TEAM
Skot Welch
Founder & President
Derk Baartman
Vice President
Elizabeth Merriman
Manager, Programming and Education
Mallory Strobl
Education Lead
Randy Strobl
Education Lead
Board of Directors
Skot Welch
Derk Baartman
Bill Harris
Advisory board
Mimi Chakarova
As an independent filmmaker for the last 15 years, Mimi Chakarova has covered global issues examining conflict, corruption and the sex trade. Her first film “The Price of Sex,” a feature-length documentary on the trafficking of women, was awarded the Nestor Almendros Award for courage in filmmaking at the Human Rights Watch Film Festival in New York. She was also the winner of the prestigious Daniel Pearl Award for Outstanding International Investigative Reporting and a Dart Awards Finalist for Excellence in Coverage of Trauma.
Chakarova went on to direct, shoot and produce five other feature-length documentaries and over 30 award-winning short films, completed by her own production company, A Moment in Time Productions. "Men: A Love Story" premiered at the Telluride Film Festival; “Letters,” a collaboration with Grammy-winning artist Kris Davis, premiered at the Pierre Boulez Saal in Berlin. Chakarova is the founder and creative director of "Still I Rise Films," a documentary series about resilience and rising above the odds. In 2021, she set up a fellowship program for women filmmakers and visual artists in need of support and mentorship.
Suzanne Zack
Senior Affiliate Faculty and Internship Coordinator, Grand Valley State University
Suzanne teaches courses in film and video production and serves as the Internship Coordinator for film majors at GVSU. Prior to teaching, she worked in corporate and commercial post production and edited many award-winning independent documentaries that focus on issues of education and community involvement. She is very enthusiastic about contributing to the mission of the Mosaic Film Experience.
Mariah Barrera
Mariah Barrera is a Mexican-American filmmaker and writer born and raised in Michigan. She is based in New York City as a first-generation student at Columbia University. Her films have been shown at Academy Award-Qualifying film festivals such as Urbanworld, Cleveland International Film Festival, and DOC NYC and highlighted by NowThis, Stylecaster, The Washington Post, Women Make Movies, and Adobe Gen Create. She has garnered recognition as a YoungArts Alumna, Mitú-Walmart Film Mentee, Made In Her Image Panavision Mentee, Hispanic Heritage Foundation Awardee, E.L.F x Her Campus 22 Under 22 Winner, & Sotheby's Art Noir Grantee.
Her films aim to amplify themes of social justice and equity, drawing from her family’s & communities’ experiences in the urban Midwest. Using these stories, she is passionate about bridging the gap between narrative and documentary through poetry. Currently, she is exhibiting her film "Still Here," which follows three brothers affected by violence, poverty, and prison. She is also working on her second documentary as a Still I Rise Films Fellow and is embarking on a Commercial Director Mentorship Program with the NY-based production company Picture Farm, supported by Kodak & AbelCine.
Caitling Volovlek
As an English teacher for 25 years, Caitlin Volovlek witnessed how film can be transformational to learning. “From the advent of my career, I sought clips and full-length features to supplement the fiction we studied and to inspire a love of film.” From 2001-2004, Caitlin volunteered for the Telluride Film Festival where she accompanied student groups to film premiers and learned side-by-side with internationally renowned directors.
In her 18 years teaching at East Kentwood High School, Caitlin relished the opportunities to teach film as fiction and developed a literature course that centered African-American voices. “It was an honor and huge responsibility to teach this class, and I’m forever indebted to my students who read everything from Baldwin to Morrison to Coates and fostered meaningful discussions about the Black experience in America.”
For many years, Caitlin also led student groups to the Mosaic Film Festival where her seniors had opportunities to showcase their creativity and voice. “My students adored their time at the Mosaic Film Festival. The activities, creative energy, and learning that occurred in just one day left an indelible mark on them. I’m now honored to be a member of the Mosaic Advisory Board!”
Recently retired from the classroom, Caitlin currently runs Prep Rally, a college essay consulting company.
Ryan Stephens
Ryan Stephens is a filmmaker, producer, and post production supervisor. During his 13-year career in television, streaming, and commercials, he has teamed up with some of the industry's leading visionaries and media companies to produce critically acclaimed and commercially successful content. His collaborators include Warner Bros. Discovery, Netflix, Disney, AppleTV+, and Take Two Interactive/2K. Ryan's work as a producer and post supervisor spans across many different projects including Shrinking (Apple TV+), The Cleaning Lady (FOX), When They See Us (Netflix), Queen Sugar (OWN), Katy Keene (CW), Still Star-Crossed (ABC), and the Launch Trailers for the NBA 2K24 and WWE 2K24 video games.
Ryan is passionate about empowering and educating young professionals through direct mentorships, internship opportunities, and entertainment workshops. When he's not working, he enjoys traveling, hiking, writing, drinking matcha, and spending as much time as possible at the cinema.
Ryan currently resides in Southern California with his beautiful wife of 8 years, Rebecca, and their 4-year-old son, Amari.
Mike Uwandi
Mike Uwandi is both a Concept Artist and Art Director for Live action film and Video Games. He's also co-founder of 9B Collective, a company that shifts the Entertainment landscape by pushing for inclusivity within the industry. Some of his clients include Netflix , Marvel Studios, Warner Bros, ILM, Disney, CBS, Sony Pictures, 21st Century Fox, MPC, Niantic, Kabam, Mattel and more. His work for Moon Knight, Mandalorian, and Westworld were nominated for an Emmy in Outstanding Sci-fi Costume.
In addition to his work through 9B, Mike is a board member of the NCAS and has partnered with accredited nonprofits such as Bric Foundation, Vijona, and Compton Alliance to motivate underprivileged youth from Africa and Los Angeles County to pursue a career in the arts.