PHOTOJOURNALIST, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

J. Scott Applewhite is the senior photographer in the AP's Washington Bureau, focusing on Congress and national politics. He was regularly assigned to the White House for thirty years where his work helped the AP earn two Pulitzer Prizes. He's been honored with the White House News Photographers Association Lifetime Achievement Award and the Freedom of the Press Award from the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.

PHOTOJOURNALIST

Susan Biddle is a former Washington Post staff photographer. She began her career photographing for the Peace Corps and later worked as a staff photographer for the Topeka Capital-Journal and the Denver Post. Biddle left the Denver Post to become a White House photographer documenting the Presidency during the end of the Reagan administration and the entire George H. W. Bush administration. She has also freelanced and her work has appeared in Time, Newsweek, U.S. News and World Report, Life, National Geographic and other publications worldwide. She has participated in various book projects including Day in the Life of America, Day in the Life of Thailand, Hong Kong - Here Be Dragons, Day in the Life of the American Woman and America at Home. Biddle has won awards with the White House News Photographers Association and National Press Photographers Association. She has been a judge for various contests as well as a teacher on various workshops and study-abroad programs.

PRINCIPAL, VISUAL MEDIA ONE, LLC

From battlefields to the White House, Johnny Bivera has more than 35+ years of telling human stories and mentoring tomorrow’s visual storytellers.

INDEPENDENT PHOTOGRAPHER

Photographer Mary F. Calvert uses photography to inform and influence societal change by concentrating on documenting social justice issues neglected by the media at large. 

In addition to her commercial work and covering politics in Washington DC, Calvert has been focusing her journalistic attention on the continually under-reported sexual abuse of women and men in the U.S. Armed Forces.

Mary is a recipient of the  2023 Leica Women Foto Project and is the 2022 W. Eugene Smith Memorial Fund Fellow.

Her project on male sexual assault survivors in the armed forces was honored as a Pulitzer Prize nominated finalist in 2020 in the Feature Photography category.

This work was supported by the 2016 Getty Images Grant in Editorial Photography and the W. Eugene Smith Memorial Fund Fellowship and also in 2017-2018 when Calvert was named a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellow in Photography.

In 2013, Calvert received the Canon Female Photojournalist Award at the Visa Pour L’Image, International Festival of Photojournalism in Perpignan, France, to begin work on “The Battle Within: Sexual Assault in America’s Military.” 

In 2014, she was the recipient of the Alexia Foundation Women’s Initiative Grant for the next chapter in the project “Missing in Action: Homeless Women Veterans.” 

The resulting work was featured in a solo exhibition at the 2014 Visa Pour L’Image and was presented in evening projections at the same festival in 2016. In 2018, the work was featured in a solo exhibition at the Festival della Fotografia Etica in Lodi, Italy.

This body of work has received numerous awards including 1st Prize, Long-Term Projects in the 2016 World Press Photo Contest: 2nd place, Contemporary Issues in the 2018 World Press Photo Contest and the National Press Photographers Association’s Cliff Edom New America Award in 2014, 2015 and 2018.

Calvert has won the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award twice and is a three-time Pulitzer Prize nominated finalist in Feature Photography.

PHOTO EDITOR, SMITHSONIAN

Jeff Campagna is a photo editor at Smithsonian and has been with the magazine since 2004. He works on a wide variety of features and has collaborated on numerous award-winning photo projects, receiving recognition from American Photography, NPPA, SPD and the World Press Photo Awards. He regularly contributes arts and culture pieces to Smithsonianmag.com. Jeff is an award-winning songwriter and a graduate of Bucknell University.

INDEPENDENT VISUAL JOURNALIST

Be it in the field chasing wild cattle in Patagonia, behind-the-desk editing the work of world-class visual journalists or mentoring creators from Azerbaijan to Venezuela, Nacho’s work specializes in empowering underrepresented voices.

Previously, he was the Executive Producer at Ripple Effect Images, spotlighting the transformative work of women around the globe. Before that, he was part of the award winning features team at Univision where his main focus was immigration and climate change. His work blends cinematic vision with editorial rigor, producing award-winning content for outlets including National Geographic, The New York Times, El Pais, NPR, UNHCR, the WHO and many others.

Currently, he's collaborating on special projects with Al Jazeera and partnering with non-profits dedicated to conservation and human rights.

PHOTOGRAPHER

Stephen Crowley is a photographer and artist based in Washington DC. Crowley has worked for several news organizations including the New York Times and The Washington Times. Crowley was named the 2002 Photographer of the Year by the White House News Photographers' Association for work including his essays "Voices of Afghanistan" and "A Day in the Life of President Bush." In 2001, Crowley was part of a team at NYT that won the Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting, "How Race is Lived in America." Crowley and four other NYT photographers received a Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography in 2002 for work produced during the war in Afghanistan. Crowley earned an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from the Corcoran College of Art + Design in Washington, D.C in 2002. In 2005, American Photo Magazine included Crowley on its list of the 100 Most Important People in Photography.

LITTLE BLACK DOG PRODUCTIONS LLC

As Science Magazine’s Photography Managing Editor, Bill Douthitt transformed the publication’s picture use, hiring highly accomplished photographers to create striking covers and features depicting cutting edge science advances. Before joining Science, Bill was National Geographic Magazine’s Managing Editor for Special Editions, producing single issues on exploration, space, wildlife, religion, climate, energy, water issues and history. Over his National Geographic career, Bill was a designer, photographer, writer, and editor. He picture-edited over 200 stories, and wrote the December 2006 cover story on the Cassini Saturn mission. He created the first CD-ROM interactive prototype of National Geographic and led the magazine’s first web startup team. Bill also created the EarthPulse project, National Geographic’s first organization-wide initiative that united the print, television and digital divisions on producing media around shared environmental themes. Bill has a B.A. in communications from the University of Washington, and an M.A. in science writing from Johns Hopkins University.

THE EXPOSURE GROUP

Sharon Farmer has been a photojurnalist since student days at The Ohio State University as 0ur Choking Times photographer/managing editor. 13 years freelance at Washington Post, adjunct photo instructor @American & Howard Universities, Official White House Photographer/Director of White House Photography, exhibitor, lecturer. Photography work is my full time business.

INDEPENDENT PHOTO EDITOR

Jill Foley is an independent photo editor based in the Washington, DC area. Currently, she edits for The New York Times. She has also edited for National Geographic Books and Newsstand Special Editions, AARP, Discovery Communications, Smithsonian Magazine, and Education Week.

She is a graduate of Boston University's Masters in Photojournalism program, an alum of The Kalish Visual Editing Workshop, and is a member of Women Photojournalists of Washington (WPOW).

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER, THE BALTIMORE BANNER

Jessica Gallagher’s reporting and photos for a project about Baltimore's drug overdose crisis, published as a collaboration between The Banner and The New York Times, won a Pulitzer Prize in 2025. Prior to joining The Banner, Gallagher worked at The Greenville News, The Quad-City Times, and The Times-Georgian. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Professional Photography from the Brooks Institute.

INDEPENDENT PHOTOJOURNALIST

Joseph Mario (J.M.) Giordano is an award-winning photojournalist based in Baltimore and co-host of the photojournalism podcast, 10 Frames Per Second with Molly Roberts. His book, Trumpland:Carnival to Chaos (Nighted Life Press, 2024) documents the rise of Trump. This year he was named a finalist for the prestigious National Gallery's Outwin Boochever Portrait Prize and will be featured in American Photography Annual 41 for his coverage of 10 years of police brutality in America. His work was featured in American Photography Annual 40 for his second book 13-23 (Nighted Life Press), covering a decade of Baltimore's homicides. His international photographs covering the collapse of the steel industry are the subject of a solo show at the Museum of Industry in Baltimore. His first book, We Used to Live At Night (Culture Crush Editions) chronicles 25 years of the city at night and was called "a mix between Weegee and Brassai". His work has been featured on NPR, ProPublica, Al-Jazeera, GQ, Architectural Digest, Taste, The Observer New Review Sunday Magazine, The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Daily Mail, Washington Post, The Baltimore City Paper, i-D Magazine, Discovery Channel Inc., Rolling-Stone. His work, from the Struggle Civil Rights series is in the permanent collections at the Reginald Lewis Museum.

PHOTO EDITOR, THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER

Jasmine Goldband joined The Philadelphia Inquirer as a photo editor in Aug. 2022, after working for five years as the special projects photo editor for the Houston Chronicle in Texas. The Chronicle staff earned a Pulitzer nomination in 2018 for breaking news coverage of Hurricane Harvey.

Jasmine set high standards for visual journalism across departments in print and online, earning state and national awards each year. She has served as the local representative for the Online News Association and is involved in the National Press Photographers Association. A native of Pennsylvania, Jasmine previously worked as a photojournalist and visual editor in Pittsburgh.

FORMER ASSIGNMENT EDITOR, THE WASHINGTON POST

Veteran photo editor Jennifer Beeson Gregory recently retired from The Washington Post. She held multiple positions there, most recently editing all food-related imagery in Food and the award-wining Voraciously.com. Jennifer is a long-time portfolio reviewer for WPOW and Diversify Photo and is an alum of the Kalish Visual Editing Workshop. She has a B.A. from Mount Holyoke College and a M.A. from the George Washington University.

VIDEO PRODUCER AND EDITOR

Shweta Gulati (she/her) is a video producer and editor who has worked with clients including National Geographic, Smithsonian, and Adobe.

She spent nearly seven years on National Geographic’s video and immersive experiences team, leading production and editing for projects ranging from short explainers to long-form docs across platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, and the National Geographic website. Her work has been recognized by Pictures of the Year International, the Society of Publication Designers, and NPPA Best of Photojournalism awards.

Shweta combines visual storytelling, social engagement, and editorial expertise to create videos that resonate with audiences worldwide

PHOTO ASSIGNMENT EDITOR AND COORDINATOR, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

I am the AFP photo assignment editor & coordinator for North America. I am always looking for curious, passionate, and disciplined new talent.

INDEPENDENT PHOTOGRAPHER

Shuran Huang 黃舒然 is a photographer based in New York City. Her work explores immigration, human rights, local politics, and diaspora experiences. Drawing from her multilingual and diasporic background, she approaches stories with cultural sensitivity, focusing on the nuanced and intimate moments that reveal both personal and political dimensions. Her photography has been widely published, including in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, NPR, TIME, NBC News, and others.

PHOTOGRAPHER/ STORY DEVELOPE

Karen Kasmauski’s career began with the Virginian Pilot newspaper as a staff photographer, winning numerous honors including runner up for Newspaper Photographer of the Year and placing in the Robert F. Kennedy Awards. Karen began freelancing for National Geographic Magazine, photographing 25 major stories. Geographic awarded her their prestigious Photographer in Residence position, leading to her first book IMPACT: From the Front lines of Global Health. That book, and a follow-on, NURSE: A World of Care were both nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in community service. Her most recent story on Black Midwives, Saving Lives was accepted by the prestigious Communication Arts Photography Annual. Her work with two colleagues on the history of Japanese War Brides is an exhibit with Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Services.

Karen holds undergraduate degrees in Anthropology and Religion from the University of Michigan. She was awarded a Knight Fellowship at Ohio University.

PHOTO EDITOR, THE NEW YORK TIMES

I am currently the DC assignment photo editor covering the White House, Congress and the Surpreme Court. I am a proud graduate of the Missouri School of Journalism, and have worked at newspapers and magazines as a photographer, photo editor and writer for almost 20 years.

Tom Kennedy is an internationally known visual journalist with 35 years of print and online journalism experience, including positions as Managing Editor/Digital News for PBS NewsHour, Managing Editor for Multimedia at The Washington Post, Director of Photography at the National Geographic Society, Deputy Graphics Director at the Philadelphia Inquirer, and Director of Photography at the Gainesville Sun. He has created, directed, and edited visual journalism projects that have earned Pulitzer Prizes, as well as EMMY, George F. Peabody, and Edward R. Murrow awards.
Most recently from 2014-2020, he was Executive Director of ASMP (American Society of Media Photographers), this country’s leading trade association representing independent photographers working across commercial and editorial genres.

WASHINGTON PICTURE EDITOR, REUTERS

Jessica Koscielniak is an award-winning visual journalist and leader based in Washington, DC. She is the Reuters Washington Picture Editor, overseeing coverage of the White House, Washington, and politics, and currently serves as President of the White House News Photographers Association.

Previously, she held senior roles at The Washington Post, USA Today, and McClatchy, covering major stories including the war in Ukraine, military suicide, and the COVID-19 pandemic. She began her career at the Chicago Sun-Times documenting gun violence in Chicago’s hardest-hit neighborhoods.

Her work has earned honors from POYi, Best of Photojournalism, the Lone Star Regional EMMYs, Edward R. Murrow Awards, SPJ, The Webbys, and WHNPA. She lives in DC with her husband, photographer Tasos Katopodis, and their bulldog, Nelly.

Deputy Director of Photography at The Washington Post

Olivier Laurent is the Deputy Director of Photography at The Washington Post, managing photo editors and staff photographers across the newsroom, with a specific emphasis on the international, climate, science and technology desks, as well as our live and breaking news operations. Previously, he was a senior photo assignment editor overseeing photo coverage across the international, climate and health & science desks, while also working with the organization’s network of worldwide correspondents and writers to offer a comprehensive international report.

SENIOR PHOTO AND MEDIA EDITOR, THE CHRONICLE OF HIGHER EDUCATION

Erica Lusk has been a photo editor for 20 years. Before joining The Chronicle of Higher Education, she worked at The Washington Post, and holds a BFA in photojournalism from the Corcoran College of Art + Design.

PHOTOGRAPHER & EDUCATOR, NDEMAY MEDIA GROUP

Cheriss May is an acclaimed editorial and portrait photographer, selected by Peerspace as one of “The 12 Best Editorial Photographers in Washington, D.C.”. She has been published in The New York Times, The Times of London, on The White House website, and other publications. Her work is featured at Le Coin in Gansevoort Meatpacking NYC, the permanent collections of the African American Museum in Philadelphia, Pa., and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem, NY, and has exhibited work at shows and galleries around the world. Cheriss is an educator, a Leica Ambassador, a mentor at Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), and an Adobe Content Authenticity Pioneer.

Cheriss is a former president of WPOW, currently based in Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles, Ca.

Cherissmay.com

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY, WASHINGTON POST

Robert is an experienced leader with a keen eye. He excels at managing daily and enterprise journalism in all its forms.

Robert began his career at The News & Observer in Raleigh, N.C., where he worked as a staff photojournalist and rose to become the Director of Photography and Multimedia. He joined the Post in 2008.

Robert is dedicated to fostering a culture of collaboration and mentorship within the photo department and is an effective advocate for impactful photojournalism across platforms. Follow his street photography on Instagram @rmillerphotoeditor.

STAFF PHOTOJOURNALIST AT THE BALTIMORE BANNER

Kaitlin Newman is a staff photojournalist and assistant photo editor at The Baltimore Banner, a non-profit local digital newspaper based in Baltimore, MD. She covers a wide range of assignments, but primarily focuses on breaking news, politics, crime and investigative work.

She is the professor of photojournalism at Towson University, from which she obtained a Master’s Degree in journalism.

Marie A. Monteleone is a Senior Photo Editor at Bloomberg News, where she curates and commissions visual narratives for enterprise stories. She has helped grow and diversify Bloomberg’s network of freelance photographers, championing a wide range of voices and perspectives.

Before joining Bloomberg, she worked with leading outlets including ABC News, T: The New York Times Style Magazine, The New York Post, and W Magazine, building a strong editorial eye and passion for impactful storytelling.

Marie is also an advocate for contemporary photography and an active mentor. She has spoken at Columbia University, the International Center of Photography, Parsons School of Design, Leica Gallery New York, Syracuse University, Women Photograph, and festivals around the world.

Her expertise is often sought for juries such as World Press Photo, Cortona On The Move & BarTur Grant, The Getty Images & Women Photograph Grant, International Photography Awards, Diversify Photo, and Photoville’s The Fence.

PHOTO EDITOR, THE WASHINGTON POST

Christine T. Nguyen is senior photo editor on the Politics & Government and National desks at The Washington Post, where she has focused on the White House, Capitol Hill and the 2024 elections. Before joining the Post, Christine worked as a features photo editor at the Star Tribune and as senior photojournalist at Minnesota Public Radio. She also covered a range of community stories as a photojournalist at multiple newspapers in North Carolina.

ASSOCIATE PHOTO EDITOR, AARP

Deja Nycole is a documentarian who specializes in the analysis and production of historical records by examining documents held in various repositories and institutions; highlighting the unique narratives of those whose voices go unheard and lives unseen through extensive research, collaboration and creative media in an effort to add to the history of humanity.

As a documentarian, Deja is an archival researcher, documentary photographer, photo editor, and producer. She holds both a Bachelor's and Master's degree from High Point University and The George Washington University, respectively. Her education equips her as a documentary storyteller; she is passionate about sharing people’s realities while empowering each other to make a difference across our global communities.

INDEPENDENT PHOTOGRAPHER AND FILMMAKER

A two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, Lucian Perkins worked as a staff photographer for The Washington Post for twenty-seven years.

While at the Post, Perkins covered many significant events of the time in the U.S. and abroad, including Russia and the former Soviet Union since 1988, the first Palestinian uprising, and the wars in the former Yugoslavia, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

He co-founded “InterFoto,” an international photography festival in Moscow, Russia, from 1995 to 2005, and published two books: Hard Art, DC, and Runway Madness. He has also filmed and edited numerous short documentaries, including his first full-length one, The Messengers, which follows two young volunteers transformed by the residents of Joseph’s House, a hospice for homeless HIV/AIDs patients in Washington, DC.

Currently, Perkins is an independent photographer and filmmaker concentrating on multimedia projects and documentaries while continuing to pursue his love for the still image.

PHOTOGRAPHY MANAGING EDITOR, SCIENCE MAGAZINE

Emily Petersen is the photography managing editor at Science magazine. She directs freelance photojournalists and researchers in visualizing complex science stories across the magazine’s covers, features, news, commentary, and social media. In addition to her award-winning photo editing, she writes for the Science Visuals blog, serves as an iLCP ambassador, and has been recognized by Nikon as an expert in science and media.

Emily holds a master’s degree from American University, where she studied photography, film, and environmental science. She began her career as a microbiologist with the U.S. Navy where she discovered her passion for telling science stories through photography. She and her husband live in Baltimore with their new baby daughter, and they will be relocating to New York City in 2026, where she will continue her work with Science while expanding her network.

FREELANCE PHOTOGRAPHER

Moriah Ratner is a freelance photojournalist based in Washington, D.C. She studied photojournalism and psychology at Syracuse University, graduating in 2018, and earned a Master of Arts in Early Childhood Education from Mills College in 2022.

Moriah's work takes a documentary, journalistic approach to human interest stories on health, politics, criminal justice, religion, gender inequality, and wellness. Grounded in an editorial foundation, she combines natural light with emotionally driven, intimate storytelling. She believes photography is a universal language and is committed to using it both to help people and to challenge perceptions of the world, working across daily news assignments and long-term projects.

Her photography has been published by The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, NPR, National Geographic, Bloomberg News, The Associated Press, Getty Images, NBC News, The Guardian, and others. Named one of 12 emerging photographers to watch by The New York Times Lens Blog in 2018, Moriah has mentored photojournalism students, is a member of WPOW, NPPA, and WHNPA, and has attended the Eddie Adams Workshop XXX, the 58th annual Hearst National Journalism Awards Championship, the 71st Missouri Photo Workshop as the 2019 Cliff & Vi Edom Scholarship recipient, and the 2018 and 2024 New York Portfolio Review.

RETIRED PHOTOGRAPHER AND PHOTO EDITOR

Let’s see. I’ve worked at newspapers small and large including the deep South, west coast, Chicago, New York and Washington, DC. I retired from the Post a few years back and immediately worked for Politico from two years before moving abroad where I photographed some politics for an honest newspaper in the former Soviet Union. More recently I taught photojournalism in Europe for seven years in a month long, college level summer study abroad program. Cameras have changed over the years, but true photojournalism has not.

Astrid Riecken is a German-American 2024 DC Art and Humanities Fellowship Grantee and a team 2022 Pulitzer prize-winning photojournalist, based in Washington, DC. Since 2016, Riecken has taught at the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design of George Washington University and since 2020 at the School of Communication at American University.

PHOTO ASSIGNMENT MANAGER FOR U.S. NEWS, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

I started at the AP in July 2022 as a photo assistant on the Global Photo Desk and was quickly promoted to a photo editor. In September 2025, I began a new role as photo assignment manager for U.S. news at the AP. Before joining the AP, I was a staff photographer and later assistant managing editor at the Watertown Daily Times in Watertown, New York.

INDEPENDENT FILMMAKER

Whitney Shefte is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and video journalist with over 17 years at The Washington Post. A Peabody, Murrow, and Emmy-honored storyteller, she specializes in directing, filming, producing, and editing impactful documentaries and news features around the globe—from the war in Ukraine and climate change in Greenland to U.S. politics and healthcare.

Her work has been recognized by the IWMF, WHNPA, and the Pulitzer committee. She’s also taught journalism at Georgetown and served as WHNPA president for eight years.

Now working independently, Whitney creates content for major media outlets, nonprofits, and brands. She is based in Washington, D.C.

INDEPENDENT PHOTOJOURNALIST

In a career that’s spanned over two decades, Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Stephanie Sinclair, a Canon Explorer of Light, has used her images to put faces to some of the world’s most serious gender and human rights issues. Illuminating the lives of marginalized and vulnerable people with dignity, empathy and respect, Sinclair's work is regularly published in esteemed outlets including National Geographic and The New York Times Magazine.

Her ongoing 20+ year series, “Too Young to Wed,” on child marriage has earned numerous global accolades, including four World Press Photo awards and numerous prestigious exhibitions including the United Nations (2012, 2014) and the Whitney Biennial (2010) in New York. Other awards for this project include the 2017 IWMF Anja Niedringhaus Courage in Photojournalism Award, the 2015 Art for Peace Award, the 2015 Lucie Humanitarian Award, the International Center of Photography 2014 Infinity Award, an unprecedented three Visa D’Or Feature awards from the Visa Pour L’Image photojournalism festival in France, UNICEF’s Photo of the Year. Sinclair’s other projects have also received a great deal of recognition, including the 2008 CARE International Award for Humanitarian Reportage; and the Overseas Press Club’s Olivier Rebbot Award (2009) for her essay A Cutting Tradition: Inside an Indonesian Female Circumcision Celebration. In 2018, In Style Magazine named her one of "50 Badass Women Who Are Changing the World."

Sinclair shepherded the Too Young to Wed series into a nonprofit organization of the same name. Too Young to Wed’s (TYTW) mission is to empower girls and end child marriage globally. 

SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR, THE NATURE CONSERVANCY

Alex Snyder is an award-winning photo editor and photojournalist. As Senior Photo Editor for Nature Conservancy he has produced over 30 feature stories for their flagship publication Nature Conservancy Magazine. In this role he has also produced award-winning short film documentaries.

Alex also serves as Communications Director for The Photo Society — a collective of over 200 National Geographic photographers who are dedicated to supporting our member’s work and upholding the high ethical standards of documentary photography and photojournalism. Alex manages the groups online community of over 5 million and hosts the monthly talk “The Photo Society Presents — which is free and open to the public.

Prior to his current roles, Alex was the photographer at Peace Corps where he traveled to 15 countries documenting the volunteer experience.

MANAGING EDITOR, VISUAL AND IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE, EDUCATION WEEK

Sandra M. Stevenson is an award-winning Writer / Visual Editor / Curator who recently joined Education Week as Managing Editor, Visuals and Immersive Experience.

Before joining Education Week, Sandra was Deputy Director of Photography at The Washington Post, where she managed a team of picture editors covering International, Climate and Health + Science. Previously, she served as Associate Deputy Director of Photography at CNN, overseeing picture editors responsible for curating the home screen, editing stories and newsletters, and producing special projects. Prior to that, she was an Assistant Editor at The New York Times, where she supervised digital photo editors on the news desk and contributed to visual content for Race/Related and Gender. She also played a key role in exclusive projects such as Overlooked and This Is 18.

Sandra earned a B.A. in English from Syracuse University and continued studies in audio/visuals at l’Universite Toulouse in Toulouse, France.

PCTURE EDITOR AND EDUCATOR

I am Lauren Stockbower and have over twenty years of experience in the photo industry, with a checkered past that includes working as a staff and freelance photographer, director of a picture agency, a photo editor on several publications, and an educator. I graduated from the University of Missouri, Columbia, and then worked for a community daily newspaper outside Philadelphia as a staff photographer. Next, I worked as a freelance writer and photographer in India, Pakistan, Nepal, and China for about six years, while also selling Steve McCurry’s National Geographic stories overseas. This led to my working as the Director of Archive Pictures, where I supervised researchers and distributed stories abroad. Next, I worked as a picture editor for Forbes, BusinessWeek, and U.S. News & World Report for a total of twenty years. I also have taught classes at the Corcoran College of Art & Design, the Center for Digital Imaging Arts, and NOVA, including Business and Photo Markets, Portfolio Development, Story Building, and Web Marketing.

VISUAL INFORMATION SPECIALIST, SENATE PHOTOGRAPHIC SERVICES

Erin is a hybrid photographer/videographer based in Arlington, VA. She is currently serving as a Visual Information Specialist (aka Official Senate Photographer Who Also Does Video) with the United States Senate Photographic Services, and previously spent 12 years at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers as a videographer/photographer/editor. She’s an avid runner, sourdough baker, performer with the Washington Revels, and mom to two chaos monsters/kids, two dogs, and a cat.

PHOTO DIRECTOR, AARP

Michael Wichita has been with AARP since 2005, and works with AARP's print publications, websites, newsletters, and social presence. Wichita previously worked as a professional photographer, his collaborations with photographers for AARP has been recognized by SPD and American Photography amongst others. Michael is a frequent speaker and portfolio reviewer at industry events. He graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design.

SENIOR EDITOR FOR WIDER IMAGE AND SPECIAL PROJECTS, REUTERS

Maye-E Wong is an award-winning photojournalist and editor currently based in New York as the Senior Editor for Wider Image and Special Projects at Reuters. She leads photographers worldwide in visual long-form storytelling, from ideation through publication. She also represents Reuters at photo festivals where she shares her skills and experience with the newer generation of photographers.

Wong joined Reuters in April 2023 after a distinguished two-decade career at The Associated Press, globetrotting from bases in Singapore and New York City. She has covered a wide range of global news events including the Rohingya refugee crisis in Cox’s Bazaar, political unrest in Thailand and Hong Kong, natural disasters, Black Lives Matters in the US, and more than 35 trips to North Korea. She also has extensive experience covering global sports events like the Summer and Winter Olympic Games, and the FIFA World Cup.

Her own photography has won multiple awards, including the Overseas Press Club’s Hal Boyle Award, and the 2018 Ancil Payne Ethics in Journalism Award. She was a recipient of grants from the Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting and the IWMF. Wong served as juror in the 2017 and 2018 World Press Photo contests and sits on the Advisory Board of POY Asia. She is currently a member of the board of directors at the Eddie Adams Workshop.

FREELANCE PHOTOJOURNALIST AND VISUALS DIRECTOR, THE BALTIMORE BANNER

Ariel Zambelich is a freelance photojournalist and the Visuals Director at The Baltimore Banner, where she collaborates to tell stories through photojournalism, video, illustration and design. She previously worked at The Wall Street Journal, The Intercept, NPR Visuals, and WIRED. She spent 6 years on the board of the Authority Collective, an organization that amplifies the voices of female-identifying and nonbinary lens-based creators of color through community action. She was also an organizer with the Freelance Solidarity Project, a union for freelance media workers.