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 

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

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!

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.

Christian H Lopez-Moreno – Executive Board Member At Large

Christian H Lopez-Moreno was born in Mexico City in 1972, He immigrated to South California in the mid 90’s. He moved to Tacoma WA in 1999, and for the last 15 years He has been a volunteer activist at Oneamerica, one of the largest organizations in Washington State that advocates for immigrants and refugees, in 2013 Christian completed a nine session Scripture and Leadership Training at the Theology Faculty in Seattle University, and in 2014 was accepted to be a fellow with the Jane Fellowship Program from The Russell Family Foundation in Pierce County. Christian is a Radio Show Producer and the Program Coordinator at Voice Tacoma Radio Universal, an online radio station based in Tacoma Washington, he also coordinates the station 106.5 LP-FM One America Voice in South King County.

MEANINGFUL MOVIES PROJECT STAFF

Melinda Raebyne – Executive Director

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 ADMINISTRATIVE TEAM

Kuzivakwashe Fungai Kahari – Administrative Assistant Volunteer

Kuzivakwashe Fungai Kahari s dedicated youth empowerment advocate based in Johannesburg, South Africa, passionate about social causes like mental health, climate action, and education equity. He works to inspire and mobilize young people to create positive changes in their communities. Fungai believe that empowering youth is key to building a more resilient and inclusive world.

Paul Jackson – Digital Artivist Volunteer

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.

MMP Marketing TEAM

Abby Lin – Media Content and Social Media Volunteer

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!

Karan Khanna – Social Media and Zoom Tech Volunteer

Karan Khanna is driven by the belief that data, when understood and acted upon, can be a powerful tool for meaningful change. Karan brings years of experience in financial modelling, consumer insights, and data-driven storytelling to help organizations make smarter, more strategic decisions. Karan’s work blends analytical rigor with a passion for impact. Karan holds three degrees’ a BSC in Economics, MBA in finance and a Masters of data analytics.

MMP MEDIA TEAM

T. J. Hemmen – Meaningful Movies Media Volunteer

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 Blogger and Film Committee Volunteer

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.

WE REMEMBER & HONOR Tech Intern Charlie Calvert – Meaningful Movies 

Charlie Calvert is retired now. He worked in various computer related companies and institutions including Borland, Microsoft, and Bellevue College. Charlie’s work has focused on training or teaching application and web development with a variety of programming languages on a variety of computer platforms.  His favorite activities include hiking, snow-shoeing, swimming, reading and watching movies. He also likes to write.

Meaningful Movies High School Interns

Erika – Meaningful Movies High School Intern 

Erika is currently a Junior in high school with a passion for filmmaking and advocating for social justice. She is specifically interested in issues regarding gender equality, women’s rights, and climate change. She believes that documentary film is a vital part of creating social justice with its ability to humanize complex issues and current events to foster empathy and positive change in the larger community. In her free time, she loves to read murder mysteries, watch movies, and play tennis. She is so excited to be part of the Meaningful Movies Project!

Atharv – Meaningful Movies High School Intern

Atharv is a student, volunteer, and changemaker with a deep interest in sustainability, community-building, and youth empowerment. He is passionate about projects that address real-world challenges—especially those at the intersection of environmental responsibility, education, and equity. Atharv believes in the power of collaboration and creative thinking to drive meaningful impact, and he is always looking for ways to connect with others who share a vision for a better future. He brings curiosity, commitment, and a strong sense of purpose to every initiative he joins, whether it’s supporting nonprofits, engaging in public service, or working on grassroots campaigns. Atharv is excited to be part of a community that values conversation, action, and connection—and he’s grateful for the opportunity to contribute and grow alongside others.

Lily – Meaningful Movies High School Intern 

Lily is a Senior in High School who has always had a love of films and filmmaking. She believes that social justice films are one of the best outlets to enlighten the public on pressing issues of inequality by beautifully mixing art and advocacy. Lily feels as though with the knowledge of injustice comes a sense of obligation to act. Therefore, she finds it important to educate using films, a tool which is able to captivate people’s attention and emotions, in order to evoke the same sense of obligation. She hopes that in turn more people will fight to make the world a safe, peaceful, and just place. Lily enjoys listening to music, watching movies, and creating art when she has free time, and is thrilled to be a part of 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.

Honoring Anne Miller – First MMP Manager and Former Executive Board Member At Large & MM MT Baker Lead

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.