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Our Mission

Black Public Media supports the development of visionary content creators and distributes
stories about the global Black experience to inspire a more equitable and inclusive future.

Our Team

Carol Bash

PROGRAM COORDINATOR
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Diane Carr-Joseph

DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS
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Leslie Fields-Cruz

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
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Denise Greene

DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMS
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Eboni Johnson

ENGAGEMENT MANAGER
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DeLynda Lindsey

Contracts & Grants Specialist
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Alisa Norris

Fund Development & Corporate Partnerships Manager
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Lisa Osborne

DIRECTOR OF EMERGING MEDIA
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Kat Walsh

SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER
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Qiona Woffard

SPECIAL PROGRAMS MANAGER
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Cheryl D. Fields

Marketing & Communications Director
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Our Board

Guy-Max Delphin

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Darryl Ford Williams

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Deniese Davis

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Valerie Williams-Sanchez

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Antonia Carew-Watts

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Eva-Marie Malone

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Samantha Abrams

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Allison Simmons

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Janis Smith-Gomez

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Thank You To Our Supporters

Individual Donors & Friends

We are thankful for the many donors and friends who support Black Public Media’s mission to present
purposeful media and nurture Black storytellers to reach further heights. 

Annual Report

Black Public Media met its mission admirably in 2022. We continued to serve independent media makers by funding their projects, providing professional development training, and helping them grow their professional networks. Read our Annual Report to learn more about our achievements and challenges last year and how you can get involved.
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BPM History Timeline

Public Television is Born

Public Television is Born

  • 1967
President Lyndon Johnson signs the Public Television Act.
Task Force On Minorities in Public Broadcasting Is Formed

Task Force On Minorities in Public Broadcasting Is Formed

  • 1977
In January 1977, the Human Resources Development Committee of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting’s board of directors endorses formulation of a Task Force on Minorities in Public Broadcasting. The mission of the 28-member group — chaired by Dr. Gloria Long Anderson, the CPB board’s vice chair and a Morris Brown chemistry professor — is to assist the CPB board in developing policies that will “maximize the growth, development, employment, and participation of minorities in all aspects of public broadcasting.”

‘A Formula For Change’ Is Published

  • 1978
The Task Force on Minorities in Public Broadcasting releases “A Formula For Change,” a 90-page report containing the results of the 28-member task force’s research. The report includes 46 key findings and 70 key recommendations for improvement in five main areas: public broadcasting policy, employment, job training programs, programming, minority control, and audience research.
NBPC is Born

NBPC is Born

  • 1979
Black Public Media was founded as the National Black Programming Consortium (NBPC) in Columbus, Ohio.
NBPC Names 1st Executive Director

NBPC Names 1st Executive Director

  • 1980
Mable Haddock is named NBPC’s executive director.

‘The Black Stream’ Begins

  • 1980
NBPC begins coordinating “The Black Stream” PBS series, hosted by Bill Greaves.

Inaugural NBPC Annual Meeting

  • 1981
NBPC holds its first annual conference.

Prized Pieces Film Festival Begins

  • 1982
NBPC hosts the first Prized Pieces Film Festival, showcasing work by Black indie filmmakers.

‘State of Black America’ Broadcast

  • 1984
The “State of Black America” airs on PBS (an NBPC co-production with the National Urban League).

CPB Defunds NBPC

  • 1986
In response to federal budget cuts, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) cuts BPM funding.
‘Eyes on the Prize’ Airs on PBS

‘Eyes on the Prize’ Airs on PBS

  • 1987

Henry Hampton’s six-episode documentary, “Eyes on the Prize,” is broadcast nationwide on PBS over the course of several weeks. The series earns Blackside Productions several prestigious honors including Emmy, Peabody, and IDA awards.

ITVS Launches

  • 1989
The Independent Television Service (ITVS) is founded.
NBPC Regains CPB Funding

NBPC Regains CPB Funding

  • 1990
NBPC regains CPB funding after a four-year hiatus.
‘Daughters of the Dust’ is Released

‘Daughters of the Dust’ is Released

  • 1991
Filmmaker Julie Dash’s independent film, “Daughters of the Dust,” is released. The film is one of the first recipients of NBPC’s newly created project development fund and it is the first feature film directed by an African American woman to be distributed theatrically in the United States.

NBPC Video Store Opens

  • 1991
NBPC opens a video store in Columbus, Ohio.

NBPC Convenes Black Public Media Executives and Producers

  • 1995
NBPC hosts a convening of public media’s African American executives and producers.

‘Africans in America: America’s Journey Through Slavery’ Airs On PBS

  • 1998
Receives a 1998 Peabody Award. BPM Game Changers involved with the project include Orlando Bagwell (executive producer), Llewellyn Smith, Jacquie Jones and Noland Walker (episodic producers), and Marita Rivero (WGBH executive in charge of production).

NBPC Relocates to Harlem

  • 2000
NBPC moves from Columbus, Ohio, to Harlem, New York. The first office is on the corner of 125th Street and Lexington Ave.

‘Matters of Race’ Airs On PBS

  • 2003
Funded by NBPC and other members of public television’s National Minority Consortium (now National Multicultural Alliance), Orlando Bagwell’s Rojo Productions airs its groundbreaking four-part series, “Matters of Race,” on PBS.

Prized Pieces Film Festival Ends

  • 2004
NBPC hosts its last Prized Pieces Film Festival at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. The opening film was Yvonne Smith’s documentary, “Parliament-Funkadelic: One Nation Under a Groove.”
NBPC Founder Steps Down, Jones Succeeds Her

NBPC Founder Steps Down, Jones Succeeds Her

  • 2005
NBPC founder Mable Haddock steps down as executive director; Jacquie Jones takes her place.

NBPC Launches Its First Web Series

  • 2006
In response to Hurricane Katrina, NBPC launches its first online web series “The Katrina Project” featuring web-only video and audio shorts about the impact Katrina had on New Orleans’ Black community.

New Media Institute Emerges

  • 2006
NBPC introduces its New Media Institute, a professional development program geared towards understanding and navigating digital and social media technology.
NBPC Launches AfroPoP

NBPC Launches AfroPoP

  • 2006
NBPC introduces the first season of “AfroPoP: The UItimate Cultural Exchange,” hosted by Idris Elba.

Public Media Corps Is Launched

  • 2010
NBPC launches the Public Media Corps, a service to promote and extend broadband adoption in underserved communities. Fellows skilled in technology, media production, and outreach are placed in residencies at underperforming high schools, public broadcast stations, and nonprofit community anchor institutions.

Digital Media Production Fund Is Born

  • 2012
NBPC launches the Digital Media Production Fund, a program grant initiative to support web series. “Black Folk Don’t,” by producer Angela Tucker, is among the first projects funded through this initiative.
NBPC Doc Wins A Peabody

NBPC Doc Wins A Peabody

  • 2012
“180 Days: Inside an American High School,” wins a Peabody Award. Series is produced and directed by Jacquie Jones and Garland McLaurin.
Jones Steps Down, Fields-Cruz Succeeds Her

Jones Steps Down, Fields-Cruz Succeeds Her

  • 2014
Jacquie Jones steps down as NBPC executive director. She is succeeded by VP of Programming Leslie Fields-Cruz.
The 360 Incubator+ Is Born

The 360 Incubator+ Is Born

  • 2016
NBPC introduces the 360 Incubator+ funding initiative. It is designed to identify innovative storytellers across various public media. NBPC also launches PitchBLACK, an interactive session during which Incubator Plus fellows pitch their projects to industry leaders who select the PitchBLACK grantees.

MacArthur Foundation Grants NBPC $750,000

  • 2017
NBPC wins a $750,000 MacArthur Foundation Grant.

The BPMplus VR Mixer Series Begins

  • 2018
Extended Reality (XR) specialist/educator/producer Lisa Osborne is appointed to direct BPM’s new emerging media program, which launches the BPMplus VR Mixer series and various XR media training programs.
NBPC Becomes BPM

NBPC Becomes BPM

  • 2018
NBPC is rebranded as Black Public Media.
Black Media Story Summit

Black Media Story Summit

  • 2018
BPM hosts the inaugural National Black Media Story Summit in NYC. The assemblage of creatives, thought leaders, media technologists, funders, investors, and distributors engages in a series of conversations exploring ways to expand the distribution pipeline for Black content.
‘The Black Paper’ Is Published

‘The Black Paper’ Is Published

  • 2018
BPM publishes “The Black Paper,” featuring highlights and recommendations from the 2018 Black Media Story Summit.

Jones Memorial Scholarship and NCU Fellowship Launched

  • 2019
BPM announces winners of the inaugural Jacquie Jones Memorial Scholarship and the Nonso Christian Ugbode Fellowship. Both programs commemorate the contributions of trailblazing BPM employees posthumously.
Regional Black Media Story Summits Launch

Regional Black Media Story Summits Launch

  • 2019
BPM launches a new series of Regional Black Media Story Summits. The first four are held in Raleigh, N.C.; Newark, N.J.; Houston, Texas, and St. Paul, Minn.

40th Anniversary Celebration

  • 2020
BPM celebrates its 40th Anniversary and hosts the second National Black Media Story Summit virtually, due to COVID-19.

CONTACT US

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8 W. 126th St., Ste. 0D3117, NY, NY 10027

Email Us
info@blackpublicmedia.org

Phone
(212) 234 – 8200

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Carol Bash is the founder and president of Paradox Films, an award-winning documentary filmmaker with over 25 years of experience. Her most recent film — a short, titled Morning at Hemlock Hill Farm — showcases the natural beauty of a Peekskill, NY, local farm. The film was part of Putnam Arts Council’s Grass + Roots Exhibit (October 2021); Peekskill Arts Alliance “Re-emergence” exhibit (June 2021); and the Peekskill Arts Grants “Displays of Affection” exhibit (March 2021). Carol’s feature documentary, Mary Lou Williams: The Lady Who Swings the Band, about a renowned yet unsung jazz genius, was broadcast nationally on public television in 2015. The film screened at international and domestic film festivals, where it garnered multiple awards. Carol has worked with several prestigious documentary production companies in roles ranging from producer, director, cinematographer, archival producer, coordinating producer and associate producer. Most notably, she has worked as archival producer on Tell Them We Are Rising: The Story of Black Colleges and Universities, which was broadcast nationally on PBS’ Independent Lens series.

Carol Bash

PROGRAM COORDINATOR

She’s also worked on Freedom Riders, which won three Primetime Emmy awards and premiered on PBS’ American Experience series; on Beyond Brown: Pursuing the Promise, a one-hour PBS documentary; and on A Place of Our Own, which aired nationally on PBS’ Independent Lens series. Carol sits on the board of the Peekskill Arts Alliance and is an Organizer/Programmer of the annual Peekskill Film Festival. She also is a former Black Public Media artist-in-residence and a Firelight Media Documentary Lab fellow.

Diane Carr-Joseph serves as the Business Manager for National Black Programming Consortium. She is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the organization including human resources, financial forecasting, resource allocation, fund management, accounting and control. Diane holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Accounting from Baruch College New York.

Diane Carr-Joseph

DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

Leslie Fields-Cruz is the executive director of Black Public Media, the nation’s only nonprofit solely dedicated to the development of nonfiction Black content for distribution on public media. Leslie joined BPM in 2001 to manage its program development fund. She served as director of programs from 2005-2008 and as VP of programs and operations from 2008-2014 before being named BPM’s third executive director in 2014. Leslie is the creator of BPM’s award-winning anthology series, AfroPoP: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange, now in its 14th season, which features contemporary stories from the African diaspora. Under her leadership, BPM has cultivated new partnerships, diversified revenues, and initiated vital new programs (360 Incubator+, PitchBLACK Forum & Awards, BPMplus, and the Black Media Story Summit) that support Black talent and content development. In 2021, Leslie was named to Crain’s New York’s list of Notable Black Business Leaders. A graduate of U.C. Berkeley (BA) and NYU (MA), she is a board member of New Era Creative Space, and in September 2022, was named board president of New York Women in Film and Television.

Leslie Fields-Cruz

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Denise A. Greene is the Director of Programs at Black Public Media (BPM) overseeing the organization’s key funding (Open Call, PitchBLACK), professional development (360 Incubator+) and distribution initiatives (Be Heard, AfroPop and AfroPop Digital Shorts) for traditional media projects. As the Director, Denise directs the creative vision for BPM’s long standing multi-episode broadcast series,  AfroPop: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange as well as the newest productions, Be Heard and AfroPop Digital Shorts.  Denise comes to BPM with experience as an independent filmmaker working in children’s programming (Sesame Street) and documentaries for which she received  Emmy (Malcolm X: Make It Plain) and Peabody (I’ll Make Me A World) awards.  Denise’s earlier work also includes various positions in the industry including her work with Orlando Bagwell during the launch of the Ford Foundation’s JustFilms unit. With this foundation, Denise embraces the BPM mission to uplift  Black storytellers and Black stories in all its rich diversity.

Denise Greene

DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMS

Within her recent tenure, Denise has helped to broaden the types of stories and creative approaches under the BPM banner with children’s projects, podcasts, narrative shorts and experimental documentaries while continuing to build on the impressive catalog of historical documentaries.  Also, with BPM’s tradition of presenting critical issues through a Black lens, Denise steers the Programs division in seeking out and  supporting daring stories on timely issues such as environmental justice, mental health, reparations, gender affirmation and more.  Before her current position, Denise served as BPM’s  Director of the New Media Institute, a groundbreaking professional development program training mid-career filmmakers in the latest digital technologies bringing attention to Black trailblazers in the emerging media space.  In addition, she played an instrumental role in producing BPM’s inaugural Story Summit, a national convening  which produced The Black Paper on the state of the industry distributed to key stakeholders in the field.  Denise is a proud member of New York Women in Film & Television and Brown Girls Doc Mafia.  When she’s not watching films or listening to podcasts, Denise is in a hot yoga room or a refreshing lap pool.

Eboni Johnson comes to BPM having served as director of education and outreach for the Denton Black Film Festival, where she helped launch the DBFF Institute, which offers interactive workshops, seminars and other educational programs. In that position, she worked closely with BPM staff to co-produce our Technically Brilliant Show, a DBFF and BPM collaboration.
Eboni holds a master’s degree in documentary filmmaking from the University of North Texas. Her filmmaking credits include having worked as director/producer on two short films, Songs Remembered and Unrequited Dreams; as director of photography/editor for The Last March; as sound recordist for The Straight Race and Somewhere In Between; and as producer/sound editor on Good Soil, Good Souls: The Story of Bonton Farms.

Eboni Johnson

ENGAGEMENT MANAGER

DeLynda Lindsey joined BPM as Contracts and Reports Specialist in 2022. She brings years of professional experience as a grant writer and grant manager, having worked since 2005 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania’s rich foundation and nonprofit communities. Her professional aim is to advance the missions of nonprofits for the betterment of society and humanity through fundraising. Her passion for storytelling is informed by her experiences in human services, working directly with those in need and raising funds on their behalf. DeLynda has spent most of the last decade fundraising for nonprofit public media by securing foundation, government and corporate grants on local, regional and national levels.
DeLynda currently resides in Pittsburgh, where she was born and raised. She received her bachelor’s degree in psychology and human services administration from Chatham College (now University), and her master’s in social work with a concentration in social administration from the University of Pittsburgh.

DeLynda Lindsey

Contracts & Grants Specialist

Alisa is the fund development manager for Black Public Media. With a background in corporate outreach and sponsorship, she is strengthening the foundation of the department and maintaining relationships with funders, foundations, and private industry. Alisa is a native of the Washington, D.C. metro area and an alumnus of Virginia Commonwealth University (B.S. Mass Communications).

Alisa Norris

Fund Development & Corporate Partnerships Manager

Lisa Osborne believes that storytelling is a powerful change agent—for individuals, groups, and entire cultures. As Black Public Media’s Director of Emerging Media Initiatives, she introduces independent filmmakers to the storytelling potential of virtual reality, augmented reality, artificial intelligence, and similar technology. Her current priority is increasing Black creative participation in the VR industry. Early in her career, Lisa helped Turner launch its first online magazine, ran adidas.com while based in Germany and The Netherlands, and supervised productions at the American Film Institute’s incubator, working with ABC, NBC, MTV, ITVS, Cartoon Network, and PBS (Independent Lens, The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, Design:e2) to create interactive prototypes. After AFI, she worked independently for film and TV clients, plus created and taught a digital marketing class for Carnegie Mellon University. She earned a journalism degree from Northwestern University and has a strong interest in developing family, YA, science fiction, and fantasy content.

Lisa Osborne

DIRECTOR OF EMERGING MEDIA

Kat Walsh (they/them) is the social media manager for Black Public Media. The 2019 graduate of Ithaca College holds a B.F.A in film, photography, and visual arts. They also minored in international politics.
As BPM’s social media manager, Kat works with marketing, communications and engagement partners Cheryl D. Fields and Eboni Johnson, and leads the planning, implementation and monitoring BPM’s social media strategy, which aims to increase brand awareness and audience engagement, and to improve BPM’s marketing and sales efforts.
Kat’s work as a filmmaker focuses on the discrepancies young people face regarding race, gender and sexuality. Their most recent film, Chick Flicks (where they worked as director of photography) is a documentary about the misogyny and sexism apparent in film school and how it translates into the entertainment industry.

Kat Walsh

SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER

Qiona Woffard is BPM’s manager of special programs. She joined Black Public Media in January 2020 as a program associate, working with Denise Greene, director of program initiatives. In that role she supported BPM’s Open Call, AfroPoP: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange, and the 360 Incubator+ Program, among other projects.
In 2021, Qiona was instrumental in securing a partnership for BPM with the National Network to Innovate for COVID-19 and Adult Vaccine Equity (NNICE). NNICE is funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as part of their National Partnering for Vaccine Equity Initiative. BPM’s focus within the initiative is to host Black Media Story Summits to facilitate the creation of media stories that inspire increased vaccination rates within Black communities. As BPM’s team leader on the NNICE Initiative, Qiona works with Eboni Johnson, BPMs engagement manager, and members of NNICE to support Black creatives and communities in the fight against COVID-19.

Qiona Woffard

SPECIAL PROGRAMS MANAGER

Chery’s storytelling career began as a journalist, where her work covering business and education appeared the Washington Post, Los Angeles Business Journal, Los Angeles Weekly, and Diverse Issues in Higher Education, among other publications. After years serving as Diverse’s executive editor, she left the newsroom to join the Washington-D.C. based Langhum Mitchell Communications, where her clients have included Black Public Media, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, The Education Trust, and think tanks at Harvard University, UCLA, Morehouse College, Clemson University, and the University of Southern California, among others.
An early entry into the world of podcasting led Cheryl to produce and host CLE OnAir for the Kellogg Foundation’s Leadership for Community Change initiative. She later served as producer and co-host of WOLB’s award-winning Lunch with Labor in Baltimore.

Cheryl D. Fields

Marketing & Communications Director

In her current role as director of BPM’s marketing, communications and engagement team, Cheryl spearheads efforts to broaden the organization’s reach, influence and visibility on the public media landscape, while also strengthening relationships with the Black media storytellers it serves as well as its funding and programming partners.

A Bryn Mawr College grad, Cheryl also holds a master’s in print journalism from USC, is a former media management fellow of the Poynter Institute of Media Studies, and an alumna of BPM’s New Media Institute. The proud mom of two teens serves her community as a county youth commissioner and a Girl Scout leader. She also is active in the music and dance ministries at her church, where she is a member of the parish board.

After over twelve years of investment experience, Guy-Max Delphin opened Delphin Investments. Currently, he is the Senior Portfolio Manager heading Fundamental Research and Macro/Top-Down overlay. Mr. Delphin’s extensive experience includes the Yale-New Haven Health System as a leading Investment Strategist, Senior Analyst at Fortis Investments, and Senior Associate of Equity Research in the Small-Cap Industrials group, a division of Jefferies & Company, Inc. Mr. Delphin also held an Associate Analyst position within the Prudential Equity Group, LLC. Early in his career, Guy-Max functioned as a quantitative analyst in the Investment Product Design and Risk Management Group divisions of OppenheimerFunds, Inc. In 2012, he joined the NYC Special Education Collaborative, an organization working with charter schools advocating sustainable, high-quality special education programs. Mr. Delphin is on the Stony Brook Foundation Board of Trustees and serves as Chair of the College of Business Advisory Board. His philanthropic activities focus on education and healthcare. Mr. Delphin received a M.S. in Financial Engineering from the Polytechnic Institute of NYU, in addition to B.S. degrees in both Applied Mathematics and Economics from Stony Brook University.

Guy-Max Delphin

Darryl Ford Williams is the Vice President of Content for WQED Multimedia in Pittsburgh. In her current role at WQED, Ms. Ford Williams oversees the creation, development, production and delivery of all new and existing local, national, international and syndicated television, radio, interactive and educational programming for WQED Multimedia. She led the effort for the PBS series American Masters, August Wilson: The Ground On Which I Stand serving as Executive Producer for this highly acclaimed documentary. Under her leadership, productions have taken WQED documentary teams across the country and abroad to Kenya, Poland, Vietnam and Austria for productions distributed to the PBS system. She also launched an informational television station for the Government of Bermuda.

Darryl Ford Williams

CHAIR

Prior to her work with WQED, she was the sole proprietor of the Ford-Williams Agency, one of the first companies in the nation to focus on minority recruiting for major market television stations. Throughout her career, Ms. Ford Williams led content and program development for broadcast groups across the country. Her background as a television news producer and news manager is extensive. The following are just a few examples of that work: managing site producer for CBS News in its coverage of September 11—focusing on the Pennsylvania crash site of United Flight 93; coordinating producer for ABC-TV’sGood Morning America; executive producer at WJLA-TV in Washington, DC; news producer at KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh and WBAL in Baltimore.
Ms. Ford Williams’ work has been recognized with many awards, including several Emmy Awards in addition to numerous Emmy nominations. She has been honored by the Easter Seals Society, International Association of Business Communicators, and has won multiple awards from Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters.
Deniese Davis got her start in entertainment by producing indie low-budget projects including music videos, short films and digital content. In the web-series realm she is best known for producing Issa Rae’s award-winning web series “The Mis-Adventures of Awkward Black Girl”. She is currently a Producer on the HBO comedy series INSECURE and an Executive Producer on the upcoming HBO limited series THE DOLLS while continuing to produce and oversee content for Issa Rae Productions. She also serves as COO of ColorCreative, which provides access and opportunities for diverse and emerging writers and recently sold their first feature film LOVE IN AMERICA to Universal. Originally from Las Vegas NV, Deniese is an alum of CUNY-Brooklyn College and the American Film Institute Conservatory.

Deniese Davis

Valerie is a certified project management professional with a long career in the overlapping fields of communications, journalism and literacy. In addition to authoring three children’s books and being doctoral candidate (literacy), she has more than 20 years’ experience in marketing and communications, and has worked with private clients and for major corporate brands including Volvo, Disney and Deloitte.
In healthcare and medical communications and marketing, Valerie most recently worked at Columbia University Medical Center in the department of ophthalmology, where she also served on the CUMC Strategic Communications Task Force. Earlier in her career, Valerie served as a healthcare writer and marketing communications manager for Medial Data International.

Valerie Williams-Sanchez

In addition to her work in the healthcare and medical space, Valerie served as an educator and marketing communications consultant through her company Valorena Online, L.L.C. An off-shoot of this work, Valerie has led workshops on marketing communications and digital marketing, and published peer-reviewed articles and children’s books aimed at building literacy. Her Cocoa Kids Collection of books includes: Isaiah and the Chocolate Mountain, Eddie and the Hot Cocoa Hot Rod, and Lorena and the Magic Mocha Mirror. She also is the blogger behind Valerie’s Vignettes.
Valerie has written and contributed to articles and essays in Associated Press, The Los Angeles Times, National Geographic, Orange County Business Journal, and More magazine, online in the U.S. and in Spain. She is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism.

Antonia Carew-Watts is General Counsel for WLIW21 and a senior attorney for WNET. WNET is America’s flagship PBS station, which operates New York’s channel THIRTEEN, Long Island’s WLIW21, and New Jersey’s NJTV. Ms. Carew-Watts advises WLIW21 on issues relating to production, intellectual property and new media, underwriting, and labor and employment, among other matters. In addition, she is counsel for THIRTEEN’s long-running award-winning biography series, American Masters.

Ms. Carew-Watts joined the WNET family in 2013 and was appointed General Counsel for WLIW21 in January 2016. Prior to joining WNET, she was an associate in the intellectual property practice group at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP.

Antonia Carew-Watts

She received her B.A. from Yale University in 1991 and her J.D. from Harvard Law School in 2009. Prior to law school, she enjoyed a long career in entertainment and arts, working in development for non-profit performance space The Kitchen, and non-profit production company Rainbow Television Workshop, as well as serving on the design teams for numerous television series and features, and theme-parks for Walt Disney Imagineering. Ms. Carew-Watts is a former Director of the Association of Black Women Attorneys.

As the Opportunity Agenda’s senior coordinator for capacity building, Eva-Marie develops a comprehensive and strategically sequenced set of tools and resources to promote organization’s internal and external capacity building. Utilizing skills and expertise in organizational development, strategic communications, and technology, Eva-Marie creates innovative training programs.

Eva-Marie has extensive experience developing communications systems and strategic communications at nationally-known legal organizations and publications such as the Pro Bono Institute, New Jersey Lawyer, and American Immigration Lawyers Association. Eva-Marie has a B.A. from Wheaton College and a J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center.

Eva-Marie Malone

Samantha Abrams is a corporate and nonprofit business leader with more than 20 years working and impacting across sectors. Ms. Abrams recently served as Chief Strategy Officer for Halcyon, a global nonprofit incubator supporting early-stage impact companies.
As CEO & Managing Director for Walker’s Legacy, her thought leadership and experience will support a global growth strategy that includes a diverse suite of partners, enhanced programming and board development as the organization focuses on serving more multicultural women entrepreneurs. Ms. Abrams is a champion for entrepreneurs and has deep knowledge and lived experiences as a veteran business owner.

Samantha Abrams

Previously she served at the March on Washington Film Festival as executive director. Ms. Abrams also served at GEICO Insurance Companies for 12 years where she held several leadership roles in Public Affairs and Marketing. Additionally, she led the execution of the company’s social responsibility and diversity business verticals.
She is on the Advisory Board for the University of Guyana Foundation, including being an advisor for the Guyana Economic Development Trust and several early-stage impact Companies globally. Ms. Abrams is a member of CHIEF, a private network for women executives; sits on the Board of Directors for Black Public Media and Six Degrees and is a Founding Board member of the Social Justice School.
Ms. Abrams resides in Prince George’s County, MD with her husband Howard and children Zoie and Zion. She is the proud co-owner of her local family Caribbean restaurant.

Allison Simmons is an award-winning television executive with more than thirty years of experience in the industry. Currently, she is Senior Director of Programming, Production and Development for TV ONE, where she oversees the network’s signature crime series (Fatal Attraction, Sins of the City and ATL Homicide). Previously, she was the Head of Development for startup TV company OZY Media. Allison spent three years as VP of Development for Releve Entertainment, a minority owned-production company known for its music and faith-based content including the Preachers of LA franchise and The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel movie for Lifetime. Allison’s always had a passion for telling stories about people of color. Over the years, she has developed shows for Amazon, Own and Lifetime including Black=Beauty Executive-Produced by Queen Latifah. 

Allison Simmons

As Senior Director of Unscripted Programming at BET, she launched Queen Boss, a business competition show for African-American women. She also worked as a segment producer on the popular daytime talk show Dr. Phil. Allison got her start in television at ABC NEWS when she worked as a desk assistant for Peter Jennings. Allison is a graduate of Princeton University. Born and raised in Pittsburgh, she now lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Chris, a senior story analyst for Warner Bros. Discovery and their two college-aged sons.
Janis Smith-Gomez is an experienced commercial leader of Fortune 50 companies and iconic brands, positioning global enterprises for competitive advantage and market leadership. Over 30 years, Janis leveraged key areas of expertise to succeed as an accomplished innovator, talent champion and value creator at Johnson & Johnson, Mars, Kraft and PepsiCo. She is a visionary marketing strategist and people leader driving transformation at the intersection of company purpose, go-to-market strategy and culture to deliver positive outcomes as well as accelerate sales and share growth. She is a passionate storyteller and uses her ethical leadership and DEI&A advocacy to develop meaningful narratives and curate content to strengthen brand reputation, inspire and empower others and increase engagement for all stakeholders in a digital-first and ESG-principled world.

Janis Smith-Gomez

Janis has a long history of non-profit board service. She currently is on the Board of Trustees of The New York Academy of Medicine (Nominating Committee Chair, Development Committee, Retirement Plan Committee) and is a member of the Vanderbilt University Parents and Friends Association Board.
Janis is a member of the Executive Leadership Council and a Brand 50 Advisor, part of the World 50 community. Janis is a graduate of the University of Chicago with an MBA in Marketing and Business Policy and a BA in Professional Option: Business. Want to be a part of B