THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING TO THE 2026 SANTA FE MAGAZINE FESTIVAL!
WE'LL SEE YOU NEXT YEAR.
PRESENTERS
Deanna Allison
A Diné (Navajo) actress best known for her breakout series regular role in Dark Winds.
Deanna Allison represents a new wave of Indigenous storytelling in film and television. As a Diné actress, her work in Dark Winds has helped shift representation toward authenticity and depth. Her performances contribute to a broader movement redefining Native narratives on screen, bringing visibility and complexity to stories that have long been overlooked.
Marc Barasch
A filmmaker (The Phenomenon), author (The Compassionate Life) and ecological activist (Green World Campaign).
Marc Barasch is a bestselling author (The Compassionate Life, Remarkable Recovery), filmmaker (The Phenomenon, The Roswell Incident), ecological activist (founder of the Green World Campaign) and former editor at Natural Health, Psychology Today, and New Age Journal.
Clara Bates
A reporter and Jeffrey Epstein investigator.
Clara Bates is a politics reporter at the Santa Fe New Mexican. Her investigations into Jeffrey Epstein’s ties to New Mexico have been cited by national and international outlets. She previously reported on poverty in Missouri, where her investigation into a potential wrongful conviction in St. Louis formed the basis for an ongoing habeas case.
Tony Beck
Co-founder of Beck & Bulow, Santa Fe's beloved premium butcher shop and nationally acclaimed meat and seafood company.
Tony Beck is the co-founder of Beck & Bulow, Santa Fe’s beloved premium butcher shop and nationally acclaimed meat and seafood company. What started as a bet on a retiring rancher’s bison operation has grown into something far bigger than a business — it’s a living philosophy. Tony’s connection to bison runs deeper than commerce: decades of immersion in traditional Lakota ceremony gave him a reverence for the animal long before he ever sold a cut. That foundation — what he calls an “ancient future” way of living — became the soul of the brand.
Since launching at the Santa Fe Farmers Market in 2018, Beck & Bulow has brought the full animal — tongue to tail — to local tables and customers nationwide, grounded in regenerative sourcing, ethical ranching and uncompromising quality. The next chapter is taking shape at a ranch in Lamy, where Tony is building a destination for exceptional hospitality — a place where community, events and one-of-a-kind experiences converge around real food and shared values. Tony is building something that looks as much like a return as it does a frontier — rooted in the land, alive in the present and pointed toward what’s possible when ancient wisdom meets modern life.
Garry Blackchild
A singer-songwriter, of afro-Indigenous, western roots/folk that, as he says, “Auntie would dance to.”
Garry Blackchild’s music moves between worlds, grounded in Afro-Indigenous identity while drawing from Western folk traditions. His sound is intimate yet expansive, shaped by rhythm, memory, and lived experience. At the core of his work is connection — to family, to land, to lineage. His phrase “music Auntie would dance to” captures the spirit of his work: rooted in community, joy, and continuity. Through his music, Blackchild creates space for cultural memory to live and evolve.
Rich Brown
A veteran community and economic development leader.
Rich Brown is a veteran community and economic development leader whose career spans more than 40 years across public service, business development, entrepreneurship, and strategic partnerships. Most recently, he served as Director of Community Development for the City of Santa Fe, where he led initiatives in affordable housing, workforce development, entrepreneurship, and neighborhood revitalization. His accomplishments include guiding the Midtown Development Master Plan, launching workforce partnerships with Santa Fe Public Schools, securing funding for housing and economic stability programs, and creating initiatives that support local entrepreneurs and small businesses. A recognized civic leader, Brown continues to serve on nonprofit and community boards and recently completed a Harvard fellowship focused on sustainable and inclusive city development.
Nocona Burgess
A Comanche painter whose contemporary portraits of Indigenous men and women radiate power and history.
Nocona Burgess creates contemporary portraits that honor Indigenous identity with striking clarity and presence. As a Comanche artist, his work reflects both historical awareness and modern expression, capturing subjects with a sense of dignity and power. His paintings challenge outdated narratives, offering a more nuanced and self-defined representation of Indigenous life.
David Carl
Dean of St. John's College’s Graduate Institute and film and visual arts teacher.
David Carl has been on the teaching faculty at St. John’s for 27 years, where he currently serves as Dean for the College’s Graduate Institute, which offers Master’s Degrees in Western Liberal Arts, Eastern Classics and Middle Eastern Classics. In addition to teaching across both the graduate and undergraduate programs and in the College’s adult education programs, he also teaches and speaks locally on film and visual arts. He holds a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature and a Master’s Degree in Philosophy. He has written widely on film theory, aesthetics and speculative metaphysics.
Elizabeth Hayes Christopher
An American multidisciplinary artist and published poet based in Santa Fe, New Mexico, whose work spans painting, photography, sculpture, poetry and film.
With studies in art history in London and further training at Bowdoin College, Parsons School of Design, New York University and the New York Botanical Garden, she spent seventeen years immersed in New York’s creative scene before establishing studios internationally. Her work, deeply influenced by travels across thirty-two countries, explores light, nature and interconnectedness — an exploration profoundly transformed by a rare “blue sky lightning” strike she survived with her husband, artist Scott Christopher, in 2022. This near-death experience became a catalyst for her acclaimed book Lightning Seeds and her evolving body of work, Lightning Flowers, which blends botanical realism with dreamlike abstraction. Her luminous, nature-inspired compositions — currently exhibited in Jackson, Wyoming — invite viewers into spaces of reflection and possibility, while her large-scale works, including Field of Light, and collaborative performance pieces presented globally continue to explore themes of transformation, beauty and the enduring power of light.
Scott Christopher
A Santa Fe-based multidisciplinary artist whose work spans painting, photography, sculpture, writing and film, driven by a lifelong fascination with creativity and human potential.
Before turning fully to the arts, he built an extraordinary career in athletics as a professional baseball champion and record holder, competing at the highest level alongside Major League Baseball Hall-of-Famers such as his three time teammate, Cal Ripken Jr. and Jim Palmer — an experience that continues to inform his discipline, vision and storytelling. His artistic practice has since evolved across more than forty countries, with collaborations and work involving cultural figures from Elvis Presley to Audrey Hepburn. Known for his large-scale, physically constructed paintings — including the “Chromosome” series and his forthcoming Lightning Strike work — Christopher explores themes of transformation, consciousness and the human experience. An exhibiting artist, author and speaker, he continues to create ambitious, cross-disciplinary work from Santa Fe alongside his wife and creative partner, Elizabeth Hayes Christopher, grounded in the belief that art is a universal language connecting people across cultures and generations.
Juliana Ciano
Operates Reunity Farms, where she is reimagining regenerative living.
Juliana Ciano’s work focuses on sustainability, agriculture and community. Through Reunity Farms, she creates a model for regenerative living that connects people to land and resources. Her work reflects a shift from sustainability to active restoration, emphasizing long-term environmental and social impact.
Thomas Clark
Successfully represented numerous clients in high profile criminal and civil cases in his more than 30 years as an attorney. His peers have recognized his legal excellence with a Martindale-Hubbell rating of AV, the highest possible rating for a lawyer to achieve.
Mr. Clark moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico in 1994 and opened his law practice in 1995. He is a partner with Clark & Ruyle, Attorneys at Law, LLC. Mr. Clark’s practice consists primarily of representing individuals who have been charged with criminal offenses. These cases include murder, sex crimes, all drug offenses, general felonies, domestic violence, and DWI and license revocation. In addition, Mr. Clark represents people who have been injured or killed in all types of accidents, as well as those who are victims of civil rights violations.
Mr. Clark has successfully represented numerous clients in high profile criminal and civil cases in his more than 30 years as an attorney. His peers have recognized his legal excellence with a Martindale-Hubbell rating of AV, the highest possible rating for a lawyer to achieve. He is also recognized as a Super Lawyer of the Southwest. Mr. Clark is licensed to practice law in New Mexico and Arkansas, as well as the United States District Court. He is also a member of the New Mexico Criminal Defense Lawyers Association.
Eve Cohen
A rare operator who has worked at every scale of the American food system, from the ranch to the algorithm, she’s spent two decades shaping how good food gets grown, distributed and eaten.
Eve began at Animal Welfare Approved, helping small ranches navigate the country’s most rigorous animal welfare certification, then launched the founding marketplace at Good Eggs before scaling online grocery at Walmart and Shipt into platforms used by tens of millions of households. She is the co-founder of Monday Monday, a Santa Fe provisioning service built on a simple conviction: that pleasure, joy and connection are the essential infrastructure for a well-lived life.
Chip Conley
Founder of Joie de Vivre Hotels and was Airbnb’s Head of Global Strategy. He is a best-selling author and co-founded MEA, a midlife wisdom school in Santa Fe and Baja CA.
Chip Conley has built a career at the intersection of business and personal growth. As founder of Joie de Vivre Hospitality and former Head of Global Strategy at Airbnb, he has shaped modern hospitality. He is also the co-founder of MEA, a midlife wisdom school, where he explores aging as a period of growth and reinvention. His work blends leadership, psychology, and purpose-driven living.
Alexis Corbin
Radio host and Executive Director, symphony and opera performer and arts education activist.
Alexis Corbin is the Afternoon Host and Executive Director of Classical 95.5 KHFM in Albuquerque, where she brings both curatorial vision and an engaging on-air presence to one of the region’s leading classical music stations. A native of Portland, Oregon, she performs regularly with Opera Southwest and the Santa Fe Symphony, and has collaborated with the New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players, the Bill Evans Dance Company and Kawambe-Omowale African Drum and Dance Theater. She has also performed with steel pan artists Liam Teague and Len “Boogsie” Sharpe. She previously served as founding Program Director of New Mexico’s first El Sistema program and has supported arts education through her work with the Public Academy for the Performing Arts.
Sara Dant
An author, historian, professor and lover of the outdoors.
Sara Dant is an award-winning writer, historian, distinguished professor emeritus, runner, and avid outdoor enthusiast who lives in the Galisteo River Valley outside Santa Fe. Her recent book is Losing Eden: An Environmental History of the American West, a “big history” of people and nature across twenty-five thousand years in the West. In addition to appearing in Ken Burns’ The American Buffalo film, Sara’s writing has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Seattle Times, PBS.org, San Francisco Chronicle and the Colorado Sun. She has also provided expert witness historical research, court testimony and a precedent-setting report on stream navigability upheld by the Utah Supreme Court.
Marisa C. de Baca
Artist and therapist who blends culturally grounded healing with transpersonal and psychedelic-informed approaches.
Marisa C. de Baca, LCSW, is a Nuevo Mexícana mother, artist and clinician rooted in the northern villages of Nambé, Peña Blanca and Santa Fe. A former metalsmith turned social worker, she focuses on community healing and addressing systemic trauma in New Mexico. As a Taos-based psychotherapist, she integrates transpersonal and psychedelic-assisted therapy, archetypal analysis and narrative work, supporting clients in reconnecting with their inner healer.
Sally Denton
An investigative reporter who writes about subjects others ignore – from drug conspiracies in Kentucky to organized crime in Las Vegas to corruption in the Mormon Church.
As an investigative journalist and author, Sally Denton brings depth and rigor to complex subjects, revealing the systems and forces that shape society. Her work challenges readers to look beyond surface narratives and engage with deeper truths.
Gay Dillingham
Her award-winning films include The WIPP Trail, My Body Belongs to Me, Dying to Know: Ram Dass & Timothy Leary, and Crossings.
Gay Dillingham’s films sit at the intersection of storytelling and inquiry, exploring profound questions about identity and transformation. Her work reflects a deep curiosity about consciousness and human experience. Through documentary filmmaking, she invites audiences to engage with ideas that challenge conventional thinking, creating space for reflection in a fast-moving world.
Jordan Eddy
A writer, editor and curator based in Santa Fe, New Mexico. As editorial director of Southwest Contemporary, he shapes curated and critical perspectives on arts and culture throughout the Southwest.
Previously, Jordan Eddy directed form & concept and Zane Bennett Contemporary Art, a dual gallery challenging the boundaries between art, craft and design. His writing has appeared in Art in America, Hyperallergic, Brooklyn Rail, New Mexico Magazine and other publications. His storytelling work concerns material and social hierarchies of the past and how contemporary creatives are upending them through transdisciplinary practice.
Kirk Ellis
A two-time Emmy Award and two-time Humanitas Prize–winning writer and producer who created John Adams, the acclaimed event series.
Kirk Ellis’s work focuses on character-driven storytelling grounded in historical context. Ellis’s approach highlights the human dimensions of history, making complex narratives accessible and compelling.
Angela Ellsworth
A multidisciplinary artist and co-founder of The Museum of Walking, where art meets ritual.
Angela Ellsworth’s work moves across sculpture, performance, and installation, often engaging with themes of ritual, identity, and transformation. As co-founder of The Museum of Walking, she creates experiences that blur the line between art and lived practice. Her work invites participation, reflection, and a reconsideration of how we move through both physical and conceptual spaces.
Tina Elmo
An acclaimed independent producer known for her work on television series and documentaries, most notably as an executive producer on Dark Winds.
Tina Elmo has worked across film and television, helping bring stories from concept to audience. As an executive producer on Dark Winds, she has contributed to a shift toward more authentic representation in media.
Ria Leigh Res Extensa
A multidisciplinary artist and perfumer based in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Through her olfactory practice, Calyx Armatura, she explores scent as a medium for embodied atmosphere and extension of memory. Drawing from personal experience with synesthesia, she approaches fragrance as a form of sensory architecture, each perfume is conceived as an inhabitable scene, a wearable poem or an ephemeral sculpture. Her work extends beyond perfumery into installation, performance and collaborative projects, Saint Profanus Studios, often integrating sound, text, ritual frameworks and art/life practice. In collaboration with sound artist Kb Thomason, she creates immersive scent and sound environments that invite participants into states of reflection and heightened perception.
Julie Ferman
The matchmaker extraordinaire behind 1,400 love stories — and counting.
Julie Ferman has built her career helping people find meaningful connection. With over 1,400 relationships to her name, she blends emotional intelligence with practical strategy. In an era dominated by dating apps, her work offers a human-centered approach rooted in intuition and insight. Ferman’s work reminds us that connection isn’t accidental — it’s intentional.
Maggie Fine
A storyteller, actress, journalist, and community builder.
Maggie Fine is a storyteller, actress, journalist, and community builder whose work is deeply rooted in Santa Fe. A native New Mexican, she returned home after years in New York and quickly began asking a simple question: Why don’t more locals feel connected to Canyon Road? That question led her to found Canyon Road Summer Walks, a grassroots celebration of art, music, food, history, and neighborhood life that has helped thousands of Santa Feans rediscover one of the city’s most iconic streets. Maggie brings the same curiosity and talent for uncovering stories that connect people to place, history, and each other. And she’s our host and co-founder of this Festival!
Tony Floyd
Contributing photographer for W Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, Santa Fe Magazine and senior contributor to The New York Times.
Tony Floyd began his creative journey in the 1990s as a model, working with leading photographers such as Steven Meisel and Bruce Weber, often assisting Weber behind the scenes. Over the past two decades, he has established himself as a contributing photographer for major publications including W Magazine and The Wall Street Journal, and is currently a senior contributor to The New York Times. In late 2024, Floyd was commissioned by The New York Times to photograph artists Judy Chicago, Larry Bell, Lucy Lippard, Harmony Hammond and Rose B. Simpson for a feature exploring the influence of New Mexico on their work. Captivated by the region’s landscape and spirit, Floyd extended the assignment from one week into a three-week immersion, forming a deep connection with its singular beauty. Floyd is currently a proud contributor to Santa Fe Magazine.
Dan Flores
An American writer and historian who specializes in cultural and environmental studies of the American West.
Dan Flores has spent decades reinterpreting the history of the American West through an environmental lens. His work challenges traditional narratives, focusing on the relationships between humans, animals and landscape. By blending science, history, and storytelling, Flores offers a more nuanced understanding of place, one that highlights interconnected systems and long-term ecological impact.
Cassidy Freeman
An actor, singer and producer, who has starred in multiple hit series.
Cassidy Freeman is an actor, singer and producer who most recently played “Amber Gemstone” on HBO’s hit series The Righteous Gemstones opposite creator Danny McBride, John Goodman and Adam Devine. The fourth season was HBO’s most watched season of comedy ever. She is also well known for starring as “Cady Longmire” in Longmire, which ran for six seasons and is still in the top 10 most watched shows on Netflix. Cassidy also played “Tess Mercer” in CW’s superhero drama Smallville, finishing out the last three seasons of a 10 Season run. She has appeared on series such as Paradise, Once Upon A Time, The Vampire Diaries, Doubt, NCIS Nola and Cold Case. She also co-executive produced and starred in the horror-thriller Yellowbrickroad as well as indie feature Cortez, both which premiered at Slamdance. Additional film credits include Blumhouse’s Forever Purge, Don’t Look Back, IFC comedy film Finishing The Game and indie feature Brahmin Bulls. On stage, she has appeared in Anthony Minghella’s Cigarettes and Chocolate in NYC at the Atlantic stage 2 and The Maids at the Moth Theatre. Most recently, Cassidy shot independent feature #UnderTheInfluence, written and directed by Kristin Goodman and opposite Partrick Fabian and Alexandra Renzo. She also starred in independent feature Chasing Summer, written by and starring Iliza Shlesinger, opposite Megan Mullally and Lola Tung, which premiered at Sundance 2026.
David Fresquez
A Santa Fe native, entrepreneur and community leader.
David Fresquez is a Santa Fe native, entrepreneur and community leader who founded the Santa Fe Gloom, the city’s newest professional sports team. He is also the founder of Age Friendly Senior Care, an organization dedicated to helping elderly residents age in place with compassionate caregiver support. Fresquez previously served as Executive Director of the Santa Fe Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, where he championed local business and community development.
Richard Friedman
Explores psychology, culture and human behavior through a multidisciplinary lens.
Richard Friedman brings expertise in geology, remote sensing, archaeology, and digital technologies to the study of the Chaco world. He worked with the Navajo Nation Chaco Sites Protection Program to document Great Houses and roads across the Four Corners and has researched Chaco roads for over 30 years using advanced imaging techniques, including LiDAR and photogrammetry. Friedman has co-authored key publications on Chacoan infrastructure and landscape use. He appears in the Solstice Project documentaries The Mystery of Chaco Canyon (1999) and Written on the Landscape (2024), and contributes to the current production, From the Mind’s Eye.
Scott Garen
Scott is a writer, producer and director behind award-winning films and top-rated television, now based in Santa Fe creating work that explores the sacred in everyday life.
As a writer/producer/director, Scott created a myriad of projects for a wide range of clients, networks and organizations from the Smithsonian to Jean-Michel Cousteau to Poet/Philosopher David Whyte, Peter Guber, Disney, CBS, ABC, NBC, PBS, HBO and Corporate America, along with music videos and long-forms with Elton John, Billy Joel, Carole King, Ric Ocasek, Harry Connick Jr. and LL Cool J. Scott’s journey has manifested programs that were among the top-ten rated shows on television as well as award-winning documentaries, music videos, docudramas, television specials and dramatic films with a singular style and depth. Scott now resides in Santa Fe, where he is dedicated to the creation of films that rekindle the sense of the sacred in our lives. And he brought that vision and sensibility to the creation of Zen and the Art of Matcha.
Kristin Goodman
An award-winning film director, screenwriter and playwright.
Kristin Goodman is an award-winning film director, screenwriter and playwright. Her most recent play #UnderTheInfluence, a dark comedy in three acts, centered around two sisters searching for meaning in a world shaped by social media and debuted Dec 2021 at the historic Santa Fe Playhouse.
Scott Hale
A Santa Fe art advisor specializing in Native/Latin/Western/American art and objects.
A third-generation art historian, appraiser and advisor, Scott was born and raised in the art world. With a grandfather who was an art dealer and gallery owner and a mother who was a museum curator and credentialed art appraiser, much of his childhood was spent in galleries, museums and auction houses, shaping a lifelong connection to the arts.
Roshi Joan Halifax
A pioneering Buddhist teacher and activist whose work centers compassion, resilience, contemplative practice and service.
Roshi Joan Halifax speaks to Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike on universal themes of compassion, suffering, resilience and what it means to be fully human. Shaped by her early experiences as an anthropologist, world traveler, social and environmental activist and pioneer in end-of-life care, her teachings weave together engaged Buddhism and contemplative practice with remarkable clarity and humanity. Through meditation, service, creative expression and mindful action, she encourages a holistic approach to life and the cultivation of compassion and wisdom. As Founder, Abbot and Head Teacher of Upaya Zen Center, Roshi Joan’s vision integrates Buddhist study, dharma art, environmental stewardship and contemplative practice as interconnected paths toward deeper understanding and peace.
Jeff Hamaoui
A teacher, writer, speaker and regenerative community builder for MEA in Santa Fe and Baja, California.
Jeff Hamaoui’s work centers on how individuals and communities can live more sustainably and intentionally. Through his role with MEA, he helps people navigate transitions and reconnect with purpose. His approach blends personal development with systems thinking, offering an alternative to fast-paced, extractive ways of living.
Dr. Jason Hao
Has been practicing and teaching scalp acupuncture for 32 years and have been teaching classes worldwide.
Dr. Jason Hao has spent decades refining and teaching scalp acupuncture, a technique that blends traditional Chinese medicine with modern neurological treatment. His work focuses on conditions like stroke recovery and chronic pain, offering alternative pathways for healing. Through international teaching and clinical practice, he has helped expand understanding of integrative approaches to care.
Tania Katan
A Transformational Speaker, Award-Winning Author, Creativity & Innovation Expert.
Tania Katan is an inspirational speaker, award-winning author, and visionary mind behind the viral social impact campaign #ItWasNeverADress; a movement that has inspired over 100 million people to see, hear, and celebrate creativity and belonging.
Her visionary way of formulating ideas led to her award-winning book, Creative Trespassing: How to Put the Spark and Joy Back into Your Work and Life, as well as the award-winning memoir, My One Night Stand With Cancer.
As an inspirational speaker, Katan is highly sought after by everyone from Fortune 500 companies to global summits, to teach individuals, leaders, and teams how to tap into their innate superpower — creativity — and drive innovation, discover unlimited possibilities, and build cultures where people don’t just belong but long to contribute.
Whether on stage or on the page, Katan makes creative thinking fun, unforgettable, and — most importantly — immediately actionable.
ShanDien Sonwai LaRance
An internationally acclaimed Native American Hoop Dancer, cultural ambassador, instructor and performing artist from Ohkay Owingeh, New Mexico.
ShanDien Sonwai LaRance is an internationally acclaimed Native American Hoop Dancer, cultural ambassador, instructor and performing artist from Ohkay Owingeh, New Mexico. With over 25 years of performance experience, she toured globally for nine years as a lead performer in Cirque du Soleil’s TOTEM, performing thousands of shows across more than 25 countries. ShanDien has also performed at the White House Inaugural Native American Heritage Celebration and represented Indigenous culture at the 2025 World Expo for the USA Pavilion in Osaka, Japan. A champion hoop dancer and passionate educator, she is dedicated to sharing Indigenous culture, movement and storytelling with audiences around the world through performance, workshops and cultural exchange.
Steve LaRance
A Native American artist, award-winning jeweler, cultural educator, traditional singer, drummer and flute player.
Steve LaRance is a respected Native American artist and award-winning jeweler originally from Arizona, as well as a cultural educator, traditional singer, drummer and flute player. For decades, he has shared Indigenous culture and traditions through music, storytelling and visual arts, helping guide and support generations of Native performers and artists. Steve has traveled throughout the United States and internationally alongside his children, including Champion hoop dancers Nakotah and ShanDien LaRance, offering live music, cultural teachings and artistic collaboration. His work continues to honor and preserve Indigenous traditions while inspiring cultural pride and connection through the arts.
Pilar Law
Lisa Law's daughter, who runs Edition ONE Gallery in Santa Fe.
Pilar Law carries forward a legacy rooted in photography and cultural documentation while shaping her own path in the art world. As the force behind Edition ONE Gallery in Santa Fe, she curates work that bridges past and present, highlighting both established and emerging artists. Her work reflects a commitment to storytelling through visual culture, creating space for dialogue and discovery.
Ellen Petry Leanse
A neuroscience educator, Stanford instructor, author and consultant for Apple, Google and Facebook.
Ellen Petry Leanse bridges neuroscience and technology, examining how attention shapes our lives in a digital world. A former executive at Apple and Google, her work now focuses on the science of focus, presence, and belonging. She explores how modern systems fragment attention and how individuals can reclaim it. Her work offers both scientific insight and practical tools for navigating an increasingly distracted world.
Larry Leeman
A physician, researcher, and therapist with over 25 years of experience, focusing on addiction, trauma, and transformative healing.
Dr. Larry Leeman’s work spans medicine and therapy, focusing on recovery and long-term healing. His approach integrates physical and psychological care, addressing complex challenges like addiction and trauma with depth and compassion.
Cecile Lipworth
An internationally recognized leader at the intersection of activism, culture and communications.
Cecile Lipworth is the founder and Chief Rippler of Ripple Catalyst Studio, a creative consultancy and event production house focused on storytelling, movement building and social impact. An internationally recognized leader at the intersection of activism, culture and communications, she has spent her career advancing gender justice, human rights and community-driven change. Previously, as Managing Director of V-Day, she helped build the global grassroots movement and co-produced its seminal worldwide campaign One Billion Rising. A moderator, speaker and convener, Cecile brings people together through meaningful dialogue, creativity and connection.
Dr. Shelly C. Lowe
A national leader in education advancing Indigenous knowledge and academic leadership.
Dr. Shelly C. Lowe’s work centers on expanding access and equity in higher education. A member of the Navajo Nation, she has held leadership roles focused on supporting Indigenous students and integrating cultural knowledge into academic systems. Her work reflects a belief that education should strengthen identity, not erase it.
Jono Manson
A prolific singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and master storyteller whose career spans over five decades.
From New York City dive bars to stages like Madison Square Garden and beyond, Manson has built an extraordinary life in music as a performer, producer and audio engineer. Blending roots, rock, soul, pop and country, his music is marked by honesty, resilience and humor. Based in Santa Fe since 1992, he is the founder of The Kitchen Sink recording studio and is a seven-time New Mexico Music Award winner for Producer of the Year, having worked with artists ranging from Tom Paxton and Warren Haynes to Eliza Gilkyson and T Bone Burnette, while continuing to record and perform his own music worldwide.
Marc Maron
Writes and performs comedy for film, television, and stage and is known most notably for his podcast WTF, which achieves 55 million listens per year.
For over thirty years, Marc Maron has been writing and performing comedy on stage, radio, online and television. With his landmark podcast WTF with Marc Maron, which achieves more than 55 million listens per year, he’s interviewed icons such as Robin Williams, Keith Richards, Nicole Kidman and Barack Obama.
Marc has released five stand-up comedy specials, most recently, Marc Maron: Panicked, which received a WGA award. His previous one From Bleak to Dark also won a WGA nomination. Maron also starred in the Netflix series Glow and the scripted series Maron which aired for four seasons. For this session, Maron goes deep on grief, shame, the absurdity of surviving it — and why the funniest thing about tragedy is that it keeps happening.
Jessica Matten
A Canadian Métis-Cree actress, model and producer blazing a trail in Hollywood — best known for her roles in Dark Winds and Frontier.
Jessica Matten is part of a new generation of Indigenous actors reshaping film and television. A Métis-Cree actress, she is best known for her roles in Dark Winds and Frontier, where she brings depth and authenticity to complex characters. Beyond acting, she is also a producer and advocate for inclusive storytelling, working to expand opportunities for Indigenous voices in the industry. Her work reflects a broader shift toward representation that is nuanced, self-defined, and culturally grounded.
Jace Mercer
A Creative Director specializing in transformative technology experiences.
Jason Mercer works at the intersection of design and emerging technology, creating immersive digital experiences that reshape interaction. His work blends storytelling with innovation, focusing on how technology can deepen human connection. Rather than treating tech as neutral, Mercer explores its impact on perception and behavior, designing with intention and meaning.
John Miller
Co-founder of Santa Fe Magazine.
Previous to Santa Fe, John was an editorial and design consultant for publishers and corporations, among them Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, The Wall Street Journal, The Hearst Corporation, Amazon, Microsoft and Obama’s Department of Defense. He has also published over 60 books with the likes of Truman Capote, Sam Shepard, Barbara Kingsolver, Anjelica Huston, David Byrne, Taylor Sheridan and Robert Coles.
Mark Miller
A culinary icon and restaurant owner credited with reinventing Southwestern cuisine.
Mark Miller is the founder of Coyote Café and the architect of modern Southwestern cuisine. He began his career at Chez Panisse cooking under Alice Waters. He started numerous heralded restaurants including Fourth Street Grill in Berkelely, and most notably Coyote Café where he is credited with reinventing Southwestern food.
Chantell Murphy
Examines the evolving relationship between nuclear security, artificial intelligence and human connection.
As a nuclear engineer and nonproliferation expert, her research explores the ethical use of AI in high-stakes environments. As the founder and director of Atomsphere, Murphy facilitates collaborative research and public conversations about AI’s impact on society. Outside of her technical work, Dr. Murphy supports Black artists and creatives as a co-founder of the Sankofa Arts Alliance of New Mexico and organizes and leads outdoor adventures as a volunteer leader with Outdoor Afro.
Johanna Nelson
Acting Director of the newly formed Department of Economic Development & Creative Industries (EDCI) and Director of the Office of Economic Development for the City of Santa Fe.
Johanna Nelson serves as Acting Director of the newly formed Department of Economic Development & Creative Industries (EDCI) and Director of the Office of Economic Development for the City of Santa Fe, where she focuses on entrepreneurship, workforce initiatives, small business development and the advancement of creative industries. Prior to joining the City, she spent nearly eight years with the New Mexico Economic Development Department, helping manage major financing and recovery initiatives including SSBCI, ARPA and CARES, while also contributing to the development of New Mexico’s Strategic Economic Development Plan. Outside of work, she is an avid runner who loves the outdoors, strongly supports the arts and enjoys raising her two daughters alongside her husband, a local music teacher and musician.
Catherine Oppenheimer
Co-founded the National Dance Institute of New Mexico and the New Mexico School for the Arts.
Catherine Oppenheimer has played a defining role in shaping the arts landscape of New Mexico. As co-founder of the National Dance Institute of New Mexico and the New Mexico School for the Arts, she has expanded access to arts education for generations of students. Her work reflects a deep belief in the transformative power of creativity, building institutions that nurture both artistic excellence and community connection.
Jacques Paisner
Artistic Director and founding member of the Santa Fe INTERNATIONAL Film Festival.
Jacques Paisner works within the publishing world, representing authors and shaping how stories reach audiences. His role bridges creative work and market influence, helping ideas move across platforms.
Raul Pacheco
A cofounder is a songwriter and a founder of Ozomatli and Manboy Brown, as well as an actor who starred in The Guardian and Mr. and Mrs. Smith.
Raul Pacheco is a founding member of Ozomatli, the Grammy-winning band known for blending genres and cultures. His work extends beyond music into film and storytelling, reflecting a commitment to community and creative expression.
Garrett Peck
An author, historian and tour guide in Santa Fe, specializing in adventure travel and historic interpretation.
Garrett Peck explores history as something lived and layered into everyday spaces. As an author and guide, he uncovers overlooked narratives that reveal the complexity of place. His work connects past and present, inviting audiences to see history not as distant, but as something actively shaping our world.
David Perez
A longtime entrepreneur and now founder and CEO of the New Mexico Innovation Hub.
David Perez leads the New Mexico Innovation Hub, supporting startups and economic development. His work focuses on creating systems where ideas can grow into impactful businesses, shaping the region’s future.
Godfrey Reggio
A director of experimental documentary films, including Powaqqatsi, Koyaanisqatsi, Naqoyqatsi and Once Within a Time.
Godfrey Reggio is best known for the Qatsi trilogy, films that combine powerful imagery with music to explore the modern condition. His work challenges traditional storytelling, offering a meditative, visual approach to understanding the world.
Ellen Bradbury Reid
Grew up at Los Alamos and shares stories about her encounters with famous scientists working on the atomic bomb, including J. Robert Oppenheimer and Edward Teller.
Ellen Bradbury Reid offers a rare, personal perspective on one of the most pivotal moments in modern history. Growing up in Los Alamos, she encountered many of the scientists behind the Manhattan Project, including J. Robert Oppenheimer. Her stories provide a human lens on a moment often defined by its global impact, revealing the individuals behind the science.
Alexandra Renzo
Theater buff, filmmaker, actress, Creative Director of Performance at Meow Wolf, all-around storyteller.
Alexandra Renzo is a theater performer and filmmaker. Most often known as ‘Renzo.’ First performing professionally at the age of 15, Renzo has willfully and stubbornly been immersed in the world of story for all of her life. Italian and Ukrainian, raised in the midwest, aged in New York City, she has now called New Mexico home for the past ten years. As an actress, recent film credits include the feature Queen of Knives opposite Mel Harris (Amazon, AppleTV), a wide variety of short films by New Mexican filmmakers and two feature films yet to be released. She has been seen on stage in NYC at Atlantic, BAM, and Cherry Lane — amongst others — and locally at the Santa Fe Playhouse. Feature film producing credits include: Meow Wolf: Origin Story (SXSW), Selah and the Spades (Sundance) and Soulmate(s), amongst a slew of short films. She works as a Creative Director of Performance at Meow Wolf, championing and designing weird theatrical adventures across all five of their exhibitions. She believes strongly in de-centralized storytelling — and if not working, she can be found snuggled up with a book and her cat, collaging, or on adventures far and wide alongside her sweetheart. She graduated from the New School: Eugene Lang College where she studied performance used as a form of resistance.
Will Riding In
Potter and the Curator of Collections and Engagement at the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian.
Will Riding In (Pawnee/Santa Ana Pueblo) is a potter and the Curator of Collections and Engagement at the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian. He holds an MA in Museum Studies from the University of New Mexico. He applies an Indigenous lens, framework and artist-based perspective to his curatorial practice.
Jesse Roach
A water systems expert shaping how Santa Fe prepares for climate change.
Jesse Roach leads Santa Fe’s public utilities with a focus on water sustainability and climate resilience. A hydrologist and former river guide, he combines technical expertise with real-world experience. His work helps position Santa Fe as a national model for water conservation and long-term planning.
James Robinson
Stage director of the American premiere of Lili Elbe at the San Francisco Opera in August.
American stage director James Robinson is stage director of the American premiere of Lili Elbe at the San Francisco Opera in August. He is the Artistic Director at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, where he has mounted productions including Jack Perla’s Shalimar the Clown, Terence Blanchard’s Champion, Unsuk Chin’s Alice in Wonderland, Peter Ash’s The Golden Ticket, John Corigliano’s The Ghosts of Versailles, and John Adams’ The Death of Klinghoffer and Nixon in China.
Andrea Romero
A legislator and entrepreneur shaping policy and opportunity in New Mexico.
Andrea Romero brings together law, business, and public service to create impact at multiple levels. As a New Mexico state representative, she focuses on issues affecting Santa Fe County while also engaging in broader economic and community development. Her work reflects a new model of leadership — one that moves fluidly between sectors to drive meaningful change.
Marisa Sage
The new Executive Director of the New Mexico Museum of Art and the Vladem Contemporary.
Marisa Sage is the new Executive Director of the New Mexico Museum of Art and the Vladem Contemporary, bringing more than 20 years of leadership experience in museums, galleries and cultural foundations. Most recently, she served as Director and Head Curator of the University Art Museum at New Mexico State University, where she led the development of a new museum facility, expanded programming and attendance, and secured significant philanthropic and grant support. Prior to her work in New Mexico, Sage served as director of the Rema Hort Mann Foundation in New York, where she expanded fundraising and national visibility for artist grant programs. She has also held leadership roles at Salisbury University Art Galleries in Maryland, founded and directed the Like the Spice Gallery in Brooklyn, and served as President of the Williamsburg Gallery Association. Sage holds a Master of Arts in Digital Arts from the Maryland Institute College of Art and a Bachelor of Fine Art in Photography from Syracuse University.
Donald R. Schmitt
A seven-time bestselling investigative author and one of the world’s most respected voices in UFO research. He currently serves as Lead Investigator for the International UFO Museum and Research Center in Roswell, New Mexico, and advises its Executive Director.
Prior to this role, Donald R. Schmitt served as Co-Director of J. Allen Hynek’s Center for UFO Studies (CUFOS), where he led Special Investigations for more than a decade. He is the author of seven books based on over 30 years of research into the alleged 1947 crash of a nonhuman spacecraft.
An internationally recognized lecturer, Schmitt has presented throughout China, South Korea, Japan, Australia, Europe, the United Kingdom, South America, Mexico, Canada and Russia. His groundbreaking book UFO Crash at Roswell, co-authored with Kevin D. Randle, inspired the Golden Globe–nominated film Roswell, for which he also served as an on-set advisor. His later bestseller Witness to Roswell, co-authored with Thomas J. Carey, became the world’s top-selling UFO book for two consecutive years and is currently in feature film development.
Schmitt’s media appearances include Oprah, CBS 48 Hours, Larry King Live, Good Morning America, TODAY, FOX Nation, News Nation and Unsolved Mysteries. He also represents North America on the executive council of the International Coalition for Extraterrestrial Research (ICER), a multinational organization active in 32 countries seeking recognition by UNESCO.
Henry Shukman
Award winning author and poet, Spiritual Director Emeritus of Mountain Cloud Zen Center and an authorized Zen Master in the Sanbo Zen lineage.
Henry Shukman is an authorized Zen Master in the Sanbo Zen lineage and the co-founder of The Way meditation app. He serves as the Spiritual Director Emeritus of Mountain Cloud Zen Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico. In addition to his work as a meditation teacher, Henry is an award-winning author and poet, whose work has appeared in The New Yorker, Guardian, New York Times and (London) Times. His teaching approach, which integrates his experiences with spontaneous awakening and decades of practice training, focuses on a well-rounded path to healing and awakening.
Jilann Spitzmiller
A veteran documentary director and producer.
Jilann Spitzmiller is a veteran documentary director and producer with over 20 awards for her work. Jilann’s most notable films include Meow Wolf: Origin Story and the cult favorite Shakespeare Behind Bars, which premiered at Sundance, won 11 awards and went on to worldwide television distribution. Jilann is also a cinematographer and has shot numerous documentaries including The Trial of Alec Baldwin and First We Bombed New Mexico.
Hampton Sides
Known for his best-selling, gripping non-fiction adventure stories about war and epic expeditions (Ghost Soldiers, Blood and Thunder.)
Hampton Sides brings history to life through narrative nonfiction that reads like a thriller. His bestselling books combine meticulous research with cinematic storytelling. Sides focuses on moments of high stakes and human endurance, transforming historical events into immersive, character-driven narratives.
Jen Sincero
The powerhouse author of the best-selling You Are a Badass series comes to talk confidence, creativity and cash flow.
Jen Sincero redefined self-help with a voice that is equal parts irreverent and practical. Her bestselling books cut through traditional personal development, offering readers tools to shift limiting beliefs and take action. Drawing from her own nonlinear path, her work focuses on confidence, money mindset and creative growth. She invites audiences to confront their habits and step into change with both honesty and humor.
Anna Sofaer
A researcher on the archaeoastronomy of the Ancestral Puebloans of the Southwest, famously rediscovered the Sun Dagger marker site in Chaco National Park.
Anna Sofaer is a researcher, filmmaker, and founder of the Solstice Project whose work reshaped understanding of Chaco Canyon. Since her 1977 rediscovery of the Sun Dagger site atop Fajada Butte, she has led decades of interdisciplinary research into the region’s astronomical and ceremonial significance, grounded in collaboration with Pueblo educators. She has brought these discoveries to wide audiences through PBS documentaries including The Sun Dagger, The Mystery of Chaco Canyon, and Written on the Landscape (2024). Sofaer is currently producing From the Mind’s Eye, exploring global ancient sites, while continuing to advocate for the preservation of Chaco’s sacred landscape.
Rebecca Solnit
Author and climate and human rights activist.
Rebecca Solnit is the author of more than 25 books, including Orwell’s Roses, Hope in the Dark, Men Explain Things to Me, A Paradise Built in Hell: The Extraordinary Communities that Arise in Disaster and A Field Guide to Getting Lost. A longtime climate and human rights activist, she serves on the boards of Oil Change International and Third Act.
Miranda Viscoli
Co-founder and Executive Director of New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence.
Miranda Viscoli is Executive Director of New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence. Viscoli received a Bachelor of Fine Arts at New York University as well as a Bachelor of Arts from California State University at Long Beach. In the summer of 2009, she completed her masters in Latin American art history at California State University Long Beach where her master’s thesis won the Outstanding Thesis Award for the College of the Arts. After the Sandy Hook shooting, Miranda Viscoli suspended work on her PhD at the University of New Mexico in order to research and write about the problem of gun violence both in New Mexico and the United States. She is the Co-founder and Executive Director of New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence — a non-partisan 501 (c)3 whose sole purpose is the prevention of gun violence in New Mexico. She has created and implemented gun violence prevention programming in schools, teen and gang intervention centers and juvenile detention centers throughout New Mexico. Viscoli helped to design and organize the national Guns to Gardens buyback program and sits on the leadership committee. She has implemented statewide policy on gun violence prevention. She works with schools, school boards, police departments, legislators, city councils and the New Mexico Department of Health to implement gun violence prevention measures throughout the state.
Dr. Andrew Weil
The father of integrative medicine, shares insights on how to heal the whole human.
For more than half a century, Dr. Andrew Weil has challenged the boundaries of conventional medicine, asking what it means to heal the whole person. A Harvard-trained physician and founder of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine, he has helped bring holistic health into the mainstream. His work blends science with global healing traditions, emphasizing prevention, nutrition, and the body’s innate capacity to heal. Through decades of research and bestselling books, Weil has reshaped how we think about wellness, advocating for a more integrated, human-centered approach to medicine.
Peter Zandan
The executive chairman of Quantified Communications, an advanced analytics and communications software company.
Peter Zandan operates at the intersection of data and human behavior. As Executive Chairman of Quantified Communications, he analyzes how language and delivery shape perception and influence. His work reframes communication as both art and science, offering leaders insight into not just what they say, but how it lands. In a world saturated with information, Zandan’s work brings clarity to the mechanics of persuasion.