Join us to celebrate Twenty Years of MoAD! On our monthly Free Community Day we will host a conversation commemorating the founding of MoAD in December 2005. Special guests will discuss what it to took to make Museum of the African Diaspora a reality, how we have evolved over the years, and what is our vision for the future. Panelists include the Honorable Mayor Willie Brown, MoAD Executive Director & CEO Monetta White, Chief of Curatorial & Public Programs Key Jo Lee, Former Executive Director & CEO Linda Harrison, and the Director of the Capital Campaign to build MoAD Schyleen Qualls. The conversation will be moderated by Charles Ward and will take place in the MoAD Salon, surrounded by the current exhibition Continuum: MoAD Over Time, commemorating MoAD's 20th Anniversary.

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Following the conversation we will raise a glass to MoAD with a champagne toast! Light bites and refreshments will be provided.

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About the Speakers

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Honorable Willie J. Brown, Jr. Two-term Mayor of San Francisco, legendary Speaker of the California State Assembly, and widely regarded as the most influential African-American politician of the late twentieth century, Willie L. Brown, Jr., has been at the center of California politics, government, and civic life for an astonishing four decades.  His career spans the American Presidency from Lyndon Johnson to George W. Bush, and he’s worked with every California Governor from Pat Brown to Arnold Schwarzenegger.  From civil rights to education reform, tax policy, economic development, health care, international trade, domestic partnerships, and affirmative action, he’s left his imprimatur on every aspect of politics and public policy in the Golden State.  As Mayor of California’s most cosmopolitan city, he refurbished and rebuilt the nation’s busiest transit system, pioneered the use of bond measures to build affordable housing, created a model juvenile justice system, and paved the way for a second campus of the University of California, San Francisco, to serve as the anchor of a new development that will position the City as a center for the burgeoning field of biotechnology.  Today, he heads the Willie L. Brown, Jr., Institute on Politics and Public Service, where this acknowledged master of the art of politics shares his knowledge and skills with a new generation of California leaders.

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Monetta White (@monettawhite), CEO & Executive Director at MoAD is a San Francisco native, and has dedicated her career to preserving African American culture and advocating for the community. With over 20 years of experience in civic engagement, and entrepreneurship, she has collaborated with numerous non-profits, donors, and corporations.

Under her leadership, the museum has played a pioneering role in showcasing renowned Black artists and curators locally and internationally. Additionally, she forged a partnership with SFMOMA to establish a joint curatorial position aimed at nurturing the next generation of BIPOC art leaders.

Guided by her expertise, the museum has achieved remarkable success, including record-setting donor campaigns and art auctions, doubling its budget, expanding its global reach and digital audience, and creating new opportunities for Black curators and artists.

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Key Jo Lee (@keyjolee) is chief of curatorial affairs and public programs at the Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD) in San Francisco. In this role, Lee oversees the strategic direction for the museum’s exhibitions and programs; leads globally on identifying and promoting emerging artists from the African diaspora; and works to expand MoAD’s reach and influence locally, nationally, and internationally.

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She is responsible for the overall management and execution of the museum’s curatorial vision, including its exhibitions, publications, and public and educational programs, and plays an important role in the organization’s outreach, communications, and digital strategy. Lee has a master’s degree from and is PhD candidate in History of Art and African American Studies at Yale University.

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Her first book, Perceptual Drift: Black Art and an Ethics of Looking, was published by Yale University Press and The Cleveland Museum of Art in January 2023.

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Linda C. Harrison brings nearly 25 years of art, cultural, and corporate leadership expertise to transform organizations into dynamic, community-focused institutions that can navigate complex challenges and seize opportunities for growth. She has driven strategic initiatives to elevate museums’ impact, expand audience diversity, increase financial stability, and strengthen community and stakeholder connections.

Drawing from her unique qualifications, Harrison has leveraged museum campus assets by orchestrating mixed-use real estate project development, and established partnerships with legislative, corporate, and non-profit entities. She has a proven record of turning museums into thriving institutional anchor hubs, stimulating active public art engagement, and enhancing organizations’ cultural relevance.

Recognized for her vision and commitment to collaboration and social responsibility, Harrison has built successful regional and national relationships, created inclusive cultural spaces that reflect the richness of their communities—and brought authenticity and joy to the process.

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Schyleen Qualls, CEO of Arkeon Productions, has a 35-year track record of producing innovative and socially conscious entertainment designed to inspire audiences worldwide. She has produced hundreds of concerts; performed and lectured nationally and internationally and has represented the United States in official delegations to China, Nigeria and Germany. She is the recipient of the Harvard University Foundation Medal for her “contributions to American Performing Arts” and is the Artistic Co-Founder of the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble, a world-renowned modern dance company. Schyleen Qualls was the Director of the Capital Campaign for the Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD) in San Francisco helping to raise $7 million for its inaugural programs. Qualls is currently producing a feature film, Running the Line, with Henry Louis Gates Jr. as an Executive Producer; and also producing, Cosmic Campfire, a film for Planetarium and Imax theaters, designed to inspire young people to pursue careers in space science.

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Charles Ward is a veteran nonprofit arts administrator in San Francisco. In 1996 he joined the staff of the San Francisco Jazz Festival organization, Jazz in the City, the predecessor to SFJAZZ, as Director of Marketing and Corporate Sponsorships. He moved to Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in 2005 where he served as Chief Development Officer until 2018. Prior to his work in arts administration, he practiced law in the music industry and worked as a Marketing and Business Affairs executive in the cable television business. He began his career as a member of the original staff hired by the Congressional Black Caucus and subsequently as a senior administrative aide to Congressman Ron Dellums. He was appointed the San Francisco Human Rights Commission by Mayor Willie Brown and to the San Francisco Ethics Commission by District Attorney, Kamala Harris. He is a longtime advisor to the Young Musicians Choral Orchestra in Berkeley and a former member of the Board of Directors of SF Travel, the nonprofit organization that oversees Moscone Center and promotes San Francisco to leisure, business and convention travelers from around the world.

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He earned a BA degree from California Western University and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of San Diego. He currently spends his time reading and writing for pleasure and helping to raise the next generation in his family, twin granddaughters, Zora and Naima. He and his wife Cheryl live in San Francisco.

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This program is presented in conjunction with Continuum: MoAD Over Time on view through March 1, 2026.

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This program is made possible by the generous support of Kaiser Permanente.

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