Westchester Community College, State University of New York

Artist born in Queens, New York residing in the Hudson Valley. B.A., BioArt, Independent, Boston College, M.F.A., New York University, and Ed,D.C.T., Art & Art Education, Teachers College Columbia University.

Dr. Sherry Mayo is the Center Director of SUNY Westchester Peekskill Center for the Digital Arts, one of SUNY Westchester Community College’s centers, and teaches Technology in Art Education at the School of Visual Arts, Art Education Department, is an arts educator, faculty member, and painter who experiments with art technology and integrates it with traditional practices to produce hybrid forms of artistic expression.

Recent exhibitions include Sherry Mayo, solo exhibitions at the Field and Mahopac Libraries, STEAM, group exhibition at the Arts Exchange of Arts Westchester, and Dina Hermann & Sherry Mayo, two-person exhibition, LOOK Art Gallery, Mahopac, New York. Recent juried shows include Grass + Roots: Peekskill to Poughkeepsie, Putnam Arts Council and the Center for the Digital Arts, Art in a Pandemic, Putnam Arts Council and the Southeast Museum, Re-emergence, Peekskill Arts Alliance, and the Stay at Home, Make Art, Dorsky Art Museum.

Recent publications: Mayo, S. (2021). At The Pivot Point of Cultural Education Management, Teaching, and Artistic Practice, ENCATC (The European Network on Cultural Management and Policy) 2021 Congress Proceedings: Artists in the spotlight in search of new agendas for education and research in the cultural management and policy field, Mayo, S. (2018). A Collective Consciousness Model in a Post Media Society, in Dr. Mehdi Khosrow-Pour (Ed.) Enhancing Art, Culture, and Design with Technological Integration, IGI Global, Mayo, S. (2013). A Model for a Collective Aesthetic Consciousness, International Journal of Art, Culture and Design Technologies, Vol. 1, No. 2.

Gerry is a designer who has worked in a broad range of visual communications, including broadcast television, museum exhibits, corporate communications, and new media. Projects range from 3D animations to animated maps and diagrams, re-enactments, and opening titles which help to explain concepts in science, history and current events for documentary films. His work has been included in programs aired on PBS, The History Channel, The Biography Channel and independent films as well as in major museums and science centers in the U.S.

A diverse background in graphic design, industrial design, environmental studies, and fine art, along with deep interests in science, technology, and history provide an ability to create successful design solutions and visual media in a wide array of subjects for corporate and private clients. This experience has been applied for nearly three decades teaching college-level design and media production courses at SUNY Westchester Community College.

A graduate of the Fine Arts program at SUNY Purchase, and graphic designer for Westchester Community College (WCC) in the 90s, Benjamin Moss was instrumental in the launch of the Peekskill Center, where he also taught 3D animation. Building on this foundation, Ben has enjoyed a dynamic 25-year career in education, as an IT director and a teacher of art, social studies, and computer science in both public and private schools.

Currently, in addition to preparing to lead the new course on AI and web development at SUNY Westchester Peekskill in the fall, Ben is leveraging his multifaceted skill set as the producer of The Moss Report, working alongside his father, author and renowned researcher Dr. Ralph W. Moss. Together, they are dedicated to providing invaluable resources for cancer patients exploring integrative medicine.

Aaron Porter is a graphic artist and illustrator. Originally from Chicago, he graduated from Northern Illinois University with a degree in Scientific Illustration and later earned a MFA in painting from the University of Miami. Aaron worked many years as a staff artist at several mid to large newspapers including 8 years at Journal News in White Plains which is what brought him to the area. Just prior to the move to New York, he worked as an assistant junior high school English teacher in Japan for 3 years. Since 2010 he has taught Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator as well as 2D animation, photography and digital painting at Bronx Community College and Westchester Community College. He teaches adults, teens, and children. He also works as a freelance graphic artist.

Aaron was originally resistant to the teaching students to use A.I. in the classroom because he felt that students risked not fully developing their artistic skills by relying too heavily on the new technology. But his hand was forced when the Adobe software that he teaches, began prominently displaying the new tech in the software. Resistance was futile, so he embraced the new tech and began teaching it to his students. He also delves into ethical issues that have arisen because of the way much of the software has been developed.

Tony Rizzaro is a distinguished serial entrepreneur and technology innovator. As a 5X CEO and founder, he has been instrumental in pioneering first-to-market AI-based solutions since the late 1980s, which have significantly impacted the world we live in and led to industry disruptions in the decades that followed.

His visionary leadership and ingenuity in developing groundbreaking technologies have helped hundreds of enterprises—from Global 2000 to F500 companies and SMEs—become smarter, faster, and more profitable across a diverse list of industry trade and consumer-facing sectors. Over the years, CEOs, owners, and clients have validated his product launches and initiatives with repeat engagements, drawn by Tony’s keen ability to leverage technology’s evolutionary arc, anticipate trends, and consistently deliver innovative, profitable solutions. And they still do.

Rizzaro’s journey in innovation includes developing one of the earliest AI-based computer vision solutions in 1993, in collaboration with Disney Epcot. His expertise has been pivotal in introducing the first online banking system, and his vision led to the creation of the first print-on-demand platform, and one of the first CRM platforms, setting industry standards for giants like Xerox, Hewlett Packard, and the advent of Salesforce, iTunes, Canva, VistaPrint and others. His contributions have paved the way for breakthroughs in WWW development, Artificial Intelligence, Augmented Reality, Virtual and Mixed Reality.

Tony Rizzaro began his education at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan and altered his studies towards technology, computer science, and AI at Columbia University, MIT, Pratt Institute of Technology, and SUNY. He was a long-time partner with the NYU Tisch ITP Center in NYC and has mentored many of its alumni, some of whom have become high-profile leaders in today’s high-tech industry.

Tony is a frequent speaker at industry conferences, symposiums for government and private sectors, and universities worldwide, discussing future trends and the impact of artificial intelligence on business, society, and culture. He has been featured at the Museum of Television and Radio in the Spielberg Gallery, the Chelsea Museum, and cited in major media outlets such as Wired Magazine, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Daily News, Rolling Stone Magazine. He has also appeared in technology segments with Dan Rather on the Discovery Channel, NY1, the Disney Network, CBS, and Fox.

With over two decades in Computer Graphics (CG), Joseph Thomas is a versatile CG Generalist, character & creature artist and digital sculptor. He’s created captivating visuals for film and episodic content. As a CG Generalist and Lead, he brings imagination to life in 3D with a strong business sense. For 13 years he’s taught 3D animation in higher education.

Notably, Joe is the instructor for the year-long 3D Animation Certificate program at the Center for Digital Arts. In this influential role he oversees a comprehensive curriculum that delves into all aspects of 3D animation and VFX. It’s a platform for nurturing the next generation of talent in this dynamic field, where he shares his expertise and passion for the craft.

Joe has also had the privilege of collaborating with industry leaders like Blue Sky Studios, Preymaker, Ghost VFX and Fancy VFX, delivering content to clients such as Netflix, Prime, US Cellular, Volvo, Starbucks, and IBM. He is an artist, a CG pro, and an educator.