Mariana Amatullo
Vice Provost and Academic Dean for Continuing and Professional Education, Parson School of Design
Mariana Amatullo is a practitioner-scholar, academic administrator, and design strategist with a global practice. She is a core faculty member of the School of Design Strategies (SDS), where she has taught since 2017, and a founding faculty member of the Graduate Minor in Civic Service Design. Mariana’s research and consulting emphasize the role of design as a cognitive tool for transforming organizational culture and driving innovation. Since joining The New School, Mariana has served in senior academic leadership positions focused on innovation in the Provost’s Office. In her role as Vice Provost and Academic Dean for Continuing and Professional Education (CPE), she has spearheaded global partnerships and pedagogical innovation in online and hybrid learning, while overseeing the development of programs and certificates in fields such as creativity and AI, speculative design, biodesign, DEI and social justice, fashion studies, and luxury management, to name a few.
Ann Morrow Johnson
Design Director, Gensler
Ann Morrow Johnson, one of XLIST’s 100 Most Creative Visionaries in Experiential, leads the global Immersive Experience and Entertainment Practice for Gensler. With decades of industry experience across cultural, theatrical, entertainment, and institutional sectors, most recently as Global Head of Creative Development for Walt Disney Imagineering, she blends futurism and storytelling with design thinking to create emotionally resonant experiences. Having designed exhibits, installations, and engaging spaces for visionary companies and the foremost cultural institutions such as National Geographic, the Association for Cultural Enterprises, and ILMxLAB, she combines insights from the cutting edge of emerging experiential possibilities with the deep tradition of how people engage.