Staff
New York - Headquarters
Steve Mendelsohn
Executive Director
Prior to joining FilmAid, Steve was the Executive Director of Project Rebirth, a nonprofit organization based in downtown Manhattan, whose mission is to document the entire reconstruction of the World Trade Center site through a feature-length documentary film and an installation in the Memorial Museum at Ground Zero.
Before Project Rebirth, Steve was the Executive Director of Manhattan Neighborhood Network, the nation’s largest nonprofit public access cable television network, where he oversaw all strategic, fiscal, operational, and marketing initiatives. Prior to that, Steve was a General Manager at Razorfish, an Internet design and consulting company, where he developed the Solutions Department and oversaw operations for the New York office. He also worked at Nurun, a French Canadian Internet consulting firm, where he ran New York operations. Steve also worked for a decade with American Express, where he held a variety of marketing positions in the Credit Card, Travel and Financial Services Divisions. He received his MBA from Harvard Business School and a BS in Economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
David Alport
Strategic Development Director
David provides FilmAid with strategic and development planning. He has been an entrepreneur and a strategic planning consultant in a variety of industries. In 1992 David created media company Out & About, which published a monthly travel journal, guidebooks and website for the gay and lesbian community. He sold Out & About to web company PlanetOut, and in 2002 began providing strategic planning services to travel-related companies. David has worked on projects for Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Emirates Airlines, Atlantis Events and Andre Balazs Hotels, among others. David attended Brown University, where he majored in psychology.
James Porter
Program & Communications Associate
James serves as the Program and Communications Associate for FilmAid International. Prior to joining FilmAid, James was an Employment Officer for Lutheran Social Services Refugee Resettlement Center in Baltimore, Maryland. There he worked with newly resettled refugees to place them in careers that more closely matched their professions in their country of origin. James received his Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Loyola College in Maryland and will receive his Masters of Diplomacy and International Relations from The Whitehead School of Diplomacy and International Relations at Seton Hall University. At the Whitehead School, he is specializing in Global Health and Human Rights.
Michael Aberg
Media Production Manager
Michael currently serves as the Media Production Manager for FilmAid International. Before working for FilmAid, Michael resided in Indonesia for three years where he, amongst other freelancing duties, worked for the international news broadcast and production company AsiaWorks as well as for UNAIDS, where he led a video production on post-tsunami Aceh, Indonesia. Before living in Argentina and Indonesia, Michael worked for Propellerhead Software, a Swedish music software company. Prior to that he worked with broadcasting for the BBC in London. Michael holds a HND in Sound and Video Engineering from Salford University in the UK.
Nicholas Constantakis
Finance Director
NAIROBI, KENYA - East Africa Head Office
Charles Otieno
Kenya Country Manager
Charles is responsible for overseeing all aspects of FilmAid’s programs in Kenya. Charles holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree (Literature, Sociology and Political Science), and has over seven years experience in development communications. He has participated in several projects involving the use of the arts in various formats, including theatre and radio, for communicating development and awareness issues. He has worked in various capacities for the last three years in FilmAid’s program in Kenya.
Stella Suge
Administration and Finance Manager
Is a graduate in Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Business Studies from Kenyatta University. She has over 8 years experience working in finance and administration in various organizations ranging from private business to non-governmental organizations. Stella has been with FilmAid since 2005.
Shem K. Cheruiyot
Accountant
Shem is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) who enjoys living with a positive outlook on life with specialized knowledge in the area of accounting. Shem had worked in the private commercial sector for over two years before joining the Filmaid family. His area of specialization entails bookkeeping, accounting, preparing of finance accounts, handling all the statutory requirements, development and implementing financial policies amongst other financial procedures.
KENYA (KAKUMA REFUGEE CAMP) - Field Office
Christopher Agutu
Program Manager
Before joining Filmaid, Chris worked for Sanaa Art promotions for 4 years in various capacities in Program Development and Management. He has extensive experience in the use of performing and visual arts as channels/medium of communication in Development Education targeting youth. Chris is a graduate in Development Communications. Chris believes in making a positive impact on other people’s lives. He hopes to use this opportunity to share the skills and knowledge acquired over the years towards achieving these objectives. He also seeks to learn from those who have been working in Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kenya and he hopes that his work and experiences there will be a source of inspiration throughout his life.
Anthony Muteru
Production and PVP coordinator
Anthony Muteru holds a B.A degree in Mass Communication from St. Augustine University in Tanzania having specialized in the electronic media. He has over 4 years experience in the media, having started out as a freelancer working on promotional films and documentaries. He worked with FilmAid for the first time in 2003 as a consultant before working in the TV industry as a programs editor. He joined FilmAid again in 2005, as the Assistant Program Manager where he has also coordinating the activities of the Participatory Video Project. He has supported and continues to support the organizations community-based video projects in Kakuma and Dadaab refugee camps. Anthony has a wealth of experience in editing, cinematography, directing and management. His main passion is working with the refugee youths under the Participatory Filmmaking Program, mentoring them to become professionals and voices of change in the community.
KENYA (DADAAB REFUGEE CAMP) - Field Office
Duncan Waigwa
Project Officer
Project Officer
Duncan graduated in 2002 with second class honors in sociology from Kenya’s Moi University. He briefly for the collaborative centre for gender and development in Nairobi before joining Sanaa Art Promotions as the Central Province Area Coordinator implementing BCC HIV/AIDS youth project for two years (August 2003-Nov 2005). He gained skills in innovative behavior change approaches as well as program planning and implementation. He later worked as a freelance consultant for a range of local and international agencies on gender, governance, HIV/AIDS and human rights issues before joining FilmAid in January 2007.
