MANUELA LUCÁ-DAZIO - Executive Director, Pritzker Architecture Prize - Fmr. Exec. Director of Venice Biennale, Visual Arts & Architecture Dept.

MANUELA LUCÁ-DAZIO - Executive Director, Pritzker Architecture Prize - Fmr. Exec. Director of Venice Biennale, Visual Arts & Architecture Dept.

Executive Director of the Pritzker Architecture Prize
Fmr. Executive Director of Venice Biennale (Dept. of Visual Arts & Architecture)

When I started and I had to decide what to do in life - because I was working with museums, in exhibition design, and on the restoration of buildings - and then at some point, I had the chance to arrive at the Venice Biennale and my whole perspective changed. And it changed because I was working with living artists and architects. Until that moment, I was working around Old Masters, works in museums, and things that were there with the aura of history. And all of a sudden I was dealing with living architects and artists, and this was, for me, the most incredible experience. So I decided to leave all the rest, because I was doing quite a lot at the same time, and to concentrate on the Biennale.

Highlights - ARMOND COHEN - Executive Director of Clean Air Task Force

Highlights - ARMOND COHEN - Executive Director of Clean Air Task Force

Executive Director of Clean Air Task Force

There's no such thing as completely clean energy. We use that term a lot, but it's not really true. We have low carbon energy, and lower carbon energy, but any kind of industrial system has requirements for materials and processing, and nothing is completely natural in the industrial world. If we can electrify transportation, I think we can clean up the grid, and then I think we can deal with these life cycle issues in a way that's responsible, but it'll never be zero. That's impossible. The good thing about technology is it can move very fast. And so my advice would be if you're interested in this topic, if you have a mathematical, scientific, or business orientation, or you just like solving problems, get trained to really be part of the technological business revolution that's going on right now.

ARMOND COHEN - Executive Director of Clean Air Task Force

ARMOND COHEN - Executive Director of Clean Air Task Force

Executive Director of Clean Air Task Force

There's no such thing as completely clean energy. We use that term a lot, but it's not really true. We have low carbon energy, and lower carbon energy, but any kind of industrial system has requirements for materials and processing, and nothing is completely natural in the industrial world. If we can electrify transportation, I think we can clean up the grid, and then I think we can deal with these life cycle issues in a way that's responsible, but it'll never be zero. That's impossible. The good thing about technology is it can move very fast. And so my advice would be if you're interested in this topic, if you have a mathematical, scientific, or business orientation, or you just like solving problems, get trained to really be part of the technological business revolution that's going on right now.

Highlights - Amanda E. Machado - Writer, Public Speaker - Founder of Reclaiming Nature Writing

Highlights - Amanda E. Machado - Writer, Public Speaker - Founder of Reclaiming Nature Writing

Writer, Public Speaker, Facilitator · Founder of Reclaiming Nature Writing

So much of the travel industry was built on the idea of colonialism which really makes us all inherit this idea that whatever we need in life is going to come from seeking it elsewhere and grabbing it from somewhere else, I think looking at that, really deeply thinking about what is lost from that mindset and the harm that is caused by it has been something I've been trying to do over the last few years. And a lot of that has to do with land trauma, right? Like really acknowledging where our settlement of land comes from and how we can heal that in the ways that we travel.

AMANDA E. MACHADO - Writer, Public Speaker, Facilitator - Founder of Reclaiming Nature Writing

AMANDA E. MACHADO - Writer, Public Speaker, Facilitator - Founder of Reclaiming Nature Writing

Writer, Public Speaker, Facilitator · Founder of Reclaiming Nature Writing

So much of the travel industry was built on the idea of colonialism which really makes us all inherit this idea that whatever we need in life is going to come from seeking it elsewhere and grabbing it from somewhere else, I think looking at that, really deeply thinking about what is lost from that mindset and the harm that is caused by it has been something I've been trying to do over the last few years. And a lot of that has to do with land trauma, right? Like really acknowledging where our settlement of land comes from and how we can heal that in the ways that we travel.

Highlights - HAROLD P. SJURSEN - Professor of Philosophy - Science, Technology, the Arts

Highlights - HAROLD P. SJURSEN - Professor of Philosophy - Science, Technology, the Arts

Professor of Philosophy focusing on Science, Technological Ethics, Engineering & the Arts

I have a granddaughter who's just going into high school, and she is filled with idealistic thoughts and is optimistic. She's a person who is both in love with art and in love with science. She's vivacious and just everything about her seems like life is beautiful, and “I'm going to be able to do this and that.” And, of course, when I talk to her, I do everything I can to encourage this kind of openness and optimism, and belief in herself and her ability to do worthwhile things. And not be too concerned about is she going to be able to have a job with enough income to be where she wants to be. And so it’s how to perpetuate and strengthen that kind of spirit and hope, that it can be validated by giving this generation the opportunity to do things. Because I believe that if she and people who think and feel like her were really given the opportunity to be influential and to do things that would have a tremendous shift in the way the world is going. She doesn't think in terms of quarterly profits. She thinks in terms of human happiness and human good, human fairness, and the beauty of nature. I think we need to do. I think the universities can play a part. Schools play a part, but there has to be a broader general sense that this is how we should conceive the future. And, you know, galleries, podcasts, books, newspapers, universities, schools, every kind of institution needs to offer something to help this.

HAROLD P. SJURSEN - Professor of Philosophy - Science, Technology, the Arts

HAROLD P. SJURSEN - Professor of Philosophy - Science, Technology, the Arts

Professor of Philosophy focusing on Science, Technological Ethics, Engineering & the Arts

I have a granddaughter who's just going into high school, and she is filled with idealistic thoughts and is optimistic. She's a person who is both in love with art and in love with science. She's vivacious and just everything about her seems like life is beautiful, and “I'm going to be able to do this and that.” And, of course, when I talk to her, I do everything I can to encourage this kind of openness and optimism, and belief in herself and her ability to do worthwhile things. And not be too concerned about is she going to be able to have a job with enough income to be where she wants to be. And so it’s how to perpetuate and strengthen that kind of spirit and hope, that it can be validated by giving this generation the opportunity to do things. Because I believe that if she and people who think and feel like her were really given the opportunity to be influential and to do things that would have a tremendous shift in the way the world is going. She doesn't think in terms of quarterly profits. She thinks in terms of human happiness and human good, human fairness, and the beauty of nature. I think we need to do. I think the universities can play a part. Schools play a part, but there has to be a broader general sense that this is how we should conceive the future. And, you know, galleries, podcasts, books, newspapers, universities, schools, every kind of institution needs to offer something to help this.

Highlights - JOY GORMAN WETTELS - Exec. Producer “UnPrisoned”, “13 Reasons Why”, "Home Before Dark”, “Eyes on the Prize: Hallowed Ground”

Highlights - JOY GORMAN WETTELS - Exec. Producer “UnPrisoned”, “13 Reasons Why”, "Home Before Dark”, “Eyes on the Prize: Hallowed Ground”

Award-winning Executive Producer of UnPrisoned starring Kerry Washington & Delroy Lindo
13 Reasons Why · Home Before Dark · Eyes on the Prize: Hallowed Ground
Founder of Joy Coalition

With UnPrisoned and with really my whole body of work as a producer, I'm really drawn to stories that make people feel seen that take issues that have stigma and shame attached to them, and making those issues just more palatable and more human. And few people realize that 50% of American families are touched by incarceration. And when you meet someone like Tracy McMillan, who really is a miracle, this is a woman who's now in her fifties who grew up in 22 different foster homes because her father was incarcerated when she was so little. And yet for all of his mistakes, the fact that he was a career criminal, he still, when he could change her diapers, he was present when he could be there. He braided her hair, and there was real love there. But they were separated not only by his mistakes, but by a system that is really unforgiving and really unfair, especially to black and brown men. So, the idea that we could tell a story where a young woman who was raised that way and by that person turns out to be Kerry Washington. You know, turns out to be somebody who you want to be, turns out to be "Olivia Pope", this woman that we all see as so beautiful and such a hero and so strong and so powerful, I felt was just an incredible opportunity. And when we first put Tracy and Kerry in the same room, Kerry said to Tracy, "You know you're a miracle, right?"

JOY GORMAN WETTELS - Exec. Producer “UnPrisoned” starring Kerry Washington, “13 Reasons Why”, Founder of Joy Coalition

JOY GORMAN WETTELS - Exec. Producer “UnPrisoned” starring Kerry Washington, “13 Reasons Why”, Founder of Joy Coalition

Award-winning Executive Producer of UnPrisoned starring Kerry Washington & Delroy Lindo
13 Reasons Why · Home Before Dark · Eyes on the Prize: Hallowed Ground
Founder of Joy Coalition

With UnPrisoned and with really my whole body of work as a producer, I'm really drawn to stories that make people feel seen that take issues that have stigma and shame attached to them, and making those issues just more palatable and more human. And few people realize that 50% of American families are touched by incarceration. And when you meet someone like Tracy McMillan, who really is a miracle, this is a woman who's now in her fifties who grew up in 22 different foster homes because her father was incarcerated when she was so little. And yet for all of his mistakes, the fact that he was a career criminal, he still, when he could change her diapers, he was present when he could be there. He braided her hair, and there was real love there. But they were separated not only by his mistakes, but by a system that is really unforgiving and really unfair, especially to black and brown men. So, the idea that we could tell a story where a young woman who was raised that way and by that person turns out to be Kerry Washington. You know, turns out to be somebody who you want to be, turns out to be "Olivia Pope", this woman that we all see as so beautiful and such a hero and so strong and so powerful, I felt was just an incredible opportunity. And when we first put Tracy and Kerry in the same room, Kerry said to Tracy, "You know you're a miracle, right?"

Highlights - MAGGIE GROUT -  Founder & CEO of Thinking Huts tackling Global Education Crisis with 3D Printing

Highlights - MAGGIE GROUT - Founder & CEO of Thinking Huts tackling Global Education Crisis with 3D Printing

Founder & CEO of Thinking Huts: tackling the Global Education Crisis with 3D Printing

I think being a young Asian woman and trying to lead people can be difficult in the sense that they have those assumptions in place. I do think the typical archetype of Asian women is that you're supposed to be quiet. And maybe those aren't going to be perceived leadership qualities, but in terms of what I have done to overcome that, I've really focused on building the trust and showing people that I genuinely care about them and valuing long-term relationships, especially on the business side. So with the construction team, just showing them that I'll stand up for them if I see behavior that's not okay in my perception. And just being a good person with ethics, I think is maybe what sets me apart because then people respect that and they'll follow you.

MAGGIE GROUT -  Founder & CEO of Thinking Huts tackling Global Education Crisis with 3D Printing

MAGGIE GROUT - Founder & CEO of Thinking Huts tackling Global Education Crisis with 3D Printing

Founder & CEO of Thinking Huts: tackling the Global Education Crisis with 3D Printing

I think being a young Asian woman and trying to lead people can be difficult in the sense that they have those assumptions in place. I do think the typical archetype of Asian women is that you're supposed to be quiet. And maybe those aren't going to be perceived leadership qualities, but in terms of what I have done to overcome that, I've really focused on building the trust and showing people that I genuinely care about them and valuing long-term relationships, especially on the business side. So with the construction team, just showing them that I'll stand up for them if I see behavior that's not okay in my perception. And just being a good person with ethics, I think is maybe what sets me apart because then people respect that and they'll follow you.

Highlights - TANSY E. HOSKINS - Author of "The Anti-Capitalist Book Of Fashion”, “Foot Work”, “Stitched Up”

Highlights - TANSY E. HOSKINS - Author of "The Anti-Capitalist Book Of Fashion”, “Foot Work”, “Stitched Up”

Author of The Anti-Capitalist Book Of Fashion · Foot Work · Stitched Up
Freelance Fashion & Beauty Writer Award Winner

I definitely believe at the moment that fashion brands, big fashion in particular, they just exist to exploit people. It's an excuse to exploit the poor, basically. I see fashion as part of this very extractive global economic society where 100, 150 years ago, that extraction was very obvious. You had the enslavement of people. You had taxation. You had literally armies turning up and occupying the land that they wanted and just taking resources or land. These days it's more subtle, but the brands are still following those colonial pathways.

TANSY E. HOSKINS - Author of "The Anti-Capitalist Book Of Fashion” - Freelance Fashion & Beauty Writer Award Winner

TANSY E. HOSKINS - Author of "The Anti-Capitalist Book Of Fashion” - Freelance Fashion & Beauty Writer Award Winner

Author of The Anti-Capitalist Book Of Fashion · Foot Work · Stitched Up
Freelance Fashion & Beauty Writer Award Winner

I definitely believe at the moment that fashion brands, big fashion in particular, they just exist to exploit people. It's an excuse to exploit the poor, basically. I see fashion as part of this very extractive global economic society where 100, 150 years ago, that extraction was very obvious. You had the enslavement of people. You had taxation. You had literally armies turning up and occupying the land that they wanted and just taking resources or land. These days it's more subtle, but the brands are still following those colonial pathways.

Highlights - SIR ANDY HAINES - Tyler Prize Award-winner - Fmr. Chair of WHO World Health Report - Chair InterAcademy Partnership

Highlights - SIR ANDY HAINES - Tyler Prize Award-winner - Fmr. Chair of WHO World Health Report - Chair InterAcademy Partnership

Tyler Prize Award-winner for Environmental Achievement
Professor of Environmental Change & Public Health
Fmr. Chair of WHO World Health Report · Rockefeller /Lancet Commission on Planetary Health

In terms of the impacts of climate change on health when we started 30 years ago, because there was very little data then, so we made suggestions as to what we thought the health outcomes we thought would be affected like vector-borne diseases, crop failures, water availability, sea level rise, increasing disasters related to climatic extreme events, and obviously the effects of extreme heat on vulnerable populations. In particular, elderly people, but not just elderly people. So we suggested a whole range of different health impacts that could occur. And I think, in general, those ideas have stood the test of time, but of course, as the situation has moved on, we've also become much more preoccupied with what kind of action we need to take.

SIR ANDY HAINES - Tyler Prize Award-winner for Environmental Achievement - Prof. Env. Change & Public Health

SIR ANDY HAINES - Tyler Prize Award-winner for Environmental Achievement - Prof. Env. Change & Public Health

Tyler Prize Award-winner for Environmental Achievement
Professor of Environmental Change & Public Health
Fmr. Chair of WHO World Health Report · Rockefeller /Lancet Commission on Planetary Health

In terms of the impacts of climate change on health when we started 30 years ago, because there was very little data then, so we made suggestions as to what we thought the health outcomes we thought would be affected like vector-borne diseases, crop failures, water availability, sea level rise, increasing disasters related to climatic extreme events, and obviously the effects of extreme heat on vulnerable populations. In particular, elderly people, but not just elderly people. So we suggested a whole range of different health impacts that could occur. And I think, in general, those ideas have stood the test of time, but of course, as the situation has moved on, we've also become much more preoccupied with what kind of action we need to take.

Highlights - MARK BURGMAN - Author of “Trusting Judgments: How to Get the Best Out of Experts”

Highlights - MARK BURGMAN - Author of “Trusting Judgments: How to Get the Best Out of Experts”

Director of the Centre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College London · Editor-in-Chief of Conservation Biology

Author of Trusting Judgments: How to Get the Best Out of Experts

The idea of expertise and expert judgment has been around and has been something that society depends upon for a long time, but there have been no serious empirical explorations of who's an expert, what a domain of expertise is, and what sort of frailties are experts susceptible to. Those things haven't been addressed in an empirical way until the last 30 years. Some of this work began in the fifties with Kahneman and Tversky. They began to explore the things that make people misjudge risky situations, and that led to a body of research on who makes good judgments and under what circumstances for things that might affect us in various ways.

MARK BURGMAN - Director, Centre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College London - Editor-in-Chief, Conservation Biology

MARK BURGMAN - Director, Centre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College London - Editor-in-Chief, Conservation Biology

Director of the Centre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College London · Editor-in-Chief of Conservation Biology

Author of Trusting Judgments: How to Get the Best Out of Experts

The idea of expertise and expert judgment has been around and has been something that society depends upon for a long time, but there have been no serious empirical explorations of who's an expert, what a domain of expertise is, and what sort of frailties are experts susceptible to. Those things haven't been addressed in an empirical way until the last 30 years. Some of this work began in the fifties with Kahneman and Tversky. They began to explore the things that make people misjudge risky situations, and that led to a body of research on who makes good judgments and under what circumstances for things that might affect us in various ways.

Highlights - JILL JOHNSON - Dancer - Choreographer & Ballet Stager - Fmr. Dance Director, Harvard

Highlights - JILL JOHNSON - Dancer - Choreographer & Ballet Stager - Fmr. Dance Director, Harvard

Dancer · Choreographer and Ballet Stager · Fmr. Director Harvard Dance

Keeping people interested in dance is exposing folks, no matter how big or small an audience, to the different ways of seeing. How can you place a value on solace, joy, or tenderness and vulnerability?

JILL JOHNSON - Dancer - Choreographer & Ballet Stager - Fmr. Dance Director, Harvard

JILL JOHNSON - Dancer - Choreographer & Ballet Stager - Fmr. Dance Director, Harvard

Dancer · Choreographer and Ballet Stager · Fmr. Director Harvard Dance

Keeping people interested in dance is exposing folks, no matter how big or small an audience, to the different ways of seeing. How can you place a value on solace, joy, or tenderness and vulnerability?

Highlights - NICHOLAS ROYLE - Co-author of  "An Introduction to Literature, Criticism and Theory"

Highlights - NICHOLAS ROYLE - Co-author of "An Introduction to Literature, Criticism and Theory"

Co-author of An Introduction to Literature, Criticism and Theory
Author of Mother: A Memoir · Managing Editor of Oxford Literary Review

My mother died years ago. What has induced me to write about her after all this time remains mysterious to me. It is connected to the climate crisis. As the natural historian David Attenborough says: 'the collapse of our civilizations and the extinction of much of the natural world is on the horizon.' In ways I cannot pretend to fathom I have found that writing about my mother is bound up with writing about Mother Nature and Mother Earth. And no doubt it has to do also with my own aging and the buried life of mourning. The strange timetables of realization and loss. A memoir is 'a written record of a person's knowledge of events or of a person's own experiences'. 'A record of events written by a person having intimate knowledge of them and based on personal observation.' So the dictionaries tell us. But this memoir of my mother makes no attempt at a comprehensive record.