Kristina Libby

Kristina Libby is a New York City-based storyteller, public artist, writer, and technology executive with a diverse career spanning government, academia, and the technology sector. With an academic background in international security, Libby has worked in government, operated her own social media company, led consumer public relations for Microsoft, and held senior roles at Hypergiant Industries, a leading artificial intelligence company in the United States. She has served as a professor at New York University and the University of Florida, and as CEO of SoCu, a boutique agency. Her corporate experience includes work for major brands such as Microsoft, National Geographic, 1-800-Flowers, and Philips.

Libby is recognized as the founder of "The Floral Heart Project," a COVID-19 memorial initiative designed to honor those lost to the pandemic and create permanent memorials nationwide for community grieving and healing. Drawing on her graduate studies in mass trauma and its impact on communities, Libby identified the lack of collective mourning for COVID-19 victims and its potential mental health implications. What began as a personal act of remembrance evolved into a national movement, with hundreds of volunteers across the country participating in floral heart installations, vigils, and community events. Her public art series contributed to the introduction of COVID-19 memorial legislation in the U.S. Congress and the U.S. Conference of Mayors. For this work, Libby was named a Hero and recognized as a public artist for social change.

The origins of Libby's artistic practice are rooted in personal experience. After suffering a traumatic brain injury while kitesurfing, she endured years of recovery marked by persistent symptoms. Creative practice became both a therapeutic outlet and a means to regain her sense of self, leading to a process of personal growth that influenced her commitment to public healing through art. Libby's work in sculpture, design, public art, and fine art incorporates elements of science, history, anthropology, biology, and technology to explore speculative futures and alternative memories. Her pieces have been exhibited at the Arizona Historical Society Museum, One Community Museum, and the Milwaukee Art Museum.

Beyond visual art, Libby is an accomplished writer, with work published in The New Yorker, McSweeney's, Popular Mechanics, Elle, and Salon. She co-created the television pilot "Penny Starts a Cult" and the indie comedy "Books," filmed with Spencer Grammer, Ajay Naidu, and director Micah Khan. Libby also created "Influence," a narrative fiction podcast series for Meet Cute. As a novelist represented by Sterling Lord Literary and a former one-woman show performer, she has demonstrated versatility across creative disciplines. Libby is a Moth StorySLAM winner, highlighting her skills as a live storyteller. She launched the Cohort, a community for mid- and executive-level professionals pursuing second careers in the creative arts. Libby's career bridges technology, public art, and narrative storytelling, offering insights on creativity, resilience, grief, and the human aspects of innovation.