Geena Davis

Founder and Chair

Academy Award winner Geena Davis is one of Hollywood’s most respected actors, appearing in several roles that became cultural landmarks. Earning the 2006 Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Drama, Davis broke ground in her portrayal of the first female President of the United States in ABC’s hit show Commander in Chief.

In 1989, Davis received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as the offbeat dog trainer Muriel Pritchett in Lawrence Kasdan’s The Accidental Tourist.  She was again nominated for an Academy Award and Golden Globe for her performance in Ridley Scott’s Thelma & Louise, in which she co-starred with Susan Sarandon.  Davis went on to receive a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress for her portrayal of baseball phenomenon Dottie Hinson in A League of Their Own.

Madeline Di Nonno

CEO, Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media

Madeline Di Nonno is the Chief Executive Officer of the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, the only research based non-profit working with the entertainment and media community to improve unconscious gender bias in media and entertainment through evidence-based research, education and advocacy. Madeline leads the Institute’s strategic direction, financial and operational activities. Madeline brings over thirty years of executive leadership experience in the entertainment, non-profit, digital media and consumer packaged goods industries.

Previously, Madeline served as President and CEO of On The Scene Productions, and drove the company’s new business development and content distribution platforms for the entertainment, healthcare, and consumer products clients such as Nike, Gatorade, Iconix, and PepsiCo.

Prior to On The Scene, Di Nonno served in executive marketing positions for Anchor Bay Entertainment/Starz Media and Echo Bridge Home Entertainment where she led global brand marketing, for home entertainment and limited theatrical releases in North America, United Kingdom and Australia. As Executive Vice President and GM for Nielsen EDI, Madeline drove innovations in product development, new business development and client management.

Previously, Di Nonno served as Senior Vice President, Marketing Alliances and Digital media at the Hallmark Channel, and nearly eight years at Universal Studios Home Video as Vice President, Strategic Marketing. Madeline began her career at ABC Television Network in corporate publicity. Madeline holds a bachelor’s degree from Boston University.

Madeline serves on the Board of Directors for the Television Academy Foundation; Board of Advisors for the LA Press Club; Co-Chair, Digital Hollywood’s “Hollywood for Social Change”: Board Advisor GameChanger Films and Rutgers University Institute for Women’s Leadership.

Maria Galleriu

Group Strategy Director, 72 and Sunny

Maria is a Group Strategy Director at 72andSunny. She loves putting her strategic brain cells in service of creative ideas and actions. Since joining 72andSunny, she helped Target create a mini-musical, Dropbox write its next chapter, and eBay rebrand themselves globally. She co-founded TheUproar, a platform gathering designer protest signs, and is hyper vocal and passionate about creative activism.

Carol Leifer

Comedian, Writer, Producer, Actor, How To Succeed In Business Without Really Crying

Currently a writer/producer for the new season of Curb Your Enthusiasm. A stand-up comedian who made 25 appearances on the David Letterman Show. Written for Seinfeld, Saturday Night Love, Modern Family and the Oscars 8 times, the most of any female writer.

Maggie Maye

Comedian, Writer, Actor, On the Verge

Maggie Maye loves candy almost as much as she also loves performing comedy. She made her late night debut on Conan and was featured on Last Call with Carson Daly and AXS TV presents: Gotham Comedy Live. She has also been a featured panelist for Rooster Teeth “What Do You Know?” and has contributed to the New Yorker. Maggie has performed stand up in festivals such as Bridgetown Comedy Festival, San Francisco Sketchfest (as one of the Sketchfest Dozen), FunFunFun Fest, Moontower Comedy & Oddity Festival, SXSW, and the All Jane Comedy Festival. She’s opened for Hannibal Burress, Paul Rodriguez, Gladys Knight, and Earth, Wind and Fire. She’s been mentioned in comedy articles in the Huffington Post, Variety, LaughSpin, the New York Times, Splitsider, who named her among the 2015 top up-and-coming comics and an “On the Verge” comedian, the Austin American Statesman, who named her as one of 2015’s People to Watch, and the Austin Chronicle, who named her 2016’s Best of Austin Stand up Comic. She performed improv comedy with her troupe Damn, Gina! and in various sketch and improv shows around Austin before moving to Los Angeles. Her comedy is described in the same way she is: sassy, charming, and smart. Also, a 6-year-old once told her she was the funniest person ever. And kids rarely lie.

Diona Reasonover

Writer and Actor

Diona Reasonover is an actor, writer and improv performer who received an undergraduate degree in theater and dance from Oberlin College and a master’s degree in acting from the prestigious California Institute of the Arts.

Reasonover plays Forensic Scientist Kasie Hines in NCIS. Other television credits include 2 Broke Girls, on the Network, as well as Clipped, Grace and Frankie, Superstore, Girl Meets World and Comedy Bang! Bang!

Reasonover’s writing credits include the Emmy nominated I Love You, America, I Love Dick and Adam Ruins Everything.

Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @DionaReasonover.

Aida Rodriguez

Comedian, Producer, Actor

Aida Rodriguez is a new Afro-Latina, taking the world of entertainment by storm with her wit, strong performances, and charismatic personality. Making history as the first Latina to appear in two specials air in one month on both HBO and Showtime, Rodriguez was handpicked by director Taylor Hackford for his film The Comedian starring Robert De Niro. In 2017, Coca Cola Global Women’s LINC Conference sponsored Rodriguez’s speech that modeled a TED Talk. Rodriguez has also appeared on Comedy Central’s The Nightly Show, five-time host of the PBS Imagen Awards, NBC Last Comic Standing’s finals, TRUtv’s Laff Tracks, Fox Laughs, Nickelodeon Mom’s Night Out and Parental Discretion.

Aida Rodriguez wears many hats as comedian, actress, writer and mother. Sharing her point of view of the world, she writes comedy that is poignant and incisive. Her audiences often laugh hard, think hard, and feel hard as her comedy is cathartic and confrontational. Known as Funny Aida, Rodriguez aims to challenge the norms of today and the discomfort or taboo-quality around controversial topics like race, gender, sexuality, and family dynamics through her comedy. From the moment she takes the stage, the audience is engaged whether in laughter or in thought. Rodriguez’s comedy is not only medicine for the soul, but it may one day just change the world.

Iliza Shlesinger

Comedian, Writer, Actor

Iliza is one of today’s leading comedians with a fan base who show their loyalty by creating their own Iliza inspired swag to wear to her shows. Last year she hosted her late night limited run talk show Truth & Iliza, on Freeform. In November 2017, she released her first book Girl Logic: The Genius and the Absurdity (Hachette Book Group) a subversively funny collection of essays and observations on a confident woman’s approach to friendship, singlehood, and relationships.

Following up her last Netflix special, Confirmed Kills, Iliza is getting ready to launch Elder Millennial, her fourth for the streaming service. The special premieres on July 24, 2018 along with her multi-city national theatre tour of the same name.

In addition to her stand up, she recently completed filming the Paramount Pictures movie Instant Family, starring Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne which is slated for release in February 2019.

Originally from Dallas, Iliza moved to Los Angeles after graduating from Emerson College. She is the only female and youngest comedian to hold the title of NBC’s Last Comic Standing. Her debut one-hour comedy special, War Paint, reached #1 on the iTunes charts and was named one of its Top 10 Albums of 2013. Iliza’s follow-up, Freezing Hot, a Netflix Original Comedy Special, sealed her title as one of the hottest touring acts in America, with Esquire Magazine listing her as one of the top working comedians today.

Iliza’s stand-up credentials also include headlining the coveted Montreal Just For Laughs Festival and The New York Comedy Festival. As a national headliner, Iliza tours year-round selling out theatres, clubs and colleges. She also participated in the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff’s personal USO Tour throughout the Middle East and Europe, as well as Al Roker’s Today Show USO Tour in Afghanistan, with Jay Leno and Craig Robinson.

For the second year in a row, Iliza was recently feature in Elle’s “Women in Comedy” annual issue and her television credits include multiple appearances on “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon,” “The Late Late Show with James Corden,” “The Today Show.” Additionally, her digital scripted series, Forever 31 is currently streaming on Hulu.

Iliza lives in Los Angeles where she spends time making up songs and nicknames for her dog Blanche.

Natalie Zea

Actor

Natalie Zea gets to show off her comedic side as she takes on the lead in the critically-acclaimed TBS hit comedy, The Detour. Created by former The Daily Show correspondents Jason Jones & Samantha Bee, the honest & hilariously dark show features the road trip antics of the Parker family – including Zea’s critically-acclaimed Robin – a sexy, outspoken, offbeat mom for the new millennium. The Detour debuted as the #1 cable comedy series of 2016 and returns for its 4th season in 2019. Last season, Zea made her directorial debut in the show’s first episode directed by a woman.

She’s currently in production on the Awesomeness Films comedy The Fuck-It List with Jerry O’Connell & Peter Facinelli.

Best known to television audiences for her memorable role as Winona Hawkins on FX’s original series Justified, (which she continued to guest on for two additional seasons while starring opposite Kevin Bacon on The Following) Zea has also been seen in Showtime’s White Famous, CBS’ Under The Dome, Showtime’s Californication and HBO’s Hung. Other television credits include The Shield and her popular role as Karen Darling in Dirty Sexy Money, among others.   

Zea recently starred in the independent films Too Late, Grey Lady, and Sweet Talk, as a bored phone sex operator who forms a strong bond with one of her callers. In 2010, she was Will Ferrell’s hilarious psychotic ex-girlfriend in “The Other Guys.”

Zea also hones her creative juices by writing and is currently developing a comedy pilot for a major cable network.  She hopes to shoot the feature film she wrote and will star in, Imaginary Place of Ease, later this year.

Originally from Texas, Zea made her way to New York where she earned a scholarship to the prestigious American Music and Dramatic Academy. After completing the program in only two years, Zea landed a role as part of the original cast of Kimberly Peirce’s 1995 short Boys Don’t Cry, which later evolved into the Academy Award-winning film by the same name. 

Having never lost her love of theater, Zea helped develop Los Angeles’ reputable Lone Star Ensemble, a theatre company in which she serves on the Board of Directors. She has a 2-year old daughter with her husband, actor Travis Schuldt, and lives with them in Los Angeles.