Thomas Simsarian Dolan is a newly minted PhD in American Studies from George Washington University, where his research focused on Middle Eastern diaspora and race. Near year, Thomas will be a Visiting Assistant Professor at American University Cairo as a Fulbright US Teaching Scholar. Thomas' research has also been supported by the Calouste Gulbenkian Global Excellence Scholarship, Institute for Middle East Studies, Dr. Philip M. Kayal Fund for Arab American Research, Bentley Historical Library Bordin-Gillette Fellowship, Loeb Institute for Religious Freedom and Armenian General Benevolent Union. He is an alumnus of Yale University, NYU, and the New School's Institute for Critical Social Inquiry. Thomas has also served as a visiting researcher at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, and published in Mashriq & Mahjar, The Armenian Weekly, Huffington Post, Egypt Migrations, Muftah, Arab America, and HowlRound, among others. Prior to returning to graduate school, Thomas performed and produced work at Madison Square Garden, Lincoln Center, Town Hall, Studio 54, among others.

Evelyn Alsultany is a leading expert on the history of representations of Arabs and Muslims in the U.S. media. Professor Alsultany received her B.A. at the University of Michigan, M.A. at the New School for Social Research, and Ph.D. at Stanford University. She is the author of Arabs and Muslims in the Media: Race and Representation after 9/11. She co-authored criteria, the Obeidi-Alsultany Test, to help Hollywood improve representations of Muslims. She has served as an educator and consultant for independent filmmakers and Hollywood studios (Disney, Marvel, Netflix, NBC Universal) on how to better represent Arab and Muslim characters. Professor Alsultany has published op-eds in The Hollywood Reporter, The Washington Post, and Newsweek and has a podcast, “Muslims As Seen on TV.” She is an associate professor in the Department of American Studies and Ethnicity at USC’s Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences. She serves as a consultant for Hollywood studios through the boutique firm, History Studio.