Board of Directors

2025-2026 Board of Directors

 

Kim Jackson, President

Kim Jackson is a celebrated producer and creative as well as a pioneer in entertainment blockchain funding, development, and rights management. She is co-founder of the entertainment studio Evotion Media and has been active on several boards, including the ACE Programs for the Homeless, and The Gwen Ifill College of Media, Arts, and Humanities at Simmons University. Jackson began her career working with Disney/Touchstone Television in Los Angeles and then relocated to her first love, New York City, where she founded Streetwise Pictures. Through Streetwise she provided production services and investor relations for numerous theatrical and streaming feature projects. Her work has received Gotham, Spirit, and NAACP Award nominations as well as the Grand Prize at the Deauville Film Festival. One of the films Jackson produced was selected for opening night at New Directors/New Films at MoMA. Her films have been featured in competition at Rotterdam, Sundance, and Cannes. Jackson is a member of the PGA and Producers Union and is proud to serve as the Chair of the Board of Directors for New York Women in Film & Television.

 

 

 

Christina Kiely, VP of Education & Advocacy

Christina Kiely (Director/Producer/Writer) has been producing and directing documentaries for over 25 years. She has an Emmy nomination for her work on the ABC News documentary series NYPD 24/7 and wrote, directed and produced ABC News’ first digital documentary series, A Murder On Orchard Street.  and co-produced the accompanying podcast to the 7-part series (2018) – which hit #1 on Apple Podcasts. Outside of ABC, Christina has produced and directed numerous programs, including the A&E Biography of Yo-Yo Ma, 12 hours of the New York Times series Code Blue, the PBS weekly news magazine Rights & Wrongs: Human Rights Television, and numerous documentaries for the International Labor Organization of the United Nations. Kiely is co-producing and directing several projects with filmmaker Sean Gullette, including Strong Girls: The Sixsters, a feature documentary about an all-girl Ukrainian rock band who fled the war and became anti-war ambassadors. Kiely is also part of a screenwriting duo with her sister, author Maria Kiely. Their fictional family comedy We Should Celebrate is in development with Producer Amenya Makuku. Christina proudly serves on the Executive Boards of the non-profit organization Kids Rock For Kids, where she produces and directs music videos and mentors teen videographers and editors and the Executive Board of New York Women in Film and Television, where she is the VP of Education and Advocacy.

 

 

Sibyl Reymundo-Santiago, VP of Special Events

With a career spanning over three decades across the United States and Asia, Sibyl Reymundo-Santiago has built a distinguished body of work in film, television, and stage production, collaborating with major studios including MyxTV, Regal Films, Star Cinema, Metro Style, and ABS-CBN, as well as global brands such as Google, YouTube, and Target—reflecting a broad and impactful presence across the media landscape.

As President of Sitting Cat Productions, Sibyl has led the release of multiple award-winning films, including the feature SAM—executive produced by Mel Brooks and starring Morgan Fairchild, Tom Pelphrey, and Bryan Batt; the U.S. production of Antoinette Jadaone’s Alone Together, featuring Philippine superstar Liza Soberano; and the thriller Follow Her, directed by Emmy Award–winner Sylvia Caminer and starring Luke Cook, Mark Moses, and Dani Barker.

A multi-award-winning actor, as well as an accomplished producer and director, Sibyl currently serves on the Board of New York Women in Film & Television, where she is the Vice President of Special Events. Her professional affiliations include SAG-AFTRA, Actors’ Equity Association (AEA), the British Academy of Film & Television Arts (BAFTA), Women Independent Producers (WIP), Producers Without Borders, and the Producers Guild of America (PGA)—where she is a founding member and former Co-Lead of the AAPI Working Group. Sibyl’s contributions have been recognized with numerous honors, including being named one of The Outstanding Filipino Americans in New York – Arts & Culture at Carnegie Hall, receiving the Community Collaboration Award from Women in Action & Media, and most recently, being included among the 75 Most Influential Filipino Americans of 2025.

She is currently developing multiple feature projects, an in-progress documentary that has earned her the prestigious p.g.a. mark, and her own original series. Sibyl also serves as Executive Director and Head of Programming of the SOHO Creative Lab Foundation and of the SOHO International Film Festival (SIFFNYC), marking her 16th year at its helm.

 

 

Emelyn Stuart, Treasurer

Emelyn Stuart is a visionary entrepreneur, creative strategist, and passionate advocate for inclusivity in the arts. As the owner of the first Afro-Latina-owned movie theater, Stuart Cinema & Cafe, she has carved out a vital space for diverse voices in the industry. When she isn’t building movie theaters or overseeing her popular Ocktober Film Festival, Emelyn can be found on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, lobbying on behalf of movie theaters and filmmakers. Emelyn embodies the belief that art has the power to transform society, and she is committed to uplifting the voices and stories that deserve to be heard.

 

 

 

 

Joyce Pierpoline, Secretary

Joyce Pierpoline is an award-winning film producer and founder of Pierpoline Films based in New York and Paris with extensive experience in all aspects of development, finance, production, distribution and marketing.
Among her many productions is the groundbreaking cult classic and Sundance winner, TEETH, which has been adapted into a musical. Selected films include MEDIHA winner of the Grand Jury Prize at DOC NYC and nominated for a Producers Guild Award; THE LISTENER, starring Tessa Thompson; THE TRANSFIGURATION Un Certain Regard-Cannes Film Festival; HAPPY TEARS, starring Demi Moore, Parker Posey, Rip Torn and Ellen Barkin; ANGELICA, starring Jena Malone (HUNGER GAMES) and 2-time Oscar nominee Janet McTeer; and the multi awarding-winning first film by Neil LaBute, IN THE COMPANY OF MEN.
Currently, Joyce serves as Chair of the Board of BAFTA North America, US home of the global arts charity BAFTA, the only academy that represents all three sectors of the entertainment industry, film, games, and television with 13,000 members worldwide and 20% in North America. In addition, she is a Board Trustee of BAFTA UK. She also serves as Board Secretary of New York Women in Film & Television and is member of the European Producers Club, European Film Academy, and Producers Guild of America.

 

 

 

Sirad Balducci

Sirad Balducci is an independent feature film producer based in New York, with over 25 years of experience. Fueled by a passion for supporting creative visions that drive positive change, she works closely with talented directors and writers to bring incredible stories to life. As one of the founders of the Give Film Foundation, Balducci strongly believes in the profound power of film to make a social impact. Her award-winning short film Generation Lockdown, which she wrote and directed, sheds light on the traumatic psychological effects experienced by children in the face of the gun epidemic. Currently, she is writing and developing a new feature film focusing on mental health and inspired by the Rainbow Roll for the End of AIDS, a cross-country inline skating event she produced and documented in 1994. Balducci is a member of the Director’s Guild of America and represented by Gersh NY.

 

 

 

 

Luchina Fisher

Luchina Fisher (she/her) is an Emmy award-winning director, producer and writer on a mission to tell stories that move the world. Her short documentary THE DADS, about five fathers of trans kids bonding on a weekend fishing trip, won the 2024 Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Short Form Program. The film was executive produced by Dwyane Wade and acquired by Netflix. Her directorial debut, MAMA GLORIA, about a Black trans elder activist, was nominated for a 2022 GLAAD Media Award and broadcast on PBS. She is also the director of the award-winning short documentary TEAM DREAM, executive produced by Queen Latifah, and the award-winning feature documentary LOCKED OUT, about the barriers to Black homeownership. Her latest feature documentary THE DADS follows some of the same fathers from her Emmy Award winning short. Her new project about the unsung history of Black queer presence in music was the winner of the 2023 PitchBLACK Film Forum.

Luchina has directed two scripted short films and written and produced several nationally broadcast documentaries. Her honors include a GLAAD Special Recognition Award, Roger Ebert’s Golden Thumb and numerous film festival prizes. Luchina began her career as a journalist, writing for People, the Miami Herald, The New York Times, The Oprah Magazine and ABC News. She is a 2026 inductee into the North Carolina Media and Journalist Hall of Fame. Her work has been supported by Chicken & Egg, the Gotham, Firelight Media, the National Endowment for the Humanities, Dok Leipzig, Black Public Media, the Field Foundation, Sisters in Cinema, Brown Girls Doc Mafia, the Queen Collective and Women Make Movies.

Luchina is committed to guiding the next generation of storytellers and teaches documentary filmmaking at Yale University and is a visiting professor at Fairfield University. She is a member of the Television Academy and NATAS and proudly serves on the board of NYWIFT.

 

 

Toni R. Isreal

Toni R. Isreal is a senior arts and entertainment executive with extensive experience in brand strategy, tourism, group sales, and live theatrical production. She currently serves as Group Sales Assistant Manager, Tourism / GSBO Broadway.com at John Gore Organization, where she supports Broadway and touring productions through strategic partnerships, revenue-driven initiatives, and national representation.

In addition to her executive leadership role, Toni is the Founder of REALEMN Productions, a Broadway and tour-focused production company centered on partnerships, audience development, and producing. Known for her collaborative leadership style and business-forward approach, she brings a results-driven mindset to every project—aligning creative excellence with audience growth, market expansion, and organizational impact.

Toni has built a growing and respected producing slate that spans theater, film, television, and music. Her credits include a co-producing role on the HADESTOWN Tour and London (ReACT) and LA’s The Secret Garden. In film, The RS Collective serves as Co-Executive Producer of VIVA VERDI!. Her theatrical work includes Joe Turner’s Come and Gone and WANTED: The Legend of the Sisters Clarke (currently in active raises). Television projects are in development, with music projects forthcoming.

Toni is deeply committed to industry leadership and advocacy. She serves as a Board Member of New York Women in Film & Television and REAL WOMEN (DMV), and is a Co-Founder of The Industry Standard Group (TISG). She is a 2023–2024 Broadway League Associate Member, a Commercial Theater Institute (CTI) Graduate, and a recipient of the Award for Excellence in Economic Empowerment from the National Coalition of 100 Black Women (Central New Jersey Chapter).

 

Amenya Makuku

Amenya Makuku is an independent producer, with tenures at Class 5 Films, where she worked on Thanks For Sharing,  FilmNation Entertainment, where she worked on Oscar-nominated films Room and Arrival; and 4^thPower Films, where she is presently developing a slate with Courtney Lee-Mitchell. Amenya is currently in post-production on Craig Webster’s Woman in the Cabinet, started during the pandemic. She coproduced director Josephine Decker’s Sundance 2018 smash Madeline’s Madeline, (released by Oscilloscope). 4th Power’s slate includes the projects, Uncatchable (in-development with Apple and Appian Way); Border Hacker (based on the nonfiction novel by Levi Vonk and Axel Kirschner; podcast iteration in development with FilmNation); Alfie (based on the novel by Christopher Bouix); and Marrying Anita: A Quest for Love in the New India (based on the memoir by Anita Jain). Scripts include the TV project Green Hill by Writer’s Lab Fellow Zuri Rice, as well as film project Sea of Moscow by Playwrights Realm Fellow David Zax. Amenya is also producing the project We Should Celebrate by sisters Christina and Maria Kiely. She is the Film/TV advisor for theatre-incubator The Playwright’s Realm. She additionally mentors for The Writers Lab fellowships. 

 

 

Neyda Martinez

Neyda Martinez is a producer, strategist, writer, and a long-time cultural worker who explores the role of art in public life while centering social justice and cultural equity. Selected in 2023 as a Sundance Woman to Watch x Adobe Fellow, and a Faculty Fellow for the Mellon Initiative for Inclusive Faculty Excellence, Neyda’s current documentaries in production include Bartolo and A Chasm in Chinatown. Past documentary credits include Lucky (2014); and Decade of Fire, PBS’ Independent Lens 2020 Audience Award winner. For over a decade she was a communications strategist for AMDOC/American Documentary’s POV and America Reframed series, managing publicity, marketing and branding efforts with local, regional and national partners. Neyda serves on the editorial board of NYU’s Latinx Project IntervenXions and on the nonprofit boards of Pepatián, UPROSE, and Women Make Movies. Presently, she is an Associate Professor in the School of Media Studies, Director of the Media Management Graduate Program and Co-Director of the Impact Entrepreneurship Initiative at The New School.

 

 

Okema T. Moore

Okema T. Moore is an Emmy- and NAACP Image Award–nominated, ABFF-winning director, producer, and writer committed to bold, emotionally resonant storytelling across platforms. A Brooklyn native and proud multi-hyphenate, she began her career as a performer before moving behind the camera, where she has become a dynamic creative leader in branded, scripted, and unscripted work.

Her films have screened at Tribeca, Outfest, and Reel Sisters. In 2024 and 2025, Okema wrote and produced the EBONY Power 100 Awards and served as lead producer on the Oscar-qualified, NAACP Image Award–nominated short Chocolate with Sprinkles. In 2025, she directed Ally Bank’s Money Roots campaign and earned her first directing award at the American Black Film Festival for her short Laundry, along with four additional Best Director wins and six other awards for the film.

Her unscripted credits include Netflix, OWN, BET, Marvel/Disney, and STARZ, where she developed the GLAAD- and Humanitas-nominated Down in the Valley. A member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., she serves on the boards of NYWIFT and is a member of AICP, AWD and NY Television Academy, advocating for equity and access across the industry.

 

 

Audrey Rosenberg

Audrey Rosenberg is a Peabody-Award-winning and Emmy-nominated filmmaker known for her ability to cultivate talent, develop material and champion projects from inception through to release. She has recently been focusing on writing and directing in both the documentary and narrative space. Audrey has a unique ability to remain outside the Hollywood system while also working within it to promote authentic storytelling and to advocate for projects that deserve visibility. Audrey co-founded Invisible Pictures, a NY-based woman-led production company. For Invisible, Audrey was lead producer and co-writer on the award-winning HBO Original documentary KATRINA BABIES that premiered at Tribeca 2022 in competition and aired on HBO August 2022. She produced the award-winning film BULL, which premiered at Cannes 2019, Executive Produced the series SOUL CITY (with directors Coodie&Chike) which premiered on Topic in April 2020, and produced the feature LONG WEEKEND, which was released by Sony in March 2021. Audrey is an EP on Sandi Dubowski’s highly anticipated SABBATH QUEEN which world premiered at Tribeca 2024 and has had a worldwide theatrical release. Other credits include EP (with Steven Soderbergh) on the Emmy-nominated HBO documentary HIS WAY, and EP on HBO’s Emmy-winning BY THE PEOPLE: THE ELECTION OF BARACK OBAMA (with Edward Norton). Audrey was part of the producing team on Douglas McGrath’s INFAMOUS (starring Sandra Bullock, Daniel Craig, and Toby Jones). She produced Sean Gullette’s award-winning feature, TRAITORS, Co-EP’d Dawn Porter’s award-winning TRAPPED and was Consulting Producer for Raoul Peck’s multi-award winning and Academy-Award nominated I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO. Audrey’s films have been exhibited at prestigious festivals including Cannes, Venice, Sundance, Tribeca, Toronto, Telluride. She is a member of the Television Academy, Producer’s United, and serves proudly on the board of NYWIFT.

 

Kuye Youngblood

Kuye Youngblood is an Emmy Award–winning producer and executive leader with extensive experience in public media, digital content, and nonprofit media strategy. She currently serves as General Manager of the BRIC TV network at BRIC Arts Media, where she provides executive oversight of content strategy, editorial direction, team leadership, and distribution partnerships in alignment with organizational mission and long-term growth objectives.

Formerly Head of Development and Production, Kuye brings a systems-thinking approach to leadership, with strengths in organizational design, cross-functional management, and balancing creative innovation with operational sustainability. Her work centers on building scalable media platforms that respond to evolving audience behaviors, funding models, and technological shifts while maintaining cultural relevance and public value.

As an executive producer, her projects have screened at major national and international festivals including Sundance, Tribeca, Hot Docs, ABFF, UrbanWorld, Bentonville, New Orleans Film Festival, and Seattle International Film Festival. She also leads Studio BK, BRIC’s in-house digital creative agency, overseeing client partnerships with nonprofit, public-sector, and cultural organizations such as The Moth, NYC Small Business Services, and the Center for Communication.

Kuye currently serves on the Board of Directors for New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT), contributing to governance, strategic planning, and industry advocacy.

 

 

Marsha S. Brooks, Esq., Legal Counsel to NYWIFT

Marsha S. Brooks is a partner in the New York City law firm of Brooks & Distler. She has worked primarily in the areas of entertainment and intellectual property law for over 30 years. Brooks represents producers, writers, directors, rights owners and “for profit” and “not-for-profit” institutions in the fields of legitimate theatre, motion picture, television and “new” technology. She is general counsel for the National Alliance for Musical Theatre and New York Women in Film and Television, Inc. Brooks served as co-Vice Chair of the Theatre and Performing Arts Division of the ABA Forum on the Entertainment and Sports Industries. Brooks has been a guest lecturer on a variety of subjects in the areas of intellectual property and arts-related law at, among others, Stanford University School of Law, Columbia University School of Law, Fordham Law School, New York University School of Law, Hofstra Law School, Commercial Theater Institute, Symposia of the American Bar Association’s Forum on the Entertainment and Sports Industries, Showbiz Expo East and Duke University.

 

President’s Circle

Leslie Fields-Cruz, Executive Director, Black Public Media (CHAIR)
Alexis Alexanian, Producer
Laverne Berry, Law Office of Laverne Berry
Grace Blake, Producer
Mirra Bank Brockman, Director/Producer
Marsha S. Brooks, Esq., Brooks & Distler (Legal Counsel to NYWIFT)
Beth Dembitzer, Producer/Director, Social Cinema
Alice Elliott, Director/Producer
Patricia Fili- Krushel, Executive
Harlene Freezer, Capstone Entertainment
Ellen C. Geiger, Frances Goldin Literary Agency, Inc.
Carey Graeber, Great Plains Productions
Terry Greenberg, Producer, Short and Sweet Productions
Lisa Hackett, Leftfield Entertainment
Wendy Keys, Producer
Terry Lawler, TLC Company
Alexandra Levi, Element Financial Group
Susan Margolin, St. Marks Productions
Annetta Marion, Director
Eileen Newman, President of Eileen Newman Consulting
Joy Pereths, Essential Media LLC
Simone Pero, Producer, For Impact Productions
Terrie Pologianis, A+E Networks
Marquita Pool-Eckert, Eckert Associates
Diane Robina, TV Guide Network
Wendy Sax, Producer
Marcie L. Setlow, Setlow Media
Claire Shanley, Producer
Diane Sokolow, Sokolow & Company
Caren Spruch, National Director, Arts & Entertainment Engagement, Planned Parenthood Federation of America
Patrizia Von Brandenstein, Production Designer
Ellen Zalk, Fractional Chief Operations Officer
Jamie Zelermyer, Producer