REIGNING ADVISORY BOARD

Comprised of uniquely gifted and deeply experienced professionals, our board collaborates amongst four functional areas: Strategy & Operations, Creative, Marketing, and Technology, to bring imagination, depth, and clarity to the ongoing execution of our mission — ensuring, thereby, that in everything we do, the Manalive enterprise remains agile, innovative, and profitable.

DEACON MANUEL VALENCIA

ADVISORY BOARD EMERITUS CHAIR

Manuel began his career in journalism working as a city hall reporter for the Sacramento Union and as a State Capitol political reporter and associate editor for The Sacramento Bee. Included was a leave of absence to serve as Chief of Staff in Washington, D.C., for Rep. Bob Matsui, after which he was a Director and Sr. Vice President for Lockheed Corporation. He graduated from UC Berkeley with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1971 and received a Master of Systematic Theology at Loyola Marymount University in 2021.

Manuel is an Associate Retreat Director at Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center in Sierra Madre, California. He was also a founding member and partner of Valencia, Perez & Echeveste Public Relations/Public Affairs, where he remained until 2012.

In 2000, Manuel took a leave of absence for one year to serve as Deputy Mayor City of Los Angeles at the request of Republican Mayor Richard Riordan. He has been married to Griselda for 53 years, having two grown children and three grandchildren.

Ardythe Goergens

ADVISORY BOARD CO-CHAIR

Ardythe is a more-than 20 year veteran of the film and television industry, holding numerous positions, including line producer for more than 30 film productions, director of business affairs for ABC, director of production for Disney Channel, and Head of Atmosphere Casting for 20th Century Fox.

Ardythe has also served as controller and head of residuals and distribution reporting for independent film production and distribution companies. She studied music, art, and literature at Winthrop University, then attended Whittier Business College.

Ardythe’s eclectic interests include pleasure horsemanship and music. She currently sings and plays guitar with a friends-and-family cover band.

Dr. Michael Pacanowsky

ADVISORY BOARD CO-CHAIR

Michael (A.B. Harvard; Ph.D. Stanford) began his academic career at the University of Utah and the University of Colorado-Boulder, where he served as Department Chair.  He left academia in 1996 to join W. L. Gore & Associates, makers of GORE-TEX® Fabrics, working primarily on projects related to organizational culture, leadership team development, and strategic change.  

Michael returned to the academy in 2013, accepting the Gore-Giovale Chair in Business Innovation at Westminster College, to research high-performing organizational cultures generally and reflect on his experiences at Gore. 

Michael published his insights in The Thriving Organization:  The Deep Dynamics of High-Performing Organizational Cultures.  He was the founding director of The Center for Innovative Cultures.

JIM ZATOLOKIN

Jim is an entertainment, corporate, and securities law attorney who has served as production legal counsel for more than 100 feature films. As a film producer, he has produced several features, including 1993’s Cliffhanger, an action thriller starring Sylvester Stallone, Janine Turner, and John Lithgow, which was nominated for three Academy Awards; Fun, winner of two Special Dramatic Jury Awards for Best Acting at the Sundance Film Festival; as well as Heart of the Deal, a feature television short for Showtime.

Most recently, Jim produced 2014’s Radical Kindness, narrated by Martin Sheen and winner of the Catholics in Media Associates’ Board of Directors Award and the Catholic Academy of Communication Professionals’ Gabriel Award for best documentary. He has also lectured on law and entertainment at Loyola Marymount University, the FAMU Film School in Prague, and the Lorenzo de Medici Institute in Florence, Italy.

Jim graduated from Michigan State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree, earned his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Michigan Law School, and is admitted to practice in California, Colorado, and Michigan.

BRAD POLLACK

Brad is a corporate attorney and entrepreneur. In 2000 he started a technology-based company whose products are utilized at Google, Stanford University, and hundreds of colleges across the U.S.

Brad began his career on Wall Street and has been involved in several startup and entrepreneurial ventures through the years. He has also worked in entertainment, receiving both development and producing credits for independent films and weekly series.

Brad earned his B.S. in Economics from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a Juris Doctor degree from its law school. Brad is married with one child. He was born in Anne Arundel County at Fort Meade, Maryland while his father was in the Army.

PAUL SCZUDLO

Paul is an international tax attorney for the global law firm Withers Bergman LLP. Before starting with Withers Bergman in 2016, Paul established his own law firm in 2010 after practicing for more than 29 years with Loeb & Loeb in Los Angeles. Paul earned his undergraduate and law degrees from Yale University and University of California, Berkeley and was chosen in his final year of law school to participate in an exchange program at Harvard Law School.

Recognized as a Super Lawyer since 2004 and as a Best Lawyer since 2006, Paul is active in a variety of international and U.S. professional organizations, including the American Bar Association, where he was chair of its International Private Client Committee.

Paul regularly lectures and writes on international tax subjects and serves on a number of charitable boards, including the Finance Council of St. Monica Catholic Church in Santa Monica. Paul is married, has two children, and was born and raised in Fairbanks, Alaska.

Dr. Stephen Mirarchi

Stephen began his career in entertainment as an internationally syndicated rock photographer, working for Rolling Stone, Vibe, People, and others. His love of storytelling eventually led him back to academia. After earning a doctorate in English and American Literature from Brandeis University, Stephen now teaches at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, where he serves as Chair of the English Department.

His scholarly editions of Myles Connolly's fictional works — all with critical introductions and full annotations, including the bestselling Mr. Blue — have renewed national interest in the Hollywood filmmaker.

Stephen has also published widely in peer-reviewed journals, popular magazines, and national newspapers. Before settling in Kansas with his wife and daughter, Stephen sang bass-baritone for the Schola of the St. Louis Cathedral Basilica Choir. He is a world-class marathoner.

ERIC STREIFF

Eric is a marketing and creative executive with over four decades of experience serving national and international for-profit and non-profit organizations. His career began in New York City where he spent over two decades working as a commercial fashion and still-life photographer, advertising executive, and creative supervisor serving Fortune 500 companies and Madison Avenue advertising agencies. During this time, he worked with clients such as FAO Schwarz, Macy’s, Porsche, Revlon, and Seagram’s. More recently, Eric has dedicated his talents to supporting charities that strengthen civil society and leveraging his marketing experience to enhance their brands, advance their mission, and drive revenue growth.

His educational background is as diverse as his professional journey, holding undergraduate and graduate degrees in photography, fine arts, and marketing from The Fashion Institute of Technology, Skidmore College, and New York University.

Outside of professional pursuits, Eric has contributed to academia as an adjunct marketing and advertising professor for the past 25 years. In his leisure time, he enjoys spending quality moments with his eight adult children and twelve grandchildren, as well as finding solace in the great outdoors at his cabin in the Western Catskills and the fine arts culture in NYC and Washington, DC.

Kristine Megrikian

Kristine is CEO of Patterns World Inc., a Los Angeles-based fashion development firm that specializes in bringing conceptual fashion design to life. Born in Armenia, Kristine grew up in the foreground of the LA fashion culture when Patterns World was first established by her grandmother, who emigrated from Armenia to pursue her entrepreneurial dreams beyond a communist system.

Today Patterns World is involved with industry-leading celebrity clients such as Lady Gaga, Yeezy by Kanye West, Kim Kardashian, Cindy Crawford, and Adele, as well as international clientele including Ugg Australia.

Kristine holds a B.A. in Philosophy and Art History from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Dr. Wojtek Golonka

Wojtek is a co-founder and director at DeReggio publishing house in Poland, specializing in the humanities. Previously he was a philosophy lecturer and vice-rector at the Institut Universitaire Saint Pie X College in Paris. He is the author of several books on G.K. Chesterton and has directed translations of his works from English to French and Polish. Wojtek’s points of interest and research focus on Christian philosophy and modern history.

He holds a Ph.D. in Philosophy from Jagiellonian University, founded in 1364, the oldest university in Poland and one of the oldest worldwide. The discovery of Chesterton in a bookstore in Paris became the genesis of his doctoral thesis: “The Path of G.K. Chesterton toward Thomistic Realism — a Philosophical Portrait of the Writer.”

Wojtek is fluent is several European languages and currently lives in his native city of Krakow with his wife and two children.

Christopher Bell

Christopher is Worldwide Head of Music & Radio Business Development, Amazon Web Services (AWS). Prior to this international leadership role, he was vice president of technology and anti-piracy for Warner Music Group. Previously, Christopher served as the lead systems engineer for AT&T’s DIRECTV STB software division where he directed a team overseeing software development across the world. Prior to AT&T, he led the Los Angeles office of Relentless Generator, Sony DADC’s digital innovations division, which provided digital streaming and e-commerce services to film and television studios including Fox, Sony Pictures, Starz, and Relativity.

He was previously the vice president of advanced technology for Universal Music Group and held other roles in e-commerce, publishing, and scientific computing, including a role with NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.

Christopher holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Tufts University.

Mark Matthews

Mark is a senior software engineer at Google, working on core artificial intelligence technologies. He is a visual effects expert, having worked 10 years with DreamWorks Animation and holds 22 feature film credits, including Kung Fu Panda, Shrek Forever After, and Madagascar 2. Mark’s algorithms have given more fire to explosions, fluff to hair, and jiggle to bellies.

He received two DreamWorks Technical Achievement Awards and has been awarded a patent for hair data compression. Mark has also worked for Electronic Arts on John Madden Football ’07 and March Madness 2007, and as a master control operator for the Saskatchewan Communications Network.

A Canadian citizen, Mark holds an M.S. in Computer Science from the University of Calgary, as well as bachelors’ degrees in Computer Science and Engineering Physics from the University of Saskatchewan.

Dr. Taylor Knight

Taylor is a filmmaker and scholar. He holds a doctorate in Theology from Oxford and a second doctorate in Philosophy from the Institut Catholique de Paris. Before that, Taylor studied English Literature and Medieval & Renaissance Studies at Grove City College and the University of Glasgow.

He's published various scholarly articles on twentieth century French philosophy and on the Renaissance philosopher Nicholas of Cusa. His book, Merleau-Ponty and the Essence of Nature: A Return to Elemental Symbolism, came out with Edinburgh University Press in early 2024.

In 2021, Taylor left academia to pursue a career in filmmaking and is currently in the midst of making his first film. Originally from Cincinnati, he now splits time between Paris and Los Angeles.

Stephanie Siu

Stephanie is Senior Director for Data Strategy & Analytics at Ensono, a technology adviser and managed service provider. Previously, she was CFO at a consumer products company and vice president at Brentwood Associates, a growth-focused private equity firm, where she sourced and executed investments in middle-market companies. Stephanie began her career in the investment banking division of Goldman Sachs in New York where she focused on mergers and acquisitions and general corporate finance.

She is currently a board member of the Los Angeles chapter of Young Catholic Professionals. A Canadian citizen, she holds a bachelor's degree in Economics from The University of Chicago and an MBA with distinction from Harvard Business School.

In her spare time, Stephanie enjoys baking, running, exploring the finest coffee shops LA has to offer, and playing Scrabble with her family.

Philip G. Flores

Phil is a writer and producer. Previously, he was the vice president of development at The Combine, the feature film and television production company founded by Academy Award-nominated actor Jeremy Renner. He has also worked in feature film development at DreamWorks Pictures. Prior to his work in development, Phil was an independent filmmaker.

After being selected for the Film Independent Screenwriting Lab, his script, Almost Kings, was named the grand prizewinner in the Netflix FIND Your Voice competition. Awarded a blue ribbon by a judges committee that included Josh Brolin, it was produced with Phil directing, premiering at the Los Angeles Film Festival.

A first-generation American, Phil holds a B.A. in English with a Creative Writing emphasis from Stanford University and an MFA in Film and Television Production from USC’s School of The Cinematic Arts.

DREW GILLIAM

Drew is a technology and design leader with a passion for startups and impact investing. Over the last 15 years he has helped develop and grow multiple teams to successful exit most notably as the founder of Lambda Consulting. Drew currently serves as COO of AutoCloud, a cloud technology company with the vision of making cloud engineering accessible to all software engineers.

An avid outdoorsman and tennis player, he is always either planning the next adventure or business venture with friends or cross continental road trip with his wife and two children.

Drew graduated from Indiana University with a bachelors in Accounting and Finance and a Masters in Business Administration.

Patrick Whalen

Patrick is CEO of American Classical Education, founder and CEO of Iliad Athletics, and co-founder of St. Martin’s Academy, a boys’ boarding school in Fort Scott, Kansas that integrates manual labor on a sustainable farm, a liberal arts curriculum, and a rich Catholic liturgy and prayer life. Previously Patrick was the Operations Assistant to the President at Hillsdale College. He also has more than a decade of service in the U.S. Marine Corps, both enlisted and as an officer, deploying to a variety of locations in Southeast Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, and is the recipient of multiple military leadership awards. 

Patrick is a graduate of the University of Michigan and is currently a Ph.D. candidate at Washington University in St. Louis where he studies the humanities in culture, pain and combat in literature, and modernist poetics. He has published articles and poetry in a variety of books and journals including the Marine Corps Gazette, Michigan Quarterly Review, and Touchstone. 

Patrick and his wife have four children.  

Rich Loesing

Rich is Director of Mission Advancement at the Napa Institute. Previously he was VP of Advancement at USC Caruso Catholic Center in Los Angeles. Earlier in his career, Rich served as an attorney, consultant, and corporate development manager for the Movember Foundation, the world’s leading charity supporting men’s health. Prior to working as an educator and fundraising specialist, Rich worked with high-net-worth clients as a registered representative in the financial planning and wealth management sector. 

He currently serves as the program ambassador for the Los Angeles chapter of the Leonine Forum. An Ohio native, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Finance from the University of Notre Dame and his JD from the Pepperdine University School of Law.

Rich enjoys spending quality time with his growing family, studying theology, and following his beloved Cincinnati sports teams. 

MEGAN HARRINGTON

Megan is a Senior Producer at Family Theater Productions, a Hollywood-based media company developing and producing authentic, heroic films that unlock the heart. She served as producer, co-director, and co-writer for the Emmy® and Christopher Award-winning The House That Rob Built and the award-winning Native Ball: Legacy of a Trailblazer. She is a producer and co-writer for the Gabriel and Christopher Award-winning PRAY: The Story of Patrick Peyton and The Dating Project.

Megan received an MBA and a bachelor's degree in communication studies at the University of Montana, while competing on a full-ride Division I basketball scholarship. She was team co-captain, receiving the Theresa Rhoad’s Best Exemplifies Lady Griz Basketball award, and was named Montana’s NCAA Woman of the Year her senior year.

Through sports, Megan gained a deep appreciation for the importance of teamwork and uniting towards a common goal.

Brady Jandreau

Brady is a saddle bronc rider and horse trainer. A member of the Lower Brule Sioux tribe, Brady has been breaking and training wild horses since he was eight years old. On April 1, 2016, at a Professional Cowboys’ Association rodeo, Brady was thrown off and had his skull near-fatally crushed by the bucking horse. After a seizure, the then-20-year-old fell into a three-day coma. Despite this severe traumatic brain injury and a metal plate in his head, Brady continued breaking horses.

Brady’s life became the basis for 2018’s The Rider, winner of the Art Cinema Award, the top prize at The Cannes Film Festival’s Directors’ Fortnight. In the film, director by Chloé Zhao (Best Director, “Nomadland”), Brady makes his acting debut as a young bronco rider coming to terms with a life-changing injury. 

Since making the film, Brady and his wife have founded their own horse-raising-and-training company, Jandreau Performance Horses, in Pine Ridge, South Dakota, where he currently resides with his family.