our team

We believe the actions of each individual impact our planet, and that collectively, we are stronger. We believe that seeking justice in the name of our one and only Earth enables justice for its people, and extends to communities everywhere the opportunity to survive and thrive. With that in mind, learn more about the people who bring you One Earth Film Festival.

Most portraits by Katy Bergholz Photography

 
 

ANA GARCIA-DOYLE
One Earth Collective,
Founding Member & Executive Director
Board Member & Festival Films and Programs Lead

[email protected]
Ana likes to be future-facing. She believes there is no time like the present to focus on the future of our planet and of generations to come. Ana has also spent more than 20 years in digital publishing, marketing, and product development, helped found and lead a zero waste schools initiative in her town, is a LEED Gold certified green homeowner together with her husband, and is proud mama to 3 sharp, sweet teen and young adult greenies. She loves to run in the great outdoors, dig her hands in the dirt, grow and cook whole foods of all kinds, and is a yoga, running, and podcast junkie.

Ana Garcia-Doyle photo by Cassandra West


BETSY SWEENEY BACKES
One Earth Collective Board Member

[email protected]
Betsy joins the One Earth board with service experience on several local boards, most recently the Beyond Hunger board in Oak Park. Betsy also believes that the most powerful word in the English language is “yet” and that passionate people united for a cause will bring about real change.


CAROLINE MARINOFF
Partnerships and Venues Support Team

[email protected]
Caroline is a passionate bicyclist and tries to use the car as little as possible. She moved to Oak Park from Europe and loves to connect with people and projects. For the last 15 years Caroline worked for public and non-profit organizations. Caroline and her family are very outdoorsy and only go inside to watch a great documentary. 

Caroline Marinoff

Cassandra West

CASSANDRA WEST
One Earth Collective Advisory Team
Former Public Relations Lead
Events Photography

[email protected]
The springboard for Cassandra’s environmental awareness was getting involved with a community garden. From there she dove into learning about other vital topics: soil, water and energy. Cassandra helped start the Oak Park Area Edible Gardening Cooperative. While composting and recycling are good places to start, she’s committed to continuing her environmental education. Cassandra is also an award-winning journalist and has worked for Northwestern University, Crain’s Chicago Business and at other media & publishing institutions.


CESAR ALMEIDA
Marketing Manager

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Cesar likes to spend time DJing in local green spaces across Chicago. He believes that the definition of environment is not only limited to the birds, trees, bees, and leaves but expands to the places where we eat, live, learn, and sleep. Cesar also owns a marketing and advertising company that helps artists and entrepreneurs connect to the outdoors. He hopes to eliminate the barriers to inclusive, just, and sustainable access to greenspaces and economies across Illinois through transformative programs and services that promote the preservation of the environment, recruit a diverse workforce to the energy sector, and activate green spaces.


ERIN TURNEY
Audio Visual Support Manager

[email protected]
Erin is an environmentalist and artist, specializing in videography; she is also passionate about herbalism. They tell stories through film, illustrating the interconnectedness of all living beings worldwide. Since 2015, Erin has partnered with One Earth to strengthen their bridge between film and environmental activism. They also work closely with their community, sharing accessible herbal medicine and knowledge sourced from local plants.


GAREN HUDSON
Audio Visual Tech Director

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Garen is a musician, rock climber, and drug policy reform activist. He believes that there is a major need for collective and individual healing to occur in order for the healing of the planet. He hopes through music and connection to the outdoors, people can find that healing. Garen and his partner are avid gardeners, and are consistently working to improve their techniques to be more sustainable and regenerative.

Vincent Barcelo Gomez

HELEN QUINN-PASIN
Public Relations Manager

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Helen graduated from Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism in 2021 with a Master of Science in Journalism and a specialization in investigative journalism and social justice. Her master's project was a documentary that exposes food insecurity on Chicago’s West Side. The documentary, “Feed ‘Em All,” was accepted by three film festivals across the country and won the Virginia Dares Cinematic Arts Award for Decolonizing/Re-Indigenizing Media. Her past journalism includes pieces about Food Sovereignty and Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women on Bad River Reservation in northern Wisconsin, social and political issues in Oak Park, and sexual assault on a college campus.


JIM BABCOCK
One Earth Film Fest Founding Member
One Earth Collective Board Member
Film Review and Fundraising

[email protected]
Jim is learning about the many advantages of community solar and, with the Oak Park and River Forest PlanItGreen Team, is working to bring clean, renewable energy for 100% of the communities’ electricity. With the Environmental team at his church, First United Church of Oak Park, he collaborates with many other local congregations to carry out sustainable practices for energy conservation, waste reduction, flood control, pesticide-free native gardens, and healthy food for all. Jim is an active advocate at the state and village levels of government for legislation and policies that will restore and protect the Earth's natural systems, especially the climate system.

Jim Babcock

Joanna Drew

JOANNA DREW
Grants Manager

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Joanna plays her part in restoring harmony in our ecosystem by using a bicycle as her primary mode of transportation (when weather permits!). When she is not out and about, she works for domestic and international NGOs, increasing their capacity to raise funds to bring community projects to life. One day, Joanna dreams to live in a zero-waste home amongst the trees, composting and growing her own fruits and vegetables.


JODI WINE
One Earth Collective Board Member
Legal Counsel
Partnerships and Venues Support Team, Fundraising

[email protected]
Jodi is a strong believer that only by building public will to protect our planet will we create the political will necessary to implement effective environmental policy.  As Gregory Mankiw said so eloquently in the film Before The Flood, "Politicians, [even if] we call them elected leaders, are really elected followers. They do what the people want them to do. Once the people are convinced, the politicians will fall in line.”


Shelby Best

LAURIE CASEY
One Earth Local Programs Director

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Along with three black and white chickens—April, Dolly and Cat—Laurie's family has also invited into their yard wild blue indigo, calico asters, a young oak tree (for the next generation) and flocks of goldfinches who come for the purple coneflower seeds. Laurie has supported the Festival as a volunteer or staffer since the 2013 season, doing programming, film selection and marketing. Currently she leads a group of Oak Park-based community groups in rallying residents around the Climate Ready Oak Park sustainability plan.


LISA BIEHLE FILES
Young Filmmakers Contest Program Director
Digital Media Associate

[email protected]
[email protected]

Lisa uses corn meal gluten and beneficial nematodes on her lawn instead of conventional pesticides. She also shares a compost bin with her neighbors and is beginning to experiment with native plants. Her raised-bed vegetable garden was filled with heirloom tomatoes this year, resulting in delightful omelettes, salads and ratatouille. In the spring, she had purchased heirloom seedlings from the esteemed Tomato Lady, who works at Sugar Beet Food Co-op.

Lisa Biehle Files

MONIQUE HAMILTON
Urban Alliance Intern

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Monique is a senior at DRW College Prep in Chicago, which is part of the Noble Network of Charter Schools. Monique believes all people—regardless of their gender, race, sexual orientation, or income—deserve a clean environment, clean drinking water, and good, fertile soil to grow a garden. She loves working with One Earth to inform people about contamination in our air, land and water and encourages them to make change for the better by taking action.


NATASHA MIRZA
Development Manager

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Natasha found her way to One Earth after discovering the myth of "recycling" and committed herself to creating a more sustainable lifestyle with less waste. Today she can proudly point to every item of furniture, art, and appliance in her apartment as second hand! She also uses public transit and her bike to get around the city and works with a foster agency to get stray cats and kittens off the streets; outdoor cats are a major contributor to ecological damage! She hopes to continue her efforts on a larger scale and encourage others to move towards a more sustainable future through fostering, thrifting, and decreased consumption.


sue150BD.jpg

SUE CROTHERS
One Earth Film Fest Founding Member
Young Filmmakers Contest Founding Director
Film Review and Facilitator

[email protected]
Sue has been thinking about her impact on the environment since her early twenties and she has dedicated herself to environmental efforts. Together with her husband, Sue built one of the first sustainably designed homes in Illinois. She is a founding member of the River Forest Sustainability Committee and PlanItGreen and is committed to supporting our local food shed as an investor with SLoFig (Sustainable Local Financial Investment Group). Sue is also an advocate for chemical usage reduction and together with her Sustainability Committee team members, introduced Keep ON the Grass, a program to reduce lawn chemicals in River Forest.


YUHAN MAO
Marketing Coordinator

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Yuhan, a dedicated graduate student in the Integrated Marketing Communications program at Northwestern University Medill School, carries a deep-seated passion for social justice, with a keen focus on environmental justice, equality, and inclusivity. She is driven by the conviction to integrate these critical issues seamlessly into media and communication channels, leveraging her creative thinking and diverse background. Her goal is to not only engage in meaningful communication but to ignite real change, contributing to a world where sustainability and justice are intrinsic to our everyday actions and decisions.