Meet the Filmmakers

Gary Homana, PhD (Executive Director/Producer). He teaches courses in urban education and education, ethics and change at Towson University. Gary has collaborated with investigators at Brandeis University evaluating urban school culture and student retention, worked with the National Commission on Service-Learning, chaired by Senator John Glenn, been involved in efforts to improve teacher preparation, and helped institute a comprehensive arts-in-education change model. He served as special assistant to Maryland’s Governor on education initiatives including a statewide program serving 6,000 at-risk youth and adolescents. Gary began his career as a music therapist working with autistic children. His research focuses on the social organization of schools and their connection to community with particular interest in the civic engagement, democracy, service-learning, school climate, and communities of practice for improved teaching and learning. Select publications include Portraitures of living in the era of legal segregation: Baltimore, Maryland; Cultivating Civic Literacy through Positive Classroom Climate;Youth political engagement in Australia and the United States: School student councils and volunteer organizations as communities of practice, andIgniting Passion among Students (and Teachers) for Civic Engagement: The Role of Communities of Practice(forthcoming),

Franklin CampbellJones (Co-Producer, Co-Editor, Film Narrator) is vice president of CampbellJones & Associates. As a facilitator of organization learning and cultural diversity, he has inspired audiences in Thailand, The People’s Republic of China, Guam, Canada and, The Netherlands. Franklin works closely with schools and educational systems throughout the United States and Canada as they authentically engage to provide academic and social needs of all students. Dr. CampbellJones has served as a high school social science and reading teacher, school administrator, system director, state director for the California School Leadership Academy, and professor of education at CSU Los Angles, Rowan University, and Towson University. Franklin’s publishedbooks include The Culturally Proficient School: An Implementation Guide for School Leaders, The Cultural Proficiency Journey: Moving Beyond Ethical Barriers Toward Profound School Change, andJourney of Spirit, Walk of Faith: Our Relationship with God. His forthcoming book is entitled Mindful Conversations to Move Beyond Race, Class, and Culture.

Morna McDermott McNulty, PhD, (Co-Film Producer, Co- Film Editor) is a professor in the College of Education at Towson University, Maryland, USA. Her teaching and research focus on the intersections among creativity, social justice, and public education. She has worked in public school contexts for over 25 years. Books include The Left Handed Curriculum and The Activists Handbook for the Education Revolution (Information Age Press) and Blood’s Will: Speculative Fiction, Existence, and Inquiry of Currere (2018) with Peter Lang Publishers. She has authored or co-authored over 20 peer-reviewed articles and 20 book chapters. She regularly blogs at http://www.educationalchemy.com.