OUR BOARD
Rob Buscher
pronouns: he/him
Board Chair
Rob is a film and media specialist, educator, arts administrator, and published author who has worked in non- profit arts organizations for over a decade. As a person of biracial Japanese American heritage who is deeply involved in his community, Rob also has an expertise in cultural sensitivity training, community organizing, and advocacy issues related to the Asian American & Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. Robʼs expertise is Japanese and Asian American & Pacific Islander Cinema although he has worked as a professional film programmer, critic, and lecturer across a variety of fields. Rob currently lectures at University of Pennsylvania and is a contributing writer at Pacific Citizen. Rob also serves as a National Board Member for the civil rights group Japanese American Citizens League.
Brad Baldia
pronouns: he/him
Corporate Relations and Community Affairs
Michael Wingate Jones
pronouns: he/him
Managing Director
Tricia Coonrad
pronouns: she/her
Tricia has worked in the content and entertainment industry for over 16 years and is currently a Programming Partnerships and Strategy Lead at Comcast Cable Communications. She promotes diverse content programming partnerships and strategic initiatives around the inclusion of Asian American, African American, International, and Hispanic-focused networks on Comcast platforms.
Patrick Xi Hao Chen
pronouns: he/him
Fariha Khan
pronouns: she/her
Fariha Khan is the Associate Director of the Asian American Studies program at the University of Pennsylvania where she also teaches courses on South Asians in the U.S, Asian American Communities, Asian American Food, as well as Muslim Identity in America. She received a Master’s degree in Arabic and Islamic Studies from Yale University and a PhD in Folklore and Folklife from the University of Pennsylvania. Her current research focuses on South Asian American Muslims, Pakistani American culture, and the Asian American community. Dr. Khan was appointed in 2015 to the Pennsylvania Governor’s Advisory Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs and served until 2019.
Kris Mendoza
pronouns: he/him
With an NYU Film degree and a Wharton MBA, Kris seamlessly balances creativity and business at his flagship company, Maestro Filmworks, an Emmy Award-winning video production company founded in 2005 known for strong visual story-telling. Kris has produced hundreds of projects ranging from broadcast, commercial, narrative, and documentary in nature, and continues to serve clients ranging from Fortune 100 brands to startups and nonprofits. Currently, Kris also serves on the board of the Pennsylvania Film Industry Association, the advisory board of PHLCVB Diversity, and is a Film Industry Partner at the Greater Philadelphia Film Office.
