Meet the Founding
Board of Regents:
Our Stories
Jonathan Burnett, MFA
Board of Regents, Vice-Chair
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
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
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
Jordan Mitchell, MFA
Board of Regents
Screenwriter
Jordan Mitchell is a Los Angeles–based television and film writer with credits on the Emmy-nominated Raven’s Home (Disney Channel) and the iCarly reboot (Paramount+). A graduate of Loyola Marymount University’s MFA Screenwriting program, Jordan has developed original projects for talent including Cedric the Entertainer and Gabrielle Union. His work spans comedy, drama, and family entertainment, often blending heartfelt storytelling with sharp social insight. In addition to his industry work, Jordan mentors emerging writers through his sitcom writing program, guiding new voices from concept to completed pilot.
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.
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
Jaylyn Scott
Board of Regents, Treasurer
Accountant
Jaylyn Scott is an accountant with experience at Deloitte and currently supports major touring artists as an accountant at . She also serves as treasurer of Angeles Mesa Presbyterian Church, where she is an active and committed member. Jaylyn is a first-generation college graduate and holds a BA in Accounting from Chapman University.
GSBCA Founders’ Advisory Council
Charles Burnett, MFA, director/writer/cinematographer, and revered African American filmmaker among American and European filmmakers, is globally respected for his artful, culturally defining films. A pioneering member of the LA Rebellion film movement in the late 70s, he is best known for Killer of Sheep (1978) and To Sleep with Anger (1990), among others, held in the Library of Congress for their significance. In 2017, Charles was presented with an honorary Oscar by the Academy’s Board of Governors in recognition of his body of work. Director Ava DuVernay (Selma, 13th, A Wrinkle in Time) paid tribute to him before presenting him with the award (see link). Grants awarded to Burnett include the Guggenheim Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the J. P. Getty Foundation. In 2011, the Museum of Modern Art exhibited his work in 2011 with a month-long retrospective. He is the ideal role model for student filmmakers, an artful, socially conscious filmmaker, and a gentle, generous human being. Charles holds an MFA from UCLA and, in addition to ongoing filmmaking, he frequently teaches.
Overview of work and history: https://www.cinema.ucla.edu/la-rebellion/charles-burnett
Oscar tribute: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1XFSXFLuHg
Ben Caldwell, MFA, Independent filmmaker, artist, and educator. Ben Caldwell is a pioneering member of the L.A. Rebellion, the influential movement of African and African American filmmakers that emerged from UCLA in the late 1970s alongside filmmakers including Charles Burnett, Julie Dash, Larry Clark, and Haile Gerima. Their groundbreaking work redefined Black cinema by rejecting Hollywood stereotypes and creating films rooted in Black experience, culture, and social change.
In 1984, Caldwell founded KAOS Network in Leimert Park, the legendary community arts center that has empowered generations of young artists through media arts education. KAOS also became home to Project Blowed, the iconic open-mic workshop that launched or nurtured artists including Freestyle Fellowship, Jurassic 5, Aceyalone, Medusa, and countless others while attracting figures such as Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg, John Singleton, Lenny Kravitz, and Will.I.Am.
Caldwell has taught at CalArts and Howard University, and his films and multimedia work have been honored internationally, including retrospectives at Art + Practice, screenings at London's Tate Modern and the UCLA Film & Television Archive, and collaborations with the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. His enduring legacy lies in bridging filmmaking, arts education, and community activism to inspire new generations of creative leaders in South Los Angeles. As a Founding Advisory Council member, Ben generously opens his KAOS Network space for GSBCA's Film Labs and other events.
Dr. Richard Gathro, EdD, has spent over 40 years in higher education as a teacher, program director, administrator, and policymaker. He is known as a specialist in creating experiential education (film, journalism, music, public policy) and career consulting. Dr. Gathro has held a number of leadership roles in education at the university level. Among his positions, he was Executive Vice President of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities, an association of 182 campuses in 24 countries, headquartered in Washington, D.C. His experience includes that of Chief Enrollment Officer at Trinity International University, Dean of Nyack College’s Washington, DC campus, and Director of Pepperdine University’s Washington, DC program. Dr. Gathro has traveled the globe as a teacher in public policy and psychology, lecturing in Costa Rica, England, Hungary, Russia, China, and Uganda. With others, he initiated a private university in Russia. Dr. Gathro holds graduate degrees in psychology and theology, and a doctorate in education. He and his wife and partner in all things, Kathrine, live in Florida, where he serves on nine nonprofit boards.
G. Raymond F. Gross, Attorney at Law, is a transactional entertainment attorney specializing in motion picture and television finance. He has extensive experience negotiating film and TV contracts, including rights acquisitions, talent agreements, distribution deals, and complex financing transactions. His clients include producers, distributors, major entertainment lenders, film funds, equity investors, and financing entities. Ray has also advised on film and television library acquisitions and helped form a major broadcast television network. Known for his practical, results-oriented approach, Ray serves as a strategic business partner to his clients, developing innovative legal solutions that advance their business goals. He was the first treasurer on the Founding Board of Regents of GSBCA.
Mette Hjort, PhD, is Chair Professor of Film and Media at The Education University of Hong Kong, where she serves as the Co-Director of the newly established Research Centre for Creative Arts and Public Value and as Head of the Department of Literature and Cultural Studies. Mette is an Honorary Professor at UCL and at the University of Lincoln, UK, and an Affiliate Professor at the University of Washington, Seattle. Mette holds a PhD from the EHESS in Paris and an Honorary Doctorate in Transnational Cinema Studies from the University of Aalborg, Denmark. A film scholar with expertise in small national cinemas, transnational cinema, and cinema as a source of public value, Mette has served on the Board of the Danish Film Institute (appointed by the Danish Ministry of Culture). Appointed by the Chief Executive of Hong Kong, Mette was a member of the UGC for a 3-year term. She has taught at McGill University, Aalborg University, the University of Hong Kong, Lingnan University, the University of Copenhagen, and Hong Kong Baptist University, holding positions ranging from Programme Leader to Associate Vice President. Mette has also held concurrent visiting positions at University College London, the University of St Andrews, and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. Mette’s fieldwork as a film scholar has taken her to West Africa, East Africa, and the Middle East, and she regularly serves as a jury member at the Zanzibar International Film Festival. She regularly collaborates with film practitioners on Zanzibar to create transnational learning opportunities for students from Hong Kong and Tanzania.