Lesley A. Langa is a cultural policy researcher with fifteen years of experience working for national cultural organizations such as the National Gallery of Art, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, Heritage Preservation, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.  She has also consulted for the Smithsonian Institution Accessibility Program (SIAP) and the Smithsonian Center for Digital Learning and Access (SCDLA). Her focus is on the objects protected by our cultural organizations, and how they draw in and communicate to audiences. She brings a breadth of skills to the job, with skills in qualitative and quantitative research, having used a variety of methods including, archival research, focus groups, interviews, sample surveys, program evaluation and technology/website testing. Ms. Langa holds a PhD from the iSchool at the University of Maryland, College Park and received a Master’s Degree in Art History from Florida State University. Her research has been published in Curator, Museum Management & Curatorship, First Monday, and presented at the American Alliance of Museums, the American Library Association, the iConference, the Museum Computer Network, and the Visitor Studies Association.

Carlos A. Manjarrez has more than 20 years of policy research experience. He is a principal and co-founder of NovaKultura Consulting. During his tenure at NK he also served as the director of the Office of Data Governance and Analysis at the Legal Services Corporation from 2015 to 2021, heading a research and data science team focused on civil legal aid and access for low-income families. Manjarrez was also the founding director of the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation for the Institute of Museum and Library Services, overseeing the only statistical program focused on cultural data in the United States federal statistical system.  He has worked on more than 30 national surveys of individuals and institutions, and his research teams are responsible for making over 80 data files open and accessible through data catalogs and DATA.GOV. He has received support for his research from a variety of foundations and public agencies including the National Science Foundation, Kimsey Foundation, the Kresge Foundation, the Hewlett Foundation, Annie E. Casey Foundation, Department of Housing and Urban Development, the United States Agency for International Development, and The World Bank Group. Carlos holds a BA from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and a Ph.D. in Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Maryland, College Park, focusing on local economic development and cultural sustainability.