xemiyulu Manibusan Tapepechul, aka Xemi the Two-Spirit, is a Salvadoran Nawat Non-Binary Trans Womxn writer, actor, and coach. She is the Artistic Director of Nelwat Ishkamewe, a multilingual theatre company for the Spanish-speaking and English-speaking Native American/Indígena Diaspora communities. Xemiyulu is always educating the public about Indigenous issues, and provides dire emotional labor for the growth of our mainstream communities. She leads community workshops that center healing through art, and help hone the artistic talents of our community members.

Marco Kay Photography - "Rather than call myself a photographer or what I do photography, I like to consider it as "Inspiring the moment!" This simply means capturing life as it is being inspired by the feelings, emotions, and all other attributes that creates the compositions of life. With my camera, whether it's a glamorous photoshoot, a fun day shoot in the city, or their special day, I give my clients their inspirational moments to relive every day and share with others." -Demarcus Davis

Opened to the public September 7, 2019, The REACH at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is more than a physical expansion of the nation’s cultural center: It’s a new way of imagining the intersection between audiences and art. Envisioned as a complement to, and extension of, the Kennedy Center’s mission, the REACH supports both artistic and educational programming, with a strong emphasis on supporting artists, new works, and artistic development for artists at all levels.

Katie Burk is currently a Senior Graphic Designer at the marketing agency Nobody in Washington, D.C. She was previously a graphic designer at NPR headquarters from 2008 to early 2014 in their Marketing, Branding, and Communications department. Katie was also the graphic designer on the live events team at The Atlantic from 2014 to early 2015. She is a Louisiana native and LSU graduate, a bass clarinetist, a ceramicist, and handy with a hammer.

Marc Barnes is the owner of The Park at Fourteenth, one of Washington, DC’s largest downtown lounge and nightlife destinations and the owner of Republic Gardens and Dream (turned LOVE) nightclubs. He has been a staple in the District's nightlife economy for over 30 years.

Ian Callender is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Culture House DC (formerly Blind Whino), an organization dedicated to providing a functional, organic art space for all to enjoy at no cost and learn more about the arts culture through various exhibits, events, live performances and artist workshops. The building embraces all things creative with all of its being. As an art object itself, with the exterior, fully painted, it serves as a pillar for creativity in our Nation’s Capital.

Models Inc. is a performing and model agency founded in March of 2006 in the Nation’s Capital, Washington, DC. Models Inc. was built from the bottom up with dedication, determination and hard work. The company is led by CEO Iran “Bang“ Paylor and Aaron Handy. Models Inc. is a place where our models can grow and learn from others, in areas such as dance. runway, print and editorial modeling. The performance group have graced  countless national and local stages including the grand opening of The REACH at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

Founded by teacher Julie Kennedy at Marie Reed Elementary School, DC Scores creates neighborhood teams that give kids in need the confidence and skills to succeed on the playing field, in the classroom, and in life. The program quickly expanded throughout DC, and in 1999, Kennedy began sites in Boston and Chicago, thus creating America SCORES, headquarters to 12 programs across the United States and Canada: Bay Area, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, New York, Portland, St. Louis, Seattle, Vancouver, and Washington, DC.

Vernard R. Gray, East River Jazz curator/director is a native Washingtonian whose career, from the mid-60s to the present day has included documentary photography and videography, art gallery curating and management, wearable art designing, oral history recording, and jazz culture curation. Gray’s Miya Gallery project founded 1976, in downtown DC, led the Black Arts Movement of the 1970s through the 2000s. He has presented more than 300 jazz performances in the Washington-Baltimore region since 2008.

The Content Farm is disrupting business as usual in the media industry, with dozens of projects in development and production, and a unique distribution model no other company can offer. The Content Farm is a one-stop-shop for the development, production, marketing, and representation of media content. Michael Holstein and Annika Young  are the creative forces behind Content Farm. The two have partnered on several media projects including "Live at 9:30", an award-winning documentary shot at the District’s internationally-famed 9:30 Club. The dynamic duo also produced "The Perfect Venue, a House Hunters-style television show that follows recently engaged couples on their search for the ideal wedding venue.

Herta B. Feely is the author of numerous short stories and memoir, published in literary journals and anthologies. She received two fellowships for a novel in progress – the James Jones First Novel Fellowship and an Artist in Literature from the DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities – and an American Independent Writing Prize in Personal Essay. Now an editor, writing coach and ghostwriter at Chrysalis Editorial, a company she founded, Herta has worked with hundreds of writers helping them to transform and perfect their writing and find agents and publishers for their work.

Artist, activist and restaurateur, Andy Shallal is the founder and owner of Busboys and Poets, a community gathering place. There are 7 locations throughout the Washington DC metro area, including its flagship location near the U Street Corridor, Federal Triangle, Takoma, Brookland and its newest location in the historic Anacostia neighborhood. The venues are embraced by the community across all 8 Wards. Busboys' clientele has included Barack Obama, Howard Zinn, Alice Walker, Cornel West, Naomi Klein, Ben Jealous, Michael Eric Dyson, Nikki Giovanni, Junot Diaz, Common, Moby, Larry King, Melissa Harris Perry, Angela Davis, Brittney Griner, Cory Booker, Maxine Waters, Solange, Esperanza Spalding, Howard Dean, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Danny Glover, and others.