Berkley Center

Laura Waters Hinson is the co-founder, producer, and director of As We Forgive. She is an award-winning filmmaker and founder of Image Bearer Pictures in Washington, DC. Her film tells the story of Rwanda’s reconciliation movement and won the gold medal at the 2008 Student Academy Awards for best documentary. Laura launched Living Bricks, a multi-media viewer action campaign to support reconciliation efforts in Rwanda. In January 2009, she was awarded a grant from the John Templeton Foundation to build the As We Forgive Rwanda Initiative, a Rwandan educational program aimed at harnessing the power of film to promote healing after genocide. Laura received a Master of Fine Arts degree in filmmaking from American University and has previously worked as a Creative Arts Director, a development coordinator for the Discovery Health Channel, and as a research assistant for MSNBC host Chris Matthews.

Andrea McDaniel is the co-founder and executive director of As We Forgive Rwanda Initiative and serves on the Board of Directors. A social entrepreneur and international affairs consultant, Andrea has extensive experience in government and the private sector, including more than five years at the U.S. Department of State, where she focused on public-private partnerships and established a federal office responsible for facilitating private sector participation in worldwide public diplomacy initiatives. Her work included spearheading the U.S.-Palestinian Partnership, supporting peaceful solutions to conflict by promoting economic opportunities in Israel and Palestine. Prior to her service at the State Department, Andrea worked in the Executive Office of the President of the United States, where she personally advised the President on political appointments to government agencies.