Along with our presenting sponsor AT&T and co-chairs Bahya Oumlil-Murad and Ken McNeely, we welcome you to tonight’s seventh annual Flip The Script, a celebration of the work of Jennifer Siebel Newsom and The Representation Project.
6:00 PM: VIP Reception.
6:30 PM: General Reception.
7:00 PM: Welcoming Remarks, Dinner, Special Performance by the Alonzo King LINES Ballet, Youth Panel with Jennifer Siebel Newsom, and more.
8:30 PM: Raffle winners announced. Closing celebration!
Amaris is a member of The Representation Project’s Youth Advisory Council. She is a second-year student at UC Berkeley and a proud Bay Area native, driven by a deep commitment to uplift her BIPOC community through activism and education. At UC Berkeley, she contributes her expertise as a dedicated Diversity Equity and Inclusion Committee Member for Kappa Alpha Theta and also serves as the Media Director for ASL @ Berkeley. Amaris’s fervent passion for teaching extends to her work with students at Overfelt High School, her alma mater, where she actively supports their own educational journeys. She aspires to earn a Master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology, with the ultimate goal of becoming a speech pathologist, specializing in working with those who are English Language Learners. Her vision is to utilize her comprehensive background in activism and education to make a meaningful impact, particularly by returning to her hometown of San Jose and work as a Speech Pathologist, through which she aims to contribute significantly to the betterment of the community she holds in the highest regard.
Our auctioneer this evening is the amazing Samara Bay! She is the author of the 2023 Penguin Random House bestseller PERMISSION TO SPEAK: How to Change What Power Sounds Like, Starting with You. Behind the scenes, she coaches everyone from Hollywood celebrities to rising leaders in business & politics and high school girls ready for a new kind of leadership. She speaks and runs trainings around the world on the new sound of power—a question-everything unlearning about what speaking in public is all about. Visit samarabay.com or follow @samarabay to learn more.
Susan Boster serves on the Board of Directors for The Representation Project. She is the Founder and CEO of Boster Group Ltd., an independent consultancy specializing in the development of innovative partnerships between global corporations, arts institutions, and social impact foundations. Previously, as Marketing Director at Barnes & Noble and later CMO at News International, Susan oversaw transitions of both companies to e-commerce and digital platforms, including the launch of barnesandnoble.com. Susan currently sits on the Board of the Donmar Warehouse and serves on the Enterprise Committee at The Design Museum. Susan also served two terms as Vice Chairman of the Board of the English National Ballet. She is regularly featured as a host and keynote speaker at conferences such as CognitionX and the Equality Lounge at the World Economic Forum in Davos and is a guest lecturer at Sotheby’s Institute of Art.
Brian Brokaw serves on the Board of Directors for The Representation Project. He, a partner at The Media Company LLC, brings expertise in campaign consulting, strategic communications and public affairs to his political and private sector clients. For two decades, Brokaw has served as a political and communications advisor to prominent elected officials, philanthropists, statewide ballot measures, technology investors, professional sports franchises, social justice advocates, Fortune 100 corporations, labor coalitions, renewable energy companies, Indian tribes, healthcare sector clients and non-profit organizations.
Brokaw has been recognized on Capitol Weekly’s Top 100 list and called “a top Democratic strategist in the state” by the U.K. Guardian. In 2019 he was named to the American Association of Political Consultants’ “40 Under 40” list. In addition to his board service at The Representation Project, Brokaw serves on the board of Open California and as a special advisor to the Alice Waters Institute. Brokaw is a graduate of U.C. Berkeley, where he studied political science and business administration. A father of two, he and his family reside in Sacramento, California.
Colbie (she/her) is a member of The Representation Project’s Youth Advisory Council. She is a California high schooler who is passionate about gender advocacy. Through leadership positions in school and clubs, she gained experience that led her to apply for a position on the Youth Advisory Council. She is especially passionate about breaking gender norms and increasing awareness about gender bias in schools and athletics. She is excited about this opportunity to help create and implement educational programs for fellow students this year.
Rebecca Cooper is the Research Director for The Representation Project. She has worked as a professional researcher for over a decade and is passionate about data science. Rebecca previously worked as the Senior Project Manager for the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media and as a State CLASS Anchor for Agenda for Children in New Orleans, Louisiana. Rebecca also served as Director of the Lower Ninth Ward Living Museum, a neighborhood museum and oral history archive, as well as a researcher for the Mossville Oral History Project at Louisiana State University, T. Harry Williams Center for Oral History. Her research has been featured in the Oxford University Press Oral History Review and the Contemporary Justice Review.
Debra Garber is the Chief Financial Officer and the Chief Operating Officer of The Representation Project. She has over three decades of experience managing finance and operations for both for-profit and not-for-profit, start-up, technology, educational, and media-oriented companies. Before her recent tenure serving as the Executive Director of the Sonoma Valley Education Foundation, Debra was a member of its Board of Directors for ten years, four of which she served as Treasurer and four as Board Chair. Debra is deeply committed to equity in education for all students. Before her work at the foundation, Debra was the VP of Finance and Operations for dlvr.it, a social media technology company. Debra holds a BS in Managerial Economics from UC Davis and an EMBA from UCLA’s Anderson School of Management. Debra resides in wine country with her husband Evan Garber, a local artist, and together they have four children.
Kat Gordon serves on the Board of Directors for The Representation Project. After 25 years of working as an Advertising Creative Director, Kat became a social change entrepreneur, challenging the makeup of agency leadership and earning her the respect of her industry. Kat was named one of “30 Most Creative Women in Advertising” by Business Insider, “Visionary of the Year” from Advertising Age, and one of “Forty Over 40” women disrupting the world. She speaks, writes and consults about the future of work realities and building creative cultures that unlock innovation. In addition to her board service at The Representation Project, Kat is an advisor to Empower Work.
Dr. Caroline Heldman is the Executive Director of The Representation Project. She is also professor of Critical Theory & Social Justice at Occidental College in Los Angeles and a regular political commentator on CNN and Spectrum News. Dr. Heldman has published six books on intersectional gender justice and her work has been featured in numerous documentaries. She co-founded the New Orleans Women’s Shelter, the Lower Ninth Ward Living Museum, End Rape on Campus (EROC), Faculty Against Rape (FAR), and led the End Rape Statute of Limitations (ERSOL) that successfully abolished the time limit on prosecuting rape in California. She is the Board President of the TEP Center, the first Civil Rights museum in New Orleans, and the Chair of the Board of Alturas Institute, a non-profit organization fighting for stronger democracy.
Ashley Judd is the recipient of The Representation Project’s 2023 Courage Award. She is an actress, author, and activist. She was born in Granada Hills, California, and grew up in a family of actors and musicians. Judd began her acting career in the late 1990s and quickly became one of Hollywood’s most sought-after actresses.
She has appeared in numerous films and television shows, including “Heat,” “Kiss the Girls,” and “Double Jeopardy.” She has been nominated for several prestigious awards, including the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Drama.
In addition to her successful acting career, Judd is also an accomplished author and activist. She has written several books, including “All That Is Bitter and Sweet,” which chronicles her experiences as a humanitarian and activist.
Judd is also a vocal advocate for women’s rights and social justice, and has been involved in several initiatives aimed at ending gender-based violence and promoting gender equality. She has been recognized for her advocacy work with several awards, including the Harvard Humanitarian Award and the Tennessee Human Rights Commission’s Honorary Award.
Emily Liu Foy serves on the Board of Directors for The Representation Project. She is a business leader and philanthropist. Emily is an owner and board member of her family’s business, Tireco Inc., one of the largest brand marketers and distributors of tires in North America. Emily’s personal career includes two decades of entertainment experience as an actor and producer. She is the founder and CEO of Sweet Violet Films production company and producer of films for distribution across streaming platforms including Warner Bros VOD & Netflix.
Emily serves as a trustee of the RM Liu Foundation whose philanthropic initiatives focus on education, health care, and international issues with an emphasis on Asia. The foundation has partnered with various institutions including the University of Notre Dame, Pacific Council on International Policy, Torrance Memorial Hospital Foundation, and others. Emily currently serves on the Advisory Board of the Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies at the University of Notre Dame. At the Liu Institute, Emily works on international Asian education initiatives, increasing campus ethnic diversity, and helping recruit keynote speakers including Ban Ki-Moon, Former Secretary-General of the United Nations, international human rights advocates, and Nobel Laureates.
Emily is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame with a B.A. in Psychology. A daughter of immigrants, Emily is passionate about equity, storytelling, and mental health. She resides in Los Angeles with her husband and two children.
Dr. Anna Malaika Tubbs serves on the Board of Directors for The Representation Project. She holds a Ph.D in Sociology and Masters in Multidisciplinary Gender Studies from the University of Cambridge in addition to a Bachelors in Anthropology from Stanford University. Anna’s research, writing, and talks are centered on gender and race issues in the U.S., especially as these relate to the pervasive erasure of Black women.
Anna’s debut book, The Three Mothers: How the Mothers of Martin Luther King, Jr, Malcolm X, and James Baldwin Shaped a Nation is a New York Times Bestseller as well as a New York Times Editor’s Choice and an Amazon Editor’s Pick.
Anna was also previously the First Partner of Stockton. In her role, she co-authored the “Report on the Status of Women in Stockton” to help guide future policy decisions with the experiences of diverse women in mind. As a result of this work she was named one of six pivotal powerbrokers in the Bay Area by San Francisco Magazine in 2019.
Anna has published articles on topics ranging from the importance of inclusivity and feminism to addressing the unique burden Black mothers carry in the U.S. for Time Magazine, New York Magazine, The Guardian, CNN, Motherly, Blavity, Huffington Post, Darling Magazine, and For Harriet.
She lives in LA with her husband and two children.
Ken McNeely is the co-chair of tonight’s event and President of AT&T West, located in San Francisco. As such, Ken leads AT&T Corp activities in the states of California, Nevada, Washington, Oregon, Hawaii, Alaska, New Mexico, Wyoming, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Utah, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota—and a workforce of more than 50,000 employees. Prior to this position, Ken held the position of President for AT&T California from 2005-2018. He also served as Vice President of Law and Government Affairs for AT&T from 2000-2005. He joined AT&T in 1991 as a Senior Attorney specializing in corporate litigation.
In 2013, Ken received the Black Business Association’s Top 100 African Americans in Technology Award; in 2014, the Vanguard Award from Equality California; and in 2017, the Luminary Award from Our Family Coalition. Ken serves as a board member for the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and Sutter Health. He is a past board member of the San Francisco Symphony, San Francisco Ballet, Silicon Valley Leadership Group, California Chamber of Commerce and the Bay Area Council, where he was Chair of the Education Committee. Ken also served as a trustee at The San Francisco Day School from 2011-2018, where he also was Advancement Committee Chair and Endowment Campaign Chair.
Ken earned his B.A. in Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his J.D. from Howard University School of Law. He is married to Dr. Inder Dhillon, and they have two children, Kaia and Meera.
Gretchen Miller is a Film Associate and Executive Assistant for The Representation Project. She is a UC Davis graduate with a B.A. in Political Science and Cinema & Digital Media. For two years, she worked with a non-profit as a film intern, editing a documentary that examines how racism permeates education, criminal justice, media, economics, politics, and healthcare in the United States. Having spent four years writing, editing, and eventually leading a UC Davis online publication for college women, she has always been deeply interested in intersectional feminism and social justice. Gretchen previously interned with the press office of Speaker of the California State Assembly Anthony Rendon and has experience in journalism and photography. She currently lives in the Bay Area.
Ariella Neckritz (they/she) is the Director of Youth Programs at The Representation Project. For the last six and a half years, they worked at Jewish Women International spearheading trauma-informed, intersectional, and culturally humble prevention programming and community training initiatives. As the Director of Violence Prevention and Training at JWI they were the organization’s lead trainer, curriculum writer, and workshop facilitator working with college campuses, Jewish community centers, and service providers. Under their leadership Change the Culture, JWI’s campus prevention programming, reached over 6,000 students through over 100 sexual assault and dating violence prevention workshops at more than 20 universities and 10 Hillels. They managed JWI’s National Alliance to End Domestic Abuse, a professional development network for domestic violence prevention and response professions offering monthly training webinars led by the country’s top experts. They have organized over 80 webinars reaching 8,000 survivor advocates, attorneys, social workers, and domestic violence shelter staff. They launched Here For You Jewish Communal Support for Domestic Violence Survivors and their Children teaching 500 early childhood educators, youth program directors, and camp staff about supporting survivors and fostering the resilience in children exposed to domestic violence.
They previously served as the Director of Outreach & Community Engagement at Promoting Awareness, Victim Empowerment (PAVE) a survivor led nonprofit that empowers survivors of sexual assault to thrive after trauma and galvanizes communities to end sexual violence. At PAVE Ariella developed and implement campaigns, healing initiatives, webinars, and sexual and dating violence prevention curriculum for high school students, teachers, and administrators at Arlington County Public Schools.
Bahya Oumlil-Murad is the co-chair of tonight’s event and a prominent philanthropist who has advanced numerous important causes, including housing and homelessness and breast cancer awareness and treatment. A graduate of San Francisco State University, Bahya earned a degree in organizational communications and event planning, and has worked for Stanford University and San Francisco City Hall where she oversaw the openings of the San Francisco Ballet, the San Francisco Symphony, and the San Francisco Opera. She is the founder and publisher of SF Philanthropist, which features philanthropic work in the Bay Area and assists non-profit organizations with public relations and event planning. Bahya lives in Florida with her husband, Gus Murad, and daughter, Laila.
Skye Reed is the Social Media Manager for The Representation Project and has worked on campaigns like #RespectHerGame and #EndRape. She is a graduate of Occidental College where her focus of study was the intersection of theory, activism, and popular culture. Previously, Skye has worked as a facilitator leading small group discussions on social justice topics. She is passionate about media as a reflection of culture and a tool of affirmation, particularly for underrepresented groups.
Joanna Rees is co-chair of the Board of Directors for The Representation Project. She is a Managing Partner at West, a market creation company, and a Senior Partner of the B Team. She currently serves on the corporate board of FICO, Care.com, Harvest Power, Prelude Fertility, and Hickies Inc. Most recently, Joanna led the formation and capital raise for Endeavor Catalyst, an impact investment fund supporting high-impact entrepreneurs in emerging markets. Joanna is the founder of VSP Capital, where she co-created the Build Brand Value CEO Forum. She has served on the board of more than 25 venture-backed companies across a broad range of industries. She also served on the Board of the National Venture Capital Association, the Coppola Companies, and as Chairman of the USA for Madrid-based FON, the world’s largest WiFi community. Joanna was selected by The World Economic Forum as a Global Leader for Tomorrow, and by The Aspen Institute as a Henry Crown Fellow. She is a senior seminar moderator for the Aspen Institute for the Healthcare Innovators Fellowship, the Henry Crown Fellowship, the Pahara Education Fellows, and the Aspen Seminar. She is also a Senior Mentor for the Henry Crown Fellowship. Joanna is active in the nonprofit community and serves on the National Board of Build.org and the Global Board of Endeavor.org. Joanna was a candidate for Mayor of San Francisco in November 2011. She earned her MBA from Columbia University (beta gamma sigma) and a B.S. from Duke University.
Mollie Ricker serves on the Board of Directors for The Representation Project. She is a Partner of Dostart Development Company (DDC), one of Silicon Valley’s premier commercial real estate developers known for its local expertise, for its leadership in sustainability and transit-oriented design, and for the high quality of its projects and tenants. During the past decade with DDC, Mollie has actively managed nearly one million square feet of commercial office development and investment in Silicon Valley. Her responsibilities include leading acquisitions, managing city entitlements, directing leasing, construction, financing and asset management. Prior to joining DDC, Mollie was an investor with Francisco Partners, L.P., a technology-focused private equity firm with $5.0 billion under management, where she was involved in identifying, executing, and managing investments across a variety of sectors. Earlier in her career, Mollie worked in the Investment Banking Division of Goldman Sachs. Mollie is currently a member of the Urban Land Institute and serves on the national ULI Industrial and Office Product Council as well as on the San Francisco Commercial Local Product Council. She is also a member of NAIOP – Silicon Valley and Stanford Professionals in Real Estate (SPIRE). Mollie received her M.B.A. from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and her B.A. in Economics and Latin American Studies, with Distinction, from Yale University.
Brenda Robinson is co-chair of the Board of Directors for The Representation Project. She is an entertainment attorney and producer with extensive experience in the film, television and music industries. Brenda is currently Head of Film Finance and Inclusion Strategies for HiddenLight Productions, a global studio creating premium documentary, scripted and unscripted entertainment for Film, TV and Digital founded by Hillary Clinton, Sam Branson, and Chelsea Clinton. Brenda is a member of Impact Partners, a film financing collective dedicated to funding independent documentary storytelling that engages with pressing social issues and propels the art of cinema forward.
Brenda was most recently a financier on the Academy Award-winning documentary Icarus as well as Won’t You Be My Neighbor and Step. She is an executive producer on numerous projects including the BAFTA nominated Passing, directed by Rebecca Hall and produced by Nina Yang Bongiovi and Forest Whitaker; the Emmy nominated United Skates, alongside executive producer John Legend; The Great American Lie by director Jennifer Siebel Newsom; Jump Shot: The Kenny Sailors Story, alongside executive producer Steph Curry and Marian Anderson: The Whole World In Her Hands directed by Rita Coburn for PBS’ American Masters series.
As a dedicated philanthropist in the arts and entertainment community and advocate on behalf of creative artists, Brenda currently serves as the Board Chair of Film Independent and is an advisor to The Redford Center co-founded by Robert Redford and his son James Redford. Brenda is also currently the Chair of the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative. Brenda is also a member of The Recording Academy and the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). Brenda is a graduate of the University of Michigan and obtained her law degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and a certificate in business and public policy from the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School.
Sarah is a member of The Representation Project’s Youth Advisory Council. She is currently a student in high school. She is passionate about raising awareness for BIPOC health, the LBGTQIA+ community, and gender equity. In her free time, Sarah enjoys studying philosophy, programming, and drawing. As a whole, Sarah strives to make a difference in all aspects of society whether it be in the workforce or in the classroom.
Camille Servan-Schreiber is the Producer for The Representation Project. She has been working in documentary film since 1998. She has produced for PBS, ESPN, Disney+, National Geographic and has received numerous awards for her work including a Peabody, a Golden Spire and several Emmy nominations. Among her credits are 37 Words, a doc series for ESPN about Title IX, the Civil rights law of 1973; Land of Gold, and independent feature about the making of John Adams’ latest opera; Eames: The Architect and the Painter, about de modernist designers Charles and Ray Eames and Worlds of Ursula K. Le Guin about the acclaimed science-fiction writer.
Jennifer Siebel Newsom is a filmmaker, advocate, thought leader, and the First Partner of California. After graduating with honors from Stanford University and Stanford’s Graduate School of Business, she wrote, directed, and produced the 2011 award-winning documentary Miss Representation. Since then, she has made the celebrated films The Mask You Live In, The Great American Lie, and Fair Play. Jennifer’s films have been seen by over 28 million people worldwide, and her work responsible for single-handedly shifting the norm of sexist Super Bowl ads with the #NotBuyingIt campaign. Since becoming First Partner of California, Jennifer has championed various issues related to gender equity and raising healthy, whole children including the launch of her first initiative, #EqualPayCA.
Jan Yanehiro is the recipient of The Representation Project’s 2023 Founder’s Award. She helped pioneer the magazine format on television as co-host of “Evening Magazine,” a nightly program in San Francisco that ran for 15 years on KPIX TV-CBS5. She has hosted eight documentaries on the redress and relocation issues of Japanese Americans during World War II.
Jan has won multiple awards including an Emmy, the Girl Scouts Woman of Distinction Award, and the Eleanor Roosevelt Humanitarian Award. She is the Chair of Kristi Yamaguchi’s Always Dream Legacy Board, and holds board seats on The San Francisco-Osaka Sister City Association and the US-Japan Legacy Council. She is a former board member of the Bank of Marin and former board chair of The Representation Project, an organization focused on gender equality. She was the Founding Director of the School of Communications and Media Technologies for fourteen years at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco.
Jan is the co-author of 4 books. Her latest book is titled, This Is Not The Life I Ordered…60 Ways To Keep Your Head Above Water When Life Keeps Dragging You Down. Jan has three adult children and is the proud grandmother of two—so far.
