KELLY EDWARDS - VICE PRESIDENT, TALENT DEVELOPMENT, NBC UNIVERSAL

In this newly created position, Edwards will be recruiting diverse creative executives, writers and directors for the NBC Universal network, studio, cable and feature entities.

Prior to her current role at NBC Universal, Edwards served as a partner at the independent production company Axelrod/Edwards under a deal with Paramount Studios. In that capacity, she developed hour and half-hour projects for both network and cable operations. Additionally, she served as Executive Producer of the UPN drama series “Sex, Love and Secrets,” starring Denise Richards.

Previously, Edwards served as Senior Vice President, Comedy Development at UPN where she developed single, multi-camera and animated half-hour series including “Girlfriends,” “One on One”, “Dilbert,” and “The Parkers.”

While at UPN, Edwards co-founded Colour TV, a networking group for diverse creative executives. It was due to her extensive contacts in the creative community that Paula Madison tapped her for this new post. In 2001 she was honored by the Los Angeles Business Journal as one of their Women Who Make a Difference for her continued efforts in promoting diversity within the entertainment industry as well as her extensive charity work.

Prior to her tenure at UPN, Edwards held several key positions in comedy development at the Fox Broadcasting Company, most recently as Executive Director and helped to create the television series “Living Single” and “Ned and Stacey” with Thomas Hayden Church and Debra Messing. She was also responsible for identifying actors and stand-ups for development deals including Bernie Mac, Chris Rock, D.L. Hughley, and Dave Chappelle.

Before that, Edwards served as a feature film development executive for Garry Marshall and for Laura Ziskin Productions.

Edwards graduated from Vassar College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theater.

SARAH FINN, C.S.A., CASTING DIRECTOR (formerly of Finn/Hiller Casting)

Sarah Finn has been casting feature films for over ten years, and joined forces with Randi Hiller in 2000 to form Finn/Hiller Casting, Together they have cast a broad range of films spanning every genre. Upcoming films include Marvel's IRON MAN starring Robert Downey, Jr., Adam Sandler's comedy DON'T MESS WITH THE ZOHAN and Gavin O'Connor's drama, PRIDE AND GLORY starring Edward Norton. Recent releases include Paul Haggis' film, IN THE VALLEY OF ELAH, for which Tommy Lee Jones received a best Actor Oscar Nomination. Other credits include GRIDIRON GANG, MIRACLE, COACH CARTER, CRASH, DREAMER, BLUE CRUSH, SHE'S THE MAN, SWAT, and TERMINATOR 3, among others.

In 2006, CRASH received the Best Picture Oscar, as well as the SAG Award for Outstanding Ensemble Cast, the NAACP Image Award for Best Picture, the Hollywood Film Festival Award for Best Cast, and numerous other distinctions and awards. Sarah and Randi received the Casting Society of America's Artios Award for Outstanding Achievement in Casting/Drama for the feature film CRASH and nominations for LIFE AS A HOUSE and CRAZY/ BEAUTIFUL. Sarah was invited to join the Academy for Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences in 2006.

In addition to casting, Finn/Hiller has been involved in producing independent films and is proud to have CRASH as their first Co-Producing credit. Other independents MARILYN HOTCHKISS' BALLROOM DANCING AND CHARM SCHOOL and GRAND THEFT PARSONS both received premieres at the Sundance Film Festival, as did the edgy QUID PRO QUO starring Vera Farmiga, earlier this year.

Sarah Finn has a degree in Theatre from Yale University and began working off-Broadway in New York City, where she became a member of Ensemble Studio Theatre. She acted, directed and produced theater before coming to work in casting. Producing at the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in 1997, with Ensemble Studio Theatre-The LA. Project, she won the MCI Jury Award for outstanding theatre production. She then joined Paramount Pictures as Director of Feature Casting, where she cast such films as VARSITY BLUES, 200 CIGARETTES and MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: 2, and oversaw a range of other films.

Now venturing on her own, Sarah is currently casting "W" for Oliver Stone.

RON TAYLOR - VICE PRESIDENT, DIVERSITY DEVELOPMENT, FOX BROADCASTING COMPANY & 20th CENTURY FOX TV STUDIOS

In his current position, Ron spearheads efforts to guide more diverse actors, writers, and directors into jobs on series broadcast on FBC, and/or on shows produced by 20th Century Fox TV and to support Fox content that features diversity in the media marketplace.

Ron has worked as a network and studio development executive, as well as a TV series writer. He was VP, Development and Current Programming at Columbia-TriStar where he developed series for cable TV, including “Strong Medicine” on Lifetime and “Street Time” on Showtime. Ron was one of the first executives hired at UPN and was instrumental in creating that network from 1994-97. Ron has also been a development executive at Warner Bros and Disney, and a writer of episodes for such series as “Renegade”, “Forever Knight”, “Covington Cross” and “The Sentinel.” He wrote the short film “Brothers of the Borderland” which is presented daily at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati, Ohio.

He began his television programming career at ABC-TV in the 1970s.

ERIKA KENNAIR - MANAGER OF ENTERTAINMENT DIVERSITY PROGRAMS FOR NBC ENTERTAINMENT

In this CRUCIALLY DECISIVE position, Erika identifies diverse writing talent for the network, oversees NBC’s competitive writing program, Writers on the Verge and works with diversity initiatives such as The Director in Training Program and Comedy Shortcuts.

Born and raised in New Orleans, Erika graduated from Loyola University New Orleans with a B.A. in Television Production, and then obtained an M.F.A. in Screenwriting from Loyola Marymount University. Upon graduating LMU, Erika was awarded a Humanitas Prize: the David Angell Fellowship in Comedy Writing.

Erika’s first experience in television was pulling ratings at 6 a.m. at Paramount in Television Research. She then moved on to Twentieth Century Fox in Television Production and then to Fox Searchlight in Post Production working with such movies as Garden State, Notes on a Scandal and The Last King of Scotland.