Team

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Charlene SanJenko

Founder & CEO

Lead, reGEN impact media

Charlene SanJenko is a two-time Indigenous founder with a solid corporate background in investment services, marketing & communications, community economic development, politics, and impact production, dedicated to radically transforming how creative resources are allocated and to whom, for the highest purpose of all our relations.

Charlene is from the Splatsin tribe, the most southern tribe of the Shuswap Nation in British Columbia and now resides on the beautiful Sunshine Coast since 2004, the traditional territory of the Squamish (skwxwú7mesh) First Nations. Charlene is in the process of reconnecting with her culture and her nation (as documented through her short film, Coming Home), a journey that began in 2015 with her status finally confirmed in 2019. 

Read Char's Founder Story here

Learn about Char's upcoming film Coming Home For the Children here

View Charlene's Indigenous SME Article here
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Naomi McDougall Jones

Global Artistic Director

Lead, reGEN films

Naomi McDougall Jones is a 13x award-winning Hollywood Filmmaker and author. She's spoken at film conferences and festivals around the world, and her TEDTalk, What's it's Like to be a Woman in Hollywood has been viewed over a million times.

Naomi’s first book, The Wrong Kind of Women: Inside Our Revolution to Dismantle the Gods of Hollywood, debuted as a #1 Amazon bestseller and received an electric critical response, with The Christian Science Monitor calling it, “...an outpouring of passion that will change the ways in which movies are seen,” and is now available wherever books are sold. Naomi is currently at work on her second book, Vivisection of a White Woman (by the Ghost of Ernest Hemingway and a Whole Host of Ancestors).

As a storyteller and future-weaver, Naomi has helped hundreds of authors and filmmakers to bring their stories to life. Naomi launched Avalon: Story -- a center of practice designed to incubate and birth a new media ecosystem and brought together 60 filmmakers in a Constellation Incubator designed to scale innovation within the independent film industry and apply design thinking to reimagine a more equitable and sustainable ecosystem - from development, film finance, production, to marketing and distribution. She is a Founder of The 51 Fund, dedicated to financing films by women. Their films Cusp and Shayda both premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and won a Special Jury Prize and the Audience Award respectively.

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Dr. Kasia Wilk-Mortensen

Advisor, Transpersonal Psychology

Dr. Kasia Wilk-Mortensen is a Chartered Psychologist, Transformation Coach, and Founder of Choice Point Productions, a film production company dedicated to creating purpose driven films teaching people about the power of choice. Her mission is to help creatives and creators transform their fears in love, career, and self-worth into empowered choices and personal power, so they can thrive and feel fulfilled. No matter how different and dynamic their creative career already is.
 
She holds a Professional Doctorate in Counselling Psychology, a Masters degree in Transpersonal Psychology, and a Bachelors degree in Behavioural Neuroscience. Having supported individuals from all walks of life over the last 10+ years through the journey of transformation, she has keenly developed an expertise regarding the most common patterns of disempowering choices that almost everyone makes. She is committed to bring this awareness to the world in order to empower people to make conscious choices that lead to more freedom, happiness, and harmony on a personal and global level.
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Samantha Panter

Haida Two Spirited womxn
Cultural Advisor & Ambassador
Samantha provides cultural resources, education, and support with the objective of shifting perspectives around the meaning of inclusion and equity. She sits on reGEN’s circle of advisors to offer guidance and perspective from an Indigenous lens.
 
Samantha brings balance and wellbeing to her clients in each of these areas: Physical, Mental, Emotional, and Spiritual Wellbeing. She will bring balance and wellbeing to reGEN impact media’s work in the work with a holistic approach, especially on projects with Indigenous artists, storytellers, and filmmakers to ensure our care-first approach is our top priority.
Visit Sam's LinkedIn
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Julie Davitz

Brand Partnerships Advisor, Founder - Plus Media Solutions

Julie Davitz is an internationally recognized impact leader. Prior to founding Plus Media Solutions, Inc., she was the Head of Impact Solutions for BNP Paribas/Bank of the West, the 8th largest private bank in the world, where she was responsible for developing the bank's strategic wealth efforts towards sustainability and impact.

She had her own global consulting firm and worked with hundreds of organizations from the US to India to Africa. Her perspective and deep experience with nonprofits, for-profit companies and UHNW philanthropists and investors have led to her being an in-demand speaker and panel participant at major conferences. Julie recognizes the urgency of interest, the rise in viable solutions and the technological delivery mechanisms. Her vision is to connect these three to offer scalable actions in order to address the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals.

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Vicki Stronge, PhD

Advisor, Biotech Business Strategy

Vicki Stronge, PhD (she/her) is a seasoned biotech professional with over 17 years of experience in product management, business strategy, and leadership across both small and large companies. She is passionate about gender equity, financial empowerment, and advancing women’s health equity through innovative business strategies and inclusive workplace practices.
 
Currently, Vicki serves as Co-President of the Board of Directors for the Society for Canadian Women in Science and Technology (SCWIST), where she is dedicated to supporting women entrepreneurs and marginalized groups in accessing opportunities and capital.
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Jessica McNaughton

Tech Media Founder, Experienced M&A Advisor

Jessica McKnaughton is passionate about protecting stories and memories. Committed to understanding and building products that fulfill her user’s needs. A background working for some of Canada’s most respected corporations such as WestJet, RBC, and Viterra, in senior leadership roles. She is a dreamer and loves working with fellow founders to visualize big solutions to solve big problems. Jessica did not complete an undergrad degree – she was too busy traveling the globe with a backpack on in her 20’s… but it didn’t stop her from climbing the corporate ladder once she settled down. Jess quickly moved into leadership and executive positions throughout her career, prior to completing her EMBA at Levene School of Business. Jessica believes with the right attitude, kindness, laughter by your side, and some determination, anything can be conquered.

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Hillary Samson

Business Advisor

Hillary works to develop the evolution of a business's practices–aligning your business to its soul’s purpose.

Her two decades as an operations consultant for social good organizations has left her with a deep understanding of how to optimize systems for profitability. In Transforming Ventures, she works to reimagine and reshape capitalism to operationalize for other values, too–like kindness, courage, trust, and diversity.

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Sonal Gupta

Editor and Regenerative Journalist

Sonal Gupta is an award-winning journalist, documentary producer, and editor based in Vancouver, BC. Originally from India, Sonal’s media journey began with a curiosity about visual storytelling. After moving to Los Angeles, she immersed herself in documentary production, where she navigated the tension between authenticity and spectacle in a commercially driven industry. This experience motivated her to create narratives that not just inform but inspire change.

From India to Vietnam, the United States to Canada, Sonal has reported on issues ranging from climate change to healthcare equity and systemic inequality with hands-on experience in Global Reporting and Solutions Journalism.

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Vije Bhatia

Creative Director and Writer

As a Creative Director and Writer, Vije brings a unique blend of creativity and strategic thinking to every project. With extensive experience in public relations, creative production, and storytelling, he specializes in crafting compelling narratives that engage audiences and drive meaningful impact.

Vije's professional journey has included leading public art initiatives, managing high-profile campaigns, and overseeing complex projects that require both visionary leadership and meticulous attention to detail. He excels at transforming ideas into powerful visual and written content, ensuring each project resonates with its intended audience.

Passionate about the art of storytelling, Vije believes in using creativity as a tool to inspire, connect, and influence.

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Benjamin Smith

Writer and Lead of The Goliath Foundation

As a black child born in 1971, Ben was adopted in Seattle and raised by white parents in a tough neighbourhood in East Vancouver, BC. He experienced relentless violence, bullying, and racial discrimination.

As a way to overcome fear and self-loathing, Ben became a competitive boxer, wrestler, and bodybuilder. These positive outlets allowed Ben to channel his hurt, anger, and frustration, eventually owning a gym, helping others as a successful personal trainer and mentoring youth as a community care worker.

Ben’s many years working as a nightclub bouncer gave him unique insight into the universal quest for self-acceptance, love, and happiness. Now he works to help men move past their own pain.

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Willow Smith

Impact Communications & Audio Lead

Willow Smith is a mixed-race millennial whose experience in audio and video began as a hobby. Now a voice actor, the co-host of her own podcast - Loving Goliath - and audio lead for reGEN Media, she’s taken her hobby to a whole new level under the umbrella of reGEN and The Goliath Foundation

While still new to the industry, she believes a pair of fresh eyes can proceed without the pre-established rules of how things should be or have been, and applies this to all facets of her work. Using divergent creativity and a wide skillset, she’s driven to seeing radical change in how things are done and the ways in which people are treated, regarded, compensated and valued. 

Visit Willow's LinkedIn
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Kera McHugh

Website & Systems Lead

A 3rd generation settler by way of South Africa, Scotland, France and England, Kera currently lives, with gratitude, in the Unceded Traditional Territory of Lekwungen/Songhees, Te’mexw Treaty Association, Á,LEṈENEȻ ȽTE (W̱SÁNEĆ), Cayuse, Umatilla and Walla Walla—the traditional keepers of the land and waters also known as Victoria, at the south end of the Coast Salish region.

For more than 25 years, Kera has been offering a broad range of entrepreneur services to folks following their passion and bringing change to the world. From business development and delivery model coaching to design and deployment of digital presence, Kera finds her joy in solving technical challenges and alleviating the stress that technology can create for non-technical people. 

Kera is excited to come full circle and rejoin Charlene and her incredible team on their mission. She is deeply honoured to be entrusted with this work.

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