ABOUT US
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WE BELIEVE
A diverse organization is more successful than a homogenous one.
People from the global majority need long-term and specific support in a predominantly white art industry.
People should be paid a living wage.
People are what drive an organization.
OUR MISSON
VERGE is committed to identifying and supporting qualified job-seekers who have historically been underrepresented in the arts as they seek to advance the best business practices of art galleries and museums.
In doing so, we reconfigure how underserved populations connect to, and are supported by, art galleries and museums. We unlock the potential that drives growth while continuing to forge and maintain industry-wide relationships built on proven success, expertise, and trust. We inspire and nurture breakthrough ideas. And we commit to paying it forward.
OUR VALUES
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OUR TEAM
VERGE is led by professionals who hold decades of experience in the art and culture industry across for-profit and non-profit sectors, with specialized expertise in engaging with and advocating for historically underrepresented populations.
Lise K. Ragbir (she/her)
Co-Founder & CEO
Lise has dedicated her 20-year career to creating access to a range of art experiences. She has worked with corporate and public collections, non- and for-profit organizations, and organized exhibitions featuring artists Dawoud Bey, Genevieve Gaignard, Jacob Lawrence, and Deborah Roberts, among others. She is the co-editor of Collecting Black Studies: The Art of Material Culture (2020), and her essays about race, identity, immigration, and cultural representation have appeared in Hyperallergic, Frieze, Artnet, The Guardian, Time Magazine, USA Today, The Boston Globe and other publications. Lise is a graduate of Harvard University’s Museum Studies program.
Ola Mobolade (she/her)
Co-Founder & Managing Director
A recognized thought leader on the evolving global cultural landscape, Ola has led DEIA initiatives for numerous contemporary art galleries, including Hauser & Wirth, David Kordansky Gallery, Pace, and David Zwirner. She has also conducted multicultural studies for Fortune 500 companies such as McDonald’s, The Coca-Cola Companies, Google, Facebook, MTV Networks, and others. Ola is the co-author of the ground-breaking book, Marketing to the New Majority: Strategies for a Diverse World, which has been featured on NPR as well as in Forbes and The Economist, among other outlets. She holds dual degrees from Harvard University in Psychology and Afro-American Studies.
Julia V. Hendrickson
SHRM-SCP (she/her)
Co-Founder & Managing Partner
A well-rounded people and culture administrator, Julia brings experience in people and project management via commercial galleries and non-profit museums. Formerly the Managing Director at David Kordansky Gallery, with Ola Mobolade and others Julia led cultural change efforts, earning a feature in The New York Times. Through her recruitment and inclusion work, she managed the gallery’s rapid growth while building a more diverse and multi-cultural team across Los Angeles, New York City, and in Asia. She has also held positions as an associate curator and registrar at the Contemporary Austin in Texas; as a gallery and publications manager at Corbett vs. Dempsey in Chicago; and in various capacities as a writer, editor, gallerist, educator, artist, and bookseller. Julia is a Senior Certified Professional with the Society for Human Resource Management, and holds a Master’s degree in the History of Art from the Courtauld Institute of Art, London.
Athalie Alexander-Arrington (she/her)
Client Advisor
Athalie is a committed DEI professional who brings over 15 years of experience successfully leading organizational transformations. Her expertise lies in implementing strategic initiatives focused on addressing systemic inequalities. She excels in establishing collaborative partnerships throughout all levels of an organization, guiding meaningful dialogues and leading awareness campaigns. Athalie is deeply passionate about cultivating inclusive cultures fostering the growth of diverse perspectives. Athalie earned her Master of Arts in Mental Health Counseling, providing her with a profound understanding of intersectionality. She advocates for organizations to surpass the idea of simply embracing diversity and instead teaches them how to focus more crucially on the empowerment of each individual stakeholder.
Naima Murphy Salcido (she/her)
Client Advisor
As a member of the VERGE community and the Principal of Good Ear Consulting, Naima leverages her expertise in nonprofit management and philanthropy to offer strategic advising, proposal development, and qualitative research consulting services. This includes sliding scale support and increased capacity for a wide range of clients including equity-driven organizations, grantmaking institutions, and artists across the country. She’s previously served as Director of Partnerships at Monument Lab in Philadelphia and has spent over a decade learning from and forging mission-driven partnerships across sectors. Naima holds an MS in Arts Administration from Drexel University and a dual degree from Bates College in African American Studies and Rhetoric, Film, & Screen Studies. She is currently based in New Orleans, LA.
Kristie Cabrera (they/them)
Disability Justice Advisor
Kristie has devoted over a decade to championing access and inclusion through a disability justice framework. They have led disability justice initiatives for organizations including Oregon Humanities, Culikid, Rock Steady Farm, and Food Culture Collective. Kristie's expertise lies in weaving disability justice and universal design principles into spaces, experiences, and content. Their work encompasses a broad range of activities, from reviewing departments to ensure alignment with disability justice principles, to facilitating mediation through a disability justice lens, and providing comprehensive staff training. With a Master’s in Occupational Therapy and over seven years of clinical practice, Kristie’s firsthand experience supporting disabled and neurodivergent individuals fuels their passion for driving urgent, meaningful change toward a more inclusive and equitable society.
Milagros "Mica" Verendia (she/her)
Communications Strategist & Advisor
Mica is a Strategic Advisor, Cultural Producer and Communications Consultant to international humanitarian organizations, cultural institutions, independent artists and influencers. Mica has over 10 years of experience developing, leading and delivering highly-visible, sensitive, purpose-driven and nuanced communications projects, public art initiatives and advocacy campaigns. Her expertise sits at the intersection of social impact, advocacy, communications and the narrative arts. Mica's values-based ethos aims to amplify and elevate stories which need to be heard, reaching audiences with deep resonance from the community level, to the global scale.
Michael Vincent Pusey (they/them)
Client Advisor
Michael is an artist, researcher, and professional advisor whose work is centered on people and organizational clarity. They have consulted for museums, philanthropic organizations, and non-profits supporting organizations with honed skills in leadership development, organizational design, strategic communications, HR strategy, and program design.
Formerly of United States Artists, where they co-led the organization as the Assistant Director, their tenure included operationalizing Artist Relief, a $25 million emergency relief effort, developing Disability Futures— the nation's largest paid fellowship for disabled artists, the expansion of organizational programs and funding pathways, and organizational-wide work culture transformation. They believe one’s internal culture must be as thoughtfully considered as one’s external ambitions, and creating nimble economies of care is central to Michael’s practice as an organizational leader and consultant.
Beyond this work, Michael contributes to the cultural sector through their podcast and media project called On The Precipice and as a volunteer on various initiatives.
COMMUNITY
A warm and hearty VERGE thank you to our families, friends, colleagues, communities, and other loved ones who have advised, supported, and challenged us along the way.
Design & Branding: Planthouse Studio
Photography: Hakeem Adewumi
Development: Shaleiah Fox, Philanthropic Strategist
Business Development: Mel Comer
PRESS
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