CERTIFICATE in ATTENTION STUDIES

Nayomi Reghay is a writer and educator based in Brooklyn, New York. She authored the Daily Dot's advice column Swipe This . She is also an Upright Citizens Brigade Theater alum, where she co-created, produced and performed in the flagship show The Female Gaze. She has worked in public, charter and independent schools for over 15 years as a teacher and learning specialist. Nayomi studied Narrative Medicine at Columbia University and is a certified facilitator. She is currently studying playwriting at HB Studio.

Amanda Pisetzner is a documentary director and producer and an end-of-life doula. Over 15 years, her work has aired on HBO, Showtime, NBC, MSNBC, The History Channel, VICE, and Tubi, and has earned two Emmys, eleven nominations, and an Alfred I. duPont–Columbia University Award. She is the creator of Documentary Intelligence™. She teaches documentary production and storytelling at Maine Media College, Downtown Community Television Center, and the Omega Institute and leads workshops on listening and generative interviewing grounded in communication and listening research.

Jess Joseph is a Brooklyn-based educator, writer, and tour guide. She has spent over a decade in K–12 education. She is the co-founder of Gals About Town, a walking tour company exploring New York City. Her work as a guide has been featured on CUNY Arts TV and has included collaborations with PBS, the NYC Department of Buildings, and the Municipal Art Society, where she also serves on the steering committee for Jane's Walk NYC. Jess is also a writer, public programmer, and community manager at The New York Groove.

Lisa Taylor is an educator who has taught for over twenty years in New York City public school libraries. As a school librarian she has designed curricula and run programs for pre-K through graduate school level students. After earning her MS from Pratt Institute, School of Information, she was invited to join the faculty as a Visiting Assistant Professor. Previously she enjoyed successful careers in dance, film and television before dedicating herself to the field of education where she holds a deep love and appreciation for human-led learning.

Daniel Werachowski is a grower, teacher, poet, and community member from Brooklyn by way of Wisconsin. They've spent the last decade working in food security, sustainable agriculture, cooperative development, education, and the local arts scene. They're excited to explore how care and attention intersect with collective expression in intentional and shared spaces. 

Caroline Washington is a co-founder of Day Dream, an experimental, site-specific creative retreat, and an independent creative director who designs sanctuaries and other possibilities for creative spirits. Her collaborations include the Studio Museum in Harlem, Brooklyn Museum, The Los Angeles LGBT Center, 2x4, BlackStar Projects, and Saint Heron. She's also a proud board member of Baldwin for the Arts. 

James Philipp is a Brooklyn-based grief educator, coach, and facilitator. He is building The Aliveness Project, helping people reconnect with themselves, each other, and their capacity for play and creativity. Drawing on his work with grief and uncertainty, he explores how acknowledging life’s impermanence can deepen our attention to people and place, and move us toward fuller participation in the world.

Rita Rumer is a marketer and ceramicist based in San Francisco, CA. Her interest in attention activism was sparked after her own profound experience living for a month without access to screens. This became part of an ongoing inquiry into how to reclaim attention collectively by developing the physical and intellectual spaces in which attention can thrive.