Allies

Ron Sim, CSC

Cinematographer. Filmmaker. Storyteller.  As a former combat photographer, James Beard nominee, and six-time winner of the Canadian Society of Cinematographers Award for excellence in branding and commercial cinematography, Ron is arguably one of the most respected, passionate, and acclaimed cinematographers in the world.  His work spans multiple genres—from commercials, television, documentaries, and web films to special assignments in hostile environments, remote geographies, and natural disasters.

Always reinventing himself, his passion for storytelling is fueled by his desire to bring viewers into different worlds, expanding their perspective, and gaining a better understanding of the people and places that make up our planet. With his camera, he has travelled to and worked in 83 countries.  His ability to connect with people from all walks of life—at every corner of the globe, allows him to tell stories unlike any other.  As a Director of Photography, his penchant for experimentation with technique and style allows him to always remain on the cutting edge of filmmaking.

His body of work is a reflection of his understanding of the human experience.  From working with celebrity chef Eric Ripert on the Emmy Award winning series Avec Eric--presented by SquareSpace, to interviewing NASCAR racing legend Richard Childress, to capturing the plight of survivors of genocide in Cambodia--his films have been shot and viewed around the world.  His work on commercials, web films, and corporate branding campaigns for such global clients as Dow Chemical, Toyota, Ford, Harley Davidson, McDonald's, and LG has garnered millions of online views and has helped to excel the reputation of their brands.  A portfolio this diverse and eclectic places him in a rare class of DP’s that can handle an array of projects for any type of media platform.

He and his wife, Linda, are owners of a tiny morkie named Milo who thinks he's a British pitbull.  He currently sits on the board of directors of various non-profits, and is Vice President of his local Cambodian Cultural Association.  He is founder and owner of Simmod Lens, an online company specializing in lens modifications and accessories. In his spare time he can be found on the RC race track dueling it out with kids half his age racing high powered remote controlled cars. 

Ron and Linda currently reside in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.

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Photography by Syx Langemann

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Music courtesy of Dan Rodriguez:
"The Allies Theme" by Dan Rodriguez

Julie M. Goldberg is a writer, librarian, teacher, political activist, and social media butterfly.  She ran for New York State Senate in 2018, and for county legislature the following year. She is active in local social justice, women's rights, mental health, and environmental organizations. Her fiction and essays have appeared in The Establishment, Dual Coast Magazine, The Manhattanville Review, River River, WomenArts Quarterly Journal, and others. She is a prose editor and board member of River, River, a community writing organization in Nyack, NY., and also serves on the board of Planned Parenthood Hudson Peconic Action Fund. She is writing her second novel. She lives in the Lower Hudson Valley with her husband of 25 years, their two grown children, and one very cute bunny. You can follow her on Twitter @juliegoldberg. 

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Music courtesy of Dan Rodriguez:
"The Allies Theme" by Dan Rodriguez

Jeremy A. Abbate is the Vice President & Publisher of Scientific American and its related titles (SA MIND, SA Special Collections, Scientific American Worldview), working with all of the editorial, content, business and production teams to drive Scientific American forward.

He is responsible for developing and executing new media programs, brand extensions and collaborative ventures serving the international opinion leadership that turns to Scientific American for the best views of the future.

Abbate has made many appearances at conferences and events to facilitate high-level discussions on healthcare, innovative science and technology, policy and scientific entrepreneurship. He has spearheaded co-branded partnerships with several international organizations including TEDMED, CES, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, OSU’s Brain Health Summit, The Carter Center and others. Working to bring important scientific ideas into a dynamic media environment, he has led projects serving some of the world’s largest corporate organizations, including Colgate Palmolive, Johnson& Johnson, Procter & Gamble, Philips, Life Technologies, Amgen, Caterpillar and BMS.

He leads several content and product initiatives at Scientific American that serve the educational and STEM markets.

His writing has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Psychology Today, McSweeney’s, and other national publications. Abbate penned the forward to the popular medical travel guide, Patients Beyond Borders.

Abbate has held many media positions prior to being SciAm’s publisher, including the Director of New Business for The Scientist magazine, a title serving working researchers and life science leaders.

He serves on the advisory boards for Bioethics International; BioFuture, a New York-based life science conference; and MEGA, an organization exploring insights into the problems faced by humanity and the unique solutions positioned to solve them.

Abbate has taught courses for the Magazine Publishers of America. He lives outside of New York City with his wife, Anina and two children.

 
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www.scientificamerican.com

Listen to Jeremy's solo acoustic album, Fifth & St. Nick: Seasonal Songs Re-Imagined for Solo Guitar, or purchase it here.

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Music courtesy of Dan Rodriguez:
"The Allies Theme" by Dan Rodriguez

Dina Silver Pokedoff, APR is a driven and results-oriented senior brand and communications executive and an empowered female leader in the marketing and communications industry. Most recently, Dina was Director of Brand, Reputation and Influence at Saint-Gobain North America, one of the world’s largest building materials companies and manufacturers of innovative material solutions.

At Saint-Gobain she implemented strategic initiatives for internal and external communications, and was instrumental in developing the long-term strategy for external philanthropic partnerships, brand strategy and external relations activities including media relations, social media, website and reputation/crisis management. As a visionary, she forged a path forward for the marketing and communications team that was only established within the last 10 years and demonstrated the value that communications adds for a company whose roots date back to 1665. 

For these efforts, Dina most recently was recognized with Ragan’s/PR Daily Top Women in Communications 2020 and PR News Top Women in PR 2018.

Prior to Saint-Gobain, Dina developed and executed metrics-driven, award-winning campaigns in a range of industries including manufacturing, higher education, healthcare, financial, insurance, telecommunications, not-for-profits and more.  

Dina gives back to her profession as a member of the Public Relations Society of America and to the community as an active member of her synagogue, Beth Or. She also serves as a fundraiser for the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Cardiac Unit, and has supported fund raising efforts for the Pancreatic Cancer Network and local non-profit Run for Jenna.

Dina lives in Chalfont, Pennsylvania with her husband Mark and their two beautiful children Benjamin (12) and Ava (6).  When not working she loves keeping fit by riding on her Peloton bike, as well as running, performing in musicals with the Temple Sinai Players, enjoying Broadway, and reading.   

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Music courtesy of Dan Rodriguez:
"The Allies Theme" by Dan Rodriguez

Lawrence James, President and CEO of Connexus Technology, is passionate about serving in his community. He has spent countless hours volunteering his time to serve at Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility (CFCS) in North Philadelphia, providing spiritual and emotional support to inmates. He currently leads a team of men and women who bring hope to those who are incarcerated at George Hill Correctional Facility in Delaware County.  Besides giving hope, this weekly program for inmates includes spiritual guidance and community re-entry support.  Lawrence also volunteers his time at universities in Philadelphia, providing business expertise to young adults. Currently he serves on the Board of Directors for the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce. Additionally, he was a member of the Board of Directors for Drexel Neumann Academy (DNA), a free Catholic School in Chester, PA, for under-served students, where he introduced the students to drone flight and the technology behind it. Drexel Neumann Academy has since adopted the curriculum, and the course is being taught to students throughout the school. Lawrence’s service underscores his passion and interest in youth, criminal justice reform, and bridging the digital divide. This spirit of service permeates throughout the Connexus organization and is an essential component of the Connexus culture.

Rev. Christopher J Holland II  serves as Executive Pastor of Salt and Light Community Church and the Executive Director of The Common Place (a not for profit ) in the Southwest section of Philadelphia. He is an entrepreneur and the Co-founder/COO of Connexus Technology, a leading-edge technology consulting firm in Philadelphia since 2003. He is a native of Philadelphia, and holds a Bachelor of Science and Engineering degree in Computer Science from Drexel University. After co-founding the technology startup, he obtained his Master of Divinity degree from Palmer Theological Seminary. As a member of The Common Place leadership team, Pastor Chris brings his gifts of strategic planning, pastoral care, community engagement and passion for family advocacy to fulfill the mission of The Common Place and uplift the Southwest Philadelphia Community.   He is happily married to Ime, and they are blessed to be parents of six children.

Connexus Technology provides IT staffing and IT managed services for mid to large sized organizations in need of a dedicated IT partner. For more than 17 years, Connexus has been helping customers across the globe in a wide variety of industries to improve operations and profitability with innovative software solutions, and with expert on/offsite consultants. Connexus’ leadership team extends their skills and knowledge to serve the Philadelphia and surrounding communities through civic engagement. This spirit of service permeates throughout the Connexus organization and is an essential component of the Connexus culture.

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Music courtesy of Dan Rodriguez:
"The Allies Theme" by Dan Rodriguez

Anthony Sergi is producer of the Allies podcast, a show he co-created with host and long time friend and colleague, Carmen Ferrigno. He also produces the podcast A Guest in the House, co-hosted by rapper and journalist, David "Traum Diggs" Shanks, and author and professor of English, Dr. Mickey Hess.  His first podcast, now archived, was Writers Latitude, hosted by author, Joe Samuel Starnes.

While the podcasts Anthony produces differ in style and content, they share a common goal: to express stories and perspectives of diverse lived and learned experiences in hopes of finding common ground in the ways we relate to each other.  It's what inspired him to start podcasting, and what drives him to help provide an outlet for other great hosts and their shows.

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Music courtesy of Dan Rodriguez:
"The Allies Theme" by Dan Rodriguez

Royce Warrick

Royce Warrick is Senior Vice President, General Counsel, Corporate Secretary and Chief Compliance Officer for Solenis. She is responsible for managing the multinational enterprise’s legal, intellectual property, regulatory, compliance and governance affairs, as well as collaborating with the Solenis business team to enhance profitable growth.  Warrick is a member of Solenis’ Executive Committee and Global Senior Leadership Team.  

Prior to joining Solenis in 2014, Warrick served as assistant general counsel and global corporate legal director overseeing legal affairs of strategic business units at The Dow Chemical Company and Rohm and Haas Company. Beginning her legal career as a litigation attorney, she later expanded her scope of experience to include business law, ethics and compliance, mergers and acquisitions, antitrust, employment law, information technology and corporate secretarial/governance. 

Warrick holds a bachelor’s degree from Duke University and a juris doctor degree from Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law. She is a member of Villanova University’s Advisory Council Member for the Anne Welsh McNulty Institute for Women's Leadership, a member of the Forum of Executive Women, a member of the Georgia Tech Parents Board, a member of the Duke University Alumni Admissions Advisory Committee and a former board member of the STEM-focused Invent Now Kids®, a subsidiary of the National Inventors Hall of Fame Foundation commissioned by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Warrick is also an active member of her community where she is a founding leader of her church’s College Prep Ministry, and a founder and trustee of the Roy Blair Paige Foundation, a non-profit organization, the mission of which is to enrich the development of servant-leader youth committed to community-uplift.  

Ms. Warrick is a member of the Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware bars. She is married and has three daughters.

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Music courtesy of Dan Rodriguez:
"The Allies Theme" by Dan Rodriguez

Music courtesy of Dan Rodriguez:
"The Allies Theme" by Dan Rodriguez

Vanessa Short Bull

Vanessa Short Bull is an enrolled member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe. She was born on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation of South Dakota, and is a direct descendent of Chief Red Cloud, Young Man Afraid of His Horses, Little Wound, and the Ghost Dance leader Short Bull.  Vanessa is a graduate of the University of South Dakota. She has served as the Co-chair for the Native Research Network, and was board member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe Research Review Board and the Susan G. Komen for the Cure, SD Affiliate. She was previously a Nike-endorsed fitness athlete for the N7 shoe. She resides in Philadelphia, PA.

Vanessa was the former Miss SD USA 2000 and Miss SD 2002, and has competed at both the Miss USA and Miss America Pageants. She is the first woman in South Dakota to garner both titles and was the first Native American to win both state titles. Vanessa is also a classically trained dancer who studied Dancing at the University of Utah, Ballet West Conservatory, and School of Cleveland Ballet. She was featured in the American Indian College Fund’s campaign Have You Seen a Real Indian and in the book Real Indians. She served as an officer in the Army Reserve Medical Service Corps. 

Her parents are Thomas Short Bull, President of Oglala Lakota College, and Darlene Short Bull, a retired Indian Health Service RN with over 30 yrs of service. Her husband, Major Christopher Gorham, is an entomologist with the Defense Logistics Agency, prior active duty Army officer, currently serves with the Army Reserves Medical Readiness Training Command, Ft. Dix, NJ.

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Music courtesy of Dan Rodriguez:
"The Allies Theme" by Dan Rodriguez