Sunil Iyengar directs the Office of Research & Analysis at the National Endowment for the Arts. Under his leadership, the office has produced dozens of research reports, hosted periodic research events and webinars, led strategic plan development for the agency, and established research and data partnerships with the U.S Census Bureau, the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, and the Bureau of Economic Analysis. His office also conducts program evaluations and performance measurement for the Arts Endowment. Working with his team, Iyengar has created and pursued long-term research agendas, founded a national data repository for the arts, and launched two grant programs for arts researchers, including the NEA Research Labs initiative. He chairs a federal Interagency Task Force on the Arts and Human Development.
Josephine Reed is the media producer for the Public Affairs office at the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). She produces and hosts the NEA’s weekly podcast, Art Works, a program that features interviews with artists and creative thinkers. Passionate about language, she has interviewed writers of all genres throughout her career, including novelists, historians, playwrights, and poets. Before coming to the NEA, Reed directed XM Satellite Radio’s book and contemporary theater channel and produced and hosted the program, Writers on Writing. In partnership with the NEA, Reed also created the series, The Big Read on XM. Prior to this, she created, produced, and hosted the radio show On the Margin, which presented conversations with authors.