JD Beltran
Co-Founder
A native San Franciscan who grew up in the Richmond District, JD Beltran has been a creative infrastruralist and arts cheerleader who, for more than 20 years, has advanced groundbreaking solutions and organizational initiatives that address cultural, social, environmental, and economic challenges. She has served on the San Francisco Arts Commission for 16 years, serving as President for 8 them. An award-winning artist with works in museums and collections worldwide, filmmaker, designer, writer, journalist, educator, and master in the use of the serial comma, Beltran has served as a longtime faculty in art, film, design, and technology at the San Francisco Art Institute (her alma mater), CCA, SFSU, and Stanford.
DAVE EGGERS
Co-Founder
In 2002, author Nínive Calegari and artist Dave Eggers cofounded 826 Valencia, the beloved Mission District writing and tutoring center. Celebrating its twenty-third year in San Francisco, the center now has locations all over the city, with major hubs in the Mission, the Tenderloin, and Mission Bay. Eggers has also jump-started many other nonprofits, including ScholarMatch, dedicated to making college accessible to low-income students, and Voice of Witness, a series of books that illuminate human rights crises through oral history. He is also the founder of McSweeney’s, the Mission-based publishing company. His drawings and paintings have been widely shown and are represented by Electric Works.
Amanda Uhle
Amanda Uhle is Executive Director and Publisher of McSweeney’s, The Believer, and Illustoria, an art and storytelling magazine for young readers. She co-founded The International Congress of Youth Voices with Dave Eggers and co-edits the I, Witness series. Previously, Uhle was executive director of 826michigan for over 11 years. Her writing appears in The Washington Post, Politico, and Newsweek. Her memoir, Destroy This House, is published by Simon & Schuster.
Jordan Kurland
Jordan Kurland is a co-founder and partner at Brilliant Corners Artist Management, representing artists including Death Cab for Cutie, Perfume Genius, and Toro y Moi. He is also a partner in Noise Pop Industries, producer of some of the Bay Area’s most beloved music events, including the iconic Noise Pop festival. Kurland was a founder of Treasure Island Music Festival, the groundbreaking outdoor festival that ran from 2007 to 2018 on San Francisco Bay. A passionate advocate for social justice, he partnered with Dave Eggers to create the compilations Good Music to Avert the Collapse of American Democracy, raising over half a million dollars for voting rights organizations, and Good Music To Ensure Safe Abortion Access To All, which raised over two hundred thousand dollars in twenty-four hours and debuted at number nine on the Billboard Albums Chart.
STELLA LOCHMAN
Stella Lochman is a born and raised San Franciscan and creative leader with deep roots in the city’s cultural life. A graduate of SF State with a background in art history, she spent over a decade at SFMOMA where she produced large-scale social practice commissions, public programs, and beloved community events like the SFMOMA Soapbox Derby and the exhibition of the San Francisco Scale Model. She is currently Director of Special Events at the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, where she creates mission-driven experiences across some of the Bay Area’s most iconic public spaces. Throughout her career, Stella has been committed to making art and culture accessible, community-rooted, and joyful.
MATT BOVE
Matt Bove is a partner at Coblentz Patch Duffy & Bass LLP, where he advises on complex real estate transactions and development projects that shape the built environment across California. He has played a key role in several transformative projects, including Sutter Health’s multi-campus California Pacific Medical Center redevelopment in San Francisco, the Mission Rock waterfront development south of Oracle Park, and the development of the LA Clippers’ arena in Inglewood. Known for a pragmatic, business-minded approach, Matt focuses on aligning legal strategy with the broader vision behind each project. He is particularly drawn to developments that enhance the public realm and support vibrant, connected communities, and he regularly provides pro bono legal services to individuals and organizations who might not otherwise have access to representation. Outside his practice, he has a longstanding interest in how art, design, culture, and public space shape cities.
CHRIS JOHNSON
Chris Johnson is a photographic and video artist, educator, curator, and author who studied with Ansel Adams, Imogen Cunningham, and Wynn Bullock. He is Professor Emeritus at California College of the Arts, where he chaired the Photography Program for eleven years and received an Honorary Doctorate in Fine Arts in 2025. His work is held in major collections including SFMOMA, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and the Center for Creative Photography, and he is the author of The Practical Zone System for Film and Digital Photography, now in its sixth edition.
Johnson originated the Question Bridge concept in 1996. Question Bridge: Black Males, produced with Hank Willis Thomas, received the 2015 Infinity Award and entered the permanent collections of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, the Brooklyn Museum, and the Oakland Museum of California. He currently serves on the board of the Oakland Museum of California and is Board President of the Alliance for Media Arts and Culture.
MARIA JENSON
Maria Jenson is Creative and Executive Director of SOMArts, advancing innovative strategies to sustain creative communities. She has deepened the organization’s commitment to racial equity through groundbreaking exhibitions and expanded public programs. A Getty Foundation Executive Leadership Institute graduate, she previously worked at SFMOMA and founded ArtPadSF.