Jason Chau is a Senior Program Officer at the Gates Foundation and leads Emergency Relief and Learning & Innovation for the Emergency Response Team. In this role, he helps the foundation develop initiatives to address humanitarian crises and to improve the implementation of innovative approaches to meet acute needs. Previously, he managed multiple humanitarian assistance portfolios at the US Agency for International Development (USAID) Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA), where he most recently led COVID-19 and global food security efforts. For more than 16 years, Jason has supported global humanitarian and international development initiatives for the White House National Security Council, USAID, the United Nations, and several international NGOs. A graduate of the Columbia University School of International & Public Affairs and the University of California, Santa Barbara, with degrees in marine biology, anthropology, French, and international affairs, Jason is a lifelong learner and avid traveler. He has lived in Niger, DRC, Afghanistan, South Sudan, and Turkey.

Dr. Anu Taranath brings both passion and expertise as a speaker, author, educator, and racial equity consultant. In all her work, she partners with a range of people to deepen conversations on history, harm and healing. A University of Washington Seattle professor for the past 24 years, Dr. Anu knows that the most compelling conversations on race, identity, power, and belonging take place when people feel valued and heard. She has received the Seattle Weekly’s “Best of Seattle” recognition, the University's Distinguished Teaching Award, and multiple US Fulbright Fellowships to work abroad. As a consultant she has partnered with over 300 clients from National Geographic Society to the Raging Grannies. Her book "Beyond Guilt Trips: Mindful Travel in an Unequal World" was named a Washington State Book Award Finalist, Newsweek's Future of Travel Winner in Storytelling, and included in Oprah Magazine’s “Best 26 Travel Books of All Times.” Visit www.anutaranath.com to learn more.

Beth has been with SIFF since 2003, and is responsible for managing the artistic vision of SIFF, including all aspects of programming for the Seattle International Film Festival, SIFF Cinema’s 6 year-round screens, and the SIFF Education team. She secured SIFF’s status as an Academy Award® qualifying festival for short film in 2008. Beth currently serves on the City of Seattle Film Commission and the Board of the Arthouse Convergence. In addition to her daily work in programming, Beth has served on juries and panels in Palm Springs, Park City, Cleveland, Nashville, Calgary, Vancouver BC and Berlin, Germany. 

Richard Watts is associate professor in the Department of French and Italian Studies and founding co-director of the Translation Studies Hub at the University of Washington. He is a translator and conducts research and teaches courses in translation studies, the environmental humanities, and the literature and cinema the francophone world. In 2022, he developed a new course that explores the history of machine translation's development and how it is changing the way everyone—immigrant communities, tourists abroad, content creators, product managers, medical interpreters, even translators of poetry—approach translation today.

Jean Chaumont is a French-born guitarist and composer known for his musical and social depth. Since moving to Princeton, NJ, in 2014, he has made a mark on the international jazz scene. His debut album, The Beauty of Differences (2018), features Rudy Royston and Tierney Sutton. Chaumont has performed with top artists like Dan Tepfer and Jon Irabagon and appeared at major festivals and venues, including Jazz at Saint-Germain-des-Prés and the Olympia. As the founder of Jazz Vespers at Lake Forest Park Presbyterian, he curates monthly concerts. His work spans production, composition, and film scoring, including the documentary Le Bonheur en Suspens, aired on French national television.

Dylan Hayes is a jazz pianist, composer, and arranger from San Francisco, now based in Seattle. A Cornish College of the Arts graduate, he studied under Dawn Clement, Jovino Santos Neto, and Jim Knapp. He has performed with top musicians like Benny Bennack III, Jay Thomas, and Johnaye Kendrick. His debut album Songs for Rooms and People (2020) was named a top ten jazz album by The Seattle Times. His band, Meridian Odyssey, received critical acclaim, winning Earshot Jazz’s 2022 Northwest Recording of the Year. Dylan has arranged for The Carolina Philharmonic, the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra, and Julian Priester’s Fellowship ‘Ceptet. In 2024, he toured Europe, New York, and the West Coast, recording four original albums. Most recently, he performed at the 2025 Havana Jazz Festival with Vela The Band.

Makhtar Fall, known as Xuman, is a Senegalese rapper, activist, and media figure who pioneered socially conscious hip-hop in West Africa. Born in Côte d'Ivoire to Senegalese parents, he later moved to Dakar, where he co-founded Pee Froiss, one of Senegal’s first major hip-hop groups. A vocal advocate for political change, Xuman co-wrote the anthem for the Y EN A MARRE movement and gained international recognition for "Journal Télévisé Rappé," a news show blending rap and journalism. Throughout his career, he has collaborated with artists like Baaba Maal, Dead Prez, and Tiken Jah Fakoly and performed at festivals worldwide.

Dr. David Do Paço is the Attaché for academic cooperation in San Francisco and the Deputy director of the Villa Albertine's local chapter. His role is to design, implement, support and promote teaching and research programs and activities between French and US universities. As a scholar, in 2012 he earned his PhD in history from the Université Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne and successively served at the Sorbonne, the European University Institute, the Central European University, Sciences Po and Columbia University. His research explores the social life of unincorporated populations, especially Muslims in early modern European cities.