During the past 30 years, Toney has completed 28 films as an Independent Filmmaker. Currently he teaches Introduction to Digital Editing, (Final Cut Pro) and the Advanced Film Production Workshop at City College San Francisco. He teaches Screenwriting I at San Francisco State University, as well as Video Production and Writing for Visual Media in their Multimedia Studies Program. His recent work includes the digitally shot and posted, Rest Stop: What goes around... He is currently editing a documentary, The Life and Work of Art Carpenter, for the California Contemporary Crafts Association. Toney has also served on the Board of Directors for Film Arts Foundation and Canyon Cinema Coop; and as a panelist for Film Festivals, (Golden Gate Awards) and Grant organizations, (Rockefeller and Jerome Foundation).

Roshell Bissett - Consulting Film-maker

Roshell Bissett was born in Ottawa, Canada in 1968 and studied painting at the University of Ottawa. She went on to study filmmaking at Concordia University. Roshell presently resides in Montreal where she teaches filmmaking at Concordia University and works as a writer/director for independent films. Her “featurette” Cotton Candy (45 min. 1996) won the top prize for short films at Toronto’s International Film Festival in 1997, and at the New York Underground Film Festival in 1998. Her first feature, “Winter Lily” (1998), had its theatrical release in Montreal in February, 2000 and has played in festivals and on TV all over the world. Roshell is the recipient of numerous film-maker’s grants and awards, from among others, the National Film Board of Canada, Conseil des arts et des letters du Québec, and the Canada Council Media Arts Grant. She is presently developing several new film projects and photography series.

Alison Costa M.A., M.F.T. - Subject Advisor

Alison is a licensed clinical psychologist specialized in child, adolescent and family therapy. She graduated with an MA in Clinical Psychology from JFK University. Alison has been employed by city and state bodies in California for more than twenty years. She has run a successful private practice since 1992 and worked with the Executive Office of the Federal Court in San Francisco, run training and family counseling programs at the Jewish Family and Children’s Services, La Casa de las Madres, Lifeline Ministries and Charila Services. She is a member of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, a Board Member Emeritus of SF CAMFT Association, and Board Member Emeritus of the International Child Resource Institute.

Valeria Kumin, M.A. - Subject Advisor

Valeria Kumin specializes in mediation, conflict management and cross-cultural trainings. While working for Search for Common Ground Foundation (funding provided by Soros Foundation, MacArthur Foundation and USAID), Valeria headed a training program in leadership, conflict management, and team building for over one thousand participants with an annual budget of $400,000. Later, while working for Common Ground Foundation, Ms. Kumin produced several 30 minute TV programs on ethnic conflicts for Russian National TV (audience 100 million), radio programs on Constructive Communication for national broadcast (50 million listeners) and conducted training for Vice Presidents of the former USSR Republics. Valeria's clients include Saybrook Graduate School (conflict management), Sheraton Palace (cross-cultural communications), Legacy International (youth training), Center for Conflict Management (leadership), and Moscow State University (curriculum development). Ms. Kumin has earned certificates for Leadership Training (Blandin Community Leadership Program, Grand Rapids, Michigan); for Mediation (Federal Mediation and Conciliation Services, Washington, D.C., Haynes Mediation Training Institute, New York and CDR Associates, Chicago)

Dale Alan DeBakcsy - Research Advisor

Dale has received too many awards and scholarships to be listed here. He received his BA with highest honors and distinction from Stanford University in 2001. His Masters Degree in Late Modern European History, (Intellectual History Concentration) will be conferred by Berkeley University in June of this year. Dale has worked as writer, producer and editor on 9 episodes of Lowest Common Denominator for the SCBN channel. His writing has been published in the reviews, Think! and Wilmington Blues. Dale worked recently as a Teaching Assistant and Undergraduate Researcher in the Department of History, Stanford University. In 1996-97 Dale worked as AP Physics Instructor at San Juan Capistrano and back in 1996 he was a Mathematics and Physics Tutor at his Alma Mater, Torrey Pines High School

Nelson Tam - Youth Consultant

Nelson Tam is a senior at the University of California – Berkeley’s History department. A Bay Area native, Tam is a writer based at the Pacific News Service of San Francisco. His writing has focused on youth issues such as education and community for the Pacific News publication, “Yo! Youth Outlook” magazine, as well as the San Francisco Chronicle. Nelson has also reported for “Yo! Radio!” that has aired on KPFA. In 1996-98 he was a staff writer for the San Jose’s Mercury News online youth magazine “Digital High”.