2026 Public Humanities Awards

Susan Eleuterio is a professional folklorist, educator, and consultant to non-profits. Holding an MA in American Folk Culture/Museum Studies from the Cooperstown Graduate Program (SUNY/Oneonta) and a BA in English/Education from the University of Delaware, Eleuterio serves as an adjunct faculty member of Goucher College’s Master’s in Cultural Leadership and Management program. She teaches courses in Academic Writing; Organizing Communities: Advocacy, Activism and Social Justice, and Fundraising.  She has conducted fieldwork and developed public programs, including exhibits, performances, folk arts education workshops, and residencies in schools, along with professional development programs for teachers, students, adults, and artists for schools, museums, arts education agencies, and arts organizations across the United States. 

She was recently elected to the Board of Directors of the American Folklore Society and is the former Board Chair for Illinois Humanities.  She also served as Co-Chair of the Chicago based Crossroads Fund Board of Directors.  She currently serves as a board member of Lakeshore Public Media in Indiana. 

Her review of the traveling exhibit, Escaramuza, The Poetics of Home, is published in the Journal of American Folklore, Spring 2026 and her review of Whispers in the Echo Chamber: Folklore and the Role of Conspiracy Theory in Contemporary Society, Jesse A. Fivecoate and Andrea Kitta, eds. is available in the current issue of Folklore and Education.

https://jfepublications.org/journal/vol-12/.

Eleuterio is the author of Irish American Material Culture: A Directory of Collections, Sites and Festivals in the United States and Canada, as well as essays in the Encyclopedia of Chicago History, the Encyclopedia of American Folklore, the Encyclopedia of Women’s Folklore and Folklife, Ethnic American Food Today: A Cultural Encyclopedia, "Statewide Models for Folk Arts in Education" in the Missouri Folklore Society Journal,  and a collaboratively written chapter: "Even Presidents Need Comfort Food; Tradition, Food and Politics at the Valois Cafeteria" in Comfort Food, Meanings and Memories (2017 University Press of Mississippi ).  Her chapter, "Pussy Hats: Common Ground at the Chicago Women's March was published in 2020 in Pussy Hats, Politics and Public Protest (University Press of Mississippi). 

In 2024, she co-created a strategic plan with Sherry Williams, ED of Bronzeville Historical Society, for the Lyles Station Historic Corporation in Indiana. She also served as a consultant in exhibit development, public programming, and K-12 curriculum for the Center for Folklore Studies at the Ohio State University’s Placemaking in Scioto County project. She currently serves as the Board Treasurer for Southern Ohio Folklife and as Board Treasurer for KINDFOLK, a non-profit serving Indiana and Kentucky.  Projects for Southern Ohio Folklife include providing professional development for teachers in integrating student culture into the classroom. She has served as co-chair of the American Folklore Society’s (AFS) Media and Public Outreach Committee and is currently the co-convenor of the American Folklore Society’s Women’s Section. She co-authored the AFS Advocacy toolkit, which provides case studies and guidance for advocacy by folklorists, academics, and community members.

Mayer Brown is a leading international law firm with offices across the globe, known for its integrated approach to complex legal and business challenges. Mayer Brown's Chicago office is the original and largest office of the firm. It is also one of the largest law offices in Chicago, with deep roots in the community and a prominent place in the city’s history.

Founded in 1881, its lawyers have played a central role in Chicago’s growth and governance, earning national recognition for excellence in corporate, finance, and litigation work. The office is equally distinguished by a long history of public service, civic leadership, and pro bono advocacy, reflecting a deep and enduring commitment to Chicago and its communities.

Ofelia Guerra is the Founder and Executive Director of Ballet Folklorico de Chicago. She established the organization to create a space where her daughters and others in the community could celebrate and connect with their cultural roots and traditions.

Under Ofelia’s leadership, Ballet Folklorico de Chicago has grown into an organization serving approximately 400 students by providing affordable, high-quality artistic instruction rooted in the Indigenous, African, and European influences that shape Mexican folkloric dance. Each year, BFC creates meaningful leadership opportunities for youth and has awarded 21 college scholarships to date. 

Through the arts and humanities, Ofelia is committed to uplifting the community and inspiring future generations to embrace their heritage with pride.

Mike Matejka has spent decades as a community leader in Bloomington-Normal and is widely recognized for his contributions to public life. A former Bloomington City Council member, he continues to advocate for social justice, labor rights, and inclusive public policy. Both of his parents believed that inequality and the underrepresentation of workers in meetings with managers are crucial factors in underpaying and mistreating all workers, a perspective that deeply shaped his worldview. His work reflects an ongoing commitment to civic engagement and empowering communities to create meaningful, lasting social change.

Damon A. Williams is a movement builder, organizer, hip-hop performing artist, educator, and media maker from the south side of Chicago. He is the Co-Founder of Respair Production & Media, and the Co-Creator of AirGo, a weekly podcast in Chicago that reshapes culture for the more liberatory and creative. He is also the co-founder of the #LetUsBreathe Collective, an artistic activist organization with the mission of utilizing cultural production and popular education to redistribute power and resources, eradicate systemic violence, and transform inequity. 

Daniel Kisslinger is a Chicago-based host and producer who creates dialogue-based media showcasing the stories, voices, and artworks of communities challenging power, reconfiguring public life, and reimagining our world. He is the Co-Founder of Respair Production & Media, a movement journalism and media hub, and is the Co-Creator of AirGo, a weekly podcast in Chicago that reshapes culture for the more liberatory and creative.

Rooted in Chicago and shaped by years of public service and community engagement in Illinois, the Obama Presidential Center offers a setting deeply connected to the stories, histories, and civic engagement that define our state.

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