PVI MEDIA - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Treasurer of the Board
- Senior Program Officer at Wellspring Philanthropic Fund
As a Senior Program Officer at Wellspring Philanthropic Fund, Addison manages portions of Wellspring's human rights-focused grantmaking in Europe, Latin America and Africa, and previously managed Wellspring's external communications and internal knowledge management efforts. Prior to joining Wellspring, he held positions with the International Human Rights Funders Group (IHRFG), Funders for LGBTQ Issues, Digital Innovations Group (Web Lab, Games for Change), and the bilingual educational tool, Mesolore.org.
For over ten years David Snyder was the head creative content executive for Walt Disney Television International and a key creative force in the development, production, and programming of hundreds of hours of animation, live-action programming, and documentaries for the Walt Disney company. David also led the launch of numerous international Disney channels, as well as their branded programming blocks on major terrestrial broadcasts.
After Disney, he joined Gullane Entertainment where he produced three seasons of Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends among other shows. His programs have won numerous international awards.
Job Titles:
- Group Training Editor of the Nation Media Group
Executive Director and co-founder of the African Center for Media Excellence (ACME), Dr Peter G. Mwesige has worked as the group training editor of the Nation Media Group, East Africa's biggest multi-media company. He was in charge of newsroom training at the company's nearly dozen print and electronic media outlets in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.
A holder of a Ph.D. in mass communications from Indiana University in the United States and a master's in journalism and mass communication from the American University in Cairo, Dr Mwesige was until November 2007 the head of the Department of Mass Communication at Makerere University, Kampala, where he was also a senior lecturer.
He has previously worked as a reporter, news editor, political editor, and political columnist.
Dr Mwesige was until March 2006 the executive editor of the Nation Media Group's Kampala-based Monitor Publications Ltd, publishers of the Daily and Sunday Monitor. He was until March 2007 a member of Uganda's Media Council and the general secretary of the Uganda Newspaper Editors and Proprietors Association (UNEPA). Dr Mwesige served for two years as the first elected president of the National Institute of Journalists of Uganda (NIJU), and was a member of the Governing Council of the East African Media Institute (Uganda Chapter).
A passionate educator, school leader, and teacher of science, Dr. Joy is deeply committed to enriching the learning experience of young people, in order to prepare them for the 21st Century workplace. Trained at Oxford, she has worked as an educator in the UK and Kenya, with teaching and leadership experience that focuses on teacher-facilitated, student-centered learning. A seasoned teacher, Dr. Joy has taught a variety of education systems and created engaging curriculums and programs of study from Prep to A-level. She is the Founding Principal of Nova Pioneer Girls High School in Kenya, where she recruited, coached, and mentored teachers for a new educational movement that adapted the Kenyan national curriculum for an innovative, student-centered approach to 21st Century learning.
A published scientist, with a doctorate in molecular biology and biochemistry, Dr. Joy has been recognized by the Government as a lead expert in the regulation of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). She has served as the technical expert to the task force investigating the safety of GMOs on human health, and as a member of the Board of Directors of the State Corporation, National Biosafety Authority, that regulates the research and development of GM products and food in Kenya.
As the Global Ambassador for N*Gen Dr. Joy represents the show, as well as acts as an Education Advisor, and assists in content development.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director
- Media Strategist, Producer
Dr. Paul Falzone is a media strategist, producer and scholar whose career focuses on media and social change. With a background in social and behavior change communication and entertainment-education, Paul has worked with dozens of partner organizations over the last two decades creating edutainment television shows, webvideo, public service announcements, interactive audio stories and short and feature length documentary.
Prior to founding PVI, Paul taught media studies at the undergraduate and graduate level and also designed a college major in Media Advocacy. He is a frequent guest speaker and presenter and his writing includes the recent co-edited collection Entertainment Education Behind the Scenes: Case Studies for Theory and Practice (2021 Palgrave Macmillan). He holds an MS in Conflict Resolution from Nova Southeastern University and an MA and PhD in Communication from the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania.
Job Titles:
- Executive Creative Director
- Director of Integrated Media
With a specialization in broadcast communications, Gosia Lukomska, PVI's Director of Integrated Media, brings years of international experience managing film and media production for non-profit and corporate entities to the organization. Before joining PVI, Gosia spent several years in Eastern and Southern Africa, producing and directing advocacy films for international and local aid agencies. Prior to her engagement in the development sector, Gosia worked for a cutting-edge new media and marketing agency, Interference Inc., where she was responsible for design and implementation of innovative multi-media productions.
Gosia is an occasional guest lecturer at universities around the world and has been involved as an educator with the Urban Arts Partnership, bringing arts-integrated programs to underserved public schools in the New York area. She holds an MFA in Integrated Media Arts from University of New York-Hunter College and a MS in Social Psychology from the University of Social Sciences and Humanities in Warsaw, Poland, where she was born and raised.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Director of Marketing and Communications for the ELMA Philanthropies
Janet Kleinbaum is the Director of Marketing and Communications for the ELMA Philanthropies, the services arm of the ELMA Group of Foundations. In her role, Janet is responsible for overseeing all aspects of ELMA's external communications and strategic marketing as well as a serving as an advisory and support resource for the ELMA Foundation's grantees marketing and promotional efforts.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Secretary of the Board
Jon Gosier is a globally recognized serial tech entrepreneur, investor, and philanthropist. He has been listed among the ‘Most Influential Blacks in Technology' by Business Insider 2013 and once again in 2014. He's also been listed among the ‘20 Angel Investors Worth Knowing' and among the ‘Innovators of the Year 2013' by Black Enterprise Magazine. He is a TED Senior Fellow and graduate of the THNK School School for Creative Leadership.
Throughout his career, Jon has lead investment into over 30 technology companies across three continents. Jon is also the Founder and manager of The Appfrica Fund, which makes investments into early-stage technology companies in Africa, and Third Cohort Capital, which makes investments in companies in North America. Third Cohort is made up of partners who graduated from the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program. Previously he's held Executive leadership roles at many technology companies including: Ushahidi (a technology company that makes data tools for disaster response) QuestionBox (an non-profit focused on last mile internet accessibility in Asia and Africa) and Market Atlas (which makes private equity transactions more transparent and reliable in emerging markets). He went on to found or co-found various companies including civic data firm D8A Group, and the non-profit organizations AfriLabs, HiveColab and Abayima.
Josie has over a decade of experience producing a range of content; including film (drama, factual, animation), radio, and interactive media - across global health, gender-based violence, agriculture, WASH, and education - and she is passionate about media for development, entertainment education, and social and behaviour change communication. At PVI Josie is responsible for a number of projects, including Wanji Games, as well as collaborating with PVI's partners.
Prior to joining PVI, Josie worked at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, designing online global health courses and creating engaging educational content; including the production of the COVID-19 course which reached over 235,000 learners worldwide. She also previously worked at Medical Aid Films, producing health communication resources for organizations across Africa and Asia, which included managing projects in South Sudan and Zambia.
Josie has worked in partnership with a range of public and private sector organizations including NGOs, Ministries of Health, international development agencies, and medical and technology companies. She has a MA in Communication for Development from Malmö University, with research specializing in the use of film for maternal health communication in low-income countries, and a BA in Television Production from Bournemouth University.
Malini Doddamani has spent her career working on national and global brand recognition, marketing and media relations for academic institutions and non-profits. She is currently the Chief Marketing Officer at The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. She was previously the CMO for the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and head of media and PR for The Wharton School of The University of Pennsylvania. Prior to that, she was at the 170-year-old New York Academy of Medicine where she headed the Communications team to promote the Academy's mission as the leading urban health research and policy institute in New York City.
Malini is a happy resident of Philadelphia where she has worked at The University of the Arts, the oldest art institution in the United States, leading its efforts to establish new audiences for its broad scope in the arts and technology. At Yale University, Malini headed public relations for the MacMillan Center for International Studies, increasing and promoting its recognition within Yale, the nation, and the world. And at St George's University, an American medical school located in the Caribbean, she headed the first local public relations office serving as the key liaison between the host country government, the university executive, and regional and international press.
Malini has lived and worked in Grenada, India, Canada, Trinidad, Mexico, and the UK and is an active alum of her alma maters, the University of Toronto and Syracuse University.
Robert is PVI's eyes, ears and boots on the ground in Uganda, coordinating PVI's operations and managing the distribution of its media programs from the Kampala office. He also coordinates the Pan-African distribution of N*Gen TV show, among other content.
Prior to joining PVI, Robert worked as an IT consultant and as a community peer educator with the Association of Ugandan Women Medical Doctors - a Ugandan NGO funded by Planned Parenthood of Northern New England. He received a BS in Computer Science and Mathematics from Makerere University and has undergone training in Microsoft Certified Systems Engineering.