BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Ren Dietel – Executive Board Chair

Ren’s former work as a middle school educator and outdoor education leader for almost 20 years fueled her passion for youth and protection of the environment. She now uses both a social justice and environmental lens in her work as a philanthropic advisor to individual and family foundations, both domestically and internationally. Ren has worked extensively with Native-led nonprofits on reservations as well as women-led and designed programs providing energy access to families at the bottom of the pyramid around the world. She enjoys attending Mt Baker Meaningful Movies and is elated to be joining the board.

Jack Fogelberg – Executive Board Vice-Chair and a volunteer with Meaningful Movies in Wallingford & Meaningful Movies of Issaquah

Jack first attended the Meaningful Movies in 2008 and has been a Film Committee member since 2009 with a break from 2011 through 2014 when he resided in North Carolina and started a documentary film group there. He has been the Vice-Chair of the Meaningful Movies Project since its establishment in 2012. He is a Mechanical Engineer and lives in Seattle. He has two kids in college so we have to watch the donation cans around him. He likes motorcycles and waffles with hot tamales.

Anne Miller – Executive Board Member At Large and a volunteer with MT Baker Meaningful Movie in Seattle

Anne Miller is an educator, activist and mother. She is a founding member of the South Seattle Climate Action Network and the Mt Baker Meaningful Movies. She works with these groups and numerous others to try and support individuals and organizations who are leading the conversation around equity and the environment. Anne has worked with hundreds of students.  First, as a Peace Corps teacher at a vocational school in the Solomon Islands, then as a second-grade teacher in the Kent School District and finally, a teacher-librarian in the Seattle School District. The importance of protecting vulnerable peoples and our environment was an integral part of her teaching. Anne was born and raised in Washington State and now lives in South Seattle with her husband and daughters.

Fernando Betancourt – Executive Board Member At Large

An aspiring filmmaker and a film student at Humboldt State University, Fernando started working with MMP as an intern in early 2020. He fell in love with the organization almost immediately and was a co-leader at the Renton Library venue. Fernando continues to work behind the scenes on MMP’s social media accounts and hopes to spread the word about MMP in his new home in Arcata, California!

Diane Gordon – Executive Board Secretary; Also a volunteer with Everett Meaningful Movies

Diane retired as the Finance Director from Meridian School in Wallingford. She has had over 50 years of experience in financial management for private business, government and non-profit organizations. She also has a long history of volunteering both locally and nationally and has served on many boards. Although she has only been with MMP for two years, she is very passionate about the mission and has taken on the bookkeeping role and serves as the Board Secretary. She has three grandchildren on Mercer Island and three in Avon Lake, Ohio!

Molly Weisel – Executive Board Member At Large

Molly serves as Associate Rabbi and Director of Education at Temple B’nai Torah in Bellevue. She lives in Lynnwood with her husband and two children. She is passionate about access to education and pursuing social justice, particularly in the realm of environmental justice. Her husband, Noah, is currently pursuing an M.F.A. in Cinema from SFSU.

Libby Carr – Executive Board Member At Large

Libby has been an environmental and political activist for much of her life.  Right after graduating from the UO, she was fortunate enough to land a year long position with the Sierra Club which took her to many parts of Washington organizing SC volunteers wanting to save wilderness in the national forest system and Hells Canyon by preserving it in the Wild & Scenic Rivers Act. After ten years in social services, Libby joined the corporate world in sales and marketing in telecommunications, and later in the insurance industry.  For over 25 years, she has had her own practice s an independent life insurance agent. Her best work was that of Mom and now Nona (Italian for grandmother) and has four beautiful grand girls who live nearby.  Libby, like most of us, has deep concerns about what we are doing to the planet and what condition we will be leaving it in for our grandchildren and beyond.  She recently met Scott Henson and became familiar with Project Drawdown and the documentary 2040. While working as the campaign manager for WAmend (the first year) she met Rick Turner and spoke at one of the MMP film events in Wallingford.   She has long thought that Rick’s vision has provided a significant public service with MMP inspiring community groups to show films addressing social justice issues.

Sylvia Sepulveda – Executive Board Member At Large

Born and raised in the Los Angeles, California area, she’s a longtime practitioner, organizer, and facilitator of contemplative group practices such as Centering and Welcoming Prayer, Contemplative Creativity, and Mindful Poetry, most recently for the Episcopal Diocese of Olympia, WA, where she also manages the Meaningful Movie Offered by ECWW venue. She currently serves on the ECWW Bishop Nedi Rivera Latino Ministry Fund Advisory Committee, the Diocesan Nominations Committee, the BIPOC 2% Working Group, as well as the boards of on-profits, Underhill House and Meaningful Movies Project. She will be a mentor for the 2022-24 Haden Institute Spiritual Direction program.

In her spare time, Sylvia enjoys reading and writing fiction and poetry, knitting, walking in the PNW forestlands, hanging out with her four cats, attending concerts with her husband Scott, and traveling as a family with their young adult children, Sara and Sinjin.

Justin Avellar – Executive Board Member At Large

Justin Avellar is a lawyer who helps small businesses, nonprofits and individuals with contracts, agreements and business/nonprofit formation and governance. He is also knowledgeable about government and environmental law. After working for an international law firm in New York City, Justin decided he wanted the opportunity to make a positive, local impact. He opened up his own law firm, Avellar PLLC, in Seattle and has never looked back.

Justin is committed to giving back. In addition to being a board member at Meaningful Movies Project, he is an active volunteer and board chair at Sustainable NE Seattle (the parent org of the NE Seattle Tool Library) and a regular volunteer with Communities Rise and Washington Lawyers for the Arts. In his free time, Justin enjoys gardening, discussing sustainability, cooking and outdoor activities with his spouse and dogs. He earned a BA from Tulane University and JD from the University of Chicago Law School. He has lived all over the US and is thrilled to call the PNW his home.

MMP STAFF

Melinda Raebyne – Manager

Melinda Raebyne is inspired by the saying “great art doesn’t just capture the moment; it allows you to feel it. A Tacoma-based filmmaker, Melinda is excited to lead the network into its third decade of using films to inform, inspire and engage communities to take on the critical and urgent issues we face as a society. In 2020, Melinda won the Meaningful Movies Project Turner Legacy Award for this film. STORIES OF US: CAMP SECOND CHANCE was also awarded the Audience Choice Award at the 2019 Tacoma Film Festival. Melinda currently serves on the board for Washington Lawyers for the Arts and is a member of the Washington Filmworks Leadership Council. She is a 2022 recipient of Firelight Media’s Spark Fund which provides support for established independent BIPOC documentary filmmakers.

“I am excited to join the thriving network of MMP volunteers and support its expanded reach and impact.  The power of the conversations MMP creates are more important than ever. How MMP elevates public dialogue and equips activists for advocacy and movement building will be my focus.  MMP has an important role to play in our democracy.”

MMP INTERNS

Lenka Corneanu Liptakova – Meaningful Movies Events Intern and Social Media Lead

Lenka, originally from Slovakia, has been working in the event management industry for more than 5 years. She started her professional career in Spain and in Germany. She moved to Seattle at the beginning of 2022 due to her husband’s job. Lenka joined MMP because she is passionate about bringing important topics to the public and starting a dialogue within a community. She believes communities are crucial for a sense of belonging and fulfilling one’s life. During her free time, she likes to cook and learn new languages. Currently she studies Romanian, her husband’s mother tongue.

Abby Lin – Media Content and Social Media Intern

Abby is an incoming freshman at New York University. She is on the pre-law track and is passionate about social justice. She is fascinated by the various positive and negative impacts that different forms of media, such as film, can have on politics and the world. Abby also enjoys writing fiction and nonfiction, reading, and painting. She is incredibly excited to work with the Meaningful Movies Project!

T. J. Hemmen – Meaningful Movies Tech Intern

T.J. Hemmen is a graduate of Eastern Washington University, and currently a video editor and production assistant for Baron Visuals, a local production company with a focus on inspiring change through film. He is very passionate about social justice, and climate advocacy. In his free time, he enjoys watching all kinds of films from directors he loves including Greta Gerwig, Danny Boyle, and Alfonso Cuarón. He also enjoys writing, creating art, and designing animation. He is very eager to start volunteering with the Meaningful Movies organization!

Briana Jernigan – Meaningful Movies Film Committee

Briana is a proud southerner from Little Rock, Arkansas. She is a public relations freelancer currently based in New York City and an aspiring filmmaker/screenwriter. For the past few years she’s managed to take her hobby of writing film and book reviews and turn it into a small side hustle of guest writing commentary pieces and blogging. Through this, she rediscovered her love of narrative features, shorts, and documentary films. Briana joined MMP because she believes that movies have as much of a responsibility to inform and tell important stories as they do to entertain. There are millions of diverse stories to tell, they just need an audience. In her free time, Briana likes to write fiction and plays, practice photography, read lots of books, and study new languages. She has been studying French and Spanish for years and hopes to reach full fluency soon.

Paul Jackson – Meaningful Movies Film Committee

Paul was born in Philadelphia, PA but shortly after that move to Willingboro, NJ, where his mom worked for the US Army as a civilian. This would be their home base. He would travel with her to five different states up through middle school. After graduating high school, Paul moved to Texas for college went. He would graduate with a PhD in computer engineering. Paul spent a career in R&D for Boeing helping to develop VR & AR apps for maintenance and assembly. In 2010, Paul changed careers to video production. He has recorded a wealth of conversations, events and interviews. Recently, the City of Tacoma asked him if he would donate some to their archive.

Neha Raina – Social Media Intern

Neha is originally from India and moved to Alabama in Feb’ 2023 post her marriage. She brings a deep-rooted passion for creating positive change in the world. With a genuine belief in the power of empathy and equality, Neha strives to make a difference in the lives of others. As an avid fan of thought-provoking documentaries, she finds inspiration and motivation in exploring diverse perspectives and understanding the complexities of our society. She also has a strong interest in fitness, valuing the importance of a healthy mind and body. She’s thrilled to be a part of Meaningful Movies where she can combine her love for impactful storytelling and a keen interest in digital media to create meaningful experiences for all.

Vitus – Meaningful Movies High School and Social Media Intern

Vitus is currently a sophomore in high school. He loves to help people, when possible, by volunteering and spreading awareness on social justice and climate change issues that we are facing. He also loves making art and listening to music in his free time. He is really excited to work with the Meaning Movie Project!

Akshaya – Meaningful Movies High School and Social Media Intern 

Akshaya is currently a high school junior and is passionate about creating a positive community where every individual is equally respected. She believes simple acts of kindness can have a profound impact on people’s lives. She enjoys running, baking, researching philosophy, and dancing. She is thrilled to be part of the Meaningful Movies Project and contribute to the community.

Ashia – Meaningful Movies High School and Social Media Intern 

Ashia is a passionate volunteer with organizations aiding youth with cancer, mental health, and helping spread awareness and support for vital issues, such as climate change. She brings to her role experience at event planning, knowledge of crucial current issues, and communications and organizational management experience. She holds roles as the communications director for National Youth Week USA – OMI Internationals and the Secretary of Dallas Sierra Club.

 Inspired by a school project in 5th grade, Ashia developed a deep passion for helping others and furthered her commitment to advocating through action for change. Ashia hopes to incorporate social action, especially through an environmental lens in her future career. She envisions the club growing as a powerful force for social(environmental) change, engaging a diverse range of individuals. Ashia’s ultimate goal is to inspire widespread action for social change and environmental efforts, making a lasting impact in her role with the Meaningful Movies Project.

BOARD CHAIR EMERITUS

Diane Turner – Board Chair Emeritus and a volunteer with Meaningful Movies in Wallingford
Diane has been a Film Committee member with the Wallingford group (previously known as Friday Night at the Meaningful Movies) since its beginning in 2003.  In 2017 she assumed the role of Executive Board Chair of the Meaningful Movies Project upon the death of her husband, Rick Turner, who was the creator and visionary of MMP. In 2020, Diane retired as Executive Director and from the Meaningful Movies Board. Diane is currently a board member of the local independent film company, Moving Images.