Mary Jo Ziesel
Executive Director
Mary Jo was appointed Executive Director of the Jacob Burns Film Center in September 2021. She joined the JBFC after serving as Managing Director of American Ballet Theatre’s Department of Education & Training. During her 22-year tenure at American Ballet Theatre, Mary Jo led all business operations of the Department of Education & Training, ultimately developing a thriving center of innovation serving more than 20,000 students annually. As a member of the Executive Leadership Team, she spearheaded the launch of the ABT National Training Curriculum, the ABT Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School in NYC, and the ABT William J Gillespie School in Costa Mesa, CA, an international Summer Intensive program with 9 satellites and a national network of ABT Certified Schools. She brings over 25 years of leadership experience, DEI training, and youth development at premier performing arts and higher education institutions to the Jacob Burns Film Center. Mary Jo holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music and Women’s Studies from the University of Wisconsin, Madison and a Master of Arts in Performing Arts Administration and Nonprofit Management from New York University.
Lynne Barcenas
House Manager
Lynne joined the JBFC in 2021 as a member of the house staff. In 2022, she was promoted to the position of House Manager. Lynne graduated from SUNY Purchase in 2015 with a Cinema Studies and Screenwriting degree. She has a passion for film, television, and video games, and she especially loves it when all of these mediums combine together. Lynne also has a black cat named Hades.
Tara Bongiorno
Customer Service Manager
Tara began her time with the JBFC as House Manager in 2012 and joined the Membership team in 2016. She earned a BFA from SUNY Purchase, where she studied opera. Tara has also worked as Director of Ticketing Services at Tilles Center for the Performing Arts. In her spare time she tries to attend as many live concerts as she can and being a connoisseur of music she is constantly striving to make the best mix playlist.
Elion Carden
House Manager
Elion was first employed at the JBFC in August of 2021. He is known for his involvement in various activities and events in Pleasantville. Through his love for action films, Elion particularly enjoys stage combat and choreography. He will not leave a movie theater without reading the stunt team names in the end credits of a film.
Monica Castillo
Senior Film Programmer
Monica Castillo is a critic, journalist, and curator based in New York City. Before curating for the Paley Center for Media, her work has appeared in NPR, the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Colorado Public Radio, NBC News, RogerEbert.com, The Wrap, Remezcla, Elle Magazine, Marie Claire, and Vulture among others. She is a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, Online News Association, and the Critics Choice Association.
Christine Coleman
Manager of Education Administration
Christine joined the JBFC in 2017 as Assistant to the Executive Director. She holds a B.A in English with a minor in Journalism from Mercy College. Prior to joining the JBFC, Christine worked as an Assistant Bank Manager. Christine enjoys writing and owes her love of cinema to her Dad’s own film obsession, and also to the awesome kids movies of the 80’s. She’s a horror fan, but holds an exclusive place in her heart for Wong Kar-Wai’s Chungking Express.
Ed Collins
Projectionist
After earning his B.A. in cinema studies from SUNY Purchase, Ed worked as a freelance blogger for a couple years before he found his way into the theater business in 2015. Before joining the Jacob Burns, Ed worked as a projectionist for The Downing Film Center in Newburgh, New York and at iPic Theaters in Dobbs Ferry. Ed is an occasional podcaster who loves to talk about horror movies, pro-wrestling, and his obsession with basketball.
Judy Exton
Director of Development
Judy joined the JBFC as Director of Development in December 2001. Prior to this, she raised money for a number of nonprofits, including New York City Ballet, Caramoor, and Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Judy holds a B.A. in Communications from The College of Wooster. A Pleasantville resident, Judy loves books, crossword puzzles, film, and theater. Judy and her husband, Tom, have two daughters and a four-legged son (a black lab).
Charlotte Exton
Manager of Education Programs
Charlotte started working at the JBFC as a member of the House Staff in 2008 and has grown within the organization. She is thrilled to now be in the Education Department! She has a background in theatre and worked for years as a stage manager in Westchester and New York City, as well as worked with various nonprofit organizations focused on arts education. In 2021, Charlotte graduated from City College of New York with her M.S.Ed in Educational Theatre where she expanded her passion for arts education and community engagement. Outside of work, Charlotte is an avid theatre-goer, dog lover, and a baker!
Allison Garner
Donor Engagement Manager
Allison joined the JBFC’s development department in 2016. She holds a BA from Bard College in Art History and Classical Studies; before coming to the Burns, she worked for German performance artist Nadja Marcin and collaborative art duo ChanSchatz.
Elizabeth Garrigue
Membership Director
Elizabeth joined the startup staff at the JBFC before the theater opened in June of 2001. Prior to joining the JBFC, she worked at a variety of places including Eileen Fisher, Otowi Trading Company, and WW Norton. Elizabeth has a BA in comparative literature from Harvard. She enjoys working for a nonprofit—combining a love of the arts and helping foster shared experiences. She has fond memories of seeing movies at the old Rome theater!
Alex Gorski
Director of Information Services
Alex Gorski joined the Jacob Burns Film Center in 2018. Prior to joining the JBFC, Alex wrote and managed software for the American Museum of Natural History and 8to18 Media. Alex is an alumni of Johns Hopkins University and Zicklin Business School.
Paige Grand Pré
Marketing Manager
Paige is a writer and filmmaker with a background in international relations and nonprofit work. She graduated from Swarthmore College with a B.A. in Political Science and received a Certificate in Screenwriting from NYU’s School of Professional Studies. Paige has written both feature and short films, served as everything from Executive Producer to production assistant on shorts and web series, and maintains a film criticism and analysis blog entitled Not Suitable for All Audiences.
Marnie Halper
Institutional Giving & Government Relations Manager
Marnie joined the JBFC’s Development Team in 2024. Prior to working at the Burns, she held positions at the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art, the American Folk Art Museum, and taught high school history and economics at Manhasset Secondary School in Nassau County. Marnie received her BA, studying Art History and History, from Binghamton University in 2017 and MA from Teachers College, Columbia University in 2018.
Terry Hanson
Human Resources Assistant
Terry has spent her professional career as a paralegal concentrating on legal compliance and employee relations issues. She has watched the JFBC emerge from a concept to re-purpose the old Rome Theater, to the vibrant media, education, and community-based entertainment center it is today. The first movie she saw here was The Maltese Falcon.
Ryan Harrington
Artistic Advisor, Special Programs
Ryan Harrington is a film and television industry veteran of nearly 20 years. Previously, he worked as Vice President, Documentary Films at National Geographic/Disney+ and Vice President, Artists Programs at Tribeca Film Institute. He has dedicated his career to nurturing and empowering filmmakers from around the globe as a producer, creative executive, and through his various roles in the non-profit funding world.
Chris Holliday
Interim Director of Film Programming
From radio and television to stage and screen, Chris has spent his life championing the transformative potential of film, storytelling, and performance. He has over two decades of experience in media and the arts working with clients including the BBC, Gaydio, the Barbican, and Pride in London. After a successful career in the UK, Chris now lives in the Hudson Valley with his American husband Howell and his French dog Lucy. He is passionate about curating world-class cinema and events to entertain and inspire our audiences at the JBFC.
Marcus Johnson
Tech Specialist
Marcus’ connection to the JBFC started back in 2016, when he contributed to a filmmaking fellow’s project during the early days of Creative Culture. In the years since, he went on to co-found his own production company, Vision Craft Productions. Marcus has gained a wealth of experience by working in various sectors of the film industry throughout his career. From being a PA for Showtime to editing nationally televised commercials, all those experiences have led Marcus to the Tech Specialist role at the JBFC.
Susan Kineke
Creative Director
Susan joined the JBFC in 2002 as its first in-house designer. She was assigned an old desk and sent off to buy the company’s first Apple computer. Susan graduated as a design major from UCLA and worked in a tiny advertising agency in California. She happily moved back East for a job at Harper’s Bazaar. Susan continued in publishing, designing for Ms. and Sassy, eventually running a design firm with a childhood friend.
Ian LoCascio
Programming Coordinator
Ian started working at the JBFC as an usher when the theater reopened in May of 2021. He went on to work in the box office and then as a house manager before moving into the programming department in November of 2022. Ian is a passionate cinephile whose life was unalterably changed after he was brought to the movies for the first time (to see The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland) at the tender age of two. While over time his primary cinematic interests have shifted away from Elmo and toward the films of Claire Denis, Andrei Tarkovsky, and Hong Sang-soo – he still feels that same childlike wonder every time he watches a great film on the big screen. In addition to his love and knowledge of film, Ian is a classically trained actor who received a BFA with Honors from NYU Tisch School of the Arts in 2020.
Tim Mannion
Head Projectionist
Tim joined the Jacob Burns Film Center as a projectionist in March of 2016. Tim has worked in the theater business since 2010 after graduating from Providence College with a minor in film studies. In his free time Tim enjoys hiking, music, video games, and poker, and is currently on a quest to becoming a master Pokemon trainer.
Janet Maslin
Board President
Flynn McCabe
Executive Assistant & Board Liaison
Flynn joined the JBFC in 2023 as an Executive Assistant and Board Liaison. She holds a B.A. in The Politics of Portraiture, Documentary Filmmaking, and Disability Studies from NYU Gallatin and has prior experience in casting and finance roles.
Jesse Modica
Director of Theater Operations
Jesse has been working in the cinema exhibition industry since 1996, literally growing up in the business. Since joining the JBFC team in 2007 Jesse has worked as a projectionist, house manager, media coordinator, booth manager, and technical director. As Director of Theater Operations, Jesse oversees all aspects of daily activities, ensuring high-quality cinema presentation, stellar customer service, engaging events, and of course, delicious popcorn! Jesse and the talented theater team make it their priority to ensure everyone’s experience at the JBFC is a memorable one and are continuously looking for new ways to dazzle our audiences.
Claudia Murdoch
Senior Human Resources Associate
Claudia has always been particularly interested in highlighting stories from a variety of cultures and celebrating inclusiveness. She is a fervent believer that giving voice to people who are often overlooked leads to a more accepting and just society. As a co-founder of Cup of Joe Film, she produces narrative films and tv series with directors from diverse backgrounds. Most recently, she has completed production of the feature film Sora. Claudia supports BAFTA North America as a reviewer for the GSA Student Awards and the Newcomers Program, and she screens narrative-feature films for Dances With Films in West-Hollywood.
Isha Parkhi
Marketing Associate
Isha is a cinema enthusiast with a background in higher education and communications. Prior to joining the team at JBFC, she worked at a public relations agency in New York and as an admissions counselor at a private, liberal arts college in Maine. Originally from Pune, India, Isha received her BA from Hamilton College with a double major in Sociology and Cinema & Media Studies. Outside of work you can find her making lists, collecting post-its, and defending romantic comedies.
Andrew Robinson
Technical Manager
After working for the Cable Car Cinema in Providence, RI for seven years, Andrew began working for the JBFC in 2009. His interest in film can find its origins in his love for literature and physics, and how both employ the use of narrative to convey a compelling idea. He can sometimes be seen at the theater teaching the trade to his four year old son, who has begun to refer to himself as “Daddy’s Projectionist.”
Patrick Saxton
Chief Financial Officer
Patrick joined JBFC as Chief Financial Officer after more than 30 years of Finance and Leadership roles at Siemens, Bayer, ABB and KPMG. He is a Certified Public Accountant with an MBA from the University of Richmond and a BS in Commerce from Rider College. Outside of work, Patrick enjoys golf and volunteering with his local ambulance corp.
Brandon Shenkman
Director of Education
Brandon graduated Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with a B.S. in Electronic Media, Arts and Communication. While attending RPI he interned at IBM in the Software Division. He has also designed and scored independent video games as well as being an accomplished freelance writer. He teaches various Courses @ the Lab.
Sara Stanziani
Manager of Information Systems
Sara joined the JBFC’s house management team in 2010. Prior to that she was a volunteer for the JBFC’s Minds in Motion program, as well as a teaching assistant for various classes held at the Media Arts Lab. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Animation from the School of Visual Arts. Sara is a classically trained pianist who enjoys creating motion graphics and watching movies in her spare time.
Denise Treco
Director of Marketing and Communications
Denise, a public relations and marketing professional with more than 25 years experience in various industries/sectors including nonprofit, publishing, and entertainment, joined the JBFC in 2004 as Marketing Director. Previously, Denise worked for The Vitamin Shoppe, Scholastic Inc., and MTV Networks’ Nickelodeon. A classic movie fan, her DVR is set record every Montgomery Clift, Bette Davis, and Cary Grant film that airs.
Lisa Waterworth
Controller
Lisa joined the JBFC in June 2021. She has over 25 years of experience in finance and accounting from a wide variety of industries. Including non-profit and commercial theaters, film video distributors, Showtime, Viacom, and even a prestigious golf club. A classically trained singer, she enjoys performing with the Oratorio Society of NY and the New Choral Society in Scarsdale. Other than film and music her passions include downhill skiing, hitting the gym, and book reading.
Kenny Williams
Manager of Theater Operations & Hospitality
Returning to Westchester, where he grew up, Kenny Williams has over three decades of experience in hospitality and theater operations. From 1985 to 1993, he served in the United States Air Force (Contra Conflict, also Desert Storm). After his service, Kenny remained in Arizona, and embarked on a successful career in managing high-profile catering operations and theater venues. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from the University of Arizona and a Degree in Hospitality Services Management from Davis-Monthan AFB.
Sam van der Meer
Projectionist
