OPEN MEDIA FOUNDATION - Key Persons
For more than 10 years, Angelia D. McGowan has worked in a variety of communications roles from community outreach coordinator for health awareness campaigns to publicist for arts organizations.
She has worked on traffic safety campaigns for the Colorado Department of Transportation, a drought-awareness campaign for Denver Water and a healthy-pregnancy campaign for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. In April 2006, McGowan traveled to Durban, South Africa to present a poster on CDOT's award-winning seatbelt program at the Safety 2006: International Prevention and Safety Promotion conference.
As a publicist, she has represented Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble, Denver Black Arts Festival and the Pan African Arts Society/Starz Denver Pan African Film Festival. She has also served as a freelance writer for community newspapers and as an editor and media relations director in higher education. In 2004, the Colorado Association of Black Journalists named her Public Relations Professional of the Year.
McGowan, who resides in Denver, is the publisher of Canady's Corner, an online community news release service for nonprofit organizations.
An award-winning Director/Filmmaker, Antoine is best known for his directorial role in the Rise of the Avalanche films (2017 - 2019) and his on-screen role in The Kombat AllStar Show (2014 - 2017). He received a Bachelor of Arts Degree from The Art Institute of Phoenix in 05' & a Master of Fine Arts Degree in Special Effects Animation from Digital Media Arts College in 07. Antoine formed Quantum VFX Ltd. a Visual Effects house and Production Company, to further pursue his dreams. The company's 1st production was "The Kombat AllStar Show (2014 - 2017 )." In 2017 Antoine received 2 award wins & 2 nominations for his movie directorial debut under the Quantum VFX umbrella, Rise of The Avalanche (2017).
More info: After earning his degree in History with a minor in Business from Texas A&M University, Ben began working as a high school educator in the Greater Houston area. During his fulfilling time as a teacher, he continued his personal education with a postgraduate degree in Accounting. Over the last six years he has worked in several settings as an accountant, and was lucky enough to move to Colorado to pursue his Masters in Business Administration at the University of Denver. Ben loves being part of a dedicated, passionate team and an organization that gives back to the community and spreads the word of positive change.
The purpose of my life is to use my passionate spirit, sense of humor, loyalty, empathy, curiosity and business background
The purpose of my life is to use my loyalty, quietude, analytical cynicism, caring and passion
The purpose of my life is to enjoy this experience and spread unconditional love
Job Titles:
- Community Media Operations Director
The purpose of my life is to Curabitur non nulla sit amet nisl tempus convallis quis ac lectus.
Since her Fundraising Internship with Deproduction/DOM in 2008, Cheryl has maintained her Unlimited Membership as a volunteer with the Development Department of the Open Media Foundation, DOM events, and studio productions. She continues to incorporate her professional and volunteer experience in Public Relations, Event Coordination, Fundraising, Theater, and Media Production.
Her interest in creating meaningful yet entertaining television and her belief in community involvement align with the organization's mission "to put the power of the media and technology into the hands of the community." Currently she is editing her first DOM broadcast. It will include some of the characters from her one-woman show, WE AIN'T MAD: WE GOT ISSUES!
This collection of monologues contains some work written at The Naropa Institute, Boulder, Colorado, where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Theater and another for Literature & Writing in 1998. The compilation was her Capstone Project at the University of Denver in 2003 where she was awarded a Certificate in Creative Writing and her Master of Liberal Studies degree. In 2008, the entire piece was re-edited during her Jentel Arts - Writer's Residency in the beautiful wide-open spaces of Wyoming.
Dan brings 15+ years of media and content production experience to his role at the Open Media Foundation. A graduate of The Ohio State University, he's held digital media operations and executive management roles at Time Inc, Bonnier, Competitor Group and Teton Gravity Research, among others. Dan is currently consulting with several content and digital marketing start-ups on Colorado's front range, helping early growth-stage companies develop go-to-market strategies in B2B and B2C environments.
Job Titles:
- Digital Media and Sales Associate
More info: Alfonso is a native of Colorado. He conducted genetics and microbiology research while in high school and college. After graduating from Yale with a degree in Anthropology, he impelled international acquisitions and mergers in NYC before relocating to LA to pursue a media career. His aptitude for science put him at the forefront of uploading traditional media to new media at the dawn of the digital era. He spent the last decade further pursuing his fascination with the sciences by facilitating multinationals across Latin America in the implementation of new technologies. He returned to Colorado to experience more of life in the presence of his extensive family.
A Native Coloradan, Jared Petsche is a graduate of Colorado State University with a Bachelors of Arts in Philosophy and minor studies in History, Religious Studies & Entrepreneurship. Since graduation he has worked in the film/media industry, state government and with the surrounding Denver communities' many non-profits.
Most recently, after a two year stint in Colorado's legislature, Jared has been involved in many creative endeavors, beginning with launching of Colorado Creates, a bragging website of the Colorado Creative Industries, and helping the Santa Fe Arts District by highlighting local creative's and their positive cultural and economic impact in the Denver Metro Area.
Jared sits on two committees at Open Media Foundation, Public Relations and Grant Writing. Jared is also involved in many other media communities and serves on the Colorado Film & Video Association Board and their Communications Committee.
More info: Jenny has a background in engineering (mechanical and aerospace) with about 10 years of experience. She worked mainly as a product and systems engineer lead, project manager, dynamist, test equipment engineer, electromechanical engineer and responsible engineer of various components. She also has other experiences in business, yoga and interpreting. She enjoys learning and diversifying in areas of her interest, outside engineering, which is why after returning from living abroad she moved to Colorado and enjoys learning about non-profit organizations and how she can eventually be a significant part in the field.
The purpose of my life is to leave a legacy that can change and augment our future world opportunities.
Mark Walker is a 30+ veteran of media and education. Born in Wisconsin, his family moved to NorCal where he completed Junior High, High School and College (BA Journalism/Communication, Santa Clara University) then promptly moved to the Santa Cruz beach! A career in media moved him from Monterey, to Charlotte and eventually Denver where 18 years there make him an honorary native.
Mark's business background spans engineering, operation, production, programming, marketing, sales and general management in radio, TV and Cable at the local, corporate and national network levels.
His love of life-long learning found him returning to school for a 21st-Century MBA (Arizona State University) and Mark has taught at the High School, Junior College and Non-profit Education levels for over ten years developing a passion for helping people find their inner spark, ignite that and push them forward to put their own inner passions to work in exciting careers.
More info: Molly is a trusted community-change professional with over twenty years of experience executing high-impact initiatives, conducting policy analysis and policy-change campaigns, facilitating coalitions, managing development strategies, and executing strategic communication initiatives. Molly is passionate about reducing disparities by applying innovation, best practices, system-level thinking, and equity-focused approaches in the nonprofit sector. Molly served as a program coordinator at Boulder County Public Health, a coach and mentor for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, and a program manager for the network of Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and Jefferson County Public Health. Molly also served as a public health consultant for Center for Research Strategies, the Regional Institute for Health and Environmental Leadership (RIHEL), and multiple nonprofit organizations. Molly is a graduate of the RIHEL Advanced Leadership Training Program, the Colorado Transit Alliance, and the University of South Florida School of Public Health Field School.
The purpose of my life is to create engaged, resilient, inclusive, and sustainable communities in Colorado
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- President of the Board
Peter has a BA from Connecticut College, and an MBA from Babson College. He has worked in non-profits, startups, and large organizations, and has a history of technology and organizational operations experience.
Job Titles:
- Vice President of the Board
Ronald Otsuka, the former Joseph de Heer Curator of Asian Art, was with the Denver Art Museum from 1973 to 2014. He did his graduate studies at the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University, and taught at Rutgers University, the University of Colorado/Denver, and the University of Denver. He was a board member of the Japan America Society of Colorado and an appointee to the Governor's Asian Pacific American Advisory Council. In 2015, he was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun with Gold and Silver Rays for promoting goodwill between Japan and the United States.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Boulder Valley Board of Education
Sam Fuqua's involvement with independent media goes back to 1990 when he was a community radio volunteer in Minneapolis. He moved to Colorado in 1991 to work as news director at KGNU. He created, produced and hosted a daily morning news program and started a multi-station cooperative to cover the Colorado legislature. He transitioned to KGNU Station Manager in 2007 and led successful efforts to triple the power of the station's FM signal and increase KGNU's visibility and service in metro Denver. He is now the Executive Director of Pop Culture Classroom, a Denver-based literacy and arts nonprofit that uses comics-based lessons to help kids and young adults learn to enjoy reading and tap their inner creativity. Pop Culture Classroom produces the annual Denver Comic Con.
Sam is also an elected member of the Boulder Valley Board of Education, the governing body of a 30,000 student school district serving the southern half of Boulder County. His other interests include music and public libraries.
Steve is a practicing attorney in the areas of intellectual property (trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets), entertainment law, and business an corporate law. He holds an MBA from New York University Graduate School of Business, a law degree from the University of Denver College of Law and a graduate Masters of Laws in Taxation (LLM) from the New York University School of Law. He has written a book entitled "Where to go When the Bank Says No" for entrepreneurs in need of financing new and growing business ventures.
His involvement in the community includes serving on the board directors of the Rocky Mountain Anti-Defamation League, the board of Governors of NATAS (the National Association of Television Arts and Sciences), as well as Denver Open Media and the board of Directors of the Mizel Arts and Cultural Center.
His other activities include business coaching for early stage businesses to develop and implement business and strategic plans to enhance their growth.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director
- Member of the Board
The purpose of my life is to use my joy for living, empathic spirit, and sharp, open mind
Tony Shawcross developed and launched the visionary model for community media that has evolved into the Open Media Foundation. Before founding Deproduction and Denver Open Media, Tony worked with Little Voice Productions, the Colorado State House of Representatives, the Pan African Arts Society and FreeSpeech TV, among others. Tony has presented over 100 media education courses with the Colorado Independent Media Center, Denver Community Television, the Alliance for Community Media and various local schools and universities. Tony graduated magna cum laude with a degree in marketing and business administration from the University of Colorado.