About

Vannessa is an experienced marketing, communications & events professional from Los Angeles. She currently oversees NALIP's tentpole events and programs as the Program Director. Also a skillful & dynamic photographer, Vannessa's passion lies in her ability to tell stories and bring ideas to life through any avenue. Vannessa has a knack for seeing the bigger picture and can easily piece together various elements. With careful planning and the overall vision in mind, she ensures that each event or digital campaign is memorable and executed smoothly. In 2019, Vannessa founded Virago Creative, a Latina-led creative agency dedicated to authentic storytelling and creative design. And in 2022, Vannessa co-launched Virago Rising, a Latine-powered media platform utilizing innovative forms of storytelling and resource offerings to uplift nuestra comunidad.

Vannessa has a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from Emory University, Goizueta Business School and a double bachelor’s degree from the University of Southern California (USC).

Marilyn Mijares (they/them, she/hers) is an Administrative Associate at the National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP) who oversees sponsor and partner relationships, year-round programs and events, and internal team structure. A graduate from UCLA with a degree in Gender and Film, they have an enthusiasm for inclusive media that thoughtfully explores the intersection of race, gender, and other overlapping identities. Marilyn believes in the power of visual media as a vehicle for social change and is thrilled to strive for a more equitable and inclusive entertainment industry at an organization like NALIP. She looks forward to the future of the industry and the rising opportunities for diverse creatives that will flourish more than ever in the years to come.

Vero Kompalic is a Venezuelan filmmaker, programmer and painter. She focuses her scholarship work on postcolonial feminist discourse, with publications on the sexual transgression of Breillat’s work and the radical cinema of Mariana Rondon. She served as an AP and writer on SUMMERTIME, which premiered at SUNDANCE and was theatrically released in 2021. In 2020 she founded DISCORDIA, an independent production company, with her longtime collaborators. 

Chair

Karla Pita Loor was named Executive Vice President, Enterprise Inclusion & Social Responsibility at Endemol Shine North America in May 2021.

Pita Loor leads all social responsibility efforts for Endemol Shine North America and its studio labels, including Bunim/Murray Productions, Truly Original, 51 Minds Entertainment, Authentic Entertainment, Stephen David Entertainment and Mexico City-based Endemol Shine Boomdog.

In the newly created role, Pita Loor also oversees all diversity and inclusion program efforts, implementing new processes, policies and initiatives for ESNA’s corporate and production staffers to support and enhance an inclusive and equitable corporate culture and talent development practices.

Pita Loor has more than two decades of experience in organizational development and brand partnerships, strategic philanthropy and social impact. Additionally, Pita Loor, who hails from Ecuador, has served on the board of the National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP) for the past two years, assuming the role of Chair of the Board in 2021.

Prior to joining Endemol Shine North America, Pita Loor led the TV Academy’s philanthropic partnerships division, including the last three years, where she served as Chief Development Officer, overseeing all strategic partnerships and development for the Television Academy Foundation, the charitable and pro-social arm of the TV Academy.

During her tenure at the TV Academy, Pita Loor brokered numerous multi-million-dollar partnerships with corporations such as Dolby Laboratories, Netflix, Walt Disney, WarnerMedia, Saban Capital and Apple TV+. She also led on key diversity and inclusion efforts, including developing and launching the Academy’s Power of TV series, which brings together diverse storytellers to discuss authentic representation of historically excluded communities and spearheading new career pathway initiatives to broaden access to the television industry among historically excluded communities.

Additionally, Pita Loor spearheaded key collaborations with the TV Academy and other non-profits including GLAAD, Easterseals, the Alliance for Children’s Rights and the Entertainment Industry Foundation. And she served as the Campaign Director for the New Destination Campaign, which transformed the TV Academy’s campus and established an endowment for its charitable work.

Prior to joining the Academy Foundation, Pita Loor focused on institutional advancement, organizational development, and strategic communications within the educational and entertainment space. Pita Loor’s diversity and inclusion work within the entertainment industry began at the Emma L. Bowen Foundation for Minority Interests in Media, where she managed a national workforce development program.

An active industry leader on diversity and inclusion issues, Pita Loor is a founding member and serves on the advisory board of the Entertainment Industry Foundation’s (EIF) Career Program, which is creating a more diverse talent pipeline into film and television production careers.

Vice Chair

Barbara Matos is a Diversity and Inclusion leader with 20 plus years of experience. She is committed to ensuring that diversity, inclusion and employee engagement always remain a top priority and are closely linked to the overall business strategy. She is dedicated to fostering a corporate culture that embraces each individual’s unique background to create a positive and inclusive work environment. She is a motivational leader with a proven record of building cohesion between all levels of staff, management and business units.

Matos was a key creator and architect of the Diversity & Inclusion Program at CBS Corporation, established in 2000.  She reported directly to the Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, CBS Corporation. 

She served as Vice President, Diversity and Inclusion, CBS Corporation engaging with diverse partners and local and national advocacy groups to enhance outreach. She managed the CBS Diversity Institute Workshops and worked closely on the CBS Diversity Comedy Showcase. Barbara Chaired RAD, the CBS Diversity Employee Resource Group, and served as Executive Sponsor of the CBS Women’s Networking Group. She was a critical strategic partner on the development of the CBS Corporation Diversity Council on both the East and West coasts which promoted and monitored the company’s commitment to D&I initiatives. Matos was also an active member of the CBS Corporation Volunteer Committee. She was an integral component in the initiation of the wide range of diversity efforts at CBS.

Matos joined CBS in May 1995 in the CBS International, Business Affairs Department. Before joining CBS, Matos was a paralegal at Mahler & Harris, P.C. and a registered Interpreter with the U.S. Department of Justice (1987-1995).

Matos is a graduate of St. John’s University. She serves as Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP) as well as on the Advisory Committee of their Diverse Women in Media Initiative. She is a member of the Board of Directors of Teatro Circulo. She is a Senior Founding Advisor of TIGHT5, an Advisory Board member of Arts for a Better Tomorrow, an Advisory Board member of MediaMKRS and serves on the Lenox Hill Hospital Women's Health Council. Matos was among Diversity Global Magazine’s 2019 Top 15 Champions of Diversity and among the Imagen Foundation’s Powerful and Influential Latinos in Film and Television in 2019, 2018, 2017 and 2016.

Secretary

Marcos Vergara del Carril is a Director of the Business & Legal Affairs Department of Netflix's International Originals. Mr. Vergara is an attorney that focuses on transactional entertainment matters, advising on various aspects of the development, production, acquisition and distribution of motion pictures and television programming.

Prior to joining Netflix, Mr. Vergara worked as an associate in the Entertainment, Technology and Advertising Practice Group at Sheppard Mullin, in their Century City offices, and in Spain as an associate in the Capital Markets & Finance Practice Group of Clifford Chance, where he advised international companies and financial institutions in major debt restructuring transactions, securitization facilities and security packages.

Mr. Vergara has published a book entitled ¡Déjame hablar!, on freedom of expression and media consolidation in the U.S., covering free TV, cable TV, satellite TV, video games and the Internet.

Jairo Alvarado is a Literary Manager/Producer, who recently left Circle of Confusion to form a new management company, Redefine Entertainment. Over the years he has grown a client list to include but not limited to; Lulu Wang, writer and director of the critically acclaimed film THE FAREWELL; Angel Soto, Director of the HBO Max Film CHARM CITY KINGS & upcoming DC film BLUE BEETLE; Sneha Koorse, a Co-EP of HBO’s PERRY MASON, who is currently developing a feature with Issa Rae’s Color Creative productions; Josef Wladyka, the director of the upcoming HBO MAX series TOKYO VICE; Jenniffer Gomez the Supervising Producer of Amazons SILK with Lord & Miller producing and Madhuri Shekar, who is currently writing the 3rd installment of the SISTER ACT franchise.

Jairo has also produced, in partnership with Skybound Entertainment, the cutting-edge VR project DINNER PARTY. Prior to Circle of Confusion, Jairo cut his teeth in talent management at 3 Arts Entertainment, which he joined in 2011 after starting his career as a creative executive at Warner Bros. Jairo currently sits on the board of directors for National Association of Independent Latino Producers (NALIP) and is a graduate of University of California, Los Angeles.

Moreno is a Senior Vice President of Current Series for Warner Bros Television where she serves as a creative executive on broadcast, pay cable and streaming scripted series produced by the studio.