Grace Farms Lectures with Concert

About Dr. Danielle Allen

Allen is James Bryant Conant University Professor at Harvard University. She is also director of the Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation at the Harvard Kennedy School and director of the Democratic Knowledge Project, a research lab focused on civic education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. A professor of political philosophy, ethics, and public policy, she is also a seasoned nonprofit leader, democracy advocate, tech ethicist, and distinguished author. She is a contributing columnist at The Atlantic Magazine, winner of the 2025 Barry Prize, and was the 2020 winner of the Library of Congress’ Kluge Prize, which recognizes scholarly achievement in the disciplines not covered by the Nobel Prize. She received the Prize “for her internationally recognized scholarship in political theory and her commitment to improving democratic practice and civics education.”

About Dr. Hannah Rose Thomas

In 2023, Grace Farms hosted the U.S. launch of Thomas’s book, Tears of Gold, as well as a temporary exhibition of her work. The book features portraits of Yazidi, Rohingya, and Nigerian women who have suffered violence in areas of conflict and tells the women’s stories, providing a testimony to their humanity and resilience in the face of adversity.

As of 2025, Thomas’s life-size portrait painting, Nasreen, of modern slavery survivor Nasreen Sheikh, has been on view in the With Every Fiber exhibit at Grace Farms. Nasreen was created using egg tempera paint mixed from natural pigments — a technique traditionally used for religious art. Thomas’s use of iconography and early Renaissance painting techniques and gold leaf for portrait paintings is symbolic of the restoration of dignity and the sacred value of each individual.

In 2025, players of the London Philharmonic Orchestra recorded Woven in Tears, a composition by Evan Williams commissioned by Grace Farms. Woven in Tears was especially written for the With Every Fiber exhibit, and responds to Thomas’s portrait, Nasreen. The London Philharmonic Orchestra also performed at Grace Farms’ 9th Annual Benefit in 2024.

About Dr. Sian Leah Beilock

Dr. Sian Leah Beilock is the 19th President of Dartmouth. Since 2023, she has positioned Dartmouth as a global leader on the most critical issues facing higher education. Under her leadership, Dartmouth has dramatically expanded affordability for middle-income families and championed the importance of civil dialogue. A distinguished cognitive scientist, President Beilock is one of the world’s foremost experts on performance under pressure. She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and the National Academy of Medicine. She also serves as an External Director on the Bridgewater Associates Board of Directors.

She has worked with Fortune 500 companies, professional sports teams, and public-sector leaders to build high-performing teams and create environments that attract, retain, and get the best out of their talent. President Beilock has authored 120 peer-reviewed papers, and two critically acclaimed books — Choke and How the Body Knows Its Mind. Her 2017 TED talk on performing under pressure has been viewed nearly 3 million times. Previously, President Beilock served as President of Barnard College at Columbia University and Executive Vice Provost at the University of Chicago, where she was also the Stella M. Rowley Professor of Psychology.