Kat holds an MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art, and she has 15 years of professional practice as a scenic artist and sculptor. She started working at Exceptional Minds in 2013 as an Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Animate teacher and in 2017 she became Principal. She has a great appreciation for the dedication and hard work that the staff and students of the Exceptional Minds community continually invest into this amazing organization.
Benjamin has been providing behavioral services for both typically developing, those on the autism spectrum as well as other special needs children for the last decade. In addition to behavioral consulting, he has worked with children in a number of other capacities including: grade school teacher, academic tutor, sports coach, theatre instructor and camp counselor.
E-Mail: benjamin@exceptional-minds.org
A finance, strategy and business development executive with an MBA from USC Marshall School of Business, Dana has extensive experience in the media, entertainment and technology spaces overseeing all aspects of corporate development, HR and finance. Her financial background includes: P&L management, all transactions related to general ledger, expenses, receivables, payables, payroll, budgeting, reconciliation, financial reporting (monthly, quarterly, and annual) and forecasting.
Dana lives in Hollywood with her husband Joel, son Alvin, and dog Billie.
E-Mail: dana@exceptional-minds.org
David Siegel is the Executive Director of California nonprofit of the year Exceptional Minds - an academy and studio preparing people with autism for careers in animation and the digital arts.
A former Disney cast member of nearly a decade where he led marketing for a key animation division, Siegel began his career in talent representation at the William Morris Agency before segueing to a production deal at a major studio.
Siegel also served as an advisor to world-class media companies having crafted branding, marketing, and new business strategies for a portfolio of clients that have included award winning marketing and licensing agencies, leading animation studios, Universities, and technology start-ups.
As an active philanthropist and social entrepreneur, Siegel in partnership with his author/philanthropist son Dylan, has raised $1.5 million and unprecedented global awareness toward eradicating a rare genetic disease that will now be cured in the next several years.
David lives in Los Angeles with his wife and three boys.
With extensive experience in proposal writing, reporting management, and funding research, Ms. Bruno has provided grant writing, funding research, grants management, event planning assistance, funder communication and management, and other development services both remotely and in-office since 2007.
Barbara has also written commentary/analysis about the National Football League, most recently for The Huffington Post and Bleacher Report. She has been a guest NFL expert on numerous radio and online panels: including CBS News Radio, WGN Chicago, and HuffPo.
A double Bachelor's Degree graduate of The College of William & Mary in Virginia (English Literature and Psychology), Barbara also holds a M.A. in Theatre Arts. Her prior professional life was as a film industry professional. Ms. Bruno captained major studio film/television sets, including stunt and special effects units. She co-produced the independent film Vino Veritas—currently in release with Gravitas on multiple VOD platforms including iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, and most On Demand services.
Her motto is “You can't scare me; I sunk the Red October!”
Genevieve came to Exceptional Minds with an impressive range of skills and non-profit experience. Tech savvy and adept at almost any office related function, Genevieve is an office administrator extraordinaire. Her skills in the workplace are only outshone by her generous spirit. Her desire to make our world a little better, to uplift and connect with others is what makes Genevieve the perfect fit for Exceptional Minds.
Rebecca comes to Exceptional Minds after having spent the last few years working in the Jewish nonprofit world providing direct services to those in need. A native San Diegan, Rebecca moved to Los Angeles in 2012. She completed her Master’s degree in Jewish Communal Service at American Jewish University in order to fulfill her desire to help others and contribute to the community at large.
In her spare time, Rebecca enjoys a good book or tv show, theatre, attending concerts with her parents and friends and monthly trips to Disneyland.
Morgan Chess joins Exceptional Minds as the Head of Marketing, where she will oversee all marketing initiatives for the academy and studio. Chess joins Exceptional Minds with over 15 years of entertainment marketing, start-up and consulting experience. As a digital marketing and e-commerce executive at 20th Century Fox and Paramount, she worked on campaigns such as Rio: The Movie and the Angry Birds App integration as well as Planet of The Apes, X-Men, Mission Impossible, Transformers, Star Trek, The Big Short and more. Beginning in digital media, Chess oversaw campaigns for Sony Pictures at UM, and has gained experience in strategy, creative direction, social marketing and analytics, and partnerships throughout her career. Morgan finds passion in helping animal and wildlife rescues, mental wellness causes, and has a love for real estate.
Kreeti landed at Exceptional Minds as an intern and happily decided to continue. She expresses interests in a variety of subjects and activities, which include music, reading, and running. Although very quiet, she enjoys collaborating and actively contributes to daily projects. She continues to develop her interest in Marketing as she is soon to graduate with a B.S. in Business Marketing from CSUN.
Steff began her career in the film industry in Eastern Canada. After winning a National Apprenticeship for Film and Television award, she became a pioneer in the earliest years of animation in Nova Scotia, where she owned and operated a small, boutique studio and was showcased in MacLean's Magazine as one of Canada's top 100 Young Entrepreneurs.
Steff recognizes that embracing the journey is the key to following dreams!
With over 25 years of experience in the industry, she has enjoyed working in a variety of artistic, management and instructor roles, none more rewarding to her as working in education. Steff is passionate about animation and is dedicated to helping students find enjoyable and successful journeys of their own to pursue in this exciting field
Mister Hayz is a 20-year animation industry veteran, working for shows like King of the Hill, The Simpsons, and Mission Hill. He also has over 12 years of experience teaching and coaching young people. His hobbies include fatherhood, Dungeons and Dragons, and making Halloween pumpkins.
Timothy currently teaches classes at Exceptional Minds related to VFX and Motion Graphics. He comes from a background related to freelance and teaching. He’s previously worked for different companies across the LA area ranging from Stoopid Buddy Stoodios, Baked FX, to CBS Digital. In 2013 he received his MFA in Digital Art from The Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York. When he’s away from Exceptional Minds he teaches additional courses at various colleges across the LA area.
E-Mail: tim@exceptional-minds.orgRandi teaches 3D and visual effects at various colleges. Randi has worked as a digital artist and technical director for games and movie projects with Gizmo Games, RJB Enterprises and Sony Imageworks. Along with production work Randi is also a published author for the 3ds Max and Autodesk training manuals and works closely with Autodesk as an Autodesk Certified Instructor.
Alineh learned Adobe Flash at age 11 and started learning Maya at 12. Alineh's younger brother is moderately impacted with autism and has caused her to become very involved with the autism community at an early age. Parents of children with ASD would ask her to babysit because they trusted her ability to effectively deal with behavioral issues due to the ones her brother had and due to her involvement with other kids with ASD during community events.
Through a parent, she found out about Media Enrichment Academy. She started volunteering at Media Enrichment Academy at age 13. Volunteering there had a lot of meaning to her because it gave her hope that people like her brother could find an outlet for their feelings through artistic expression and that they could learn something that enriched their lives in some way. She volunteered at EM for two summers in 2012 and was hired as an Instructor 2013. She became proficient in Premiere, Dreamweaver, Photoshop, and Animate. Currently, Alineh is studying Film and Digital Media at University of California, Santa Cruz.
Howie's involvement with Exceptional Minds combines a dual career in education and the arts with his two degrees in Psychology and Fine Art!.
Soon after receiving a grant from the National Endowment of the Arts to bring animation to the public schools in Williamsburg, Virginia, Howie moved to New York to do artwork for the birth of Nickelodeon and the launch of MTV. Subsequently, Howie became an Art Director (and often Copywriter) for DFS/Saatchi & Saatchi ("Silly Rabbit..!"). In this latter capacity, Howard became one of the very first Art Directors to use mixed-media such as computer, clay, and cutout animation in TV commercials.
Making the transition from advertising to entertainment, Howie had notable stints as Design Director (Nickelodeon's "Doug"), Director (“Action League Now! for Nickelodeon), Commercial Director (Warner Bros. Classic Animation for MCI), and as Creative Director ("Grunt & Punt" for Fox Kids, NFL). Almost unintentionally, Howie co-created the show opening for three iconic tv show openings: "Reading Rainbow", "Magic SchoolBus", and "Doug".
On a vacation to his old summer sports camp (Camp Androscoggin) Howie started an animation program, which for almost two decades became the most visible animation workshop for kids in the country-- as the campers animated for the likes of Disney Channel, Kids WB!, Nickelodeon and PBS.
Howie has garnered awards for his FINE ART (Va. Museum of Fine Arts), ANIMATION (Best of Ann Arbor Film Festival, Washington D.C. Film Festival), GRAPHICS (Broadcast Design Association) and DIRECTION (Cable Ace Award Nomination, New York ASIFA/Annie Award).
Happy to be "outdone" by his students, shorts made under Howie's tutelage have been screened and/or awarded at such animation festivals as: Ottawa International Animation Festival, The Los Angeles Animation Celebration, The Palm Springs International Animation Festival, and the International Student Film Festival-Hollywood.
E-Mail: howie@exceptional-minds.org"Jess" is an animator, illustrator and visual artist with over 9 years of experience. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Media Arts in Animation at the Art Institute of California, Orange County and got her start in the game industry. She worked on game titles such as "Hunted: The Demon's Forge" and "Wasteland 2." She currently has an art wall at "The Hive Gallery" in downtown LA and joins in their art shows quite frequently.
E-Mail: jessica@exceptional-minds.org
Jon is an accomplished producer and VFX artist who has been involved in the film industry for more than a decade. After graduating from St. Olaf College with a degree in psychology, Jon received a second degree in visual effects at the Art Institute in Minneapolis. He spent eight years in LA working in visual effects and post production on projects including Captain America: The First Avenger and Titanic. In addition to working on VFX projects for major studios and producing feature films. He spent last summer in Minnesota producing the feature length psychological thriller Seed of Doubt which is now in post-production; he is currently living in California and working as as a teacher at Exceptional Minds Studios, where he mentors adults with autism for careers in the visual effects industry.
E-Mail: jonj@exceptional-minds.org
Stephen "Stevie" Larsen was born in Maryland and grew up into a nomadic lifestyle. From an early age, Stevie discovered two passions, video games and drawing. These passions influenced his career leading him to earn a Bachelor's of Science at Utah Valley University in Animation and Game Design. Since earning his degree, Stevie has worked for software companies and as an freelancer. He regularly attends game jams and is always looking to improve his craft.
Stevie has also worked specifically in game development education. He volunteered to tutor and teach students at the Utah Refugee Center for their game development workshop. When working in Huntsville, Alabama he tutored kids at the Video Game Design Club. For Stevie, teaching the 12 principles of Animation, drawing, and design is a fulfilling experience. And just this last summer, he taught a week long course in Maya at Digital Media Academy.
Stevie is excited to continue his journey and share his knowledge at Exceptional Minds and helping raise future artists and animators.
E-Mail: stevie@exceptional-minds.org
William is a 2015 Graduate from California State University, Long Beach with a Bachelor's Degree in Fine Art with an emphasis in Animation/Illustration and a Minor in Marketing. Since the age of 12, he has been educating himself in the field of computer graphics and video game design. He has attended various art-intensive workshop at Pepperdine University (2D Video Game Design), UCLA (3D Video Game), and Digipen University (3D Computer Animation). Has extensive knowledge in programs like Adobe's Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash, and Autodesk's Maya. He has been a Screen Actors Guild Member since 2003 and has extensive experience working in the professional production pipelines. William spends his spare time as an advocate and programs director for the Arthritis Foundation.
E-Mail: william@exceptional-minds.org
Marcel Valcarce is a creative director, educator, and devoted father. He brings together a deep connection with technology and a love for art, design, animation, and storytelling. Marcel’s early career spanned top Hollywood design and visual effects studios including Imaginary Forces, Rhythm & Hues Studios, R. Greenberg/Schluter, Creative Domain/Trailer Park, Pacific Title and Art Studios, and Kaleidoscope Films among others. In 2005 he co-founded inMotion Studios a boutique motion design and video production studio. He holds a BS in Computer Science from Hofstra University and an MFA in Film, Video and Computer Animation from the USC School of Cinematic Arts where he also currently teaches in the Animation and Film Production departments.
E-Mail: marcel@exceptional-minds.org
Alyssa Maxwell AKA Alymax is a graduate of the Scripps School of Communication at Ohio University, where they received a Bachelor of Science in Communication with a focus on games and animation. They have worked with Exceptional Minds since their 2016 internship. Alymax gained a passion for design after taking classes at the Cleveland Art Museum and the Cleveland Institute of Art as a child. They feel a strong connection to the autism community due to the relationships they've built with friends on the spectrum, and with the children they've worked with as a camp counselor and baby-sitter. Exceptional Minds has helped Alymax learn more about, and embrace, their own neurodivergent tendencies, and improve their artistic abilities.
E-Mail: alyssa@exceptional-minds.org
Jon Clark is a visual artist, writer, and filmmaker with over 7 years of professional experience. His favorite film jobs include working on The Tim and Eric Awesome Show (Cartoon Network) and interning at Troma Entertainment. Jon’s short films and music videos have been screened in many festivals throughout the United States and abroad. The interdisciplinary and collaborative process involved in filmmaking very much informs Jon’s fine art practice.
“I’ve had the opportunity to work with some of my favorite artists and filmmakers in the world, but teaching at Exceptional Minds is the best job I’ve ever had.”
E-Mail: jon@exceptional-minds.orgExperienced Teacher with a demonstrated history of working in the higher education industry. Skilled in 3d Modeling, Digital Sculpting, Character Rigging, Texturing, and Character Animation. Strong education professional with a Master of Arts (M.A.) focused in computer animation from Academy of Art University.
Scott is an Animation Director and has been in the animation business for over 20 years, working on Feature Film Productions, (Don Bluth Entertainment, Rich Animation, Warner Bros Animation), TV Animation Productions, (Warner Bros TV Animation, Hyperion Studios, Universal TV Animation) as well as a wide variety of freelance projects.
One of most memorable and rewarding jobs was storyboarding on the Warner Bros "Pinky and the Brain" TV Show. Scott has also produced several short comedy films for the "Whistling Moon Avengers" comedy series. one entitled "Great Explorations" was screened both in the Los Angeles film festival and short film category at Cannes, France. He is a graduate from Sheridan College, in Oakville Ontario and Columbia College in Chicago.
E-Mail: scott@exceptional-minds.orgRon Yavnieli has worked as a Writer, Storyboard Artist, Character Designer, Animator, Producer, Director and Voice Actor, for companies like Funny or Die, Bento Box, Disney, Warner Brothers, Nickelodeon, Machinima, Nintendo, Mattel, College Humor, and Nerdist Industries just to name a few.
Ron studied Film at Syracuse University and Character Animation at CalArts. His original films have won awards at Film Festivals around the world. Ron created several cartoons for Yahoo's 'Sketchy' channel including the viral hit "Disney/Star Wars Corporate Retreat" which won "Best Narrative Short" at The 2013 Animation Block Party.After creating and executive producing DreamWorksTV's animated series "Gorillaville" Ron joined the Exceptional Minds team as an Animation Producer.
Patrick is a 2014 Exceptional Minds graduate. He is certified in Adobe Flash, Photoshop, and Illustrator and regularly utilizes Nuke, After Effects, SilhouetteFX, and Mocha for his visual effects work.
Since starting at Exceptional Minds, Patrick has worked on films such as Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014), The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 (2015) and Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) and Ant-Man (2015).
Carter is an Exceptional Minds graduate who graduated in 2017. He is certified in Adobe Flash/Animate, Photoshop, After Effects, Maya and Premiere Pro. In the summer of 2017 he joined the Animation Studio. Carter created original characters for a mobile game called Tooth Hero and has worked on the Holiday Christmas Card for CBS, among other projects.
Dylan Carbonell is a 2018 graduate who started making stop-motion animated films at the age of 10, and has been drawing comics ever since. In his late teens he started doing storyboards and even directed live-action short films with motion graphics at Northern Virginia Community College. At Exceptional Minds, he animated for the 2015 “Momentous Insurance Holiday Card”, “LA Zoo 50th Anniversary”, “Barbar’s Bargains”, and “Morphing Time”. In the summer of 2017 he interned at Nickelodeon on the breakout hit animated series, The Loud House. He specializes in pushing the exaggeration of shapes and movements to absolute extremes, and stylizing designs in interesting and abstract ways.
Bio coming soon.
Bio coming soon.
Lloyd is a 2014 Exceptional Minds graduate; certified in Adobe Flash, Photoshop, and Premiere Pro. Lloyd is skilled at drawing, has an eye for fine detail (and has a surprisingly good singing voice). He enjoys PS3 gaming, laser tag, Disney research, and music. He has also volunteered at the LA Food Bank. Since starting at Exceptional Minds, Lloyd has worked on several films, including Lawless (2012), American Hustle (2013), Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014), and Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015).
Thomas is a graduate of the Exceptional Minds class of 2018. He is a Visual Effects and End Titles artist that has worked on the credits for "Avengers: Infinity War", "Crazy Rich Asians", "Ant-Man and the Wasp" and more.
Bio coming soon.
Eli is a 2014 Exceptional Minds graduate. He is certified in Adobe Flash, Photoshop, Dreamweaver, and Illustrator and adept in Nuke, After Effects, Silhouette, Mocha, Premiere, and Wordpress. Eli excels in procedural 2D work; honing his skills on several films including American Hustle (2013), Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014), The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 (2015), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) and Ant-Man (2015).
Annie is a 2017 Exceptional Minds Academy graduate. Certified in Adobe Flash and Photoshop. In Exceptional Minds VFX Studio, she is gaining experience with marker removal, rotoscoping, and compositing in Nuke and After Effects' Mocha. She worked on "A Perfect Day" (2015), Profectum Parent Toolbox (2015), and recently, Marvel Studio's Black Panther (2018). Annie loves animated media, animals, pencil drawing, reading, and hanging around with friends and family. She also loves making her own animations and check out her musical animashs posted on YouTube.
Jacob Lenard is a 2018 graduate of Exceptional Minds. He has a passion for creating original animated content and characters. He’s done several comedic on-going animated series on YouTube with a dedicated following over the years. Jacob is very proficient in Adobe Animate, Adobe Premiere and sound editing. He enjoys animating in a loose, abstract style with an emphasis on personality. Jacob’s work is very influenced by both traditional and digital animation of the 90’s and early 2000’s. So far, Jacob has worked on BJ Leiderman’s “Maizey’s Song” (2017) and interned at Warner Bros. Animation during the summer of 2018.
David is a graduated from Exceptional Minds Class of 2015. He is ACA certified in Adobe Flash, Premiere, Photoshop & Illustrator. Currently David is gaining experience in various digital visual effects work such as rig-removal, rotoscoping and compositing using Nuke, After Effects, Mocha and SilhouetteFX. Outside of work, David enjoys theatre arts and sketch comedy as well as writing and drawing.
Naseem Sabokpey is a graduated of Exceptional Minds class of 2018 who is now working as a designer at the Exceptional Minds animation studios. One of her goals are design her own stickers and sale them. Naseem biggest goal is to continue on her stories and put them into chapter books for older kids and younger adults like herself. Her hope is one day her stories would succeed and make money and become a designer for keychains, phone cases, and other souvenir.
Tony Saturno is a 2017 Exceptional Minds graduate. He is certified in Flash and Photoshop, and is additionally skilled in Premiere Pro, After Effects, Mocha, Nuke, and Maya. He is currently a Visual Effects Artist in the Exceptional Minds studio. His primary interests include music, movies and TV shows.
Adam graduated from Exceptional Minds in 2016 with certifications for various Adobe programs, including, but not limited to, Premiere Pro and Animate. During his education he contributed his artistic and technical skills to professional projects such as "Benny's Story" for Sesame Street (2015) and "Perfect Day" for Dr. Ben and Co. (2015) He brought this experience to bear when he moved into the Animation Studio immediately after graduation. There he worked on a wide variety of projects including the LA Zoo 50th Anniversary bumper (2017) and "Maizey's Song" for BJ Leiderman (2017). He is currently serving a full-time internship at Warner Bros. Animation.
Stephen is a graduate of Exceptional Minds class of 2018. He is certified in Adobe Animate and Adobe Photoshop. He now works as an artist in the EM Animation Studio. Outside of EM, Stephen has created his own 2D animated series called "Ethan, Nathan, Larry and Elmer". He has done professional art work for "Martin the Fartin Mummy" books 1 and 2. His character designs were also used in the Momentous Insurance company holiday card.
Mason Taylor is a Visual Effects Artist and 3-D modeler. He is a recent graduate of Exceptional Minds and earned Adobe accreditations in Flash, Photoshop, Dreamweaver, and Premiere Pro. Currently employed by Exceptional Minds Studio doing visual effects work, Mason is known as “The Machine” and can crank out shot after shot at a rapid pace.
Andrew Turney is a 2D character designer and cleanup animator. He has a huge interest in movies and cartoons. He worked on the animation for the Anti-Bully vine for Cartoon Network, The “LA Zoo 50th Anniversary” bumper and took part in tracing the backgrounds on "Maizy's Song" for BJ Leiderman. He graduated in 2018 and is currently employed at the Exceptional Minds Animation Studio.
Jack is a graduate of Exceptional Minds, class of 2018. He is certified in Adobe Photoshop. He currently works as an artist and rigger in the Studio. Using Spine software, he creates animation and rigging for mobile games.
Bio coming soon. E-Mail: alyssa@exceptionalmindsstudio.org
Mr. Shladovsky is general counsel of Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors and serves as secretary of Kayne Anderson MLP Investment Company (KYN), Kayne Anderson Energy Total Return Fund (KYE), Kayne Anderson Energy Development Company (KED) and Kayne Anderson Midstream/Energy Fund (KMF).
Prior to joining Kayne Anderson in 1997, Mr. Shladovsky was in the private practice of corporate and securities law, most recently as corporate counsel to Hughes Hubbard & Reed, LLP.
Mr. Shladovsky earned a B.A. in Economics from Brandeis University and a J.D. from the Boston University School of Law in 1985, where he served as a member of the Boston University Law Review. He has been a member of the California Bar Association since 1985.
Yudi Bennett is a passionate advocate for all those with special needs, especially young adults with autism. She is the co-founder and past director of Exceptional Minds. Yudi comes from the motion picture world. She has been a member of the Directors Guild of America since 1978 and received their Frank Capra Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003. She is also a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences with credits in over 30 movies, including “Broadcast News” and “Kramer vs. Kramer.” She is the founder and past president of Foothill Autism Alliance and currently serves on the FAA board as well as on the board of the Uniquely Abled Project.
Yudi is inspired everyday by her son, Noah Schneider, a young animator who was diagnosed with ASD in 1997. She is fond of quoting Margaret Mead: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” Her dream is to see all young adults with autism in meaningful jobs, leading independent and productive lives.
Ms. Turney has been at Amgen for over 20 years and has held a wide variety of roles with increasing responsibility and leadership within Manufacturing, Engineering, EH&S, R&D, and Quality. She currently manages Amgen’s External Supply organization supporting over $5B in annual product sales along with enabling Amgen’s R&D pipeline for new product development. Her team is responsible for over 250 Raw Material and Medical Device Suppliers worldwide and 55 contract manufacturing sites spanning 10 countries.
Prior to this role, Ms. Turney led Amgen’s Manufacturing Site Operations in The Netherlands, where she was responsible for supplying patients in over 75 countries. “Parent of the Year 2001”– Ventura County Autism Society.
Ms. Turney serves on the Exceptional Minds Board of Directors as Treasurer and is a member of the LA BioMed Board. She has a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the US Naval Academy and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from UCLA’s Anderson School of Management. Prior to her career at Amgen, Ms. Turney was a US Naval Aviator and served in the US Navy in various locations around the world.
Ron has had a stellar career in business and advertising. For thirty years he worked at J. Walter Thompson, one of the largest advertising agencies in the world. He joined the firm as a young account executive and worked his way up to Group President and CEO, North America. Along the way, Ron was General Manager of the Melbourne office, President and CEO of the Canada office, and ultimately JWT's President, Global Business. Ron was born in Halifax and spent his early years in Victoria, British Columbia. He received his B.A. in psychology from the University of Michigan and did post-graduate studies at the University of London. Ron currently lives in Santa Barbara, CA with his wife, Sally. Their two daughters, Eliza and Mollie Burns Keith live in Los Angeles and are partners in an estate and contemporary jewelry company. Mollie is the proud mom of PK and Campbell. Ron's son, David, lives in Greenwich, CT with wife Susan and their son Andrew. Ron is on the Executive Committee of the International Tennis Hall of Fame as well serving as the Fundraising Sponsorship Co-Chair for Exceptional Minds.
Over Michael’s career as a Human Resources Executive, he has held various leadership positions in Business and Human Resources in Telecommunications, Biotechnology and Defense industries. Michael has been employed by GTE, Amgen, and is currently with Northrop Grumman. Throughout his career Michael has developed an expertise in Strategic Planning, Organizational Development, Leadership Development, Mergers and Acquisitions, International Human Resources and Labor Relations. Michael joined Amgen Biotechnology as a senior leader in Talent Acquisition and then transitioned into HR Business leadership roles in Finance, Information Systems, Law, and Global Operations. At Northrop Grumman, he is the Senior Human Resources Business Leader for Global Operations in Aerospace Systems. Michael earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Redlands. He also holds several Executive Human Resources credentials from The Ross School of Business, University of Michigan, UCLA Anderson School of Management Business School, and USC Marshall Business School.
Susan Capps is Executive Director for International Health Policy at Amgen, Inc. She and her team are responsible for developing corporate policy positions for key therapeutic areas as well as for overall healthcare issues affecting patient access and health outcomes. Additionally, she is responsible for developing Amgen’s Access to Medicine program serving low-to-low/middle income patients.
Ms. Capps has 25+ years in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries, dedicated to evolving areas of market access, pricing, and health policy. In addition to global experience, Susan previously managed market access activities/strategies in two regions: Latin America/Canada and Japan/Asia-Pacific. This work included the development of new value, access and policy teams in multiple country offices as part of Amgen’s expansion into these regions. Prior to joining Amgen, Susan held positions at Eli Lilly and Company as well as at IMS Health.
Richard Gasparian is a Director, Writer, and Producer who is equally at home in the worlds of animation and live-action. With two Emmy Award nominations and one Emmy win for his work on the iconic TV series, The Simpsons, Gasparian’s animation credits are vast. His resume includes Disenchantment, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, The Simpsons Movie, Family Guy, King of the Hill, and Dragon Tales, as well as hundreds of hours of Saturday morning cartoons. He has worked at many of the top Los Angeles animation studios including FOX, Film Roman, Bento Box, Rough Draft, Disney, Warner Bros., and Columbia TriStar. He directed and co-wrote the award-winning live-action short, Private War, which screened at the Cannes Film Festival. He also produced the short “dog-umentary,” The Corgi Conspiracy, which won the coveted Director’s Choice Award at the Atlanta Film Festival. Gasparian co-wrote, co-produced, and stars in the soon-to-be-released cult-classic horror-comedy, The Night They Saved Siegfried’s Brain.
Dan Glasser is the founder of Brigantine Holdings LLC, a media services consultancy. His company has defined multi-platform messaging for an Artificial Intelligence company, provided strategic guidance for a Rogers and Cowan content start-up, and served as an expert consultant on technological industry trends and digital transformation. He has extensive experience in business development, operations, strategy, revenue generation, and content production for both start-up and growth organizations.
Prior to creating his own business, Dan served as the CEO for Film Solutions: an entertainment digital assets management provider in Los Angeles. He has held executive leadership roles in media service companies on both coasts. Glasser holds degrees from Vanderbilt University and the UCLA Anderson School of Business. He also serves on boards for the Thomas Sherak MS Hope Foundation, GRFF at Chicago Community Trust, and the D&R Foundation in Chicago.
Michele Carbonell is a homemaker and mother of four children. Michele's son Dylan was diagnosed with Autism in 1996. Since then, Michele has dedicated herself to the treatment and education of her son while raising three other children. Michele has attended a wide array of conferences dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of Autistic Spectrum Disorders. Prior to starting a family, Michele was a software engineer and project manager with Washington Consulting Group and CRW both providers of information technology and systems for the U.S. Government. Before attending business school Michele was an engineer with Schlumberger in Paris, France. Michele served as a member of the board of the National Capital Chapter of Autism Speaks from 2008-2016 and chaired the board from 2012-2016. Michele is also co-founder of the Nelson and Michele Carbonell Family Foundation. The foundation recently endowed the director position of the Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders Institute (ANDI) at the George Washington University. Michele holds a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Duke University and an MBA from Georgetown University.
Mollie has been in the jewelry appraisal business since 1995. As a specialist in fine jewelry and gemstones, Mollie began her career at Christie's New York, where she served as Assistant Vice President and Head of Christie's East Jewelry Department. She subsequently was promoted to Vice President and Senior Specialist of Christie's Los Angeles offices, and was also stationed in Christie's Hong Kong and London offices. She has most recently worked as a Senior Specialist at Bonhams & Butterfields in Los Angeles. She now runs her own company with her sister Eliza Burns buying and selling antique and contemporary jewelry; she also works as a freelance consultant and advisor to trust attorneys, auction houses and private buyers. Mollie earned her B.F.A. in Art History from New York University, as well as her Graduate Gemologist and Jeweler degrees from the Gemological Institute of America, California. Born in London and raised in Australia, Mollie now resides in Los Angeles, California with her two children. PK, aged 10, is an animator and was diagnosed with autism at 2 1/2 years of age.
Janet Sandoval is the director of community investment for Avery Dennison and its Foundation. Ms. Sandoval manages the Foundation’s grant programs, including the Global Grantmaking Initiatives and Granting Wishes program. She oversees employee volunteerism activities – a critical focus of the corporation’s employee engagement initiative – and acts as lead for large-scale employee volunteer projects, such as Employee Giving Campaigns and Employee Volunteer Days.
Prior to joining Avery Dennison Foundation, she was a communications associate at The California Wellness Foundation, where she provided support in the areas of marketing communications and media relations.
She is an active member of Business for Social Responsibility, Environmental Grantmakers Association and Southern California Grantmakers. In addition to Exceptional Mind’s Board, she currently serves on Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy's national Board, and the YMCA of Glendale.
Ms. Sandoval earned her BS in business with an emphasis in communications from the University of Phoenix. She lives in Southern California with her husband and their two children.
Bob has over 20 years of experience as a Creative Leader and Entrepreneur in the game industry.
His key skills are being an Entrepreneur, Producer, Game Maker, Art/Game Director, Creative Problem Solver, Occasional Mediator, Mentor and Empath. He loves his Family, Friends, Movies, Music, Wine, Laughter, Playing instruments, Games, Art, Tech, Business and despite his joy of people he has a fear of public speaking! (He's working on it) In 2008, he co-founded ngmoco:) a Future Entertainment Company that specializes in creating Social Mobile Games that unite and delight the world. With over 100m downloads and over 15 hit games, including We Rule, God Finger, Rolando, Topple and Mazefinger, they have become one of the key companies in the mobile game industry. They were acquired in 2010 by DeNA: The leading Social Mobile company in the world. Bob plays an ongoing global role as CCO across that quickly expanding business. Prior to ngmoco, his games have appeared on nearly every major platform in the history of the industry, working with major partners like EA, THQ, Sony, Nintendo, Microsoft, Virgin, Activision and SEGA.
Helen Wu is a co-founder of Exceptional Minds, and served as Board Chair for the first six years of the organization's existence. Her son Aaron, a young adult with autism, is a gifted pianist and music aficionado. One of her most meaningful achievements is co-creating a successful independent housing alternative for Aaron as well as other students in the EM program. She is a senior partner with J. Arthur Greenfield & Co. LLP, CPA’s, in Westwood, CA. She serves as a trusted advisor to high net worth individuals, closely held businesses, as well as many non-profit organizations. Helen is also a founding board member of Jazz Hands for Autism, a community based music-centric public charity which provides performance opportunities, vocational training, meaningful social integration, and paid gig opportunities to young adults on the autism spectrum.
Ed is one of America’s most loved film, television, stage, and voice actors. Winner of seven Emmy Awards, he is well known for his role as Lou Grant on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and its spin-off series, Lou Grant. A former president of the Screen Actors Guild, Mr. Asner received their Life Achievement Award in 2001. In 2003, he was inducted into the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame. He most recently won critical acclaim as the voice of Carl Fredricksen in the Academy Award-winning Pixar film, Up. As a parent and a grandparent of children with autism, he has become one of the leading champions for Autism-related causes.
Marcia has worked in the non-profit field for the past fifteen years. She is currently the Director of Advancement at Campbell Hall, an independent K-12 school in Los Angeles. She has worked in the advancement field for The Archer School for Girls, The Los Angeles Leadership Academy, and the Hollywood Community Housing Organization. Prior to her work in the non-profit field, Marcia worked in the casting arena for CBS and Warner Bros. Television.
Ellen is an investor and philanthropist. A primary focus of her charitable efforts are directed towards making impactful and long term positive changes in the lives of individuals with disabilities through creative solutions. Ellen and her husband, Gary, were pioneering early funders of Exceptional Minds. Ellen's continued support has provided unique hands-on work opportunities for both students and graduates of EM.
In his role as Executive Vice President, Global Distribution, at The Jim Henson Company, Richard leads the company's financing and sale of content to all platforms, including television, home entertainment and digital media worldwide and oversees all aspects of the company's multi-platform channel, Jim Henson Family TV.
Prior to Henson, Richard was Senior Vice President, New Initiatives, for Warner Bros. Entertainment where he oversaw international distribution for Warner Bros. Animation's current television series, including "Batman", "Looney Tunes" and "Scooby-Doo!", and led global business development initiatives and re-development of classic animation brands.
Previously, Richard was Vice President of Programming for investment company Chartwell Partners, which controlled Spanish media group Univision Communications. He was also President and Co-Owner of Hollywood Ventures Corporation, a leading distributor of preschool television series worldwide, where Richard also produced the feature film "Jack Frost" for Warner Bros. and owned and operated two record labels with Warner Bros. Records.
Goldsmith has a BA from the University of Pennsylvania, Annenberg School for Communication. He also attended the University of Southern California’s Cinema-Television School and is now a member of the faculty where he teaches graduate students The Business of Animation.
Bob received his BA degree, Cum Laude, in Communication Arts from Loyola Marymount University. "Bob" began his career at CBS film studios as a post production executive and was Director of Post Production at HBO Pictures from 1986 to 1990. He served as Director of Post Production at Disney/Hollywood Pictures from 1990 to 1992 during the Eisner/Katzenberg heyday. Since that time, Bob has amassed more than 35 feature credits as a freelance post supervisor and consultant for major studios and independent producers. His credits include Milk, Good Will Hunting, The Wedding Singer, Happy Gilmore and Rounders. He was credited as the main visual effects producer on American Hustle, Death Sentence, Middle Men, and Lawless. Bob also has multiple music credits as a writer, arranger and producer on films like Broke Back Mountain, The Wedding Planner and Taking Woodstock. He and his wife, Yvonne, have been active with EM since its inception.
After graduating from the University of Rochester in 1980 with a degree in Fine Art and Science, Mike Kanfer began his career in visual effects in New York as a graphic artist and motion control camera operator at CHARLEX, Inc. In 1993, he joined the founders of Digital Domain in LA to work on VFX for feature films. In 1995, Mike was nominated for an Academy Award for VFX on "Apollo 13," and shared the Academy Award for VFX on "Titanic" in 1998. Other credits include "Interview With The Vampire," "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," "Sky Captain and The World of Tomorrow," and "Superman Returns." Realizing that digital technology was not only revolutionizing VFX, but the entire film production process, Mike used his color and imaging expertise to help implement some of the first Digital Intermediates done by EFILM Hollywood.
In 2005, Mike joined Adobe where he is currently a Senior Solutions Consultant specializing in digital production technology and workflows for motion pictures and video. Over a four-year period, he conceived and executed the technical marketing and web video campaign for the promotion of Adobe technology as used by James Cameron's team on "AVATAR." Recent projects include leading Adobe’s technical and marketing support for director David Fincher’s editorial team on “The Social Network” and “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo” andassisting the product development and engineering teams with the development of Adobe's roadmap for VFX, color correction, and editing platforms.
website: www.adobe.com
Sam is the CEO and founder of Stargate Studios, a state-of-the-art visual effects production company that has been around for over 25 years. Headquartered in South Pasadena, Stargate now has eight studios around the world.
As Stargate's principal Director, Cinematographer and VFX Supervisor, Sam draws from his extensive expertise in film, television and visual effects to lead roughly 150 talented producers, CGI artists and technicians. A graduate of the UCLA graduate school of Fine Arts, Sam has been involved in film and television production for over 35 years. Since his first experience as on-set VFX Supervisor on Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Sam has continued to work on groundbreaking projects like CSI, Heroes, and The Walking Dead. As an acclaimed member of the visual effects community, showcased by his Emmy Award for TNT's Nightmares & Dreamscapes: Battlegound and VES Award for NBC's ER, Sam has built Stargate into an international leader in digital imaging for high concept television, feature films and commercials.
As CEO of Stargate Studios, Sam has built a dynamic international network of production partners interconnected with Stargate's proprietary Virtual Operating System (VOS) which seamlessly integrates the entire Stargate global network of VFX studios. As a cinematographer, Sam created Stargate's "Virtual Backlot," one of the most extensive stock footage "environment" libraries that continues to expand every day.
Sam Nicholson is a member of the American Society of Cinematographers, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, a member of the Directors Guild of America, an IA Director of Photography, a Canon "Explorer of Light," and a multiple award-winning member of the Visual Effects Society.
Dr. Ricki Robinson is co-director of Descanso Medical Center for Development and Learning in La Canada, California. She is a Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the Keck School Medicine of USC and Senior Attending Physician at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles. She has been in private pediatric practice for over 30 years, specializing in children with developmental delays for over twenty years.
Dr. Robinson received her M.D. degree in 1973 from the University of Southern California. She trained in pediatrics at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, having served as Chief Pediatric Resident for CHLA in 1976. She is Board Certified in Pediatrics. In 1988 she received her MPH from the University of California at Berkeley School of Public Health.
Dr. Robinson has been actively involved in the field of autism since 1990, developing multidisciplinary educational and medical programs for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and devoting endless hours in education, legislation and research efforts on a national level. She is a founding board member of Cure Autism Now (now Autism Speaks) and the Interdisciplinary Council on Developmental and Learning Disorders (ICDL), and currently serves on the Scientific Review Panel of Autism Speaks, the world’s largest autism advocacy organization. Dr. Robinson organized and chaired the first nationally recognized task force to define the standard of care for clinical trials in autism.
website: www.drrickirobinson.com
Felice Rosen is a Partner at Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors. Ms. Rosen has managed human resources in the investment industry for approximately 20 years. She is also a member of the Board of Directors for the PAP Corps, Boca Point Chapter. The PAP Corps champions Cancer Research and is one of the largest all-volunteer fundraising organizations in South Florida.
Ms. Rosen and her husband have boy/girl twins entering college and reside in Boca Raton, Florida. The family would not be complete without their two wheaten terriers, Stevie and Mr. Tibbs.
Co-Founder and Executive Director, The Aerospace & Defense Forum Founder and Executive Director, The Uniquely Abled Project.
Ivan has over 35 years experience as a management consultant, working with aerospace, engineering, and scientific organizations. His clients have included NASA HQ, three NASA centers, 19 robotic space missions, ground-based and space telescopes, a number of entertainment companies, and the Entertainment Technology Center @ USC (which focuses on the impact of new technology on the entertainment industry).
In addition to being a consultant, Ivan has been a software engineer, a university professor, founder of a software company (now over 35 years old), an IT consultant, and vice-president of an international franchisor. He co-founded and leads the 1600+ member Aerospace & Defense Forum. His extensive non-profit activities include being on the Boards of Technology for Results in Elementary Education, the Hewlett-Packard International Users Group, the Association for Strategic Planning, the Institute of Management Consultants, a local council of the Boy Scouts, and the California Wildlife Center.
Ivan was on the Exceptional Minds Board from 2012 to 2015. Arising in large part from this experience, in 2013 Ivan founded The Uniquely Abled Project, whose purpose is to shift the societal paradigm from “disabled” to “uniquely abled”. The UA Project’s programs focus on matching the needed skills of jobs in demand to the typical characteristics of specific diagnosis. Currently the Uniquely Abled Academy is providing CNC (computer numerically controlled) manufacturing machine operator training to those with high functioning autism.
Ivan has Bachelor’s degrees in Electrical Engineering, Master’s degrees in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and a Ph.D. in Management.
He is married to Exceptional Minds Board member Cathee Weiss, with whom he is raising two autistic children.
Mike founded Three Foot Giant in 2006, a creative production company which produces Film / TV and Music Videos. Projects have included the 2011 Grammy Nominated Film The White Stripes Under Great White Northern Lights, 40 Episode TV series for Drew Carey’s Improv-A-Ganza, and music projects for a wide variety of artists such as, The White Stripes, Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez, Jack Johnson, Miley Cyrus, Jonas Brothers, Age, and 2007 VMA Video of the Year, Rhianna featuring / Jay Z Umbrella.
Mike’s career started while in college, working as a production manager for promoter Bill Silva Presents. After graduation he landed a job at A Band Apart, Quentin Tarantino and Lawrence Bender’s production company, eventually becoming an Executive Producer of their Music Video Division at the age of 25. For four years he produced countless award winning projects with a wide variety of directors. In 2002 Mike worked at Epic Records as their Video Commissioner, working with artists such as Tori Amos, Audioslave, and Jennifer Lopez. Two years later he moved out of the label to become the Executive Producer at Partizan working with award winning directors Michel Gondry & Alex & Martin before starting Three Foot Giant.
website: www.threefootgiant.com
For four decades, Valerie Vanaman has represented people who need help obtaining services from private and governmental agencies, providing knowledgeable and compassionate legal representation to families with special situations.
Since entering private practice in 1980, Valerie has become an acknowledged leader in providing representation for individuals challenged with disabilities and for their families, securing for her clients a basic education, as well as their rights under such programs as Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Social Security Act, Supplemental Security Income Act, Americans With Disabilities Act and the Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Services Act.
In addition to an impressive track record (with an overwhelming number of her cases falling into the "win" column), Ms. Vanaman’s credentials are equally strong. She is a member of the Bar of the U.S. Supreme Court, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal and the Federal District Courts for the Central, Northern and Southern Districts of California, as well as the California, Ohio and Massachusetts State Bars. Valerie received her undergraduate and law school education at Ohio State University. She served as a teaching fellow at Harvard Law School and as an attorney for such public interest organizations as the Children's Defense Fund.
website: www.navlaw.net
Cathee has been a strategic communications consultant and producer in the nonprofit and political world for the last 2 decades. Through her company, REEL LIFE STORY she provides organizations with outreach campaigns designed to inspire and engage participation. Her background includes producing videos for well over 30 nonprofits as well as for the Democratic National Committee, including, "The Man From Hope" and five subsequent videos for the Clinton Administration. She is the mother of two children with autism.
David was named President, Digital for Fox Broadcasting Company (FOX) in October 2011. In this role, Wertheimer is responsible for the network’s strategy, operations and ventures in digital entertainment and emerging media platforms, including audience engagement through social networks, online viewing, websites, apps, games and digital network incubation.
David’s career has revolved around producing content, developing new technologies, and managing organizations (ranging from start-ups to divisions within publicly traded companies) for over 15 years.
Prior to joining FOX, Wertheimer was the CEO & Executive Director of the Entertainment Technology Center at USC and was the first president of Paramount Digital Entertainment.
In addition, Wertheimer was previously the founder and CEO of WireBreak Entertainment, one of the first multi-platform content studios; Executive Director of the Institute for Creative Technologies; and worked with Steve Jobs at NeXT.
Steve is a senior visual effects compositing artist with over 20 years of production experience on over 70 feature films. Since 2005 He has been a master trainer traveling around the world conducting VFX compositing training for major studios such as Disney Feature Animation, Prime Focus, Reliance MediaWorks, Pixar Animation and many more. Steve has published two popular books on compositing that are available on Amazon.com and produces training programs and conducts classes and workshops both online and location based. He has also produced many Nuke tutorials for The Foundry’s website as well as Mocha for Imagineer Systems and Particular for Red Giant. His tutorials have won two Telly awards and he is a member of the Visual Effects Society (VES) and the Digital Cinema Society (DCS).
website: www.vfxio.com
