Anita Gonzalez, a Professor of Black Studies and Performing Arts at Georgetown University, uses storytelling as a methodology for cultural exchange. She is a prolific director and writer for the stage and a Founding Director of Georgetown University’s Racial Justice Institute.

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Gonzalez’ massive open online courses Storytelling for Social Change and Black Performance as Social Protest have reached over 50,000 learners to date. She contributes to projects which foreground experiences and histories of the under-represented. Most recently (2023), she was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

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Dr. Gonzalez has published four books about performance histories and cultures: Performance, Dance and Political Economy (Bloomsbury), Black Performance Theory (Duke), Afro-Mexico: Dancing Between Myth and Reality (U-Texas Press), and Jarocho’s Soul (Rowan Littlefield). Shipping Out: Race, Performance and Labor at Sea is forthcoming on the University of Michigan Press. Additional essays about intercultural performance appear in the edited collections African Performance Arts and Political Acts, Black Acting Methods, Narratives in Black British Dance, The Community Performance Reader, and the Oxford Handbook of Dance and Theatre.

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Originally from Germany, Lena had the privilege of a classical education and parents who modelled compassion for those at the fringes of society. Coupled with a deep longing to help people experience healing and flourishing, she gained her first degrees (B.A.; M.Ed.) from Leipzig University and found herself in special needs education working with vulnerable, less fortunate children and youth.

Lena then had the opportunity to advance her interest in the relationship between religion/spirituality and health and moved to the United Kingdom for further academic studies (M.Sc.; PhD) at Durham University. Having completed her doctorate at the intersection of medicine, psychology and theology on the topic of hope and pain, she continues to research the matter of hope and seeks to develop resources that support individuals and communities to live more hopeful (and thus healthier) lives. Her particular passions are embodied and communal expressions of faith and drawing people into practices that point to the Transcendent. 

Currently pursuing dual Master's degrees in Social Work (MSW) and Business Administration (MBA) at Howard University, Carmen's concentration is in Community, Administration, and Policy, and her research is focused on community centered philanthropy.

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Previously, Carmen served as the Program Director of the California Black Freedom Fund, overseeing the distribution of over $10M in grants to Black-led organizations and raising $8.1M in funding. Prior to this role, she served as the Senior Program Manager for the Sacramento Region Community Foundation, working closely with local community based organizations to enhance educational opportunities for Boys and Men of Color through scholarships, and guiding strategic initiatives for equity-focused grants.

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Before transitioning to work with community foundations, Carmen fundraised for The Salvation Army and served as Communications Director for the Lodi District Chamber of Commerce, where she initiated programs centered in asset-based community development. Outside of her professional pursuits, Carmen owns a photography business and enjoys engaging in singing, hiking, and roller skating to stay active and creative.

Julien Spurling is a doctoral student in the Philosophy Department at Georgetown University. He researches bioethics, public health policy and social epistemology with a focus on the ongoing overdose crisis. 

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Geneva Greene is completing doctoral studies in Communication, Culture and Media Studies at Howard University. Geneva engages in scholarly research with an emphasis on transnational and dance communications. She leverages her research to advocate for cultural policies and equitable practices supporting marginalized groups.  As a National Folklife Network DC Community Voice, Geneva supports Don’t Mute DC and the Go-Go Museum to advocate for arts and equity through cultural mappings in partnership with the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, oral history interviews with local artists and cultural leaders, and community activations.

Previously, Geneva Greene spent more than a decade in Corporate Communications and Human Resources before becoming Chief Growth and Strategy Officer of Sprouts Consulting. Sprouts is an organizational wellbeing and community building consultancy supporting local and global organizations. Geneva earned bachelor degrees in Sociology and Public Relations from the University of Georgia. She completed an MBA with marketing and international business concentrations at Southern Methodist University.