Author, Poet & Creativity Coach
James McCrae is a writer, speaker, strategist and meditation instructor whose work explores creativity, purpose and what it means to live as an artist. His path from starving artist to Madison Avenue brand strategist, viral content creator, author and global speaker informs his belief that artistry can be found in a business, an idea, a distinctive voice or an unconventional life.

Founder, Casual Poet Library
Rebecca Toh is a photographer, community librarian and lifelong experimentalist who believes building a better world is something everyone can participate in. In 2024, she founded Casual Poet Library, a community-funded shared library in Singapore where nearly 200 individually rented and curated shelves create a space for freely exchanged ideas, serendipitous connections and new ways of imagining community.

Environmental Artist
Alejandro Durán is an environmental artist whose long-term project, Washed Up: Transforming a Trashed Landscape, turns international trash washing ashore on Mexico’s Caribbean coast into aesthetic yet unsettling artworks that explore the intersection of humanity and nature. Durán has exhibited internationally and has taught photography at the Museum of Modern Art and the International Center of Photography.

Founder, RockPaperRobot
Jessica Banks is an inventor, artist and entrepreneur working at the intersection of robotics, engineering and creative design. As founder of RockPaperRobot, she explores new possibilities for machines and the ways technology can become part of human experience.

Educator, Speaker & Game-Based Learning Innovator

Joe Bisz, PhD, is a national professional development speaker and consultant, educational games designer, creative writer, and Full Professor of English at the City University of New York (CUNY). His book The Educator’s Guide to Designing Games and Creative Active-learning Exercises: The Allure of Play was published by Teachers College Press at Columbia University.

Interdisciplinary Writer, Artist & Scholar 

Gretchen Henderson is an award-winning writer, artist, and scholar whose work explores the intersections of art, science, literature, and the natural world. The author of five books spanning multiple genres, her creative practice challenges conventional ways of seeing and encourages deeper connections with the world around us. Her work has been featured in The New Yorker, The Guardian, and TIME, with interviews on NPR and BBC Radio.

Rube Goldberg Machinist, Inventor

Brett Doar is a multidisciplinary artist specializing in mechanical contraptions, Rube Goldberg machines, and interactive kinetic devices. His imaginative creations have captivated audiences through live performances, television, film, and music videos. He co-directed OK Go’s groundbreaking music video for “This Too Shall Pass” and has created elaborate spectacles for major brands, including Red Bull, Google, Disney, and Samsung.

Humanitarian & Former UFC Fighter

Justin Wren is a former UFC fighter, humanitarian, author, and founder of Fight for the Forgotten, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting marginalized Indigenous communities. Following a life-changing journey to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Wren traded the fighting ring for humanitarian work, helping communities gain access to clean drinking water through well construction, supporting education and healthcare initiatives, and advocating for Indigenous land rights and long-term self-sufficiency. 

President, Ringling College of Art and Design

Dr. Davis Schneiderman is President of Ringling College of Art and Design, bringing more than two decades of experience in academic leadership, creative practice, and interdisciplinary education. Previously, he held several senior leadership positions at Lake Forest College, including Provost and Dean of the Faculty, where he helped guide institutional growth, technological innovation, and curricular reinvention.

Co-CEO, FeelBeit; Founder, Experience Palestine

Riman Barakat is a veteran peacebuilder and social entrepreneur from East Jerusalem. She currently serves as the co-CEO of FeelBeit, an Israeli-Palestinian cultural center on Jerusalem’s East-West boundary that harnesses the transformative power of the arts to bridge divides, foster dialogue, and prototype a shared future

Co-CEO, FeelBeit; Co-Founder, Jerusalem Season of Culture

Karen Brunwasser is a civic activist based in Jerusalem. She currently serves as the co-CEO of FeelBeit, an Israeli-Palestinian cultural center on Jerusalem’s East-West boundary that harnesses the transformative power of the arts to bridge divides, foster dialogue, and prototype a shared future. Karen is also the co-founder of the Jerusalem Season of Culture (JSOC), a professional arts NGO best known for its award-winning Mekudeshet Festival.

Cultural Architect & Creator of Uncommon Ideas 

Franz Aliquo is a cultural architect, experience designer, and artist who transforms familiar places into unexpected experiences. For more than 15 years, his work has brought strangers together through imaginative opportunities to play, compete, and connect. He created StreetWars, a 30-day, citywide water-gun assassination tournament that has taken place in nine cities since 2004 and earned public condemnation from the mayors of New York, London, and Los Angeles.

Curator, Public Historian, and Preservationist

Rebekah Coffman is a curator, public historian, and preservationist whose work explores the intersections of religious heritage, the built environment, sustainability, and collective memory. As Curator of Religion and Community History at the Chicago History Museum, she leads the Chicago Sacred Initiative, which brings together archival repair, research, writing, community engagement, and exhibition-making to highlight Chicago’s diverse religious and cultural histories.