Ezra is an artist, educator, and curator, and the Disability Futures Manager at USA. Before joining the USA team, Benus was an Erich Fromm Fellow at Paideia Institute in Stockholm and the first Access and Adult Learning Fellow in the education department at the Brooklyn Museum. He is a born and raised New Yorker (from Brooklyn and the Bronx) and received degrees in studio art and Jewish studies from CUNY Hunter College. Ezra’s own artistic practice taps into embedded Jewishness, queerness, and sickness as purviews of and navigational tools through this world. He has lectured and consulted about access and disability artistry at universities and art spaces such as Red Bull Arts Detroit, Hunter College Art Galleries, Eyebeam, SUNY Purchase, CUE Art Foundation, York College, Princeton University, and UT Austin. Ezra’s individual and collaborative projects have been exhibited at The Shed, EFA Project Space, The 8th Floor, Flux Factory, NYU’s Gallatin Galleries, Dedalus Foundation, Gibney Dance, The Laurie M. Tisch Gallery at the JCC Manhattan, Pratt Manhattan Galleries, and MMK in Frankfurt, Germany.

Kate is a writer and communications professional, dedicated to advocating for artists and uplifting their ways of thinking. She holds a BA in English from the College of Wooster and an MA in Cinema and Media Studies from the University of Chicago. In 2019, she joined United States Artists as Communications Assistant. Previously, she served as the Marketing and Development Associate at the National Flute Association and as a Senior Writer at a marketing agency. In her spare time, she enjoys making pottery (especially mugs and planters), reading, vegetarian cooking, and exploring the city of Chicago with her wife.

Sól Casique is a creative living in the DMV. Sól’s work is centered on themes of transformation and our deep connection to nature. As a stellium Taurus, Sól is constantly craving a warm window seat to read by, and a good pastry.

Jessica is an artist who explores forms of tacit knowledge through weaving, text, video, and sound. Her work has been shown in a few galleries and one library, but mostly lives in the homes of friends, family, and acquaintances. She holds a BA in English and Studio Art from Kenyon College and has previously worked in education and nonprofits around Chicago to develop and teach curriculum for K-12 students. Jessica is a former figure skater, current Formula 1 fan, and future fossil.

Tess is an arts administrator & arts organizer with a passion for working with and advocating for artists and creatives. Originally from New York City, and raised in Southern Vermont, she fell in love with Chicago’s rich arts & culture scene when she moved to Chicago as a late teen and returned after receiving her undergraduate degree in Portland, Oregon. Tess joined United States Artists as an Intern in 2018 and is delighted to continue to work with USA as Program Manager. She received her BA in Art History from Lewis & Clark College and has an MA in Modern and Contemporary Art History, Theory & Criticism and an MA in Arts Administration and Policy from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She enjoys dabbling in culinary arts, watching reality tv, spending time with her two cats, Toulouse and Rémy, and is guilty of having way too many coffee table books.

Isabelle Hong Martin is an arts administrator with a background in classical music, visual art and art history, and independent documentary. She previously held positions at Kartemquin Films and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and is thrilled to rejoin the team at USA, where she was an intern during graduate school. Isabelle received her M.A. in Art History from the University of Illinois at Chicago and B.A. in Art History & Visual Studies with a minor in Music Performance (Cello) from the University of Kentucky. You can find her research published in the International Journal of Comic Art; Trans-Scripts, the student-edited interdisciplinary humanities journal based at the University of California, Irvine; and the Pace University Press Journal of Comics and Culture. Outside of USA, she serves on the board of The Story Theatre; on the Steering Committee of the Asian American Documentary Network; and on the Foundation for Asian American Independent Media team. Her life is enriched by watching hockey, knitting, and reading nonfiction.

Sami Hopkins is an artist, musician, writer-researcher, and arts worker based in New York. They have held positions at e-flux, the Studio Museum in Harlem, the Institute of Contemporary Art Boston, and the Cooper Gallery at Harvard University and provided direct support as a researcher for artists and cultural practitioners. Other recent projects and appointments include ISSUE Project Room’s Suzanne Fiol Curatorial Fellowship, the Recess Critical Writing Fellowship, and the openwork Journal editorial collective at Columbia University. They were recently granted a certificate in Labor Studies from the CUNY School for Labor and Urban Studies and frequently integrate this perspective into their professional and creative work. In and beyond their artistic practice, Sami is interested in the relationship between subjective experience and social — political, symbolic — context. They are drawn to spaces where experimentalism, madness (drawing from Mad studies), improvisation, and poetics meet systems of power — dreaming of alternative methods for sense- and meaning-making, self-organization, and exchange.

Anne Ishii is a writer and musician based in Philadelphia, who serves the public as a translator and advocate for the arts. Most recently she was the Executive Director of Asian Arts Initiative, whose mission is to build community through the power of the arts by protecting pathways to brave practices. Through MASSIVE, she agents queer Asian comics licenses, and as a public intellectual speaks to issues relating to gender and sexuality. She has produced and translated over twenty books and written for BUST, Slate, The Village Voice, The Philadelphia Inquirer and many other sadly defunct media platforms (she still believes in the future of media). She is board co-chair of the Asian American Writers Workshop and on the boards of the National Performance Network and Vox Populi. In her early professional career Anne cut her teeth as a marketing director and venture strategist in the publishing and advertising sector.

Shalini Joseph is an arts and communications professional with a background in independent documentary. She gravitates toward storytelling that is emotionally resonant and explores layered social or cultural themes. USA’s mission aligns with her values of empowering people, creating space for meaningful cultural conversations, and strengthening communities.

She earned her BFA in drawing and painting from the University of North Texas in Denton, TX, and an MBA from Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, reading, volunteering, watching films, experimenting in the kitchen, and learning new creative skills like sewing. She values learning as a constant thread in both her professional and personal journey.

Luz is a queer artist, arts organizer, and aspiring farmer and herbalist. They have been a collaborator behind several arts collectives in the Mid-Atlantic.

Nadine loves calling herself a “graphic artist” because, for her, the graphic arts precede the silos placed on contemporary art-making. She’s an image-maker, typographer, and improviser, all of which she explores through an experimental and collaborative art practice with her partner Nick Butcher under the name Sonnenzimmer from their Chicago studio. Nadine explored Asian Studies at the University of Zürich before switching her degree to Typography and fully immersing herself into the graphic world. Her favorite medium is screen printing because so many ideas flow through. Since 2006, Nadine and Nick have screen printed over 70,000 images exploring the contemporary and historic impact of the “graphic impulse” one impression and one color at a time. Her favorite color is Pantone 175, the perfect hybrid of watermelon and a Summer's dusk moment.

Judilee is the President & CEO of United States Artists. A leader in arts and culture, Judilee has built a career supporting artists and arts and culture focused work in the urban, rural, and tribal communities across the United States and internationally. Before joining United States Artists, she was a director at the William Penn Foundation where she developed a new programmatic strategy, focused on racial equity and cultural diversity, to guide investments in arts, culture, and public space. Prior to William Penn, she was a director at the Surdna Foundation, a family foundation committed to social justice and neighborhood improvement in the United States. Judilee’s early career included working at the New England Foundation for the Arts where she managed the transnational Cambodian Artists Project and fundraising for special initiatives of the National Dance Project and its public art program. Judilee describes her most formative years as those spent at Leveraging Investments in Creativity (LINC), a ten-year national initiative launched by the Ford Foundation and focused on developing and strengthening the system of support for artists. For Judilee, the common thread in these experiences is transforming conditions for artists, whose powerful imaginations shape our lives and communities. While Judilee grew up in rural New Hampshire, she has spent her adult life living in cities — Boston, New York, and currently Philadelphia. She studied art and art history at the University of New Hampshire and has alumnus status at the Harvard Business School.

Sara Slawnik is an accomplished nonprofit arts professional with more than twenty years of experience designing programs and stewarding resources that help to fuel and sustain creative communities. Over the past decade she has become a leader in grantmaking and other support services for individual artists, with a specialized focus on efforts to advance gender, racial, and disability justice. Prior to joining United States Artists, she was Director of Programs at 3Arts, overseeing their award programs, project funding, residencies, and professional development for artists in the performing, teaching, and visual arts. She also held leadership roles at the Chicago Artists Coalition and the Ellen Stone Belic Institute for the Study of Women and Gender in the Arts and Media at Columbia College Chicago. Sara began her career working in development offices at the Archives of American Art, The Drawing Center, and the Renaissance Society. Since 2016, Sara has been Board President of Comfort Station, a multidisciplinary art space in Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood. She earned a BA in the History of Art from the University of Michigan and was born and raised in the City of Detroit. Outside of her work life, Sara likes to nurture her birdwatching hobby alongside her husband, tend to her co-op building’s unruly garden, and practice drawing. 

Shivani is a writer, photographer, and the Development Coordinator at United States Artists. When she is not traveling, writing, or shooting film, it's very likely that she is indulging in a yummy meal, cooking up a storm in the kitchen, or discovering new music! Shivani started her career in the nonprofit world at the world's oldest human rights organization, Anti-Slavery International, and has since worked at a variety of nonprofits, including UN Liaison organizations. She was born in England, raised in Tanzania, and now is based in New York City. She has received degrees in Creative Publishing and Critical Journalism from the New School and in International Relations from the New York University (NYU) and Royal Holloway, University of London.

Adia Sykes is an arts organizer, curator, and dancer based in Chicago. Her practice seeks to center philosophies of improvisation, intuition, and care, engaging them as tools through which meaningful relationships between artists and viewers can be cultivated, while leaving space for the vernacular to mingle with constructs of history and theory.

As an administrator advocating for racial equity and sustainable ecosystems for creative practitioners, she has held roles with organizations like Chicago Artists Coalition, where she started their SPARK Grant, and as a Lead Organizer of the Chicago Art Census. She has also realized curatorial projects with the Art Institute of Chicago, Centro Arte Opificio Siri in Terni, Italy, Chicago Mayor's Office, Woman Made Gallery, ACRE, Material Exhibitions, and Engage Projects.

Adia earned a Masters in Arts Administration and Policy from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a BA in Anthropology from the University of Chicago

Mandy credits much of her success to her family and farm-town upbringing for fostering community-centered values. Upon graduating from Washington State University with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting, she gravitated toward organizations committed to advancing public equity. Throughout her career practicing fund accounting and financial reporting for public education spaces, primarily with the University of Missouri System, she considers the relationships built through cross-collaboration among the most rewarding experiences. Excited to work alongside a dedicated group of colleagues, she hopes to challenge her capabilities and expand a disposition towards constant learning to support United States Artists’ financial framework, foster connections with stakeholders, and positively impact the experience of American artists. Mandy enjoys frequenting local art spaces, berry and mushroom foraging in the spring and fall, and fishing for trout at high mountain lakes with her husband and two dogs named Buddy and Tilly.

Liz is a passionate accounting professional who thrives on tackling complex financial challenges. Over her career, she has gained extensive experience across various industries, including international corporations, small businesses, and non-profit organizations. Currently, she is proud to contribute her expertise as an employee of Your Part-Time Controller (YPTC), who ultimately matched Liz with the United States Artists finance team. Liz discovered her passion for non-profit work and finds it incredibly fulfilling to support USA’s impactful mission alongside its amazing team. Originally from southern Indiana, Liz earned her Bachelor of Science in Accounting at the University of Southern Indiana. Outside of work, Liz enjoys spending time in her kitchen creating delicious meals, solving puzzles, rock climbing, and taking long walks in the woods with her beloved dog, Lucy.

Michelle T. Boone is President & CEO of the Poetry Foundation based in Chicago, Illinois. Appointed in May 2021, Boone is the first woman and first African American to lead the organization. Previously, she was the Chief Program and Civic Engagement Officer at Navy Pier, a historic landmark and top cultural destination and attraction in the Midwest. In 2011, Michelle was appointed Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events by Mayor Rahm Emanuel. During her tenure, she supervised the management of the historic Chicago Cultural Center and launched the Chicago Architecture Biennial in 2015, the city’s first international exhibition of contemporary architecture and design.

Her career includes working in television, film, and the recording industries. Boone is the recipient of multiple honors, including the Auditorium Theater’s 2024 Beatrice Spachner Award, given in recognition of her civic commitment to community and culture.

As an artist, curator, artistic director, and frequent keynote speaker internationally, Kristy Edmunds has a reputation for innovation and depth in the presentation of contemporary performing arts. Edmunds is also known for placing equal emphasis on the support and commissioning of new work by some of today’s leading performance creators across all disciplines.

She was the Founding Executive and Artistic Director of the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art (PICA) and the TBA Festival (Time Based Art) in Portland, OR; and served as Artistic Director for the Melbourne International Arts Festival from 2005 to 2008. She was appointed the Head of the School of Performing Arts at the Victorian College of the Arts/University of Melbourne, and after one year became the Deputy Dean for the College.

Concurrently, Edmunds worked as the inaugural Consulting Artistic Director for the now critically-heralded Park Avenue Armory (PAA) in New York (2009–2012). Curating the initial three years of programming, she established the formative identity of the PAA with commissioned work by artists such as Ann Hamilton, the final performance event of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, the Tune-In Festival with Philip Glass, and many others. In recognition of her contribution to the arts, Edmunds was named a Chevalier (Knight) de L’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Government in 2016. In 2019, United States Artists awarded her the Berresford Prize, which recognizes cultural practitioners who create and nurture the conditions for artists to thrive.

Edmunds is currently Director of Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA). She was previously the Executive and Artistic Director of UCLA’s Center for the Art of Performance (CAP UCLA) and since joining the organization in 2012, has established it as one of the leading presenters of contemporary performance on the West Coast. CAP UCLA is dedicated to the advancement of the contemporary performing arts in all disciplines — dance, music, spoken word, and theater, as well as emerging digital, collaborative, and cross-platforms — by leading artists from around the globe.

Ed Henry was appointed president and CEO of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation in January 2009.

The foundation supports grants programs in the performing arts, the environment, medical research and child well-being. The work of the foundation is supported by an endowment of approximately $1.8 billion.

He also serves as president of several operating foundations, including the Duke Farms Foundation, which is focused on environmental stewardship, and the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art, which operates a center for the study of Islamic arts and cultures and “Building Bridges,” a related grants program.

Previously Mr. Henry was an associate dean at Columbia Business School and continues as an adjunct faculty member. He has held senior administrative positions with a number of nonprofit institutions and was a David Rockefeller fellow with the Partnership for New York City. Mr. Henry earned a degree in economics from the University of Michigan and business from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Much earlier in life he was a dancer with the New York City-based companies of Dan Wagoner and Viola Farber, had the opportunity to perform throughout the United States and abroad, served in the Artists-in-Schools program, created work for a number of venues and participated as a peer reviewer for federal, state and local funding organizations.

Samuel Hoi is an advocate for art and design education and creative professionals in social, economic, and cultural advancement. Hoi most recently served as president of Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore where he launched the Baltimore Creatives Acceleration Network (BCAN). While president of Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles, he launched the annual Otis Report on the Creative Economy of the Los Angeles Region and California. As dean of the Corcoran College of Art + Design in Washington, DC, Mr. Hoi created a visual arts program serving inner-city youth that received a National Multicultural Institute Award and a Coming Up Taller Award from the President's Committee on Arts and Humanities.

Mr. Hoi has served on many nonprofit boards He chaired the boards of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design (AICAD) and United States Artists (USA) and was a founding member of the National Advisory Board of the Strategic National Arts Alumni Project (SNAAP).

Born and raised in Hong Kong, he received his BA from Columbia College in New York City and earned his JD degree from Columbia Law School. He subsequently obtained an AAS degree in Illustration from Parsons School of Design. Samuel Hoi holds honorary doctorate degrees from the Corcoran College of Art and Design and Otis College of Art and Design, and was decorated in 2006 by the French government as an Officer of the Ordre des Palmes Académiques.

Angelique Power is the President & CEO of the Detroit-based Skillman Foundation, a private independent foundation that puts all of its resources toward brilliant Detroit youth — their justice, their power, and their promise. Under Power’s tenure, the Skillman Foundation has led a community-rooted strategic planning process to rethink its grantmaking, metrics, and partners. Power architected a racial equity audit internally of all grants, operations, and the endowment — allowing for transparency and accountability to community along with a mission-aligned organization in all policies and practices. An admirer of Gen Z, she elevated the role of her President’s Youth Council to catalyze a reinvention of Skillman’s grantmaking process.

Prior to Skillman, Power was President of the Chicago-based Field Foundation and a Program Director at the Joyce Foundation. Additionally, she led communications and community engagement at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago and community relations efforts across the nation for Target Corporation.

Actor, director, writer, and dramaturge Rosalba Rolón is the founder and artistic director of Pregones Theater in The Bronx and a 2008 USA Fontanals Fellow.

Since 1979 she has shared responsibility for building a distinct Latino musical theater repertory with more than 50 premier works. Pregones has taken its work around the world, with performances in Spain, Portugal, Russia, Mexico, Nicaragua, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, the Slovak Republic, and Puerto Rico.

Rolón is an active mentor as Faculty of Leadership Programs of two national organizations: National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures, and Arts Presenters. She was recently named one of the 25 Most Influential Women In The Bronx.

Joan Shigekawa served as the Acting Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) in the Obama Administration. In 2023, she was awarded the nation's highest honor in the arts, The National Medal of Arts. Prior to her service at the NEA, she served as an officer of the Rockefeller Foundation, where she led the foundation's domestic and international arts programs. She was also the founding director of the Arts Program at the Nathan Cummings Foundation. Ms. Shigekawa currently serves as a trustee of United States Artists, on the National Advisory Board of the Center for Asian American Media, and is a board member emerita for the Asian Pacific American Center at the Smithsonian. Her past public service includes appointments to the New York City Cultural Affairs Advisory Commission and as a trustee of the New York State Council for the Humanities, the New York Foundation for the Arts, the Independent Television Service (ITVS), Grantmakers in the Arts, and Grantmakers in Film and Electronic Media. Ms. Shigekawa is a graduate of Bryn Mawr College.

Todd Simon is a fifth generation owner of the Omaha Steaks® group of companies, serving as Senior Vice President of Omaha Steaks International, Inc., President of OSSalesCo, Inc., and Vice-Chairman of Omahasteaks.com, Inc. In his various roles, Mr. Simon is responsible for consumer sales and marketing of Omaha Steaks branded products and services. Mr. Simon joined the family business 25 years ago after graduating from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He carries on the strong commitment Omaha Steaks and the Simon Family have always had toward community philanthropy. Mr. Simon is extremely involved in shaping his family's leadership in supporting the arts as well as social and human services agencies and programs. He serves on the boards of a number of philanthropic organizations including the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, the Omaha Community Foundation and the Young Presidents' Organization.

Mr. Simon and his wife Betiana are passionate contemporary art collectors, promoters, and supporters.