About Common Circles

Ellen Berger is a City of White Plains District Leader, member of the Nominating Committee, the Executive Committee, and Program Chair of the White Plains Democratic City Committee. Ellen created and executed the White Plains High School Student Essay Contest sponsored by the WPDCC (White Plains Democratic Committee) to engage high school students to think about how to solve problems within our communities and to inspire young people to become active citizens, think proactively to help build community. ria She organized a Citywide photography exhibit, at the White Plains Public Library, “Countdown to Eternity”, The Last Year of Martin Luther King’s Life, showing the work of renowned photographer Benedict Fernandez, also sponsored by the WPDCC. Ellen also brought Emmy award winning documentary film producer, Emily Driscoll, to the Democratic City Committee for a screening and discussion highlighting environmental issues.

Earlier in Ellen’s career, she was appointed Membership Chair of Westchester County for Channel 13 and later started a nationwide art gallery representing outstanding American craft artists. She was a dealer of contemporary art by American artists.

Ellen was instrumental in bringing the exhibit “We Are White Plains” featuring the Shoah Foundation’s “Dimensions in Testimony”, funded and organized by “Common Circles” to the White Plains High School and Middle Schools.

Ellen is also on the Board of “Steve’s Camp at Horizon Farms”, the Gedney Association of White Plains, and Friends of Museums in Israel, among others.  She holds a degree from New York University in Fine Arts and French and an MA from the University of Buffalo in French Literature. Ellen began her career as a high school teacher in Buffalo, NY.

Bias and intolerance are at the root of so many societal problems. Common Circles is dedicated to addressing them with ingenuity and energy and I’m very proud to support this wonderful organization.

Born and raised in St. Louis, Steve attended University City High School, where he excelled in academics as well as in sports, playing competitive baseball, basketball, football, and track. He attended the University of Missouri on a track scholarship. Steve went on to receive his medical degree and specialized in diagnostic radiology. He practiced radiology in a private group, worked as an associate professor of radiology and published scientific articles for 30 years.

In 1996, Steve and his wife had a near death experience, which had a profound effect on him. Now retired, that experience continues to influence how he spends his retirement years.

Steve has served on a variety of philanthropic boards such as the American Cancer Society and Missouri Healthcare For All and was the recipient of the 2000 Wendell Scott Award. He is a weekly volunteer at Fox 2 News Call for Action, and enjoys working with the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Washington University in St. Louis.

Examining how identity is both a performance as well as a set of characteristics has always been central to my work. I am curious about how identity forms the basis of human interactions and social systems. This analysis extends to examining who controls the images and media that define people and cultures globally, in a time that is defined by ease of access to information and user generated and disseminated media. Social and community engagement is therein a crucial element of my work.

Collaborating with Common Circles provides an ideal scenario where these ideas can be explored in a way that engages multiple communities across the country in a practical and relatable way, that hopefully will inspire deeper self reflection. It also provides an additional opportunity to research diverse perspectives on identity, from the minds of young people from a variety of economic backgrounds.

Bayeté Ross Smith is a photographer, multimedia artist and filmmaker from Harlem, NY. He began his career as a photojournalist with the Knight Ridder newspaper corporation, and has gone on to work as a multimedia artist and producer for The New York Times and POV.

As an artist, Ross Smith has exhibited his work internationally with the Smithsonian Institution, the San Francisco Arts Commission, the Brooklyn Museum, the Oakland Museum of California, the Schomburg Center, the Unseen Photo Festival (Amsterdam), Goethe-Institute (Ghana), and Zacheta National Gallery of Art (Poland), to name a few. His collaborative projects "Along The Way" and "Question Bridge: Black Males" were showcased at the Sundance Film Festival among other festivals. His accolades include a TED Residency, an International Center of Photography Infinity Award for New Media, and a Jerome Foundation fellowship.

Ross Smith is a faculty member at the International Center of Photography and New York University, and the associate program director of the nonprofit Kings Against Violence Initiative, a hospital- and school-based non-profit violence prevention organization based in Brooklyn, NY.

Empire Display Solutions is a worldwide leader in designing and manufacturing trade show displays, retail spaces, and corporate environments. With over 25 years of experience in the industry, we are pleased to offer a wide array of products and services to meet all of our partners’ needs and budgets. From concept to completion: We work together to bring our clients’ vision to life through award-winning and dynamic displays. Learn more about Empire Display Solutions.

Rye Country Day School is a coeducational, college preparatory school dedicated to providing students from Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12 with an excellent education using both traditional and innovative approaches. In a nurturing and supportive environment, RCDS offers a challenging program that stimulates individuals to achieve their maximum potential through academic, athletic, creative, and social endeavors. They are actively committed to diversity. RCDS expects and promotes moral responsibility and strives to develop strength of character within a respectful school community. The goal of Rye Country Day School is to foster a lifelong passion for learning, understanding, and service in an ever-changing world.

Students emerge from RCDS with strength of character, ready to engage in continuous learning, to show kindness and empathy, to adapt and thrive within a changing global context, to contribute meaningfully to their communities large and small, and to find joy and fulfillment in life. Experiences that promote these outcomes are woven throughout the program with increasing complexity and expectations.