Caring Manhood in Cities & Regions

Luciano Ramos is the Executive Director of Instituto Mapear and holds a degree in History. He is recognized as one of the most active voices in Brazil on issues related to masculinities and fatherhood, working to promote gender equity and prevent violence. He has supported governments in Brazil and across Latin America in implementing public policies that engage men in reducing gender-based violence. Luciano coordinated the First Report on Black Fatherhood in Brazil, highlighting the intersection of gender and race as a central analytical and strategic framework. In several Brazilian states, he has developed and advised Reflective Groups for Men Who Have Committed Domestic Violence, focusing on preventing reoffending. He has worked professionally with the World Bank, USAID, UNICEF, UNFPA, and other international agencies. Luciano also collaborates with Brazilian educational systems to promote positive masculinities from early childhood onward.

Holly Milburn-Smith (she/her) is Co-Executive Director of the City Hub and Network for Gender Equity (CHANGE), where she leads a global network of municipal governments advancing gender-equitable urban policy. She works closely with city leaders across six continents to strengthen local approaches to caregiving infrastructure, gender-based violence prevention, and the use of gender data in policymaking. Holly joined CHANGE in 2021 from the Mayor’s Office of International Affairs in the City of Los Angeles and brings over a decade of experience in international collaboration and community development, with a focus on turning research and partnerships into implementable local policy. Her prior work spans gender equity, inclusive education, workforce development, and initiatives serving justice-impacted communities. Holly is a Fellow of the Salzburg Global Seminar and an Aspen Institute Rising Leader in Foreign Policy (2022). She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two sons, where she is regularly reminded that care is, indeed, infrastructure.

Darby Saxbe, PhD, is a clinical psychologist and tenured professor of psychology at the University of Southern California.

She has published over eighty scientific articles in peer-reviewed journals and secured major research grants from the National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation. She earned awards from the American Psychological Association and the Society for Research in Child Development and was a Fulbright fellow. Dr. Saxbe received her PhD in clinical psychology from UCLA and her BA in English and psychology from Yale University.

Her research focuses on the transition to parenthood, particularly the neural and hormonal underpinnings of fatherhood. She integrates neuroscience and psychology to explore how close connections shape health and wellbeing.

When she is not doing research, she plays guitar in an all-mom indie rock band and writes the Substack newsletter, Natal Gazing.

Julia serves as a Policy Officer in Metropolis, specialising in local care policies, mainstreaming gender equality, and local feminist agendas in large cities and metropolitan areas. Her role involves leading international city-to-city policy exchanges, developing knowledge and toolkits and supporting the International Fund for Metropolises: Local Care Systems.

Hailing from South Africa, she has a background working with local government, international cooperation and grassroots organisations in Cape Town, Barcelona, and internationally. She previously held positions with United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), and the City of Cape Town. She has a Joint Masters degree in Urban Studies from the Universities of Brussels and Vienna and a Bachelors (Hons) in Social Anthropology from the University of Cape Town.