• BOARD OF DIRECTORS
• BOARD OF TRUSTEES

• BOARD OF ADVISORS

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

   
KELLY EDWARDS   MONICA GILL

Vice President, Talent Development
NBC Universal

 

Vice President, Communications and Public Affairs
Nielsen Media Research

Mónica Gil is Vice President of Communications and Community Affairs for Nielsen Media Research, the world’s leading television ratings company. In this role, she works extensively with news media, elected officials and community leaders. Mónica manages Nielsen’s national Hispanic Latino Strategic Community Outreach and the company’s California government and community affairs programs.

Prior to joining Nielsen, Mónica served as a senior member of Antonio Villaraigosa’s 2001 Los Angeles mayoral campaign team, and in 2005 was part of his historic and victorious mayoral campaign. She has also served as press secretary for the Speaker of California State Assembly where she conducted media outreach efforts and organized citywide awareness events. Her communications expertise includes a her role as Senior Vice President for Greer, Margolis, Mitchell & Burns (GMMB), a public policy, advertising and public relations firm where she developed comprehensive media plans and grassroots coalition building for a wide range of clients. Mónica was also Director of Public Affairs and Community Outreach for Los Angeles’ Telemundo stations KVEA and KWHY, where she managed corporate giving for Telemundo and served as the principle liaison for community outreach in the Los Angeles area. Mónica is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a minor in Spanish. She received her Masters Degree in Public Policy from the USC School of Administration and she serves on the board of the Salvadoran Leadership and Educational Fund.

     
EFRAIN GARZA FUENTES   CYNTHIA LOPEZ
Director of Multicultural Programs
The Walt Disney Company

Dr. Efrain Garza Fuentes joined The Walt Disney Company as Director of Multicultural Programs in 2003. Efrain is responsible for
reinforcing and enhancing Disney’s commitment to employment, community relations, philanthropy and corporate responsibility within the
Asian, Latino & Native-American communities. He assists in the development of company-wide recruitment and diversity strategies, plus evaluation and assistance in the selection of requests for corporate contributions, sponsorships and special events. Prior to Disney he worked at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, where he served as Director of Patient & Family Services. Efrain’s entrepreneurial talents also led him to form his own consulting firm, which specialized in development, training and qualitative research on multicultural populations.
  Communications Director
P.O.V./American Documentary Inc.

Cynthia López is the vice president of American Documentary/P.O.V. responsible for programming content, broadcast distribution, community engagement activities, communications and marketing, online initiatives and overall strategic development of the organization. Under her leadership, P.O.V. has been honored with many awards including a special industry Emmy Award and two Academy Award nominations. Previously, Cynthia served as P.O.V.’s communications director, and more than tripled the national media coverage of its programs, while forging strategic partnerships with Harpo Studios, Netflix, ABC News’ “Nightline,” and Ms. Magazine, among others. Cynthia also spearheaded the promotional campaign for the P.O.V. film Farmingville, which won the prestigious EPPSilon Award.
     
JOSE MARTINEZ, JR.   JOSIE J. THOMAS
Martinez Law
Mr. Martinez is an entertainment and corporate attorney based in New York and Los Angeles. He has represented writers, directors and producers in all aspects of production, finance, acquisition and distribution. He also represents film distributors, and advises on formation, financing intellectual property, acquisitions and sales of real estate, as well as trail counsel. Martinez is co-founder and general manager of Arthouse Films, a joint venture with Chris Blackwell’s Palm Pictures. Also a co-founder of the Santa Fe Film Festival, he is a Chicano born and raised in Los Angeles. He received a BA in political theory from UCLA and his JD from Hastings College of Law in San Francisco.
  Senior Vice President, Diversity
CBS Television

Josie Thomas is Senior Vice President, Diversity, CBS Television, responsible for the creation and execution of initiatives designed to
improve outreach and recruitment, hiring, promotion, and mentoring practices, as well as developing new ways of increasing representation of minorities and women in management and non-management positions. Most recently, she has created CBS’ Diversity Institute, which includes a Writer’s Mentoring Program, Director’s Initiative and Talent Showcase. Ms. Thomas formerly served as Vice President, Business Affairs for CBS News, Director of Legal Affairs for New York-based Trans World International and was Broadcast Counsel for the law department of CBS Inc.. She was appointed to CBS in April 2000, reporting directly to CBS Television President Leslie Moonves. Since Thomas’ appointment, CBS has formed an extensive Diversity Advisory Board with representatives across certain key areas of CBS operations including casting, production, news, programming, drama development and movies and mini-series.
     
DAVID VALDES   JEFF VALDEZ
Producer
David Valdes is a veteran film and television producer. He has collaborated on seventeen films with Clint Eastwood and four with Francis Ford Coppola, as well as with noted filmmakers Kevin Costner, the Hughes brothers, and Frank Darabont. David has received four Academy Award nominations, including one for Best Picture for The Green Mile, and two for the western The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. Currently, he is prepping his newest movie I Am Number 4 based on a new series of books to be published this year. Other credits include The Book of Eli, Babylon A.D., and The Time Machine.
  Founder, Co-chair
SiTV

Jeff Valdez is the founder and co-chairman of Si TV. He Executive Produced and co-created Nickelodeon's, television show, "The Brothers Garcia". He launched the inaugural Si TV Latino Playwriting Award to nurture and honor the voices of young Latino playwrights in America. He is the founder of "The Latino Laugh Festival" in San Antonio, which was picked up by Showtime. Mr. Valdez has received myriad honors and awards for his work in the arts, including an Alma Award.
     
VICTORIA WESTOVER    
Program Director
Hanson Film Institute
University of Arizona

Victoria Westover is the Program Director of the Hanson Film Institute, a sponsor of the NALIP Latino Producers Academy, and an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Media Arts at The University of Arizona. A native of Washington, D.C. and a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art, Vicky has trained and worked in non-profit management for 18 years. As the Executive Director of the Baltimore Film Forum, she directed numerous repertory seasons of cinema, international film festivals, competitions, and special programs. She received a Governor’s citation for her work promoting filmmaking in Maryland. Vicky taught film appreciation courses at the Maryland Institute and is the co-founder of a Baltimore City youth media program. She has served on non-profit boards, committees, and panels, including for the AFI in Washington, and was a guest on Congressman Kweisi Mfume’s television show on African-American filmmaking. Vicky is the founding producer of Independent Eye on Maryland Public Television and the Executive Producer of the 2006 short film, Alma.
   


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