Raymond Telles’ thirty-five year career in film and television includes numerous documentaries and segments for PBS, ABC, NBC, Nat Geo, Discovery and Univision. Documentaries produced and directed include: Pedro E. Guerrero: A Photographer’s Journey (American Masters), The Storm that Swept Mexico (PBS), The Fight in the Fields: Cesar Chavez and the Farmworkers’ Struggle (PBS), Children of the Night (Frontline/PBS) Inside the Body Trade (National Geographic) and The Peril and The Promise – and PBS series “Latino Americans.” Among the honors these programs have received are the Columbia DuPont, Peabody, Emmy and Alma awards. Telles is an Associate Adjunct Professor in the Department of Ethnic Studies and Artist in Residence at the Latinx Research Center and Affiliated Faculty at the Center for Latin American Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. In 2018 he was awarded the Distinguished Teaching Award, Division of Social Sciences, College of Letters and Science.

Jacob Fox joined Homes for Good in 2013 and became Executive Director in 2015. He is passionate about transforming organizations in order to better serve communities. Jacob began his career in the mid-1990s and is a national leader and advocate for affordable housing.

Jacob has worked for three different housing authorities in numerous capacities including resident services, property management, asset management, development and executive management. Before joining Homes for Good, Jacob worked for the City of Portland where he directed investments in ending homelessness, affordable homeownership and affordable housing developments. Jacob is active in housing policy deliberation and legislative advocacy at the local, state, regional and national levels.

He feels strongly that housing is a basic human right and he believes in our ability to create stronger communities by linking affordable housing residents with health care, education, employment and other supportive services. When Jacob isn’t working he enjoys traveling, and fishing in Alaska.

Homes For Good website HERE!

Ellen Jovin is an internationally acclaimed grammar and language expert. Her most recent book, called Rebel with a Clause: Tales and Tips from a Roving Grammarian, was published by HarperCollins in 2022 and quickly became a national bestseller. The paperback edition came out in May 2025.

Ellen has written three other books on writing/grammar (Hachette) and is a co-founder with Brandt of the communication skills consulting and training firm Syntaxis. Ellen has studied more than 25 languages with a total of nine different writing systems, which she blogged about for years as part of a project she called “Words & Worlds of New York.”

Earlier in her career, she worked as a freelance reporter and taught writing at New York University and other area colleges. She has a B.A. in German studies from Harvard University and an M.A. in comparative literature from UCLA.

th care, education, employment and other supportive services. When Jacob isn’t working he enjoys traveling, and fishing in Alaska.

This is Brandt Johnson’s feature film debut. Before this project, he was the writer, director, and star of Brad Advice, a comedy web series — the New York Daily News raved, “Brad Advice knocks it out of the park.”

Brandt has written and produced three plays (the New York Times praised his “sharp writing”), and he is the author of the book Practical Presentation Skills: Authenticity, Focus & Strength (Hachette).

Brandt is a co-founder with Ellen of the communication skills consulting and training firm Syntaxis. A former investment banker and speechwriter, he has trained executives of major corporations around the world. Also a lifelong athlete, Brandt played professional basketball in Europe and on tour against the Harlem Globetrotters.

He graduated from Williams College with a B.A. in mathematics and earned an M.B.A. in finance from the NYU Stern School of Business.

Michael Lee grew up in Eugene and played double bass in the Eugene Symphony. For 31 years he chaired the Musicology Department at the University of Oklahoma and has taught courses on the History of the Symphony. He retired recently and returned to Eugene to haunt the Art House and Broadway Metro at every opportunity.

Andrea Plesnarski, Board President of the Eugene-Springfield Youth Orchestra and principal oboe with the Oakland Symphony who has performed the Ninth many times.

Greg Sutherland landed his dream job at the House of Records 39 years ago; now he’s the owner. His first encounter with Beethoven happened at the record store when he listened to Zubin Mehta’s sluggish recording of the Eroica Symphony, and he walked away thinking maybe Beethoven wasn’t for him. But just a few months later, he heard George Szell conducting the Eroica; it was a life-changing experience from which he learned a great truth about Classical music: performance matters. Now Greg loves Beethoven so much that he’s written an unpublished biography about him aimed at young adults. The book has earned him no money, but it has brought him very close to Beethoven.

Latiffe Amado was Born in Latin America with roots that stretch into the Middle East. She is an immigrant and community organizer fighting fascism and racist government systems, working in local government as an equity leader, helping departments turn values into real policy, practice, and culture change.

Reverend Alex Awad is a member of People for Peace and Justice in Palestine. Born and raised in Jerusalem, he and his wife Brenda served as missionaries with the General Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church in Israel/Palestine. Rev. Awad wrote, Through the Eyes of the Victims and Palestinian Memories; both books reveal the realities of life under Israeli military occupation.

Sam Cook is an organizer with the Party for Socialism and Liberation. He is passionate about building organizations that are strong enough to build the future that all people deserve.

Faith (she/her) is a community organizer and human rights activist from Eugene who focuses on immigrant and transgender rights. In 2025, she organized as part of several campaigns, demonstrations, and actions in Oregon: Eyes Off Eugene, the No Kings marches, Lane County Board of Commissioners transgender and immigrant sanctuary commitments, ICE OUT demonstrations at the Eugene federal building, and ICE watch rapid response. Love and rage.

Stan Taylor is the leader of Indivisible Eugene Springfield and a confounder of the Activist Coalition of Eugene Springfield (ACES) which organized the Hands Off and No Kings protests. He is a retired Professor of Political Science from Lane Community College and former Chair of the Lane Community College Peace Center.

Reverend Alex Awad is a member of People for Peace and Justice in Palestine. Born and raised in Jerusalem, he and his wife Brenda served as missionaries with the General Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church in Israel/Palestine. Rev. Awad wrote, Through the Eyes of the Victims and Palestinian Memories; both books reveal the realities of life under Israeli military occupation.

Norman Solomon is an American journalist, media critic, author and activist. His latest book, “The Blue Road to Trump Hell – How Corporate Democrats Paved the Way for Autocracy” was published in December 2025. 

“War Made Invisible: How America Hides the Human Toll of Its Military Machine,” was published by The New Press in June 2023. In a starred review, Kirkus Reviews called the book “a powerful, necessary indictment of efforts to disguise the human toll of American foreign policy.”

Solomon’s dozen other books include “War Made Easy: How Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death.” A full-length documentary film, narrated by Sean Penn, was based on “War Made Easy.” The New York Times review called the film “ultimately persuasive” and said: “Many of its arguments have been made before … but Mr. Solomon digs deeper and hammers harder.”

Solomon is the founder of the Institute for Public Accuracy, a consortium of policy researchers and analysts. He is IPA’s executive director and the coordinator of its ExposeFacts program.

The Cigarette Surfboard (Filmmaker & Designer)

Ben Judkins Filmmaker – Raised in Northern California, at age eight I found an old camcorder and discovered my medium to explore and create. After years videotaping my friends skateboarding and surfing, I landed at University of California Santa Cruz, majoring in Film & Digital Media. My senior film “Marshall” earned the Dean’s Award, and also won “Best Locally-Produced Work” at the 2017 Santa Cruz Film Festival. I’m an avid surfer who believes in the power of visual storytelling to move people to action. The Cigarette Surfboard documentary is an opportunity to inspire a generation of surfers to be stewards of the sea.

Taylor Lane Ciggy Board Creator – Growing up with a garage full of tools, I always tinkered. In the “live and let live” ethos of Venice Beach, California, I learned to appreciate alternative perspectives. After graduating from San José State University in 2017 with a B.S. in Industrial Design, I took on freelance gigs, along with an internship at The North Face as an Equipment Designer. With the Cigarette Surfboard, I realized I am most fulfilled by seeking solutions that address social and environmental problems. Since childhood, I’ve often been the one asked to fix something. Doesn’t always mean I can, but hell, I’ll try.

14,000 Miles to Chile (Panelists)

Patrick Chapman is a hobbyist filmmaker and full-time advertising agency professional based in Oregon. He grew up in Waldport on the Oregon coast, where his love for the ocean and wild places first took shape. When he’s not working, he spends his time fly fishing, hiking, riding motorcycles, and exploring the outdoors. Through film, he hopes to tell grounded, practical stories that help people appreciate and protect the places that shaped him.

Eric Sharman is surfer and ICU RN from Coos Bay, Oregon. In his youth he cultivated a strong passion for the ocean, and its stewardship. He pursued that passion at UofO, studying marine biology and Spanish linguistics. In 2019, upon finishing school, Eric embarked on a journey from Oregon to South America, surfing and cleaning beaches all along the way.

Currently, he is working as nurse in Coos Bay Oregon. There he continues to cultivate his passion and relationship with the ocean, while planning his next adventure via sailboat.