Board of Directors
Liesl Tommy
AFOZM Co-President and Founding Board member
Liesl is a South African American film director well known for her direction of Aretha Franklin’s biopic Respect. She became the first woman of color to be nominated for the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play.
Naledi K. Khabo
AFOZM Co-President
Naledi is the Chief Executive Officer of Africa Tourism Association in New York. Her 25 years of strategy leadership includes serving as Chief of Staff at the United States Small Business Administration My Brothers Keeper Millennial Entrepreneurial Initiative.
Rosalind Batheja
AFOZM Treasurer
Rosalind is a South African based in New York. She is the Senior Vice President of Operations and New Business at Novita Communications.
Roger Ross Williams
AFOZM Secretary and Founding Board member
Roger is an American director, producer and writer and the first African American director to win an Academy Award.
Mariane Ibrahim
Mariane is a Somali-French art dealer. Her gallery program is focused on showcasing artists from underrepresented regions such as Africa and the Middle East. In addition to her Chicago gallery, in 2023 she opened an immense new space in Mexico City.
Photo by Sofia Giner
Monetta White
Monetta is the Executive Director of The Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD) in San Francisco. She has previously served as Vice President of the Small Business Commission for the City of San Francisco and sits on the board of several non-profit and business organizations.
10 x 10 Founding Patrons
Sarah Arison
Sarah Arison is the President of the Arison Arts Foundation, President of MoMA New York and Chair of the Board of the National YoungArts Foundation.
Sarah de Blasio
Sarah de Blasio is the Vice President of Chartwell Family Services engaging in arts philanthropy with the DeBlasio Family Foundation.
Allison Berg
Nicole coward
Photo by Damora Regala
Philanthropist, writer and attorney Allison Berg is the Founder and President of the A&L Berg Foundation, to support the art ecosystem by giving mentorship to young professionals.
Nicole Coward ESQ is the founder of
Nicole J. Coward PLLC., a Manhattan based
boutique law firm catering to global clients in the arts, entertainment, media, sports, politics, and philanthropic sectors.
Erina Pindar
A lifelong traveler raised in Indonesia and based in Manhattan, Erina Pindar is the Chief Operating Officer and Managing Partner of SmartFlyer, a full service travel agency.
Pat Mitchell
Pat Mitchell's remarkable career includes roles as President of CNN Productions, the first woman President and CEO of PBS and the Paley Center for Media. In 2010, Mitchell launched TEDWomen. She was the inaugural President of American Friends of Zeitz MOCAA.
Shari Sant
An environmental philanthropist and ocean activist, Shari Sant is President and Founder of Code Blue Charitable Foundation, secretary/trustee of the Summit Charitable Foundation, among others.
Bruce Halpryn
Bruce Halpryn is CEO, co-founder, and board president of Eikonoklastes Therapeutics. He is an avid art collector, vice Chair board of Miami City Ballet, on the board of directors of Aperture, and a shareholder of the Cincinnati Art Museum, where created and maintains the Friends of Photography Affinity Group,.
Ingrid Best
Ingrid Best is the Founder, CEO, Wine Négociant of IBest Wines., as well as an avid an art collector. Her award-winning IBest Wines, launched in the US in 2023 and South Africa in 2024 and from 2025 Ingrid has committed IBest Wines as American Friends of Zeitz MOCAA.wine partner.
Deborah Calmeyer
Born in Zimbabwe and living between Cape Town and Miami, Deborah Calmeyer is the CEO & Founder of ROAR AFRICA, an esteemed experiential travel company.
5-star patrons
Shivani Somaya
Tracey & Phillip Riese
AFOZM Patrons
2024-2025
Patrons
The Arison Arts Foundation
Diane and Charles Frankel
Dave Ross
Emma Menell
Julie Mehretu
Michael Silver
ROAR AFRICA LLC
Simone Leigh
SmartFlyer
Tracey and Phillip Riese
Wangechi Mutu
Yinka Shonibare
Past
Patrons
Jochen Zeitz
The Jorge M. Pérez Family Foundation at The Miami Foundation
Adam Sheffer
Unfinished
Untapped Global
Nyc ambassador
Ellen Port
Members
in 2025
Anneliese Klein
Anurima Bhargava
Benjamin Hallerud
Catalina Maria Escobar Restrepo
Catherine Terc Owens
Cindy Schwarzstein
Dana Beth Ardi
Ellen Port
Graham Steele
Jessica Burton
Joan Malliband
Joy Simmons
Kambui Olujimi
Kate Fellens
Maile Gamez
Maria Olga Ochoa Sierra
Michelle Rose Seydel
Montague Hermann
Nikol Popovská
Niv Alexander
Patricia Mitchell Seydel
Ramiro Escobar Aristizabal
Scott O’Sullivan Seydel
Stephanie Manasseh
Susan Mathisen
Trevyn McGowan
Vincent Magagula
Individual
Supporters
Chris Abbate
Stephanie Wagner
2025 Technology Grant
Sarah De Blasio
2025
Sponsors
Activation partners
The Whitney Museum of Art
The Brooklyn Museum of Art
The Bass Museum of Art
1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair
Independent New York
Southern Guild
The Armory Show
Montague Contemporary
Nicola Vassel
The Queens Museum
PhotoFairs New York
2023-2024
Sponsors
Our Team
