Team Cliff & VI

Raised in Washington D.C., Gabrielle discovered her passion for photography at the age of 17, immersing herself in the darkroom through high school. After graduating, she pursued her studies at NYU Tisch School of the Arts in New York City, focusing on art history and fine art photography. In 2014, Gabrielle relocated to San Francisco to embark on a career as a freelance photojournalist. By 2016, she joined the staff of the San Francisco Chronicle, where she has since made significant contributions in both still photography and video. Gabrielle's compelling storytelling earned her finalist recognition in the Pulitzer Prize feature category in 2021 for her poignant coverage of a mother’s struggle to save her daughter from drug addiction. Her dedication to documenting the fentanyl crisis garnered another finalist honor in 2022. In addition to her journalism work, Gabrielle actively supports the community as an organizer for the Bay Area Women Photograph group and plays a vital role in managing the Chronicle’s internship program.

Randy Olson – who often teams up with his wife and fellow MPW faculty member‬ Melissa Farlow – has worked in more than 50 countries during the past 30 years,‬ primarily for the National Geographic Society. Most of his work centers around resource‬ extraction and how that affects Indigenous communities or pristine ecosystems. Pictures‬ of the Year International has named Olson both the Magazine Photographer of the Year‬ and the Newspaper Photographer of the Year, making him one of only two‬ photographers to win both categories since World War II. In 2011, Randy founded The‬ Photo Society to provide support for, and exposure to, National Geographic Society‬ photographers.‬