Lucinda K. Treat (Chair)

Executive Vice President and General Counsel, Madison Square Garden L.P.

Gilbert Zepeda (Vice-Chair)

Theater Arts Teacher, Pharr-San Juan-Alamo High School

Adam Rosman (Secretary)

Deputy Group General Counsel and General Counsel North America, Willis Group Holdings Ltd.

Daniel J. Politzer (Treasurer)

Rosario Dawson

Actress, Men in Black II and Rent

Keven Duffy

Doug Liman

Director, Mr. & Mrs Smith and Swingers

Avram Ludwig

Producer / Actor, Swingers and Fast Food, Fast Women

Jason Klein

President and co-CEO of Special Ops Media, a full-service interactive agency

Debbie Rogow

Co-Director of the Rethinking Sexuality Education Project, Population Council (Santa Barbara, CA)

Alexandra Shapiro

Senior Vice President, Brand Marketing & Digital, USA Network

Kristen Joiner

Co-Founder, Scenarios USA; Executive Director, Sustain Dane

Maura Minsky,

Executive Director, Co-Founder

Maura Minsky is the Co-Founder and the Executive Director of Scenarios USA, an educational non-profit organization based in Brooklyn, NY that uses writing and the arts to foster youth leadership, advocacy and self-expression in students across the county with a focus on marginalized communities. As a former film and television producer, Maura knows that that everyone has a story that deserves to be heard and that young people need to be part of the conversation around issues that shape their lives. Scenarios USA is built on the belief that by valuing youth, listening to their opinions, and strengthening their critical thinking skills, we can promote healthy relationships and help lower the rate of HIV, STDs and pregnancy among teens.

Maura led Scenarios USA for a decade with Co-Founder Kristen Joiner. Together they launched the REAL DEAL curriculum and contest in 4 regions of the country resulting in 19 films written and directed in partnership between student writers and filmmakers such as Doug Liman (Mr. & Mrs. Smith), David Koepp (writer: Spiderman) and Tamara Jenkins (The Savages). The films are used with lesson plans in classrooms in all 50 states and have aired on Showtime, BET, MTV, Oxygen, IFC, ABC World News Tonight and The Today Show, among other outlets. Scenarios USA has won numerous awards, including the Porter Novelli Award for Excellence and Innovation in Social Marketing, The Council on Foundation Henry Hampton Award for Excellence in Film & Digital Media, and The Paul Robeson Award for Excellence in Independent Filmmaking.

Maura was a Producer with ABC News for four years, the East Coast Director of Steven Spielberg’s Shoah Foundation from 1995 – 1997, producer of a 10 part series on issues facing young people for HBO, in addition to teaching middle school in Los Angeles. Maura received her B.A. in English and Theatre from Kenyon College.

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Ricardo Gamboa,

Youth Leadership and Engagement Coordinator

Ricardo Gamboa graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (B.A. Spanish, Sociology) and began his career in his native Chicago. Most recently he worked there as Artistic Director of Teatro Americano to create performance work with, by, and for Chicago’s Latino immigrant community. In two years under his leadership Teatro Americano founded a professional performing youth ensemble, premiered three original productions at the National Museum of Mexican Art, launched educational programming in local schools, increased the organizational budget over one-hundred percent, and was awarded a MacArthur International Connections Grant for travel to rural Mexico to develop new work. An award-winning actor, artist, director, playwright as well as indie media maker and performance poet, Gamboa makes use of his talents beyond his own work as an avid arts-educator and youth worker. He has worked with over 7,000 young people from vulnerable communities utilizing art, performance, and media for youth and community empowerment and mobilization.

Ernestine Heldring,

Education and Outreach Manager

Ernestine Heldring graduated with a B.A. Honors in Economic and Social History from Bristol University in the UK in 1994. She then completed her Post Graduate Certificate in Education in History at the Institute of Education in London in 1997. Ernestine returned to the Netherlands to teach International Baccalaureate History for three years at international schools. In 1999 Ernestine moved to New York City, where Ernestine worked for the International Baccalaureate regional office. Ernestine later worked for Scenarios USA for several years as a freelance curriculum writer and outreach coordinator before starting as the full-time Education and Outreach Coordinator in January 2008.

Freda Johnson,

Finance & Administrative Manager

Freda Johnson has over ten years of experience working for non-profit organizations of all sizes. She started her career while pursuing her AA degree in Sociology from Cerritos College in Norwalk, CA supporting non-profits within the private and public sector from intern, Administrative Assistant, Case Manager, to Human Resource/Accounts Payable and even running her own projects in her hometown. During her career, she realized just how important financial management and capital budgeting are to the success of non-profits organizations and decided to go back to school to study both passions. In 2007, Freda completed her B.S in Finance and Sociology from New York Institute of Technology of Westbury, NY while working at Columbia Universities, Office of the Controller Finance Division team. Currently, Freda is pursing her MBA in Accounting from New York Institute of Technology of Westbury and is scheduled to graduate in June 2010.

Steph Wahome,

Greater Cleveland Coordinator

Steph Mukenyi Wahome was raised in Cleveland and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. After graduation, she pursued non-profit experience and education by working for City Year Inc. in Detroit, Michigan as a Service Leader and in Seattle, WA as a Program Manager. In both cities, she served under-served middle school and high school aged youth. In addition, she earned a Master's in Not-For Profit Leadership from Seattle University. Steph later combined her nonprofit and education experience when she accepted the opportunity to help start up a Charter school in D.C. While working at this charter school, Steph earned a Masters In Elementary Education from American University and fused an Arts integrated curriculum into classrooms as she served as an elementary school teacher, and later as a Year Round Programs Site Manager. After many years of serving other communities, Steph returned to her home in Cleveland to provide education and an arts integrated curriculum for under-served youth.

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Victoria Westhead,

Director of Development

Victoria Westhead worked for fifteen years in the film business as a Line Producer and Production Manager before beginning her career in the non-profit arena. Primarily working on features on location around the country, her credits include Parting Glances, Subway Stories, and White Fang. Her work for non-profits has ranged from communications projects for the Taproot Foundation, strategic planning for the Brooklyn Historical Society, and event planning for several organizations. She has degrees from Brown University and New York University, and is a member of the Directors Guild of America.

Rob York,

Managing Producer, Film

Rob York, Managing Producer, Film, a member of the Director’s Guild of America, has worked as a Producer, Line Producer, Production Manager, and Assistant Director on more than 20 features, as well as industrials, commercials, and television shows.

David Beasley,

Administrative Assistant

David Beasley graduated with a BA in English, Music and Media Studies from Kalamazoo College in 2006. After the requisite two years of work as a server/bartender in his home state of Minnesota he moved to New York City to find work in the always-lucrative non profit universe. He now lives the dream by living and working in Brooklyn where he enjoys playing music with friends and thinking critically about gender, social medias, and sign/signifier relationships.

Learn about the "What's the REAL DEAL?" story, play and script writing contest.

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David Wiley

Professor of Health Education and Recreation, Texas State University-San Marcos;
President-Elect, American School Health Association