NYWIFT Announces New and Returning Board Members for 2025-2026
From left: NYWIFT Board President Kim Jackson, New Board Member Luchina Fisher, and Returning Board Member Emelyn Stuart
The non-profit’s dynamic leadership team includes accomplished producers, filmmakers, activists, and business executives.
New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT) is pleased to announce the results of its 2025 Board of Directors elections. As a non-profit 501 (c) (3) public charity, NYWIFT is governed by a board of directors elected by the membership. Board members serve on committees in the areas of Development, Special Events, and Advocacy and Education. Two spots on the board have been filled, with one new and one returning member:
New Board Member:
Luchina Fisher is an Emmy Award-winning filmmaker, writer, speaker and educator on a mission to tell stories that move the world. Her short documentary The Dads, executive produced by Dwyane Wade and acquired by Netflix, won the 2024 Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Short Form Program and GLAAD’s Special Recognition Award. Her feature directorial debut, Mama Gloria, about a Black trans elder activist, was nominated for a 2022 GLAAD Media Award and broadcast on PBS.
Returning Board Member:
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 & Café, 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.
“We are delighted to welcome these two women to the 2025-2026 NYWIFT Board of Directors, especially given their incredible track record of innovative business strategy and advocacy for underrepresented communities. Their values align with our organization’s mission to push our industry forward and create better working conditions throughout media,” said NYWIFT CEO Cynthia Lopez.
Stuart has been appointed Board Treasurer, succeeding Gretchen McGowan, who departs the NYWIFT Board of Directors after completing her second consecutive term. McGowan is an award-winning producer and currently the Head of Production at Goldcrest Features. McGowan’s memoir, Flying In – My Adventures in Filmmaking, was released by Post Hill Press in Fall 2024. The book follows McGowan’s journey as a budding producer in the grit and glam of 1990s New York City, a heyday for independent movies. From the scrappy freelance work on location in Vietnam, Costa Rica, Spain, and Buffalo in the ’90s to the seasoned studio executive jobs in Jordan, Germany, and New York City in the ’00s, Flying In is a ride-along from script discovery through premiere night.
Also departing the Board of Directors are Kia Brooks (Deputy Director, The Gotham Film & Media Institute), Shruti Ganguly (Award-Winning Filmmaker and Writer), and Zenaida Mendez (Chief of External Affairs, Manhattan Neighborhood Network). Mendez, who completed two full terms on the NYWIFT Board, also recently released a memoir titled Love & Heartbreak of the Diaspora. Mendez recounts a life shaped by the political history of the Caribbean, migration, and social commitment. From a childhood marked by the Trujillo dictatorship to her arrival in New York and her subsequent leadership in public service, the author clearly shows how her personal experiences, far from being an intimate narrative, can be transformed into a collective force and a tool for change. The book is currently available in Spanish and will be released in English soon.
In other leadership news, NYWIFT CEO Cynthia Lopez was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) for her contributions to the industry, from media strategist to television executive to NYC film Commissioner to her current role as CEO at NYWIFT. Lopez is also member of The Peabody Awards Board of Jurors.
Plus, NYWIFT Board Member Sibyl Reymundo-Santiago will receive the Community Collaboration Award at the Women in the Arts & Media Coalition 2025 Collaboration Awards on December 6th in recognition of her work as Executive Director and Head of Programming for the SOHO International Film Festival.
The NYWIFT Board of Directors is currently led by Kim Jackson, co-founder of the entertainment studio Evotion Media and a celebrated producer and creative, as well as a pioneer in entertainment blockchain funding, development, and rights management.
