Erin Thompson is an assistant professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and is America’s only full-time professor of art crime. She studies the damage done to humanity’s shared heritage through looting, theft, and the deliberate destruction of art. Currently, she is researching the ways in which terrorist groups sell and destroy antiquities in order to support their genocidal campaigns. She has discussed art crime topics in The New York Times and on CNN, NPR, Al Jazeera America, and the Freakonomics podcast. Her book, Possession: The Curious History of Private Collectors was published in 2016.  

Jess X Chen is a first generation Chinese-American poet, artist/activist, filmmaker. Her work exposes narratives of colonial trauma, Asian-American diaspora, and collective protest by connecting the violences between the female, queer, and colored body and the body of the Earth. A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, her art and films have been featured in the Asian American International Film Festival, The United Nations Human Rights Council, The Huffington Post, The NY Times Headquarters, The Wing Luke Museum, Feministing, and more. 

Robina Asti is a 94 year old World War II veteran with a passion for flying. She has lived in New York City all of her life. In 2012 Robina was denied survivor benefits through the Social Security Administration because as a transgender woman, they did not see her marriage to her husband Norwood as legal. With the help of Lambda Legal Robina not only was able to collect her survivor benefits but she helped to change the SSA’s policy regarding transgender people in the United States. 

Kathryn Rodriguez has worked on border, immigration, and human rights issues for more than 15 years. She has worked on farmworker struggles in Immokalee, Florida with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) and Woodburn, Oregon with PCUN (Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste). She is the Missing Migrant Project Specialist at the Colibrí Center for Human Rights, handling case management for migrants reported missing by their families. She is also an Administrative Assistant with the Alianza Indigena Sin Fronteras/Indigenous Alliance Without Borders. 

Rachel Stephenson is the University Director of the CUNY Service Corps and TheDream.US program and has worked in CUNY’s Office of Academic Affairs since 2009. Her professional history includes classroom teaching as well as the program design and implementation of high-quality, innovative youth development, continuing education, workforce development, and community service programs in New York City. Rachel holds a BA in English from Trinity University and a Master of Fine Arts in Nonfiction Writing from Columbia University. 

Marta Effinger-Crichlow is an interdisciplinary scholar and artist drawn to stories about black women and girls as well as migration and place. She is the author of “Staging Migrations Toward an American West: From Ida B. Wells to Rhodessa Jones.” She is Chair and Associate Professor of African American Studies at New York City College of Technology at the City University of New York (CUNY). Effinger-Crichlow received herPhD from Northwestern University. She is the recent recipient of a PSC-CUNY Grant for her documentary project "Little Sallie Walker.

Michel Karsouny is an artist with a background in Graphic design, Illustration, Fine Arts, Acting, and Music. He is proud to be born in Beirut, Lebanon, where he studied Graphic Design and Fine Arts, founded two design and illustration companies, and is a prominent voice over actor for the MENA region working with companies like Nike, L’Oreal and McDonalds. In 2013 he was voted one of Communicate Levant Magazine’s “30 Creatives Under 30”. Concerned with Middle Eastern issues such as sectarianism, anti-feminism and the binary understanding of the sexual experience, Michel held his controversial solo show entitled “Emporia” at ArtLab Gallery in Beirut in 2014. 

With roots in classical dance, Carissa Jocett Toro's acting debut was as lead in the Off-Broadway play Platanos Y Collard Greens.  A true leading lady, she has been featured as the starring role in both Repertorio Español's La Gringa and NYC indie feature film Empire Gypsy. She was also a principal performer in The American Mime Theatre for nearly a decade.  Her other credits include various commercials, voiceovers, web series, and notably Law & Order: SVU.  A few short-term goals: international photo-journalism, plant whispering, and polyglot singing.