Meet the incredible jurors who will be helping us review applications to our <a href="https://welcometocup.org/news/making-policy-public-open-call-2025-advocate-deadline-extended">Making Policy Public Open Call</a>! We’re so grateful to be working with (clockwise from top left): Genesis Aquino, Lo Harris, Brandon Kielbasa, and David Perrin.
Scroll down to get to know our talented jurors!

Genesis Aquino is the executive director of Tenants &amp; Neighbors, a grassroots membership organization that works collaboratively with tenants to preserve and protect affordable housing in New York state. She is a staunch tenant advocate with over 10 years of advocacy and community organizing experience. Previously, Aquino worked with Housing Court Answers, where she advocated for fair treatment of unrepresented litigants in the Housing Courts and to expand access to legal representation for low-income New Yorkers. She also worked as the director of social services for a member of the New York City Council. Aquino currently serves on the board of directors of the Laundry Workers Center and as the co-chair of the Brooklyn Community Board 7 Housing Committee.
<a href="https://tandn.org/">Click here to learn more about Genesis's work</a>

Genesis Aquino

Lo Harris is a multidisciplinary artist, illustrator, and creative strategist who champions the power of visual storytelling in social impact work. As the first in-house Creative Lead at the Innocence Project, she helped shape a more engaging design presence across digital campaigns and advocacy efforts. With roots in journalism and past roles at NBC, The New York Times, and the Chicago Reporter, Lo understands how powerful visual language can make complex issues accessible. Her art career launched with the viral illustration Justice in 2020, and she continues to advocate for creatives as vital contributors to movements for equity, dignity, and collective change.
<a href="https://www.loharris.com/">Click here to learn more about Lo's work</a>

Lo Harris

Brandon Kielbasa is a Tenant Organizer and Housing Advocate with a broad range of experience in community organizing and one-on-one casework. He works for the Cooper Square Committee in New York City’s Lower East Side as the Director of Organizing and Policy. Brandon has been with CSC for 18 years. He started as a Housing Specialist, doing tenant counseling and organizing. He has now been the Organizing Director for 10 years as CSC has increased its commitment to community organizing, creating a 7 person organizing team.
Brandon was part of the organizing leadership which spearheaded a city-wide campaign, Stand for Tenant Safety, in partnership with several other housing groups, to create 13 new laws to improve the effectiveness of the NYC Dept. of Buildings in responding to health and safety issues at occupied buildings undergoing renovations. He has a BA in English and Psychology from Hunter College and is currently a graduate student at the CUNY School of Public Health and Health Policy pursuing a Masters in Public Health with a concentration in Community Health. 
Brandon sees himself as a social change practitioner and practices community organizing because he believes that it is essential for individuals and communities to be engaged in solving their own problems and for them to gain strength and knowledge by doing so. 
<a href="https://coopersquare.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Click here to learn more about Brandon's work</a>

Brandon Kielbasa

David Perrin is a multidisciplinary artist, designer, and strategist working at the intersection of culture, creativity, and social change. He serves as Design Lead in the Office of Communications at the Ford Foundation, shaping the visual narrative of a leading social justice philanthropy. AIGA New York board member and founder of dpicting studio, he amplifies the creative visions of multicultural businesses and mission-driven organizations. Through illustration, consulting, and teaching with Social Movement Technologies, David champions design as more than aesthetics—using it as a tool for equity, representation, and liberation.
<a href="https://dpictingstudio.com/">Click here to learn more about David's work</a>

David Perrin

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Meet the Jury for Making Policy Public!

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Hyperakt is a purpose-driven design and innovation studio that elevates human dignity and ignites curiosity. Since 2001, co-founders Julia Zeltser and Deroy Peraza, along with the Hyperakt team, have been partnering with change-makers moving society forward. We believe in design’s power to build a future filled with courage, optimism, and honesty.

Hyperakt

The Center for Urban Pedagogy (CUP) is a nonprofit organization that uses the power of design and art to increase meaningful civic engagement in partnership with historically marginalized communities.

Center for Urban Pedagogy

CUP uses the power of design and art to increase meaningful civic engagement, in partnership with historically marginalized communities.

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