Team

Edward Hillel
Artist / Artistic Director

Edward Hillel creates and directs the artistic vision. Over three decades Edward’s art has focused on themes of community, landscape, memory and social justice. His work has received grants and prizes and has been published and exhibited internationally.

Lorna Harris
Executive Producer

Lorna Harris founded Visionary GPS Inc. (www.visionarygps.com) in 2018 and joined the project as a development consultant to drive its realization. She is now the current Executive Director/Producer responsible for the overall management, organizing, and fundraising.

Alyssa (Najm) Kritzman
Design Director

Alyssa Kritzman is an experienced digital and creative designer with a demonstrated history of working for clients in a range of industries. She has previously worked with the Human Rights Campaign New England, Institute of Current World Affairs, ACLU Massachusetts, and Young Audiences New York.

Richard Pelzer II
Director of Marketing and Community Engagement

Richard E. Pelzer II, President & CEO of MEGA Personalities a Business Development Management Firm founded by him in 1994 based in New York City, the Founder of Harlem2020 and the Emerging Marketing Director of Lemon Brands. A graduate from Kent State University in Ohio, with a Bachelors of Arts degree in Art History and Business management, Pelzer's strong leadership skills and creative vision assist clients with national and international business opportunities, develops and manages them for clients in the fashion, beauty and/or entertainment industries.

José Aragüez
Architect

José Aragüez is an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Columbia GSAPP and an architect and writer. He is the founding principal of Atelier Aragüez, a New York City-based practice for architecture and urbanism with substantial connections to Europe. Between 2014 and 2019, Aragüez led a project titled The Building, which is now widely regarded in international circles as one of the most significant contributions to architectural discourse in the 2010s.

Sergio Tupac Uzurin
Multimedia Production

SergioTupac Uzurin, is the founder of Native NY Video, specializing in film/television, video production, photography, podcasting, and community organizing. He is dedicated to chronicling issues that he has encountered as a gentrification-displaced person. His pilot, TURNOUT was recognized at the 2016 IFP Week. (www.sergiotupacuzurin.com)

Peter Cooper
Multimedia Production

Peter Cooper is a photographer and video producer. He has worked with the National Black Theatre, Art In Flux, ImageNation, Harlem Community News, and Hi-Arts, Dash Media PR, Tribeca Film Festival, Salon TV and most recently, Real Vision TV where he films and edits documentaries and long-form interviews. Published work includes The New York Times, Salon.com, Forbes, CNN, ABC 7 'Here and Now,' NBC News, Harlem Community News, Hyperallergic, Downtown Magazine, Uptown Collective.

Susan Myers
Strategic Partnerships

Susan Myers is a Museum industry and nonprofit management professional, with background in educational initiatives and curriculum. Former executive director Holocaust Museum Houston (2001-2013) and current executive director Blinn College Foundation, Susan created “The Butterfly Project”, a worldwide childrens’ campaign to encourage holocaust memory; received the Certificate of Congressional Recognition from the U.S. House of Representatives; the Outstanding Educator Award from the Ann Frank Center USA, among others. She has served on boards including the American Red Cross (Houston chapter), the American Indian Genocide Museum, and is the current president of the International Association of Holocaust Organizations.

Ivy Hume
Architecture Consultant

Ivy Hume, Architect at Foster and Partners, architectural practice founded in 1967 by Lord Norman Foster in London with offices worldwide, visiting critic and former Adjunct Assistant Professor at Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture Planning and Preservation, member of Manhattan Community Board 11, Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation Emerging Leader 2019, and participant in Citygroup public projects. A graduate of Columbia University with a Master of Architecture and the University of Virginia with a Bachelor of Science in Architecture and minor in Studio Art, Ivy's strong public awareness and creative vision propel her work as she designs and constructs new kinds of built environments.

Lihan Jin
Architecture Design

Lihan Jin is an architectural designer with professional experience in Paris, New York, and Beijing. Originally from Hangzhou, China, he received his Bachelor of Engineering in Landscape Architecture from South China University, and a Master of Architecture from Columbia University, where he worked for Professor Aragüez as his studio teaching assistant. Prior to graduation, he worked as an intern at Renzo Piano Building Workshop in Paris, One Architecture & Urbanism in New York, and Trace Architecture office in Beijing.