BOARD CHAIR
MARIA AGUI CARTER
maria@iguanafilms.com
María Agui Carter is a writer, producer and director, and president of Iguana Films, which specializes in thoughtful documentaries about culture and history. A graduate of Harvard University, and former staff producer for WGBH Boston, Maria was the only woman director featured in Discovery in Espanol’s Hispanic Heritage Month for her dramatic short, Cleats, which is currently screening in the festival circuit. She is completing two projects for PBS this year: Rebel, a documentary based on the memoir of a Cuban woman soldier of the American Civil War, and No Job For A Woman, a documentary about WWII women war journalists.


 

 
BOARD CHAIR EMERITUS
BIENVENIDA MATIAS
beni_matias@earthlink.net
Bienvenida Matías is an educator and filmmaker. She has produced documentaries both for public television and independently, including El Corazón de Loisaida. As a consultant, she works with filmmakers developing all aspects of documentary production. Much of her work involves mentoring young people in the art and business of social issue documentary. She recently produced, directed, and edited two short documentaries for artists in Oaxaca, which are Hojas de Papel and Dolores Porras: Soñando con Barro y Color. Previously, she was the executive director of the Association of Hispanic Arts, former publisher of The Independent, director of production at ITVS, and executive-in-charge of production at WNYC-TV.


Dear NALIPsters, friends and supporters;

It’s with great pleasure that I write to you. By now you have all settled back home after the Conference. Or if you were not able to join us, by now you have heard from your friends and colleagues what a great event you missed! With the Conference wrapped, the staff is getting ready for the Latinos Writers Lab™, and beginning to plan for this summer’s Latinos Producers Academy™. And I’m settling into the job of NALIP Board Chair.

I want to thank Frances Negron-Muntaner, the outgoing Chair of the NALIP Board of Directors, for her wonderful leadership during the last three years. Her deep commitment to NALIP’s vision strengthened how the board members and staff work together to create more opportunities and to open more doors for our members.

The NALIP Board also wants to thank for their service to us the following members who left us in 2005: Sonia Gonzalez for her work as Secretary, Alex Rodriguez for his time as Treasurer, and Lorena Hernandez as Vice-Chair. I wish them the best in their endeavors. As they retire, we welcome two new members to our 2006-2008 Board: Los Angeles entertainment attorney Alexis Garcia, who works at Sheppard Mullin, and highly acclaimed playwright Elaine Romero, who is pursuing the prestigious and demanding CBS Television Writing Fellowship.

They join our new 2006 Officers: NALIP-NY president Edwin Pagan was elected vice-chair; “SIR! NO SIR!” Producer Vangie Griego will serve as treasurer; and Palm Pictures’ Jose Martinez stays on as secretary. Universal Pictures’ David Ortiz joins the Executive Committee along with Chair Emeritus Frances Negron, Moctesuma Esparza and Cynthia Lopez as members-at-large. Everyone can be reached via email on the Board pages of our website: www.nalip.org. Let us know what’s on your mind!

Thank you all for joining me as I take on this honor and look with you to an exciting future. NALIP will continue to grow, thrive, and serve our members through excellent programs created by our top-notch staff under the direction of Kathryn Galan and the Board. I look forward to working with them, to hearing from our talented membership and to collaborating with our many generous supporters as we take NALIP to the next level as the premiere organization that serves the professional needs of Latino independent producers, directors, writers and media makers.

Regards,


Beni Matias
NALIP Board Chair

New York, NY
April, 2007


 



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