BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Tom Maguire, Chairman
Tom Maguire's career in music and the arts spans more than forty years as a performer, arranger, conductor, and arts administrator. A graduate of the Manhattan School of Music, his performance career included twenty-five years as principal percussionist with the Oklahoma Symphony Orchestra, where he also served as an assistant conductor, and six years as percussionist and four years as timpanist with the Santa Fe Symphony (www.sf-symphony.org).  He has performed in or conducted orchestras in the United States, Mexico, Italy, and Costa Rica. And, as arranger/conductor for the New American Ragtime Ensemble, he has performed over 300 concerts of traditional ragtime music on tours throughout Central and North America. Tom has also played in the pit orchestras of many Broadway and off-Broadway theatres and has toured with Broadway National Companies and major pop music artists.  As an arts administrator, Mr. Maguire has guided ballet companies, symphony orchestras, and numerous small ensembles and is a Founder of the Oklahoma Arts Institute (www.okartinst.org/), a multi-disciplinary arts camp for teenagers, which celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2007. Mr. Maguire has served as the executive director of the Santa Fe Desert Chorale (www.desertchorale.org), administrative director of the Institute for Spanish Arts (www.mariabenitez.com), and director of development of the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival (www.sfcmf.org). In 2003, Mr. Maguire joined the City of Santa Fe as Culture, Arts and Tourism Planner and currently directs Culture and Heritage Tourism for the City of Santa Fe and is the senior planner for the UNESCO International Creative Tourism Conference in the fall of 2008. Mr. Maguire is a 2004 recipient of The Mayor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts from the City of Santa Fe.

Michael Hare, Co-Executive Director
Michael Hare is Managing Director of Mojo Raid Entertainment II, LLC, the production company that created Martin Lawrence Presents: The 1st Amendment, a stand-up television series entering its fourth season on Starz. As Executive Producer of the show, he negotiates and oversees the production, distribution, and licensing relationships with Starz Entertainment (premium cable), Starz Media (international television and domestic syndication), and Anchor Bay Entertainment (home video). Michael recently formed i2five entertainment, LLC (www.i2five.com/), a Santa Fe, NM based production company, which has several film and television projects in various stages of development. Before entering the entertainment industry, he spent ten years as an executive in the high technology sector, most recently as VP of Business Development for VanDyke Software. Prior to this, Michael spent three years in Viet Nam as VP of Business Development for the Gannon Companies, heading up distribution in Indochina for Disney, PepsiCo/Frito Lay, and Tootsie Roll. Michael graduated from Georgetown University, where he studied History and English. He lives in Santa Fe, NM with his wife and two children.

Rose Kuo, Co-Executive Director
Rose Kuo’s career in the film industry spans two decades and includes working with critically acclaimed filmmakers, producing and directing fiction and documentary films, and honing the identity of two world class film festivals. Along the way, she has built instant trust and credibility with an extraordinary network of industry contacts. American Film Institute (AFI) hired Rose to create a new artistic vision for AFI FEST and improve its standing in Los Angeles and among international film festivals. She met those goals in less than three years. LA Weekly’s Scott Foundas wrote, “The almost overnight turnaround at AFI has largely been the achievement of one woman, Rose Kuo… Attendance is stronger than ever, as is the festival’s overseas reputation.” Daily Variety echoed the praise, “AFI Fest [has] its strongest lineup in at least twenty years.” In December 2009 the International Film Festival Summit honored her with its prestigious IFFS Excellence Award, which pays tribute to film festival executives “with a special emphasis placed on management of staff, execution of initiatives, and new initiatives from previous years.”

Bill Dedmon
A native of North Carolina who discovered the magical allure of New Mexico and moved to Taos in 2001, Bill spent his career in investment banking before turning to nonprofits as a fulfilling way to serve the community. Most of his professional interest has centered on science and technology and emerging growth companies. He has a broad interest in the arts and was involved in three film festivals in Taos before joining the board of SFFF. Interest in the environment prompted him to co-found SUSTAIN TAOS (www.sustaintaos.org/) and serve as president for three years. He is a graduate of the Harvard Business School, former Allied Member of The New York Stock Exchange, and served as a director of the MIT Enterprise Forum as well as other civic and professional organizations. An ardent skier and hiker, he loves Santa Fe and Northern New Mexico.

Susan Ohori, Secretary
A Santa Fe businesswoman and radio personality, Susan founded Ohori’s Coffee, Tea & Chocolate and the home accessories gift shop Casa. A well-traveled folk art collector, she is also Vice President of KSFR-FM (www.ksfr.org/), having spent more than fifteen years programming and broadcasting world music. She founded the Santa Fe Public Radio Association and has been an enthusiastic supporter and board member of the Santa Fe Film Festival since its inception.

Jon Bowman
Associate publisher of New Mexico Magazine (www.nmmagazine.com) and author/editor of seven books, Jon served as guest curator for the Library of Congress National Film Registry Tour (Albuquerque and Santa Fe) and editor of the book 100 Years of Filmmaking in New Mexico. He has written for more than thirty publications. Jon currently serves on the Governor's Council on Film and Media Industries.

Ginny Cerrella
Ginny is an award-winning and produced playwright, journalist, motion Picture/TV/cable writer and documentarian. A two-time NEA recipient, she has pitched, sold and written over twenty-five films and adaptations for  Warner Bros., Universal, Paramount, UA, MGM, and other studios. As a TV writer/producer, Ginny has written MOWs for Fox Broadcasting, NBC, CBS, and other studios. Ginny was executive producer of the short A Piece of Pie, which was the New Mexico Governor's Cup winner at the 2006 Santa Fe Film Festival.  Ginny's feature Sister, Sister opened the Toronto Film Festival to rave reviews and her original USA movie Tainted Blood is one of the most frequently broadcast thrillers on cable. Her musical Swamp Fever had its SRO premiere at The Wings Theatre in NYC, and Laveau has garnered several awards, including the Crystal Music Award for the song "No Siree."  It was named winner of the African-American Playwriting Competition at Louisville and finalist, a first for a musical, in the prestigious Jane Chambers Awards. Laveau was also presented in the Readers' Theatre Series of New Plays at the 25th National Black Theatre Festival. Ginny’s stage comedy His, Hers & God's has been produced worldwide. Ginny recently directed Sappho In Love, the winning stageplay at the Moondance International Film Festival and Getting It Right at the Her-RAH! Festival.

In addition to serving on the SFFF Board of Directors, Ginny is also a Festival Founder.  A former film critic for Santa Fe's THE Magazine and a spokesperson for the Santa Fe Screenwriters Conference, Ginny was on the founding faculty of the College of Santa Fe's Girls' Film School, where she taught the art of screenplay writing.

John Clema
Geologist, mining expert and supporter of the arts, Clema has come to the Santa Fe Film Festival adding marketing and development expertise.

Peggy T. (Pat) Hall
was a member and secretary of the Board of Trustees of the College of Santa Fe, for 10 years She is on the Advisory Board of the Museum of New Mexico Foundation after serving 6 years as board secretary. She joined the Museum Foundation in 2000 At Site Santa Fe, she was chair of the Directors Circle in 1996 and 1997. She and her business partner Katie Peters, have a high definition video and editing company called HD Solutions which is located on the Plaza. Pat has lived in London, New York and New Jersey. She moved to Santa Fe in 1993. In 2009, Pat joined the Santa Fe Film Festival.

Raymond Kurshals
Founder of Pilates Santa Fe (www.pilatessantafe.com/), an International Wellness Center located in Santa Fe since 1995, Ray is considered one of the most experienced Wellness teachers in the country. Currently, Mr. Kurshals consults for private clients and corporate spas and fitness centers throughout the world. As a professional dancer he is the only dancer to have danced with Twyla Tharp, Paul Taylor, and Merce Cunningham. In film and television, he has worked in front of and behind the camera as a writer, director, actor, choreographer, and dancer. He is an Olympic coach and has worked with major and minor league sports teams and athletes.

Gunther Maier
Began his career as a photographer in Germany, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing communications and design. He moved to New York City and worked for major European and U.S. advertising agencies, where he created television commercials for such clients as Mercedes-Benz, Sandoz, AT&T, the Wall Street Journal, IBM, Jägermeister, Siemens and the Philadelphia 76ers. He earned top industry awards, and a selection of his work has been included in the permanent collection of the Library of Congress. He has a passion for filmmaking and has produced several short films and documentaries (www.oneamongthousands.com).

Fred Roos
Executive Producer for such earth rumbling films as Apocolypse Now, The Godfather and Lost in Translation, Fred set the stage on film that changed the direction of stories told on the screen with the Coppola family. The Santa Fe Film festival is honored to have him on the board adding much to the new direction it has begun to take.

Kathleen Kenney Peters
Owner of MuseMedia (www.musemedia.tv/), a video, film and web production company in Santa Fe, she and her husband Gerald Peters are owners of the Gerald Peters Gallery in Santa Fe and Dallas. In addition to serving on the board of the Santa Fe Film Festival, she also is a board member for the Coalition for Quality Children's Media, the College of Santa Fe, and the Governor's Council on Film and Media Industries.

Christopher Webster
Chris Webster coordinates the activities of WEBSTER ENTERPRISES (www.webster-enterprises.com), a real estate and investment firm founded in 1972 on the historic Plaza in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Chris has an extensive background in real estate including appraisal, investment analysis, development, and consulting, as well as marketing and sales of prominent residential, ranch, and commercial properties primarily in New Mexico, Hawaii, Mexico, and Western Europe. Sotheby's International Realty acquired the Santa Fe brokerage company, Christopher Webster Real Estate, in 1998 as its first acquisition of a Sotheby's affiliate company worldwide. Chris is a member of the Urban Land Institute (ULI), the National Association of Realtors (NAR), and serves as the President of the New Mexico Council of the American Chapter of the International Real Estate Federation (FIABCI). Chris is also a managing partner of SYNTHESIS REALTY GROUP (SynthesisRealty.com), a company coordinating and directing development, marketing, and sales activities of select and extraordinary communities worldwide. Christopher Webster Art Investments was founded in 1972 as a brokerage, procurement, and appraisal business for Native American indigenous art and artifacts of the Americas, as well as Spanish Colonial antiques and vintage Western paintings and photography. Subsequently a collection was assembled that today consists primarily of representative examples from Mexico, Peru, and the American Southwest, the lands of Spanish exploration during the Age of Discovery. Timeless Integrity - The New World Collection and a complimentary library may be viewed by appointment in a space emulating a Mexican Colonial-era hacienda in the WEBSTER ENTERPRISES westside Plaza office.