Pioneer in virtual reality, Nonny de la Peña has been dubbed the "Godmother of Virtual Reality” by Forbes and the Guardian.  A New American Fellow, Yale Poynter Media Fellow and former correspondent for Newsweek, de la Peña is a leader in immersive journalism, a field that she is widely credited with establishing. She was named WSJ Technology Innovator of the Year in 2018 and one of CNET en Español’s 20 most influential Latinos for her groundbreaking work. The piece “Hunger in Los Angeles,” on which she collaborated, became the first VR piece ever shown at Sundance and inspired Wired Magazine to nominate her a “#MakeTechHuman Agent of Change.” 
Nonny has recently joined Arizona State University to design and lead a new graduate program and center in emerging media and narrative based in Los Angeles.

Nonny will speak to the use of cutting-edge technologies for creating intense and empathic engagement on the part of viewers, “Technology has the power to put people in the story, so they remember it with their body, not just their mind.”All members are welcome to join the breakaway sessions.