BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Simone Nelson, Board President Simone Nelson is a producer and filmmaker as well as a marketing, PR, distribution and creative & business development consultant for film, digital media and live performance projects and events. She has worked for many renowned international cultural organizations, producers and filmmakers on both sides of the Atlantic such as: The San Francisco Opera, Yale Repertory Theatre/Yale School of Drama, The International Festival of Arts & Ideas, San Francisco's Magic Theatre, London's famed Royal Court and Shakespeare Globe Theatres, award winning filmmaker Rebecca Miller, actor Daniel Day-Lewis, playwright Arthur Miller, and the former Chair of Disney Studios and Producer of Broadway's Lion King, Peter Schneider. Since returning to the Bay Area, Simone both served as COO and Executive Producer for Moving Words Night & Day, Inc. developing new formats for short form non-fiction content in the digital media space for a start up digital media entertainment company as well as more recently worked for several Bay Area based film organizations including: Film Arts Foundation, the Mill Valley Film Festival/California Film Institute and the Global Film Initiative. She curated and produced the 2006-07 True Stories Documentary Film Series at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts and recently served as a Juror for the Arab Film Festival. Simone is currently working on several media and film projects including serving as a Co-Producer on the new documentary CITY OF BORDERS which premiered at the 2009 Berlin Film Festival and as a consulting producer on a new narrative feature film, SALTWATER. She has Bachelor of Science Degree in Theater from Northwestern University and attended the MFA Producing Program at Yale School of Drama.

Ondine Kilker, Board Chair Ondine Kilker has been working as a director, editor and producer for the past 9 years. She has also been a film reviewer, film fest worker and now a principal in the production company Kisser Productions. Her film experience includes work with: Out & Equal Workplace Advocates, The Oakland Raiders, ODC Dance Company and E*Trade. Ondine volunteers with many arts and community development agencies and has a BFA in Graphic and Interactive Communication from the Ringling School of Art and Design. When not producing films & videos, she is Production Manager for Curve Magazine, the best-selling lesbian magazine.

Sonia El-Feki, Board Secretary Sonia El-Feki graduated from San Francisco State University in 2004 with a double major in Cinema and English. As a Tunisian-American growing up in Tunis, she has always had a foot in both worlds, which heightened her awareness of the often-conflicting relationship between these two cultures and fuelled her desire to bridge the gap that separates them. Sonia speaks English, French, Arabic, Italian and Spanish. She has worked as the artistic director of the Arab Film Festival from January 2005 to December 2008, promoting a better understanding of Arab cultures and connecting filmmakers with the diverse community of the Bay Area. In 2008, Sonia joined the board of Directors of BAWIFT, Bay Area Women in Film and Television.

Rachel Caplan, Board Treasurer Rachel Caplan has worked as a fundraiser, event planner and publicist across various film and arts organizations. She has over 10 years experience in the film industry including work for the Edinburgh, London and San Francisco International Film Festivals, LA studios, and UK trade organizations. Currently she is the Festival Director for the San Francisco Ocean Film Festival, the first festival of its kind in North America and largest environmental film festival in the Bay Area. In addition, Rachel provides event consultancy for several Bay Area non-profit organizations including all aspects of event planning and production, program development, budgeting, fundraising, marketing 2.0, publicity, and operations. Rachel has a Masters degree in Cinema from the British Film Institute and is a member of BAFTA. She is passionate about wildlife documentaries and sustainability issues.

Windy Borman Windy Borman, the Creative Director of D.V.A. Productions, has years of professional experience in film, video, event planning, theatre, and the non-profit sector. As an independent filmmaker, Windy has produced and directed promotional videos, films, and documentaries. She is an experienced researcher, story developer, screenwriter, director, and producer with field and studio experience on large- and small-scale productions in the United States, England, Ghana and Thailand. From 2001-2003, Windy served as the Performing Arts Coordinator for the University of Oregon Cultural Forum, where she negotiated contracts and promoted performances for Margaret Cho and Maya Angelou and directed and produced The Vagina Monologues. From 2003-2005 she dedicated two years to Teach For America, where she taught drama and dance in the South Bronx. She currently lives and works in San Francisco, CA.

Skye Christensen Skye Christensen has successfully worked in television production, freelanced as an independent producer/director and spearheaded various commercial and non-profit video web projects. She is currently at the post-production stage of producing/directing a feature length dance documentary "Who is Paco Gomes?" projected to hit film festivals in 2009. In addition to her accomplishments in production, Skye's background has always been deeply rooted in education. With a B.A. from UC Berkeley's Film Studies program and a graduate degree from San Francisco State University's Broadcast and Electronic Communication Arts program, Skye has since come to share her professional expertise with others as a Lecturer at various Bay Area Colleges. While Skye has been instructing at the college level for the past few years, she has enjoyed teaching art to youth for over a decade. Applying her talents in media and education to manage a non-profit program, TILT, dedicated to serving underrepresented youth through media literacy principles and video production, Skye developed programming that both excites funders, participating youth organizations, families and youth participants alike. At the helm of TILT, Skye's work coincided with the Ninth Street Independent Film Center, providing opportunities for collaboration with media non-profits and festivals. Skye's recent promotion to Managing Director of Ninth Street is representative of her strong commitment to support independent film/video production. Given the diverse social landscapes of the Bay Area, Skye actively anticipates media empowering communities for generations to come.

Ahlam Hassan, Media Committee Co-Chair Ahlam Hassan was born in Mogadishu, Somalia and raised in Europe mainly Germany, Italy and France. She received her B.A. in Professional Journalism and German at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. She is a MacArthur-Mellon Scholar and an Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program recipient. Her research interest include an analysis of the construction of objectivity and the role it played in the 1991 Gulf War and the 2003 invasion of Iraq. She is currently pursuing her M.S. in Integrated Marketing Communication with a concentration in Public Relations at Golden Gate University. What do Caroline Herrera, Kofi Annan Michael Moore, Ronaldo, The Fray, Boris Becker and Graca Michel have in common? They are countless of people she has interviewed as an international journalist. Growing up professionally & personally in the world's fashion metropolis such as Paris, Milan and Rome, she has a great grasp of the European & U.S. wholesale, manufacturing and marketing field within the international fashion industry. Living now in the United States, Ahlam has a well-rounded experience within the entertainment world having worked for BIOHH (Blame It On Hip Hop) and Stars, The Agency. Being bold and always thinking outside of the box, by leaving her comfort zone, are Ahlam's strengths that continue her success in this field that she is passionate about.

Kristin Tegtmeier Higgins, Fundraising Committee Chair Kristin Tegtmeier Higgins began her career in the marketing/PR field in 1992, working for Oracle Corporation. She stayed there five years developing global branding and sales strategies for their software products before moving to Informatica Corporation. Kristin has also been involved in the Bay Area film community for the past decade, starting with roles in several local films including Between the Noise and The Roommate. She switched to the producing side of film while continuing her education with an MBA from Kellogg at Northwestern University, where she majored in marketing. In 2003, she established River Place Productions, which develops, produces and markets short and feature length films, and provides marketing services to independent filmmakers. Her first feature length documentary was a well received sports film; "Wildflower: The Legendary California Triathlon." She continues to produce documentaries on the sports world including her latest film featuring an over-50 women's water polo team headed to the national playoffs. Kristin also produces videos for local businesses, non-profits, and school programs.

Ambika Jain Ambika Jain is a bay-area based mediamaker and has a background in film production and cinema studies. She attended San Francisco State University and formerly worked in the Development department of the Film Arts Foundation. While at Film Arts Foundation, she developed the skills of fundraising from individual donors and writing grants, and she also programmed and curated a small documentary screening series called "True Stories." Currently, Ambika works as a corporate media producer and videographer in San Francisco. She is also producing, directing, and shooting many short-format films of her own, and finishing post-production on a collaborative feature project. She is proud to contribute to the growth and progress of bay-area media arts non-profits.

Felicia Less Felicia Less has recently moved from Los Angeles to San Francisco, and is making a career switch into non-profit media. Her background is in marketing and communications, most recently at Universal Pictures, and after a period of extensive independent travel, she has had a vision of her future and looks forward to aligning it with her professional goals. She intends to be a part of fostering and initiating positive change in the world and looks forward to doing so by working as a marketing strategist and producer for social and environmental justice organizations that focus on educating, communicating messages, and encouraging action through traditional and new media

Caroline Ocampo, Media Committee Co-Chair Caroline Ocampo has 20 years of experience in marketing communications, creative services, public and cultural affairs, media and international broadcasting. She has designed strategic marketing programs for corporations, government agencies, educational institutions and NGO's in the U.S., Mexico, Canada, Japan and the Philippines. Her intercultural work includes the development of programs targeting the Asian, Latino and African American markets. Media accomplishments include producing all aspects of production for live/taped radio and television news shows for international language stations. She also directed media affairs programs for foreign service overseas offices in various metropolitan cities. Campaigns have received coverage from major media outlets such as SF Chronicle, SJ Mercury News, LA Times, NY Times, CNN, BBC and Good Morning America. Caroline has won numerous awards: West Coast Art Director's Show (Best Annual Reports and Brochures), International Retailer Award for Marketing, American Heart Association's Communications Awards for Ethnic Media and Koop Award for Journalism, California Redevelopment Award for Destination Marketing and Spanish Language Addy.

TRACTION is an inter-active, online magazine by and for women in "the industry", and proudly spawned by the Women In Film/General Motors Alliance. When you join Bay Area Women more