Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Theaster Gates is a living artist originally from Chicago. Working primarily as a sculptor and musician, Gates’ work contends with the notion of Black space as a formal exercise. Known for his recirculation of art-world capital, Gates upturns art values, land values, and human values. In 2010, Gates established the Rebuild Foundation to galvanize communities through neighbourhood regeneration and the development of educational and arts programming. Many of the foundation’s initiatives are centered around the revitalization of Chicago’s South Side, creating hubs and archives for Black culture, which serve as catalysts for discussions on race, equality, space, and history. Gates is a professor at the University of Chicago in the Department of Visual Arts and the Harris School of Public Policy, and is Distinguished Visiting Artist and Director of Artist Initiatives at the Lunder Institute for American Art at Colby College. His work has been exhibited internationally, and he is the recipient of numerous distinctions including the Artes Mundi 6 Prize (2015), the Légion d’Honneur (2017), the Nasher Prize for Sculpture (2018), and the Urban Land Institute, J.C. Nichols Prize for Visionaries in Urban Development (2018).

Dr. Joyce F. Brown, president of Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) since 1998, is a highly  regarded educator and academic administrator with over 40 years of experience in public higher education.  Sustained strategic planning has been a hallmark of her leadership at FIT which has led to enhanced faculty ranks, increased technology, renovated facilities,  and an expanded curriculum with innovative new programs.  She has invigorated the college’s culture with ground-breaking initiatives in diversity and sustainability.  Prior to FIT,  Dr. Brown held a number of senior administrative posts at the City University of New York (CUNY) including acting president of Bernard Baruch College and vice chancellor of the university.  She was a professor of counseling psychology at the Graduate School and University Center at CUNY and is now professor emerita.  She also served as deputy mayor for public and community affairs during the David Dinkins administration. Dr. Brown serves as a director of the Ralph Lauren Corporation, the New York Economic Club and the New York Culinary Institute. She earned her BA from Marymount College and her MA and PhD from New York University.  She also received a certificate from the Harvard Institute for Educational Management.

Mariarosa Cutillo is Chief of the Strategic Partnerships Branch, within the Division of Communications and Strategic Partnerships of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
Mariarosa brings with her more than 20 years of professional experience, working for the private sector. Before joining UNFPA, she was the Head of Corporate Social Responsibility at Benetton Group, as well as President and CEO of Benetton’s UNHATE Foundation. She has served as director of Valore Sociale per l’Impresa Responsabile (a multi stakeholder corporate social responsibility organization). On issues relating to corporate sustainability, she has served as a legal expert for various Institutions. She has extensively worked for non-governmental organizations including Mani Tese and the Global March against Child Labour. Mariarosa was also a professor in International Law Cases in the Faculty of Law of the University of Milan-Bicocca and senior lecturer at the Catholic University of Milan, Faculties of Law and Political and Social Sciences. Mariarosa obtained a degree in Advanced International Law from the Faculty of Law of the Catholic University of Milan. She has post-graduate specializations in Human Rights and business administration, and is author of numerous scientific and wider dissemination publications on business and human rights, labor rights as well as on sustainable development issues.