of a new $25 million recovery initiative, to support NYC-based working artists who have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.

Judy previously worked as the Senior Program Officer at NYFA Learning and facilitated various professional development programs for artists and arts professionals nationwide, such as the  Immigrant Artists Mentoring Program (IAP) in Newark, Detroit, Oakland, San Antonio, and Denver, and the Incubator for Executive Leaders of Color in New York City.

Prior to joining NYFA, Judy was the Outreach Coordinator at the Flushing Town Hall, where she worked closely with local Chinese communities in Queens and Long Island. As a strong advocate  of global cultural exchange and with extensive experiences in international communications, Judy also managed projects at the Shanghai International Arts Festival, and led workshops at  Shanghai Theatre Academy and Sichuan Fine Arts Institute.

Originally from China, Judy has a M.A. degree in Arts Management from Carnegie Mellon University, a B.S. degree in Culture and Arts Management, and a Bachelor of Law degree from  Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

Danielle Villasana

Danielle Villasana is a photojournalist based in Istanbul whose documentary work focuses on human rights, gender, displacement, and health around the world. She’s a National Geographic Explorer, a Women Photograph grantee, a Magnum Foundation awardee, and an International Women’s Media Foundation fellow.

Danielle strongly believes in pairing photography with education and community. She’s co-founder of We, Women, an Authority Collective board member on The Everyday Projects’ Community Team, and a Photo Bill of Rights co-author. She’s also a member of Women Photograph and Ayün Fotógrafas.

Veronika Châtelain

Veronika Châtelain was born in Lenapehoking (/ləˈnɑːp) / Brooklyn, New York to immigrant parents. She is a cultural producer and grant maker working with visual artists, storytellers, and creatives who challenge the false and dangerous narratives of BIPOC communities. As an advocate for Caribbean and African diasporic art, she collaborates with and supports artists from communities that question systemic racism and distorted histories through critical engagement and collaborative initiatives. Ultimately she aspires for her work to drive institutional transformations that will radically support equity among Black and Indigenous spaces. While receiving a Masters degree in International Affairs with a concentration in media and culture from The New School, she worked on a thesis which presented research and analysis of the impacts of Western Evangelism on the Haïtian and Caribbean communities and their ancestral religions.

Châtelain is currently the Grant Partnership Lead for the Culture and Art program at Open Society Foundations, where she oversees the Moving Walls Fellowship for documentary artists and co-leads the initiative for the African Cultural Heritage Restitution.

Laura Roumanos

Laura Roumanos is a Lebanese Creative Producer originally hailing from Australia. She is the Executive Director and co-Founder of Photoville, a non-profit organization devoted to reaching a wide, diverse audience by producing a free annual photo festival in NYC, activating public spaces, amplifying visual storytellers, and connecting artists to a worldwide audience through educational programming and community events. Laura graduated from the prestigious National Institute of Dramatic Arts back in Australia and worked as a Producer before making the big move to NYC 16 years ago. Since then, Laura has worked for the Manhattan Theatre Club, St. Ann’s Warehouse, Creative Time, The Future of StoryTelling, and the World Science Festival, in addition to producing several large scale theatrical shows for creatives such as Karen O, Bryce Dessner, Richard Reed Parry, Spike Jonze, Opening Ceremony and the Brooklyn Youth Chorus. Laura is currently a Coro Leadership NY Fellow and is committed to working with the New York Creative community on sustainable and equitable programs and initiatives.

Diversify Photo

Diversify Photo is a community of BIPOC and non-Western photographers, editors, and visual producers working to break with the predominantly colonial and patriarchal eye through which history and the media have recorded the images of our time.

Photoville

For more information about Photoville visit, www.photoville.com