Rita Bell
President
Rita Bell has been a paralegal since 2000, working in the areas of civil litigation, employment, and intellectual property. She is also a full-time wife and mother of three. In addition to volunteering with Filmworks, she also volunteers with the Fresno Center for Nonviolence and Earth Day Fresno. Rita enjoys a lifelong love of movies, and she enjoys being part of the Filmworks family. For the 2020-21 season, Rita serves on the board’s executive committee as President. She’s also the organization’s interim Program Director. She has formerly served as venue director.
Benjamin Woodcock
Vice President
Benjamin Woodcock holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography from Fresno State. He currently is in the Masters in Library and Information Science program at San Jose State University. When Benjamin isn’t buried in a book, he can be found watching Murder She Wrote, Oscar-nominated films, and international movies. For the 2020-21 season, Benjamin serves on the board’s executive committee as Vice President. For the marketing committee, he also produces the Filmworks email newsletter and contributes to social media. He has formerly served as treasurer and social media coordinator.
Celeste DeMonte
Secretary
A longtime fan of independent and international cinema, Celeste DeMonte has volunteered with Fresno Filmworks for more than a decade, often alongside her husband, Neal Howard. She has served in various volunteer capacities, including board membership, for a number of nonprofits in Fresno. Professionally, she is a newly retired technical writer. For the 2020-21 season, Celeste serves on the board’s executive committee as Secretary. For the development committee, she also contributes to sponsorships and fundraising.
Cassandra McGuire
Treasurer
An Orange County native, Cassandra R. McGuire earned her Business Administration degree with an emphasis in accounting from Fresno State. She currently works in the arts community as the Operations Manager for the Fresno Arts Council. For the 2020-21 season, Cassandra serves on the board’s executive committee as Treasurer. After interning for Filmworks in fall 2016, she joined the board’s development team where she continues to contribute to memberships and fundraising.
Sirley Carballo
Communication Director
Sirley Carballo is a marketing and video professional. Upon graduating from Fresno Pacific University with a degree in Communication: Film & Media Studies and English, Sirley has worked in various sectors of Fresno’s thriving film industry, both in front of and behind the camera. With her husband, Wade French, she co-owns and operates the Wild Sight Studios video production collective. She serves on the Filmworks board as the Communication Director, chairing our marketing committee and contributing to social media.
Linda Garcia
Development Director
A Central Valley native, Linda Garcia is always looking for ways to make a positive impact in our community. She believes in the importance of community involvement, and she has volunteered with a number of local organizations over the years. Linda earned her Master of Social Work degree from Fresno State. She has served the California Community College system for nearly a decade, currently working at Clovis Community College. Linda is passionate about access, equity, and student success in higher education. She joined the Filmworks advisory board in August 2018 and moved to the board of directors in January 2019. Linda serves as Development Director, chairing our development committee and leading fundraising and outreach efforts.
Cindy Peters Duzi
Venue Director
Cindy Peters Duzi taught high school English for 34 years. She loves volunteering with Assistance League Fresno, she is an avid supporter of HOW Fresno (Helping One Woman Fresno), and she joined the Filmworks board in August 2018. Cindy is passionate about film, theater, art, and travel, and she is thrilled to be a part of the Filmworks community. She writes about film on her Instagram and for our Film Forum blog. She also serves Filmworks as Venue Director, chairing our venue committee, as well as contributing to programming.
Katie McQuone Botello
Board Member
Katie McQuone Botello graduated from San Francisco State in 2009 with a degree in Radio and Television. In 2012 she received her Career Technical Education Credential from Fresno Pacific University and became the coordinator of the Video Production Academy at Sunnyside High School. She teaches classes including video production, videography, digital video production, and broadcasting, and in 2019 she was honored with a Milken Education Award for her teaching service. She is also an adjunct instructor in the Graphic Communications Department at Fresno City College. Katie joined the Filmworks advisory board in August 2018 and moved to the board of directors in June 2020. She works on development and youth initiatives.
Nancy Price
Board Member
A native of Chicago and a lifelong Cubs fan, Nancy Price is a multimedia journalist covering education and religion for GV Wire, an online news site in Fresno. She grew up in Illinois and Southern California, graduated from journalism school at Northwestern University, and then worked for four decades at newspapers from coast to coast — from Florida to Alaska and points in between. She came to Fresno in 2005 to work for The Fresno Bee as an assistant city editor. When she’s not reporting and writing, Nancy loves to sing with the Fresno Master Chorale and Coro Piccolo. She also serves her church council as secretary, donates platelets regularly at the Central California Blood Center, and is a member of a local book club. For Filmworks, Nancy writes and edits for the marketing committee.
Susana Sosa
Board Member
Susana Sosa holds an M.A. from Stanford in Art History and is working on her Ph.D. in the same discipline. Her dissertation focuses on images (prints, posters, graphic art) and films of early French cinema (1895-1911). She is currently a full-time instructor in the art department at Fresno City College. For Filmworks, she serves as volunteer coordinator on the venue committee and is also a member of the programming committee. She formerly served as board Secretary.
Founding Board Members
John Moses
President Emeritus
John Moses was named President Emeritus of Fresno Filmworks in June 2015. John teaches Film Studies and English at Fresno City College.
Catherine Campbell
Director Emeritus
Catherine Campbell was named Director Emeritus of Fresno Filmworks in June 2019. She was one of the organization’s 10 founding board members.
Robert Navarro
Director Emeritus
Robert Navarro was named Director Emeritus of Fresno Filmworks in June 2019. He was one of the organization’s 10 founding board members.
Jim Piper
Director Emeritus
Jim Piper was named Director Emeritus of Fresno Filmworks (in memoriam) in June 2015. He was one of the 10 founding members of the Filmworks Board of Directors, working on our programming and communication for many years and later serving on our Advisory Board. Jim passed away June 5, 2015 at age 78.
Stanley Poss
Director Emeritus
Stanley Poss was named Director Emeritus of Fresno Filmworks in June 2019. One of the 10 founding board members of Filmworks, Stan was the last founding member to step down from the board of directors, in August 2017.
Dixie Salazer
Director Emeritus
Dixie Salazar was named Director Emeritus of Fresno Filmworks in June 2019. She was one of the organization’s 10 founding board members.