Ami Vitale is an American photojournalist whose coverage of events in Europe, the Middle East and Africa have appeared in magazines, books and exhibits around the world including National Geographic, Geo, Time, Newsweek, The Smithsonian, the New York Times and others. Among many organizations to have recognized her work are World Press Photo, the National Press Photographers Association, International Photos of the Year, Photo District News and the Society of American Travel Writers. Vitale earned an international studies degree from the University of North Carolina before becoming a picture editor for the Associated Press in New York and Washington, D.C. She has since worked and lived all over the world; often living among those she photographs for extended periods of time. Vitale is a contract photographer with National Geographic Adventure and will be exhibiting a project about threatened environments at the Cooper Hewitt Museum in New York City beginning May 2009.