Our Team.
Meet our team at Women’s Voices Now, where we believe in the power of film to drive positive social change that advances women’s and girls’ rights globally.
Lupita
2020
Monica Wise Robles
Heidi Basch-Harod
Executive Director
Heidi Basch-Harod is the executive director of Women’s Voices Now (WVN), a Los Angeles-based non-profit organization that uses film to drive positive social change to advance girls’ and women’s rights globally. Heidi is responsible for the vision, strategy, and international fundraising efforts that sustain and grow WVN’s programs, locally and globally. Heidi brings her experience in international human rights advocacy from her work with Tibetan Nuns Project; the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission of the U.S. Congress, and the Palestine-Israel Journal. In 2021, she received a Daytime Emmy as a producer of the “Girls’ Voices Now” series, in collaboration with Here Media.
She is a scholar of the modern history of the Middle East and North Africa, specializing in women’s rights movements of the region. She is a published author, both in print and online.
For over 10 years, Heidi has worked with youth, ages 12-24, teaching empowerment workshops through Women’s Voices Now and the Girls’ Voices Now program. She is a Holocaust educator who works within the Jewish community and is regularly invited to speak at public middle and high schools throughout Los Angeles to teach about antisemitism, other forms of racism and bigotry, and the power of film to make social change.
Soizic Pelladeau
Development Director
Soizic is responsible for leading fundraising efforts, including grant writing, individual donations and corporate sponsors. Soizic also oversees evaluation, monitoring and reporting across programs, and assists with strategic planning.
Soizic brings with her extensive experience in gender-specific program design and evaluation. While getting her master’s degree in International Development and Political Science, she worked for Women’s Worldwide Web in Paris, and then for the Division for Gender Equality at UNESCO for two years, where she supervised and updated monitoring & evaluation processes. In Los Angeles, Soizic worked as a Program Officer for the Cultural Services of the French Embassy from 2016 to 2018 before joining Women’s Voices Now. Soizic occasionally consults for UN Women, assisting with evaluation and performance analyses of UN agencies’ efforts to promote gender equality.
Chelsea Byers
Programs & Partnerships Director
Chelsea is responsible for managing WVN programs, and leads partnership development and community outreach efforts both locally and internationally, on behalf of WVN.
Chelsea comes to WVN with a background in creative change making, organizing, and advocacy. A passionate activist on issues regarding gender and sexual-based violence, Chelsea successfully campaigned to overturn California’s statute of limitations on rape and sexual assault in 2017 and co-organized the first #MeToo Survivors March in Los Angeles.
Chelsea is part of the Beautiful Trouble collective, where she facilitates resources development and content creation for an online toolbox that supports organizers and activists around the globe. She has organized countless campaigns and demonstrations for social justice, held vigils for political prisoners and whistleblowers, and earned media for stunts, pranks, and creative disruptions, alongside some of the most innovative and strategic nonviolent activists working in social movements.
Gabriela Grant
Development Coordinator
As Development Coordinator, Gabriela contributes to developing and implementing Women’s Voices Now fundraising activities and strategy.
Gabriela recently graduated from The University of Maryland, College Park with a B.A. in Dance and Social Change Through Dance. She developed her passion for women and girls’ voices in her studies as a Dance major.
Grant had the opportunity to study the hyper-sexualization of the BIPOC Female dancing bodies in popular media and further developed this research into a work titled “I AM WOMB” for the University of Maryland’s Second Season.
In her interdisciplinary studies in Social Change Through Dance, Gabriela had the opportunity to help girls amplify their voices around the prejudices they face through creative expression by working with them to use movement as a transformative tool.
Currently in Los Angeles, Gabriela has been working to develop her creative artistry. She hopes to inspire young girls to pursue their wildest dreams, regardless of the societal barriers that may work against them.
Yasmeen Al-Shawwa
Communications Director
Yasmeen leads WVN’s communications and social media strategies. She is also the host and curator of the Voices for Change Screening and Discussion Series.
In her early 20s, her curiosity and devotion to exploring the world drove her to pursue a Master’s degree in Journalism at Columbia University. After six years of international reporting on business, culture, and immigration, she decided to switch gears and focus on utilizing her storytelling tools to empower conscious organizations + businesses.
Yasmeen now specializes in helping identify, amplify, and disseminate mindful narratives to audiences across multiple online platforms.
Growing up in a multicultural family and living in several countries throughout the Middle East and Latin America allows her an expansive perspective and unique lens of the world around her.
Through government laws and societal norms from Saudi Arabia to Argentina, Yasmeen has experienced first-hand accounts of support and suppression for simply being a woman.
She whole-heartedly believes in the power of advocating for women’s rights, education, and progression in order to create a more sustainable and peaceful collective existence.
Lamine Ascofaré
Growth Strategist
Born in Mali and living in Dakar, Senegal, Lamine is the Growth Strategist of Women’s Voices Now.
He oversees WVN’s digital strategy, marketing technology, advertising budget, and online fundraising.
He is experienced in creating and executing high-impact digital marketing campaigns.
Lamine enjoys discovering new music and recording his own in the studio.
Rachel “Sink” Lindsay
Social Media Coordinator
Rachel “Sink” Lindsay assists with developing and implementing WVN’s social media strategy.
From a young age, Rachel has been drawn to all things storytelling. A performer, writer, producer and creative strategist with a background in screenwriting and magazine editing, she finds joy in all narrative mediums. Rachel spent many years working in development and production at Universal Studios and on several commercials and films before returning to her first love: performing.
A cinematic singer-songwriter for many years, Rachel’s music was recently featured on Netflix’s LUCIFER and IN FROM THE COLD, Hulu’s FRESH, and Apple TV’s DR. BRAIN. She also wrote and performed a deliciously foreboding neo-noir song for Robin Wright’s directorial debut short film THE DARK OF NIGHT, which premiered at Cannes Film Festival. In the fall of 2022, Rachel headed up her first short film project with a 100% femme crew.
She is probably down a YouTube rabbit-hole or stirring up mischief with her fun-loving family at the moment.
Contact Rachel: [email protected]
Sarah Moshman
Media Instructor
Bijan Siyamak
Film Festival Assistant
Bijan Siyamak is an Afghan Filmmaker; writer and director. He graduated from the Asian Film & Television Academy and Shobhit University with a Bachelor of Film and Television in Directing.
Over the course of his career, Siyamak has performed as a leading participant in a variety of distinguished film productions and events, particularly as a producer, writer, and director.
Siyamak has produced and directed numerous films and documentaries that have a distinguished reputation and have gone on to win various prestigious awards. He was commissioned by the Financial Times to produce the documentary short film How the 20-Year War Changed Afghanistan, which became part of the organization’s Film Series.
Among Siyamak’s other distinguished productions are the short film Lady in Red, the music video Daughters for Sale, and We Together. He has also played a leading role in the development and execution of the Herat International Women’s Film Festival in 2019 and 2020 as Executive Director.
Contact Bijan: [email protected]
