Team Cliff & Vi

In 2013, Leen became the first female Directory of Photography for National Geographic Magazine and Partners. Prior to that, Leen worked as an independent photographer for National Geographic magazine for nearly 20 years until 2004 when she joined the staff as a Senior Photo Editor. As a photographer, she published 16 National Geographic magazine stories, one book and produced six NGM covers. In 2020 Sarah moved to Maine and began a new career as an independent photo book editor, curator, and educator. Leen teaches visual storytelling and photo editing at the Eddie Adams,MPW, Maine Media workshops and her own Female Perspectives on Visual Storytelling. She is also the co-founder of the Visual Thinking Collective. In 2024 she received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from her alma mater, the University of Missouri School of Journalism. She has been a part of the MPW faculty throughout her career since 1978. 

Raised in Washington D.C., Lurie studied at NYU Tisch School of the Arts in New York City, focusing on art history and fine art photography. In 2014, Lurie relocated to San Francisco to become a freelance photojournalist. By 2016, she joined the staff of the San Francisco Chronicle, contributing in both still photography and video. Lurie'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. In addition to her journalism work, Lurie 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. Lurie has been coming back to MPW for over 5 years.