Board of Directors
Janet Batchler
Janet Batchler is a screenwriter, a consultant, and a writing professor at USC's School of Cinematic Arts. Best known for Batman Forever, she has also spent time behind the camera as a director and producer. Born in Hollywood, she is committed to the city of Los Angeles through her volunteer work with Radius Church. She lives in Sherman Oaks with her family, all of whom are also artists.
Nan McNamara Schnebly
Nan McNamara Schnebly has won numerous awards in Los Angeles for her work in theatre – both as actor and director. Her television work includes appearances on Hawaii Five-0, Criminal Minds, Major Crimes and many others. Her screenplay (with co-writer Ana Auther), Homerun Christmas, is currently in pre-production. She also enjoys a vibrant career in voiceover and has recorded over 100 audiobooks. A native of St. Paul, MN, she is active in her church working with lectors who proclaim Scripture. She is married and lives in Glendale.
Storme Wood
Storme Wood is the Video Production Manager for Feed the Children and has spent over 20 years creating content for nonprofits. In doing so, Storme travels the world, and he loves seeing firsthand the positive change in people’s lives that he and his co-workers are making. Storme is also the director of the award-winning film Paradise Recovered. He spends his mornings consuming copious amounts of his self-roasted coffee and his evenings in front of the TV sharing his passion for film with his wife and two children.
Tricia Loper
Tricia Loper is a Realtor with Compass, serving the greater Northeast Los Angeles Area. After a 20+ year career spanning automotive, high tech, law, and entertainment, she discovered that real estate afforded her the precious time to volunteer and contribute to her community. She regularly volunteers at Theodore Payne Foundation, promoting the benefit of native plants and participates annually in the Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count - https://www.theycountwillyou.org/
Phyllis Harb
Phyllis Harb is a Glendale native who has volunteered with many local charities, such as Glendale YWCA, Pasadena Ronald Mc Donald House, and the Italian Catholic Federation. An active member of St. Bede the Venerable Church in La Canada, she enjoys assisting with one of their oldest outreach ministries. This group prepares and delivers over 1000 lunches weekly to those in need in downtown LA. Phyllis, and her husband George reside in La Canada. She has been a local Realtor for thirty years and currently works for Coldwell Banker.
Tom Provost
(Founder, not on the Board)
Tom Provost co-wrote Under Suspicion starring Oscar winners Morgan Freeman and Gene Hackman. It was nominated for an Edgar Award. He wrote and directed The Presence starring Oscar winner Mira Sorvino. The film won numerous Best Picture and Best Director awards. An Emmy-nominated TV editor, he is also an honors graduate from UT Austin. His websites are cinemalanguage.org and onfoodandfilm.com
Robert Gonnella
Rob Gonnella was owner of New Alliance East Mastering in Boston, MA, where he worked on close to two thousand albums. He was a Software Engineer at Oblong Industries in Los Angeles and currently is a Software Engineer at Excel Consulting, based in Washington, D.C. He also works as a Volunteer Software Engineer helping on web applications for a nonprofit organization called HomestretchVA.
Diederik van Hoogstraten
Diederik is a screenwriter, author and journalist. Having grown up in the Netherlands he’s spent his adult life in New York and, since 2012, Los Angeles. He is a member of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, host of the Golden Globes. Diederik lives in Manhattan Beach with his wife and children.
Sheila Umphrey
Sheila Umphrey has been the owner of the Decorating Depot, Inc. in Port Arthur, TX for 30 years. She is on the Christus Saint Elizabeth Hospital Foundation Board in Beaumont, Texas, The Foundation Board of Lamar State College Port Arthur, Port Arthur, TX and on the Holding Board of Community Bank of Southeast Texas in Beaumont, Texas. She helped create the Sheila & Walter Umphrey Law School at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, the Sheila Umphrey Recreational Center at Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas, and the Sheila McCarthy Umphrey Industrial Technology Center at Lamar State College Port Arthur, In Port Arthur, Texas. She is married to Walter Umphrey Attorney. They have two children, Paige Logsdon and Bart Umphrey, and eight grand children.