The hands that
convene the room.

Academy Award–nominated producer and director whose work has defined how Black excellence is staged, broadcast, and remembered. From House Party and Boomerang to Marshall and Django Unchained, Hudlin has moved between independent film and the global mainstream with singular purpose. He served as president of BET Networks and, alongside David Hill, co-produced the 88th Academy Awards telecast—one of the most watched live cultural events in the world—bringing decades of live-television craft to the Oscar stage. Whether directing a feature, producing a documentary, or orchestrating a live global broadcast, his career has been devoted to giving Black genius the room it deserves.

Entrepreneur, advisor, and the originating architect of The Latimer Prize. As Co-Founder & CEO of the Lewis Latimer Fellowship Program and Executive Producer of the Latimer Futures Summit, Cropper has spent years convening an invite-only micro-community of inventors, designers, investors, and cultural leaders at the University of Pennsylvania. He built the institutional framework that turned a single idea into a permanent honor: assembling the partners, patrons, and programming that connect Lewis Latimer’s legacy to the next generation of innovators. The Prize is the natural extension of that work—an annual convocation where future-making is named and celebrated.

Deputy Director of Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, appointed in September 2024. Black brings more than 20 years of executive leadership across the nonprofit and for-profit cultural sectors, having worked nationally and internationally on strategy, vision, and long-term planning for museums and cultural organizations. She previously served as managing principal of DVDL, a cultural planning agency advising institutions worldwide on strategic planning, programming, and visitor experiences, and as executive director of NYCxDESIGN, where she led New York City’s Annual Design Week. Earlier roles included deputy director and interim executive director of Van Alen Institute and senior manager of programs and operations at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, where she directed multi-year international initiatives including the BMW Guggenheim Lab and the Guggenheim UBS MAP Global Art Initiative. She holds a master’s degree in arts administration from Teachers College, Columbia University, and law and arts degrees from the University of Sydney. At Cooper Hewitt, she helps propel the national museum of design forward and ensures The Latimer Prize is anchored in one of the country’s most vital design institutions.