About Us

Sheryl Riley Gripper is the Founder of the Black Women Film Network, the oldest organization dedicated to preparing women for careers in the film industry and preserving the stories of marginalized women in film and digital media. Over 27 years, it has awarded more than $35,000 in scholarships. A multi-Emmy Award winner, Gripper served as Vice President of Community Relations for WXIA-TV and WATL-TV for 29 years and was the Founding Executive Director of the BronzeLens Film Festival, which promotes diversity in film. She is a graduate of Spelman College and Georgia State University.

Chiquita Lockley is producer and director of the award winning documentary, Eggs Over Easy: Black Women & Fertility (OWN 2022). She is also the producer of the award-winning documentary Kunta Kinteh Island: Coming Home Without Shackles (PBS) . She holds a BA in English from Spelman College and an MA in Film Studies from Emory University. She has the distinction of Goodwill Ambassador for the State of Georgia, awarded by former Secretary of State Cathy Cox. She currently serves as Board Chair for Black Women Film Network.

Sing Lee Lathan is the director and creative producer of Black Lion TV. She leads operations in its effort to preserve, promote, and present the arts of the African diaspora. In her most recent work, Sing directed and produced the Emmy Award Winning WNET Group All Arts special Michael Mwenso Honors George Floyd, which premiered May 25th, 2021. The episode was the network’s launch of The First Twenty, a series exploring events from the past two decades which caused shifts in the collective American consciousness, told from the narrative point of view of various artists.

Jaunice Sills McSwain is Sr. Director of DEI Production and Creative Partnerships on the NBCU LAUNCH team at NBCUniversal, where she oversees external partnerships with film festivals, non-profits, and advocacy groups committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. She develops TV programs and initiatives to increase representation across the business, including casting, production, and below-the-line roles. A creative and content-driven entertainment executive, Jaunice is widely recognized as a leader in the industry.

Salena Rochester is a Peabody Award-winning producer and writer with a decade of experience in television. She has developed and produced major unscripted series, including The Real Housewives of Atlanta & New York, Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles, Summer House: Martha’s Vineyard, and Peacock’s award-winning documentary The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks. As a former network executive for Bravo, E!, USA, Oxygen, and Peacock, Salena has built strong industry relationships and specializes in documentaries, true crime, and lifestyle programming. Her prior credits include producing for Weekend Today, MSNBC’s Election Desk, and CNBC’s Fast Money.

Lilliepearl Schultz is a recent Cum Laude and Departmental Honors graduate of Spelman College, where she majored in Documentary Filmmaking and minored in Entrepreneurship and Innovation. With a keen eye for film directing, criticism, and design philosophy, she uses visual storytelling as both an art form and a rhetorical tool. Her work focuses on creating dynamic stories that educate, promote cultural understanding, and raise awareness to combat inequality and injustice, blending her artistic vision with effective business strategies.

Mercendez Springer has served as the BWFN Short FIlm Festival Director since 2018. With over a decade of experience as a freelance television producer/director she has worked for countless major networks to include: HULU, MTV, Paramount +, Peacock, VH1 and many more. She is a member of the African American Film Critics Association as a contributing journalist where her expertise shines in critiquing new and classic cultures films through her public platform and podcast Chic Critiques.

Tracey Tooks is a dynamic entrepreneur and marketer with over 20 years of experience in the entertainment industry. Guided by her motto, "producing results by leading with service," she brings curiosity and creativity to every project, from event planning to film production. Her career began at UP Entertainment, LLC, where she developed a passion for supporting new writers. In 2011, she created and produced the UP Faith & Family Screenplay Competition in partnership with UPtv and the American Black Film Festival (ABFF). This groundbreaking competition introduced a script-to-screen model with live table reads and a one-year production cycle.

Dr. Antonio is an Associate Arts Professor in the Department of Art and Public Policy and the Senior Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives. A recipient of the 2020 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Faculty Award, she teaches courses such as Anatomy of Difference: The Other in Film, The World Through Art, and Issues in Contemporary African American Cinema. She received Curricular Development Challenge Grants for Issues in Contemporary African-American Cinema and The Summer Film & Video Program for High School Students. An Emeritus Board Member of Ghetto Film School, Dr. Antonio frequently lectures and has collaborated with organizations like Panasonic Kid Witness News and the NAACP.

Angela Cannon is the SVP of Multicultural Networks and Strategy for UP Entertainment, where she oversees the growth of aspireTV, aspireTV+, and the FAST channels aspireTV Life and Cine Romántico across distribution platforms. As a member of the Executive Team, she develops strategies to engage multicultural audiences and fosters a diverse, inclusive workplace. AspireTV celebrates Black life, style, and culture with original shows, movies, and documentaries. Under Angela's leadership, the brand has launched over 10 original programs spanning food, travel, home design, fashion, and the HBCU experience, consistently breaking viewership records year-over-year.

Wendy Credle is a creative, entrepreneurial powerhouse. During her thirty years plus tenure in the music business as an A&R Executive and Entertainment Lawyer, Wendy has played a pivotal role in the careers of several multi-platinum, Grammy award winning artists, sogwriters, and producers. In 2007, she was awarded NABFAM’s “Legal Executive of the Year”. In 2015 after starring in the WEtv Legal docuseries, Money Power Respect, Wendy launched WenPie Productions, Inc. where she created and executive produced the OWN docuseries, To Have & To Hold: Charlotte, and wrote and produced the Andre Harrell tribute “Mr. Champagne & Bubbles” for BET.

Kiara Ellozy specializes in driving revenue growth, profitability, and strategy development. As Chief Operating Officer and Partner at the Kai Kai Group, she worked with clients like UN Women, the NAACP, and Nielsen, focusing on partnerships, strategic communications, executive visibility, marketing, and event management. With extensive board exposure and advisory expertise, she brings a wealth of experience to her consulting work. As Senior Director of Strategy and Partnerships at Mischief, Kiara plays a key leadership role in developing strategy, forging partnerships, identifying growth opportunities, coordinating the senior team, and recruiting new talent.

Shannan Herbert is the Executive Vice President of Inclusive Credit at Stratyfy, a woman-led fintech company dedicated to accelerating financial inclusion by eliminating bias in financial decisions. She leads strategy and program development for Community Development Financial Institutions and community banks. Previously, Shannan served as Executive Vice President and Chief Credit Officer for City First Bank, one of the largest Black-led Community Development Financial Institutions in the U.S. With over 20 years of leadership experience, she has focused on providing capital to under-resourced groups, helping hundreds of businesses owned by people of color and women thrive through her commitment to community development and small business lending.

Constance M. Orlando is an award-winning media executive and the Executive Vice President of Specials, Music Programming & Music Strategy at BET Networks, a unit of Viacom Inc. A pop culture visionary, she oversees original programming, including scripted series and specials like Black Girls Rock!, and leads the BET News department, producing critically acclaimed specials on topics like Ferguson and Baltimore. She also launched the BET Truth Series, featuring award-winning documentaries such as Katrina 10 Years Later and Stay Woke. As Executive Producer of tentpole events like the BET Awards, the #1 cable program among African American viewers, and her work has earned nine NAACP Image Awards.

Adrianne is the Founder of Vision Corps Media Group (VCMG), a media incubation company dedicated to creating content for current and emerging media outlets. With over 20 years of experience in advertising, media, and professional development, her work focuses on creating opportunities for underrepresented communities. Adrianne has produced documentaries and television programs and was part of the launch team for a digital sub-channel network. As Executive Director of the Center for Excellence in Advertising at Howard University, her training programs propelled many advertising executives to success, including Cannes Lions award recipients. In 2017, she founded the Cannes Can: Diversity Collective to provide underrepresented communities with access to the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

Affectionately known as "The Talent Whisperer," Kimberly is a seasoned Talent Executive and Event Marketing Specialist with a talent for fostering partnerships across industries. As Senior Manager of Talent Relations for the Academy Museum in Los Angeles, she connects with Oscar winners and nominees, building and maintaining key relationships. Kimberly began her entertainment career as a talent agent assistant and quickly rose to become a trusted consultant for major brands and organizations, including BET, TV One, Walmart, Sony Films, HBO, VH1, Essence Festival, and Spelman College. Her expertise spans talent relations, event marketing, and strategic collaboration.