Meet the Team - Tallgrass Film Association

Tallgrass Film Association Year Round Team

Melanie Addington

Executive Director

Melanie has worked in the film festival world since 2006, first as a volunteer, and then eventually becoming the Oxford Film Festival Executive Director in August 2015. In 2021 she moved to Wichita to be Executive Director for Tallgrass Film Association. She was a reporter for the Oxford Eagle (a community newspaper) and then Pizza Magazine Quarterly (Global Trade magazine). She still loves pizza. She is from Southern California originally but lived in the South for 20 years. She has family in Wichita and considers it a great home.

Melanie Addington

Executive Director
melanie@tallgrassfilm.org

Sierra Franklin-Morton

Assistant Director

Sierra Franklin-Morton is a long-time attendee of the Tallgrass Film Festival and is beyond thrilled to join the Tallgrass Film Association. She brings a wealth of experience from her previous roles at the Orpheum Theatre and INTRUST Bank Arena. A proud graduate of the University of Kansas, Sierra enjoyed attending special screenings and planning activities and film showings as a member of Student Union Activities. Pop culture savvy, a trivia buff, and a movie lover at heart, Sierra brings enthusiasm and expertise to her role. Outside of work, she enjoys attending concerts across the country with her husband and spending time with her two cats and loving dog.

Sierra Franklin-Morton

Assistant Director
sierra@tallgrassfilm.org

Andre Seward

Programming Director

Andre started volunteering for the Tallgrass Film Festival when he was 15. He started in events and transitioned into prescreening and somehow ended up as Programming Director. Along the way, he also has worked for Bentonville Film Festival and Tampa Bay International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival in programming as well. He has gone from Wichita, to LA, Madrid, and now is in Berlin but Wichita will always be home. He is happy to be involved in an organization that plays a big part in what makes Wichita special.

Andre Seward

Programming Director
programming@tallgrassfilm.org

Tom Mittlestadt

Events Director

After over 20 years, Tom Mittlestadt has a proven track record of making visions come to life. Tom has built a reputation for securing just the perfect item. Owner of Mittlestadt Props and Design, Tom has been with Tallgrass Film Festival since year one.

Tom Mittlestadt

Events Director
tom@tallgrassfilm.org

Brandon Bena

Programming Assistant

Brandon has always been passionate for film starting at an early age. Watching Turner Classic Movies when getting home from school then turning that into a love of film, and film making. Brandon was born and raised on the central coast of California. Then moving to pursue a career in the airline industry. But when the pandemic hit, he pursued a career of his original love, that of film. A recent transplant from Denver, Colorado. He has found his home here in Wichita, Kansas. Volunteered for the Tallgrass Film Festival starting 2022. He is a movie critic on letterboxd. He also writes, directs, and is a musician as a guitarist.

Brandon Bena

Social Media & Fest Host + Theater Staff

Chris Maslen

Volunteer Coordinator & Theater Staff

Chris is a Kansas-born actor, writer, and filmmaker. Raised in Seattle, Chris eventually planted roots in Wichita after 15 years doing an extensive amount of theatre and film all along the West Coast--just don't ever ask him about it, otherwise he'll never shut up ("Did I ever tell you about the time Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. and I went to blah, blah, blah, blah, blah?") Prior to joining the Tallgrass Team, Chris was an award-winning reporter, co-anchor, and producer for KFDI News.

Chris Maslen

Volunteer Coordinator & Theater Staff

Wambui Ngunjiri

Intern

I've been a student of the arts my entire high school career. What I love about film is that it combines many different art mediums to tell a story, so there's room for all of my artistic loves. This internship opportunity is something new for me, and I'm thrilled to get to see a whole new side to this bustling industry.

Wambui Ngunjiri

Intern

Film Festival Team

Naythan Smith

Technology Director

Naythan has been involved with Tallgrass since 2012, spending most of that time within the world of the projectionists. While he always loved cinema, the process of creating films imbued their viewing with new purpose, leading to his involvement with the film festival. The intervening years have been filled with the creation of countless short films, music videos, interviews, and a handful of feature films. Film is life!

Naythan Smith

Technology Director

Nathan Kampe

Runner

Nathan Kampe

Tech Co-Director In Training

Dev Shapiro

DCP & Media

Dev Shapiro

Tech Co-Director In Training & Media

Tina Walterscheid

Community Engagement Coordinator

Tina is an Oklahoma City native who moved to Wichita for college and never left.She spends her days working at the Wichita Art Museum as an Annual Giving Manager During her free time, she sings with the Cathedral of Immaculate Conception choir, delivers Meals on Wheels, watches movies on various streaming channels and reads. A Tallgrass volunteer from the beginning, Tina loves connecting films with nonprofit orgs through the Community Partnership program. She is married to videographer & editor Alec and they have a chihuahua mix dog named Pablo.

Tina Walterscheid

Community Engagement Coordinator

John Strange

Red Carpet Coordinator

In 1984, I took my experience in photography and my love for film and began working with a team of other young writers doing film reviews and interviews. Together we built the North Dallas Movie Review, a publication and an organization dedicated not only to doing film reviews and interviews but helping the public and our readers find out about the film preview screenings in the DFW area. We proudly hosted scores of these screenings on behalf of the studios, giving away passes and freebies such as posters, t-shirts, DVDs, and such over the run of the publication.

Over the years from Y2K to 2008, I led several small film-related sites as both editor and writer. In 2008, I joined Dev Shapiro as we built Selig Polyscope Company. In 2010, we started Selig Film News as the home for reviews and news about films, and the entertainment industry.

We do film reviews and interviews but also reviews of home video offerings, theater, music, and all the other genres of entertainment in our area and around the country.

As part of the Selig Polyscope Company/Selig Film News team, I travel around the Deep South and Midwest to film festivals where we supply DCPs and projection services plus sit-down interviews with filmmakers and members of the film industry. Recently, we began producing red carpets for film festivals.

I am proud of our company and look forward to many years of working with the public and the studios to bring you the information you can use and enjoy!

John Strange

Red Carpet Coordinator

Crickett Rumley

Panels Director

Crickett Rumley received her MFA in Film at Columbia University and is the founder and Senior Director of the Film Festival Department at the New York Film Academy in Los Angeles. She has guided filmmakers to official selections at festivals ranging from Sundance to Bronzelens as well as to nomination and shortlisting for major student awards. Thrilled to be back at Tallgrass for a third year, Crickett was on the jury in 2021 and now serves as the festival’s Panels Director. In her spare time, she writes novels.

Crickett Rumley

Panels Director

Robert Ramon Fonseca

Though poetry is the foundation to Ramon Robert Fonseca’s creative background, visual arts and music are just as intrinsic. With experience in orchestra, writing, rug tufting, painting, photography, graphic design, linguistics, makeup artistry, and fashion- Ramon draws influence in their art from a diverse background of resources, often describing themselves as a “Jack of all trades and a master of some.” This is evident in their work which regularly showcases multimedia elements of prose, typography, collage, tactile, and space-building. Though aesthetically pleasing, the most captivating aspect to Ramon’s art is the story that they tell and the purpose behind it; their art is a vessel to express, deconstruct, and process the traumas of the world through a first-hand queer, biracial, and previously homeless lens with the goal to uplift marginalized groups and ultimately heal those traumas, choosing resurrection over resentment.

Robert Ramon Fonseca

Late Night Filmmaker Lounge Host

Shannon Boone

VIP Lounge Coordinator

Shannon Boone is an almost life-long Wichitan, mother to two fantastic children, bonus mom to countless, arts advocate, community volunteer, and friend to many. Owner and Chief Chaos Coordinator of Shay Chic Productions, a local event planning, production & design company, Shannon is no stranger to what it takes to pull off a stellar event. The perfect storm of coffee, snark and genetics if it needs to be planned, organized, executed and logistically sound, Shannon is your person. She has been planning and managing events large and small in Wichita and around the country for 23 years and has been a Tallgrass volunteer in many capacities for longer than she can remember. For the last 8 years, her time has been spent overseeing VIP Lounge activities and ensuring the guest experience is nothing short of excellent. During the festival, she will be splitting her time between the Orpheum Theatre, where she works as House Manager, and the VIP Lounge in Candela at the Lux. Fun fact: Shannon has a self-described, completely irrational fear of all spiders and an unnatural obsession with scissor lifts.

Shannon Boone

VIP Lounge Coordinator

Maria Garcia

Transportation Coordinator

Canan Turan

Narrative Shorts Programmer

Canan Turan holds a BA in Film Studies from the Free University Berlin and an MA in Screen
Documentary from Goldsmiths College London. She is the creative producer of the documentary
“From Here“ (2020) by Christina Antonakos-Wallace and the director of the short film “Kıymet“
(2012). Canan works as a freelance curator for film festivals, moderator of panel discussions and
Q&A’s, and as a speaker and consultant on anti-discrimination in cinema and the film industry.
Since October 2023, she has been a member of the selection committee of Berlinale Generation.
In her podcast “film.macht.kritisch.“, Canan talks about a subversive and inclusive cinema
centering the voices of historically marginalized groups beyond othering, stereotypes and
tokenism.

Canan Turan

Narrative Shorts Programmer

Alex Megaro

Documentary Shorts Programmer

Alex Megaro is a filmmaker best known for producing/editing DRIFTWOOD, winner of the Slamdance Grand Jury Prize for Narrative Feature. He produced & edited 2 seasons of his VICE documentary series SOURCE MATERIAL as well as produced the Sheffield Doc Fest and AFI Docs official selection 8:08 HOW WE RESPOND. In 2023 Alex directed the multi-award winning documentary short KRUSH THE WRESTLER about the king of underground fetish submission wrestling, an official selection at 24 international film festivals including a few in predominantly Catholic countries, a phenomenon he finds "rather delightful."

Alex Megaro

Documentary Shorts Programmer

Brian Ratigan

Vortex Shorts Programmer

Brian Ratigan is an award-winning director and film curator. He is the founder of Non Films, a label for ephemeral animation and experimental cinema in New York City. Ratigan is established in the film festival circuit as a programmer and juror for the Slamdance Film Festival, Atlanta Film Festival, Chicago Underground Film Festival, Indie Memphis, and the London Indie Festival, among others. His work has been featured in the New York Times, Moviemaker Magazine, 1883 Magazine, and film festivals worldwide.

Brian Ratigan

Vortex Shorts Programmer

Board of Directors

Alicia Sanchez

Spirit AeroSystems

Alicia Sanchez is a passionate advocate and social entrepreneur committed to guiding leaders and organizations to foster a culture of inclusion. She currently serves as the Global Culture, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion manager for Spirit AeroSystems. Alicia obtained her master’s degree in Business Administration from Friends University, and she is a current doctoral student in the higher education leadership program at Wichita State University. She is the past board chair for the Wichita Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and she currently serves as a commissioner for the Kansas Human Right Commission, is a City of Wichita District Two Advisory Board member and serves on several non-profit boards. In the past several years, she has been recognized as the 2019 Wichita State University Young Alumni of the Year, a 2018 Wichita State President’s Distinguished Service Award honoree, a Leader in Diversity and Inclusion, a Woman in Business, and a 40 under 40 honoree by the Wichita Business Journal, and as a Community Champion by the Kansas Hispanic and Latino American Affairs Commission. In her free time she enjoys traveling, watching classic 80’s movies, and spending time with her two sons.

Alicia Sanchez

Board President for 2024
boardpresident@tallgrassfilm.org

Jennifer Rygg

I’m a self-employed Design Professional with a degree in Architecture from the University of Kansas. I spend my days designing and creating vibrant, beautiful and functional spaces for both commercial and residential clients. As an art enthusiast and supporter, I have been honored to be a part of the Ulrich Alliance Board and serve on the Wichita Art Museum Building Committee. Both positions allowed me to further participate in our burgeoning and vibrant art community. I look forward to serving on the Tallgrass Board.

Jennifer Rygg

President Elect for 2024

Garrison Matthews

Martin Pringle Law Firm

Garrison Matthews grew up in his family’s theatre business. He claims that theatrical talent “skips” a generation because he certainly did not inherit the performing gene. Instead he focused his time organizing the shop, preferring the order instead of the chaos of live theatre. That appreciation for structure drew Garrison to the law. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Kansas and went on to complete his juris doctorate from the University of Kansas School of Law. While he didn’t take to performing, growing up in the family business did lead Garrison to focus his practice on business law, startup and entrepreneurial law, real estate, estate planning and banking law.

Garrison Matthews

Secretary

Shannon O'Neil

Shannon is a certified public accountant providing tax and strategic services to the nonprofit and healthcare industries at AdamsBrown LLC in Wichita. She is a Kansas native who attended Wichita State University for both her undergraduate and Master of Accountancy degrees. Shannon also serves on the board of NonProfit Go, a Wichita-based organization that mentors and supports nonprofit organizations. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, walking her dogs, or meeting friends for coffee and crafts.

Shannon O'Neil

Treasurer

Adam Gunnels

City of Wichita

Adam Charles Gunnels is a lawyer serving Wichita in Intellectual Property Law and Entertainment & Sports Law cases.

Adam Gunnels

Board Member

Denise Sherman

Executive Director of The Kansas African American Museum

Ms. Sherman serves as the Executive Director for The Kansas African American Museum where she provides leadership by strategically focusing on the African American story, and experience through the elevation of all forms of art, education, history, heritage, and legacy of the African and African American culture. Using technology and innovative ideas, Ms. Sherman has retooled and upgraded educational programs for virtual/online access, developed new cultural awareness and enrichment programming in response to DE&I, social and political climates, as well as moderated and participated in panel discussions with community leaders regarding sensitive, relevant, and compelling issues and topics.

Denise Sherman

Board Member

Kate Bastian

Community Advocate

I grew up in St. Louis, but love Wichita. Married to Clay for 35 years we have LA son Peter about to be 30, and Brooklyn daughter Meredith is 28. I love dogs, movies, art, traveling, old house stuff and tennis. Most of my time has been spent taking pictures and working on building a school for dyslexia (serving on the Board of the Phillips Fundamental Learning Center), for kids and teacher training and oh, tennis.

Kate Bastian

Board Member

Mark Janzen

Kubera Venture Capital

Mark Janzen is a software engineering executive and entrepreneur living in Wichita, Kansas. Having founded multiple technology companies including Janzen Software, Windemere Capital, and Applianz Technologies, Mark currently works as a consultant to software companies and a partner with Kubera Venture Capital. Mark is a native Kansan and graduate of Bethel College in North Newton. He is a mentor to startup founders in both Wichita and Seattle and active in several charities including the board of the Tallgrass Film Festival in Wichita

Mark Janzen

Board Member

Stacy Ward Lattin

Hopping Gnome Brewing Company

Stacy owns a microbrewery and taproom with her husband Torrey. While he focuses on brewing the beer, Stacy works on marketing, operations, and business development. Hopping Gnome Brewing is located in Wichita's historic Douglas Design District where Stacy has served as board President, helping to plan and organize events including the Wicked Brew Tour and Small Business Saturday. She has served on several community boards, including The Women’s Network and Know Your Worth Women's Leadership Conference, and has been involved in various committees including the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce Small Business Committee, and the Mayor's Small Business Advisory Board. Stacy has a background in nonprofit management and received a Master's in Organizational Leadership from Fort Hays State University. Stacy believes that collaboration and building relationships are keys to growing a successful small business.

Stacy Ward Lattin

Board Member

Adrienne McAlpine

Adrienne McAlpine is a Wichita native that returned home in 2010. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts from Smith College and her Master of Public Administration from Wichita State University. Adrienne currently serves a board member of POWER CDC, and volunteers her times as its grant writer to support the renovation of the reimagined Historic Dunbar Theatre. She also serves her community as incoming President of the Power Neighborhood Association, and is a candidate to serve on the City of Wichita’s board for Bike/Walk Wichita.

Adrienne McAlpine

Board Member

Lisa Tatum

Political Activist

Lisa Tatum received her MA – Notre Dame- Psychology and M.Ed – Virginia Commonwealth.

She is a Precinct Committee Member SCDP and Delegate to KDP. She also serves on the Jazz Fest Board – Wichita, District Advisory Board, City Council #6 and is a Graduate student at WSU.

Lisa Tatum

Board Member

Jonathan Wood

Margaritas, Owner

I am a Wichita native, born and raised. I attended Friends university where I received my degrees in Graphic Design and Communications. The Art faculty at Friends instilled a deep love for all of the arts… not just our chosen disciplines. It was during this time in my life that I began attending the Tallgrass Film Festival with the very first one, and I have been hooked ever since! I have watched Wichita grow culturally, slowly (painfully slow sometimes…) into what I believe is a culturally diverse and rich community. Tallgrass’ contribution to this is not small, drawing national and global recognition for our little film fest in the prairie. I love talking with filmmakers in attendance and hearing time and time again that Wichita has really surprised them — and they love it.

Jonathan Wood

Board Member

Caleb K. Wilson

Academic Partnerships

Caleb currently serves as the Instructional Media Developer at Academic Partnerships with a focus on educational access and media accessibility. With almost 20 years of experience in media for entertainment, news, and higher education, he joins the board with a deep appreciation for the power of cinema and a belief in the transformative impact of storytelling on both individual and community levels. Caleb received his bachelor's degree in Film Production from Brooks Institute and holds a Master of Innovation Design degree from Wichita State University. As an avid film enthusiast, he is thrilled at the opportunity to contribute to the growth and success of the Tallgrass Film Festival, ensuring it continues to shine as a brilliant and integral piece of the Midwest cultural landscape.

Caleb K. Wilson

Board Member

Danielle Johnson

Wichita Habitat for Humanity

Danielle Johnson lives by the mantra think, speak, and act for yourself and your community. Danielle is the Executive Director of Wichita Habitat for Humanity, and the majority owner of Inclusive Growth Strategies a diversity, inclusion, and equity consulting business. She prides herself on being an affordable housing advocate, conversation catalyst, inclusion and diversity educator, community mobilizer, and super volunteer. Danielle is a product of USD 259 public schools, a two-time Wichita State University Shocker with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in public administration. Danielle has taken courses with Advance Kansas Class VI, Kansas Leadership Center, Young Professionals of Wichita Leadership Academy, and Leadership Wichita. Danielle and her spouse District 1 councilmen Brandon Johnson are the proud parents of three children ages 18, 9, and 4. Danielle has extensive nonprofit and community engagement experience. Danielle sees the importance of representation and pushes to move the needle in the space she’s in. Ultimately, what drives Danielle is her passion for our community as a whole without ever forgetting that community is made up of individuals coming together.

Danielle Johnson

Board Member

Susan Moeder

Mom, grandma, Landscape Architect, business owner and co-founder of Moeder and Associates with her husband Leon. Long time supporter of the festival and Wichita. I was buying local and touting the Wichita flag before it became a cliché.

Susan Moeder

Board Member

Anna Heustis

Koch Industries

Anna is a North Dakota native who relocated to Wichita for work but stayed because she fell in love with Wichita. She is a CPA and spends her days working at Koch Industries as a tax accountant. In her free time you can find her enjoying Wichita’s food and wine scene, exploring all the art and culture Wichita has to offer (including catching a film at the Tallgrass Film Center) or volunteering with the Junior League of Wichita.

Anna Heustis

Board Member

Todd Ramsey

Apples & Arrows

Todd is the founder and chief strategist of Apples & Arrows, a branding agency in Wichita, Kansas. As the son of a coal miner and a rodeo clown, Todd learned from an early age the values of digging deep and doing whatever it takes to capture people’s attention. These values inform his desire to help clients uncover, articulate and celebrate their unique brand story. Todd is an ESTP on the Meyers Briggs personality type indicator, and according to the Clifton Strengths Finder, his top five strengths are Woo, Communication, Strategy, Adaptability and Maximizer. These facts aren’t highly relevant for a bio, but do serve as interesting tidbits to know about someone. He currently serves on the Wichita Community Foundation and Wichita Art Museum boards, and is an active participant in the Wichita creative scene, including the Take 36 Film Race competitions.

Todd Ramsey

Board Member

Floyd Gruver

Retired

Floyd’s son Tim founded the festival and the Gruvers have remained an active part of the festival.

Floyd Gruver

Board Emeritus

Emily Bonavia

Bonavia Properties

All you have to know is, I met Tim Gruver in 2002, happy serendipity that put me on board for WAMPA (later Tallgrass Film Association), the non-profit that would present Tallgrass Film Festival. I loved Tim, loved his enthusiasm; and…must believe in his vision, since I’m still here!

Emily Bonavia

Board Emeritus