Ellen Scott, Executive Director
Ellen is a digital designer, consultant, educator, and artist. She gained seven years of experience in strategic consulting and software project management before focusing on the intersection of art and technology. Ellen has a wide range of experience in creative and corporate endeavors, including Games for Change, Juno Online Services, and the Corporate Executive Board, and she currently teaches 4-Dimensional Design at Pratt Institute. Ellen has a BA in Politics from Princeton University and an MFA in Digital Art from Pratt Institute.
Franklin Boyd
Franklin Boyd is the founder of Boyd Level, a contemporary and emerging art consultancy. Formerly an attorney with the law firm Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP in New York City, Franklin is a long-time advocate for contemporary art and, in her separate legal practice, specializes in intellectual and cultural property issues. Franklin received her juris doctorate with honors from New York University Law School, and a BSFS with a concentration in Culture and Politics from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. Franklin is a member of the Art Law Committee of the New York State Bar Association and is a member of the City Bar of New York.
Philae Knight
Philae Knight is the Content Editor at phillipsartexpert.com, a division of Phillips de Pury & Company. In addition to membership management and programming for the San Francisco Media Arts Council (SMAC) and SFMoMA, Philae has served as Co-Chair of the Whitney Contemporaries Executive Committee and as a host curator for GenArt. Philae also has more than five years of experience as a new media talent agent and entrepreneur with various companies including Martha Stewart Living, Atom Shockwave, and Rare Medium, Inc.
Nicholas Kraly
Nicholas received a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1993. Since then, he has added innovative and entrepreneurial thinking to Internet projects of all shapes and sizes. In his more than 10 years of experience working with the Internet, Nicholas has completed online solutions for a wide range of clients including Intel, ExxonMobil, Civilrights.org, National Association of Broadcasters, and Health e-Lunch Kids. Currently, Nicholas is Director of Interactive Services at Beveridge Seay, a Washington DC design consultancy with a focus in brand and identity development. To Beveridge Seay, Nicholas brings award-winning visual design, extensive experience with technical architectures and a client-proven process to the firm's interactive projects.
Ron Shah
Ron Shah is the Founder and Managing Partner of Jina Ventures, the first investment bank in New York with an exclusive India focus. Mr. Shah has led a variety of M&A and corporate finance transactions in India with companies including GE, MakeMyTrip.com and M&R Engineering. Since launching Jina’s first India fund in 2005, Mr. Shah has led investments in over a dozen Indian companies and has already completed five exits to produce a gross IRR of 72% per annum.
Prior to founding Jina Ventures, Mr. Shah was an investment professional at Trenwith Securities and a Principal at Resurgence Capital, leading cross-border private equity investments in industries spanning media, software, consumer products and biotechnology. In the US, Mr. Shah currently sits on the Board of Directors of RBC Radio LLC, JC Medtex Int'l Inc, Good Karma Restaurant Group, and DealSalad Inc. In India, Mr. Shah sits on the Board of Directors of Liners India Limited, Universal Power Transformers Pvt Ltd and UMA Precision Ltd along with his partner Chris Hosokawa. Mr. Shah received his Bachelors of Business Administration from the George Washington University and his MBA in Corporate Finance from NYU Stern School of Business.
Tristine Skyler
Tristine Skyler is a New York based playwright, screenwriter and producer. Her first play, "The Moonlight Room," ran Off-Broadway in 2003/04, and was named one of the Top Ten Plays of the Year by the New York Times and the New York Post. She has recently written screenplays for Paramount Pictures and Miramax Films, and is currently working on the adaptation of Sylvia Plath's novel, "The Bell Jar," for actress/producer Julia Stiles to star. She is a native New Yorker, and thrilled to be involved in Smartspaces.org.
Brian G. Strong
Brian is the founder and principal of The Strong Group, LLC, the PR agency-of-record for OK! Magazine in the U.S. and a variety of clients in the literature, TV/film production and sports categories. Before launching his own firm, Brian worked for Bragman Nyman Cafarelli, Dan Klores Communications, and HL Group, building a track record of successful projects for clients including Nike, American Express, the United States Tennis Association, Warner Bros, and Reebok. Brian holds a BA in Journalism from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he was honored as a Morehead Scholar.
Hillary W. Strong
Hillary is currently the Director of Foundation and Government Relations at the Whitney Museum of American Art. Hillary joined the Whitney Museum of American Art as Director of Foundation and Government Relations in June 2006. Over the past ten years, she has held a number of development positions, most notably at the Japan Society, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, and Dress for Success Worldwide. Originally from Michigan, Hillary currently lives in Harlem with her husband and son and participates on the boards of the Sisulu-Walker Children’s Academy and Harlem 4 Kids.
