Meet the
Board of Regents:
Our Stories
Jonathan Burnett, MFA
Board of Regents, Vice-Chair
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Filmmaker, Associate Professor
Jonathan is an independent filmmaker and Visual Media Artist on tenure track as a film professor at LA Valley College. Along with Charles Burnett, his father, and Joy Shannon, Jonathan directed the award-winning docuseries After the LockDown: Black in LA (2021). He is executive producer of Sins of Thy Father (post-production), co-producer of the award-winning My Dead Selfie (2018), and associate producer of TV mini-series Urban, among other credits. Jonathan has worked on professional films in France, Algeria, and Atlanta.
He is the Creator, Director, and Lead Instructor of the Urban Exposure Independent Film Program in the Quad Cities of Illinois and Iowa. This industry-standard instructive program recognizes & inspires emerging filmmakers from diverse backgrounds. Past positions included Adjunct Professor at Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, and Associate Professor at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY. | MFA, Film, Loyola Marymount; BFA, Film and Visual Media, Academy of Art University, San Francisco
Dr. Melissa Croteau
Board of Regents, Treasurer, Provost
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Film Professor and Scholar, Author
A scholar of global cinema and Shakespeare in media, Dr. Croteau is internationally recognized for her niche in Shakespeare adapted to film, but also eco-criticism, American independent film, and the cinema of India and Japan, particularly in regard to Asian aesthetic theories. From the ground up, she developed a university film department in film studies and production. Transcendence and Spirituality in Film: The Expression of Spiritual, Human, and Ecological Transcendence in Japanese Cinema (2022), is her third book, published by Routledge Publishing, UK.
Dr. Croteau is a prolific scholarly writer, highly requested for book chapters (several for Cambridge University Press volumes) and journal articles. She presents conference papers around the world and has extensive global relationships and experience in film. | PhD, English and Film Studies, Claremont Graduate School; MA, Shakespeare Institute, Shakespeare Studies: Text, Performance, & Media, University of Birmingham (UK); BA, English and Theology, Biola University
Jahleeka Morris-Jones
CEP, MS (2025)
Board of Regents
Senior Financial Analyst, Google
Currently a Senior Financial Analyst at Google, Jahleeka is a former stock plan administrator and stockbroker, leaving her leadership footprint at companies like E*Trade Financial and Yahoo! and assisting with taking a company from pre-IPO status to Publicly traded. Focused on FP&A, Jahleeka’s goal is to bring financial literacy to everyone with whom she interacts.
She was the first college student in her family, and consequently created an ongoing college women’s mentoring program at Georgia State University. Through her powerful story and upcoming memoir, Jahleeka helps others understand that out of pain, people can find triumph through perspective and choice. | MS, USC (2025); Certified Equity Professional Level 1&2, BS in Finance, Georgia State University
Myesha Reynolds, MS, MA
Board of Regents, Secretary
Equity Lens Consultants, Owner, Educator
Myesha is the founder of Equity Lens Consultants in Los Angeles. She consults with leaders to propose solutions to problems related to equity and inclusion and with leadership teams to provide equity training based on the needs of each company, along with giving presentations supporting or speaking on behalf of organizational initiatives. Myesha also works part-time as an Instructional Coach in the Pasadena Unified School District, where she guides teachers in teaching strategies to meet diverse students’ needs, performs data analysis from diagnostic testing processes, and implements curriculum.
Previously, she developed the position of Equity Coach for a school district in Wisconsin, where she led school-wide equity walkthroughs, planned and led professional development sessions for school leaders and staff, and helped resolve equity-related issues within the district. Myesha has also created educational and equity curriculums and guided educators in the implementation of 21st-century teaching practices. She has also been a classroom teacher and university adjunct instructor and was awarded the MAMBSE Teacher of the Year. | MA, Education, Alverno College; MS, Education, Averno College​
Dr. Rebecca
Ver Straten-McSparran
Founder, Board of Regents, Chair
Higher Ed Administrator, Film Professor and Scholar, Creative Producer
Dr. Ver Straten-McSparran directed the LA Film Studies Center (LAFSC), a semester film program for the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities (200 universities) with ten international programs for 13 years, directed the City of Angels Film Festival, served as a film juror, on film boards, and has wide-reaching global experience and relationships in film. In addition to her work with GSBCA, Rebecca is the Creative Producer for Anhedonia, an international dramatic feature film in development that addresses Post-Finasteride Syndrome. She owns RVM Consulting Firm and engages with individuals across the Hollywood film industry, providing coaching and consultation for professionals, film projects, and higher education programs. Her book, Lars Von Trier’s Cinema: Excess, Evil, and the Prophetic Voice (2022, Routledge Publishing, UK), came from her PhD thesis (Kings College London) and is in universities worldwide.
She is recognized for her community leadership, receiving the California "SHero Award" by Senator Curren D. Price for developing the Miracle Mile Art Walk as Chair of Arts for the Mid-City WEST Community Council. She has extensive experience in urban contexts, living and working with low-income families, gang communities, and was the principal of a non-white school. Ordained as a Congregational minister, Rebecca pastored churches for 14 years, where she developed numerous film, arts, and urban ministries. She has developed organizations and led or served on over 20 organizational boards and committees. | PhD, Film and Theology, King's College London; MDiv, Fuller Theological Seminary; BA, Philosophy, Bethel University
Dr. Maria Wright
Board of Regents
Senior Director of Administration and Operations and Adjunct Professor, Graduate School of Education and Psychology (GSEP), Pepperdine University. Founder/CEO of MMW Consulting, LLC.
Dr. Maria Wright serves as the Senior Director of Administration
and Operations at Pepperdine University's Graduate School of
Education and Psychology (GSEP), where she is also an Adjunct
Professor of Education. She specializes in Student Affairs, Academic Affairs, Multicultural Affairs, Student Financial Services, and Talent Management. Dr. Wright also teaches courses in Ethics, Values and Inclusion, Action Research, Self in a Social World, Educational Foundations, Social Justice and Equity, and Contemporary Issues within the Education Division at GSEP and represents GSEP on the University Diversity Council.
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In addition to her roles in academia, Dr. Wright is the Founder
and CEO of MMW Consulting, LLC, an organization that partners
with companies to enhance diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts,
along with leadership development, talent management, professional development, and workforce planning. She is dedicated to advancing women of color to close gender and racial gaps in leadership across industries. | EdD in Organizational Leadership, Pepperdine University; MA in Higher Education, University of Mississippi; BA in Political Science, Spelman College
