It’s with words heavy in pain that we write these lines. Jocelyn Manfredi, the unwavering pillar of Sipa Press and photojournalism, has left us. Jocelyn was a multiple exception. A woman in a world full of macho men, she juggled multiple conversations while watching the news, in various languages, still making you feel like you were the most important person in the world. She was always on, always meeting deadlines, always getting film in and photographers out, smiling and frowning at the same time.
Curious, intelligent, diligent, she knew exactly when to rely on others and when to take over. She was Goksin’s champion, executing what he needed done before he even asked. She was everyone’s favorite sister, the one you confided in when the world seemed against you and the one you celebrated with when all was victorious.
Jocelyne was born in 1950, a global citizen from the start. Her father, an American military attaché, moved his family of nine children across continents. New York-born Jocelyne attended schools in New York, Paris, and Rome, emerging trilingual – and of course, she spoke Spanish too.
At 30, she joined Sipa, embarking on a 40-year journey that would define her life and the agency. For a decade, she was Goksin’s secret weapon, working tirelessly in his office. Her crowning achievement? SIPAUSA, the New York office she nurtured for years. Thanks to her, Sipa represented giants like Corbis, Getty, Hutton Deutsch, EPA, and EFE in France.
In the bustling world of an international photo agency, Jocelyn was the ringmaster who orchestrated a chaotic ensemble resembling a circus, bringing order to the stage with her deft touch. She coordinated all participants with a masterful blend of passion, intelligence, energy, resilience, and silent adoration. She loved, adored, and respected photojournalism and its actors with the same intensity they returned to her.
Jocelyn was more than a colleague or a professional. She was a reference point, a landmark for Sipa, for photographers and editors worldwide. Her legacy is etched in every image, every story, and every heart she touched in her remarkable journey through the lens of global photojournalism.