Masters

Successful people understand the importance of passion in a teacher. They know, often from personal experience, that a great teacher can change a life. Our growing list of “masters” who want to help us support our strongest teachers includes Pulitzer and Nobel Prize winners, academic superstars, MacArthur “geniuses,” artists, policy makers, politicians, and business leaders.

  • Azar Nafisi

    ​Professor of Literature, ​Johns Hopkins University, and author of Reading Lolita in Tehran.

  • Robin Nagle

    Anthropologist-in-residence for the New York City Department of Sanitation.

  • Mae Ngai

    Lung Family Professor of Asian American Studies and Professor of History at Columbia University.

  • Mark Norell

    Macaulay Curator and director of the Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History.

  • Francisco Núñez

    Conductor, composer, and founder of the award-winning Young People’s Chorus of New York City.

  • Jeff Nunokawa

    Professor of English, Princeton University.

  • Jennifer Oxley

    Emmy Award-winning co-creator of Peg + Cat.

  • Dan-el Padilla Peralta

    Assistant Professor of Classics at Princeton University.

  • Richard Panek

    Award-winning author of The 4% Universe: Dark Matter, Dark Energy, and the Race to Discover the Rest of Reality.

  • Laurie L. Patton

    President of Middlebury College.

  • Stephanie Pfirman

    Professor of Environmental Science and Environmental and Applied Sciences at Barnard College.

  • Richard Prum

    Yale University Professor of Ornithology, MacArthur “genius.”

  • Amy Richards

    Activist, writer, feminist.

  • Christian M. Rojas

    Professor of Chemistry, Barnard College.

  • Jonathan F.P. Rose

    President, Jonathan Rose Companies.

  • Karen Russell

    Pulitzer Prize finalist for her novel Swamplandia! and MacArthur “genius.”

  • Geoffrey Sayre-McCord

    Professor of Philosophy at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

  • John Sexton

    President Emeritus of New York University.

  • James Shapiro

    Professor of English, Columbia University.

  • Russell Shorto

    Prize-winning author of The Island at The Center of the World.

  • Charles Simic

    Fifteenth US poet laureate.

  • Tracy K. Smith

    US poet laureate, professor of the humanities & director and professor of creative writing at Princeton University.

  • Wil Smith

    Director, Seeds of Peace Camp.

  • Stephen Sondheim

    Broadway composer, winner of multiple Tonys, Grammys, and a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

  • Allen Spiegel

    Dean emeritus, Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

  • Art Spiegelman

    Pulitzer-Prize winner for Maus.

  • Sree Sreenivasan

    Social media strategist and former chief digital officer for New York City.

  • Gloria Steinem

    Feminist, activist, and co-founder of Ms. magazine.

  • Hanni Stoklosa

    Executive Director of HEAL Trafficking, and ER physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

  • Cheryl Strayed

    New York Times advice columnist and best-selling author of Wild and Tiny Beautiful Things.

  • Maria Tatar

    Chair, Program in Folklore and Mythology, Harvard University.

  • John J. Thatamanil

    Professor of Theology and World Religions, Union Theological Seminary.

  • Shirley Tilghman

    President Emerita of Princeton University.

  • Isabel and Ruben Toldeo

    Fashion designer and artist.

  • John Tresch

    Mellon Professor in History of Art, Science, and Folk Practice, The Warburg Institute, London.

  • Paul Turner

    Elihu Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Yale University.

  • Basil Twist

    MacArthur “Genius” and puppeteer.

  • Thomas Wartenberg

    Professor of Philosophy, Mt. Holyoke College.

  • Ranald Woodaman

    Director of exhibitions and public programs, the Smithsonian Latino Center.

  • Jerry Zaks

    Broadway director and winner of multiple Tony Awards.