The youngest granddaughter of Ray and Charles Eames, Llisa Demetrios is a third-generation maker that follows in the footsteps of her grandparents’ creative legacy. She leads the Eames Institute of Infinite Curiosity, a non-profit public that aims to equip everyone with the lessons of Ray and Charles Eames, so that anyone can solve problems through design.

A bronze sculptor herself, Demetrios has previous experience as an archivist at the MoMA and registrar at the Eames Office. A dedicated custodian of the Eames name throughout her design endeavors, she is also a board member of the Eames Foundation, and is President of Board of Directors for the Petaluma Arts Center in California.

Jimmie Drummond is an architectural designer, educator, lighting artist, and founder of his eponymous practice. As his work touches upon many dimensions of architecture, he is compelled by socially-driven causes that spur innovation, accessibility, and social and design equity. He leads housing and experiential hospitality projects that champion African American identity, giving agency to the Black experience. Recently, he completed a 7,800-square-foot Afrofuturist concept restaurant and a multicultural co-working space, both in DC. His portfolio also includes community centers, affordable housing, mixed-use developments, and offices—all which aim to create infrastructure for culturally resilient and vibrant experiences in the North East.

Andre Herrero received his architectural training at the Rhode Island School of Design. He worked for David Chipperfield Architects, SANAA, and SO–IL before starting his own firm with Adam Charlap Hyman. In his role as a principal of Charlap Hyman & Herrero (CHH), Andre opened the firm’s Los Angeles office to expand its capabilities bi-coastally, his experience in the field has enabled CHH to take on large scale projects with a flexible and creative approach. Andre ranks among Forbes Magazine’s “30 Under 30” in their art and style category.

LISA IWAMOTO is Founding Partner of IwamotoScott Architecture which she leads together with her Partner, Craig Scott. IwamotoScott has received numerous awards including the Cooper Hewitt/Smithsonian National Design Award, induction into Interior Design Magazine’s Hall of Fame, the Architectural League’s Emerging Voices and Young Architects, Architectural Record’s Design Vanguard, over twenty AIA Design Awards including a National Award, P/A Award and numerous other architecture and interior awards. Their work has been published in hundreds of journals, and exhibited in numerous museums and galleries. Lisa received her Master of Architecture degree with Distinction from Harvard University, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Structural Engineering from the University of Colorado. She is author of Digital Fabrications: Architectural and Material Techniques published in 2009 by Princeton Architectural Press and is Professor and Chair, Department of Architecture at the University of California Berkeley.

Brian Messana established his New York-based architecture firm with Toby O’Rorke in 1996. Before that, he worked with Peter Marino, Richard Meier & Partners and Asymptote in New York. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Brian received his master’s degree from Columbia University in 1992 and a Bachelor in Architecture from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. He is on the board of the Society of American Registered Architects and is a committee member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Custom Residential Architects Network. Brian is a member of the AIA, Architectural League of New York and International Interior Design Association, among others. He has taught architecture courses at Columbia University, Pratt Institute, the University of Texas at Austin, and the University of Southwestern Louisiana in Lafayette.

Carrie Norman is an architect working at the intersection of observation, particularity, and alterations towards an architecture of social, cultural, and critical reuse. She is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Architecture at MIT. In addition to teaching, Norman co-founded the Chicago and Cambridge-based design collaborative, Norman Kelley. The practice works in the fields of residential architecture, commercial interiors, furniture design, exhibition design, and design criticism. Their work has been published in the New York Times, Log, Avery Review, The Architect’s Newspaper, Cultured, Domus, Dezeen, Wallpaper*, and Frame. Norman Kelley has contributed work to the Venice Architecture Biennial (2014, 2021), the Chicago Architecture Biennial (2015, 2017), and the Lisbon Architecture Triennale (2019). In addition, the practice received a United States Artists Fellowship in Architecture (2018).

Jack Murphy is Executive Editor of The Architect’s Newspaper. Previously he was Editor of Cite: The Architecture and Design Review of Houston and an adjunct professor at the University of Houston. His writing has appeared in Architectural Record, Dwell, The Architect’s Newspaper, Texas Architect, Places, Cite, PLAT, Paprika!, the SF Gate, the Houston Chronicle, and the New York Review of Architecture, among other publications. He received an Honorable Mention for the Pierre Vago Journalism Award 2020 from the International Committee of Architecture Critics. He earned degrees in architecture from MIT and Rice University and contributed to award-winning architectural practices in Texas, New York, and Massachusetts.

Kelly is the Design Editor at The Architect’s Newspaper and AN Interior where she focuses on covering interior architecture, product design, and AN’s awards program. Previously, she covered design and architecture across product, interior, and other typologies at COOL HUNTING.