MEET THE TEAM
The Faces of Our Organization
Erica “EL” DuBois
Co-Founder | President & Chief Executive Officer
Erica “EL” DuBois is an award-winning author, filmmaker, screenwriter, producer, public speaker, survivor advocate, and nonprofit leader dedicated to bridging the gap between the arts and advocacy.
A Texas native, Erica has built her professional and creative career around a deeply personal conviction: pain can be transformed into purpose, and storytelling can become a powerful instrument for healing, education, empowerment, and meaningful social change.
As Co-Founder, President, and Chief Executive Officer of the Twisted Crown Foundation, Erica leads the organization’s strategic vision, advocacy initiatives, creative programming, partnerships, and community engagement. Her work focuses on creating opportunities for survivors of sexual violence, domestic abuse, human trafficking, exploitation, and trauma to reclaim their voices and build meaningful futures.
Erica is the Founder and Creative Architect of the foundation’s Healing Initiative, an innovative program connecting survivors with filmmaking, storytelling, and the creative arts. The initiative seeks to move beyond awareness by creating opportunities for education, mentorship, artistic expression, professional development, and survivor participation in the entertainment industry.
Her advocacy extends to the national stage. Erica has served as a speaker and advocate with RAINN, the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, and the National Domestic Violence Hotline. She has participated in congressional advocacy on Capitol Hill, engaging lawmakers on survivor protections, sexual exploitation, technology-facilitated abuse, and pathways to justice.
Erica also serves on the Advisory Board of Hire Survivors Hollywood, supporting efforts to expand meaningful employment opportunities, representation, and survivor-centered practices within the entertainment industry.
As an accomplished creative professional, she works across literature, film, television, and original intellectual property development. Her memoir, Twisted Crown, received the 2025 International Social Impact Award — Making a Difference for Survivors of Trauma. She is also a writer with Akula and has received additional recognition for her literary and social-impact work.
Through every aspect of her leadership, Erica remains committed to ensuring that survivors are not defined solely by what happened to them, but recognized for their creativity, resilience, potential, and ability to shape the future.
Her guiding philosophy remains simple:
“I chose the path to take pain and turn it into purpose.”
M. VANESSA “VANÈ” FLORES
Co-Founder & Vice President
M. VANESSA “VANÈ” FLORES is the Co-Founder and Vice President of the Twisted Crown Foundation, bringing a wealth of experience in governmental affairs, business management, entrepreneurship, and creative production to the organization’s leadership.
A bilingual entrepreneur and dedicated advocate, Vanessa has built her professional experience through various leadership and managerial roles, developing a strong foundation in organizational operations, communication, and community engagement. As the owner of VSK Custom Designs, she combines her business expertise with an entrepreneurial spirit and a passion for creativity.
Her work also extends into the entertainment industry, where she serves as a partner in Poodle in a Pitbull Fight Productions and works as a producer with So&So Productions. Through these creative ventures, Vanessa contributes to projects that celebrate artistic expression and the power of storytelling.
Vanessa’s commitment to advocacy is deeply personal. Inspired by the experiences of a loved one who survived abuse, she has become a passionate supporter of individuals affected by domestic violence and other forms of abuse. Her compassion, determination, and belief in standing alongside those whose voices are too often overlooked helped inspire the founding of the Twisted Crown Foundation in 2021.
As Co-Founder and Vice President, Vanessa brings together her leadership experience, business acumen, creative vision, and unwavering commitment to the foundation’s mission of transforming pain into purpose.
A devoted family woman who enjoys traveling, discovering new places, and pursuing creative endeavors, Vanessa believes meaningful change begins with compassion and the courage to take action.
“To truly make a difference in this world, one must be willing to not only stand up, but also fight for those who are unable to do it for themselves.”
— M. VANESSA “VANÈ” FLORES
Glenda “GiGi” McClure Matysiak
Chief Operating Officer
Glenda “GiGi” McClure Matysiak serves as Chief Operating Officer and a member of the Board of Directors of the Twisted Crown Foundation, bringing more than five decades of healthcare experience, organizational leadership, community service, and compassionate advocacy to the foundation’s mission.
Throughout her extensive professional career, GiGi has worked across clinical laboratory medicine, radiology, hospital operations, healthcare administration, and women’s preventive health. Her experience includes clinical department leadership, regulatory compliance, quality assurance, staff supervision, patient care coordination, and the development of healthcare services designed to meet the needs of diverse communities.
Her dedication to community health has included coordinating preventive healthcare services and outreach for women across multiple Texas counties, helping individuals navigate screening services, medical referrals, and access to essential care.
As Chief Operating Officer, GiGi contributes to the foundation’s organizational operations, strategic planning, community engagement, program development, and long-term sustainability. Her professional background provides a valuable foundation for supporting responsible, compassionate, and survivor-centered initiatives.
A survivor advocate herself, GiGi brings both professional knowledge and lived understanding to her work. She is committed to helping individuals affected by abuse, exploitation, domestic violence, sexual assault, and trafficking access dignity, support, and meaningful opportunities for healing.
Her advocacy has also extended to Washington, D.C., where she participated in congressional meetings supporting stronger protections for survivors and children, including legislative efforts addressing sexual exploitation and access to justice.
GiGi believes that meaningful change begins with compassion, accountability, education, and the willingness to stand alongside those whose voices have too often gone unheard.
Through her leadership at the Twisted Crown Foundation, she remains dedicated to strengthening communities, supporting survivors, and helping transform the foundation’s vision into lasting impact.
J. MACKIE MATYSIAK
Board Member | Twisted Crown Foundation
Nonprofit Community Liaison | Writer & Director, Rescate
J. Mackie Matysiak is a writer, director, nonprofit community liaison, and member of the Board of Directors of the Twisted Crown Foundation. Combining his experience in community engagement with a passion for meaningful storytelling, Mackie brings a distinctive perspective to the foundation’s mission of transforming pain into purpose.
As the writer and director of Rescate, the first film project developed under the foundation’s Healing Initiative, Mackie helps advance a powerful vision: using cinema as a vehicle for awareness, compassion, and meaningful social change.
Through his work as a nonprofit community liaison, Mackie understands the importance of building relationships, strengthening community connections, and encouraging collaboration among organizations and the people they serve. His experience complements his creative work and reinforces his commitment to advocacy, compassionate storytelling, and meaningful social impact.
His creative approach combines emotionally resonant storytelling with intentional visual symbolism, nuanced character development, and a commitment to portraying difficult human experiences with authenticity and dignity.
Beyond filmmaking, Mackie’s work as a writer and creative collaborator reflects his belief that stories have the power to challenge perceptions, encourage understanding, and give voice to experiences too often left unheard.
Through his leadership and creative contributions to the Twisted Crown Foundation, Mackie champions the importance of responsible storytelling, artistic integrity, and the transformative power of the arts.
BRENDA GILBERT
Advisory Board Member
Brenda Gilbert is the President of BRON Media Corp, a company she co-founded and leads with her husband, Aaron L. Gilbert. BRON Media Corp. (“BRON”) is the parent to two main operating hubs – BRON Studios and BRON Digital. BRON is the prolific and award-winning studio behind some of the most high-profile films of the last decade, in both the independent and studio worlds. BRON has produced or executive produced more than 125 productions, and BRON companies have received and have been a part of hundreds of honors including 38 Academy Awards nominations (6 wins), 34 BAFTA Awards nominations, and more than 250 Film Festival Award nominations. BRON is well known for many culture-shifting and history-making productions over the years and the Company’s focus is on live-action and animated film and television production, leaning in heavily with interactive gaming, music, and culture.
Brenda has had a special focus on BRON’s non-scripted projects and is currently an Executive Producer on several projects, including the Reverend Al Sharpton documentary Loudmouth; Reggie, a documentary about Reggie Jackson, Five-time World Series champion and 14-time All Star baseball player who challenged the racial divide in baseball during the 70’s and 80’s; the docuseries Nicki, following the life of Nicki Minaj, a global music icon and influencer and many others. Over her 20+ years in the media space, Brenda has produced, or executive produced more than two-dozen projects, including the animated film The Willoughbys, which premiered on Netflix in 2020.
In addition to her role on BRON’s Board of Directors, Brenda is Vice-Chair of BANFF World Media Festival and Vice-Chair of the Board for Film Independent; she was the track chair for mentoring initiatives with Woman in Animation; currently she is a mentor for the Women of Color Unite –#STARTWITH8 Program; Consulate General of Canada (in Los Angeles) – Canada Global Program; Creative Cypher - Film XLerator Program; and is an Advisor to Vancouver Film School and La Salle College.
Brenda is a proud member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences and has received the honors of Variety’s 500 list twice and Variety’s Women Who Have Made a Global Impact. In 2022, she received the prestigious Trailblazer of Excellence Award at the Oscar Micheaux Film Festival for breaking through barriers, providing opportunities and access to under-represented communities and always striving to reach new levels of success; she also received the Golden Orange Award at the Miami Media and Film Market (“MMFM”) in 2022 for her ongoing contributions and support of the MMFM, including educational initiatives, as well as for her accomplishments in the film, television and entertainment industry.
LAUREN SCHAD
Advisory Board Member
Lauren Schad is originally from the Cheyenne River Lakota nation. She graduated from the University of San Diego with a degree in Cultural Anthropology.
Once a professional athlete of five years, retiring in 2022, she went on to create her textile business Wicahpi (star) Rugs & Textiles. Putting an emphasis on the importance of education and advocacy through art. Although Lauren is currently living in a small village in France with her partner Francis and their two corgis, she makes sure to carry her culture with her everywhere she goes. Whether she is visiting her family or relatives in the lands of the Oceti Sakowin (Seven Council Fires) in South Dakota, where she grew up, or traveling for work, she makes a point of using her platform to raise awareness on the issue of missing and murdered, indigenous women and girls and educating others about Indigenous people; eradicating stereotypes one conversation at a time.
LAUREN SIYOWIN PETERS
Advisory Board Member
Lauren Siyowin Peters emerges as a fearless and compassionate Dakota Sioux Native American and Mexican contemporary artist, wielding the transformative power of her craft to ignite societal change. She is born and raised in Los Angeles, California who has recently graduated with her Masters in Social work from the University of Southern California.
Siyowin recognizes the unsettling reality that individuals of her creed are not safe in this modern-day world. With a profound understanding of this issue, her goal is to create a representation of memory, serving as a focal point for capturing the tensions between native life, history, and remembrance.
Through her art, Siyowin aims to shed light on the challenges faced by Indigenous communities, inviting viewers to reflect on these important issues.
Driven by a passionate commitment to amplifying Native voices and advocating for indigenous rights, Siyowin's work encompasses both fine art and street art. Through her powerful creations, she seeks to raise awareness, inspire change, and leave an indelible mark on the world.
SHERILYN FENN
Advisory Board Member
Sherilyn Fenn is an American actress and author. She came to attention for her performance as Audrey Horne on the television series Twin Peaks (1990–1991, 2017) for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and an Emmy Award.
She is also known for her roles in Of Mice and Men, Ruby, Boxing Helena and Rude Awakening, and for portraying actress Elizabeth Taylor in Liz: The Elizabeth Taylor Story.
MIRA SORVINO
Advisory Board Member
Mira Katherine Sorvino was born on September 28, 1967 in Manhattan. She is the daughter of Lorraine Davis, an actress turned drama therapist, and veteran character actor Paul Sorvino. Her father's family were Italian immigrants. The young Sorvino was intelligent, an avid reader and an exceptional scholar. Her father discouraged her from becoming an actor, as he knew how the industry often chews up young stars. She attended Harvard, majoring in Chinese, graduating magna cum laude in 1989, largely on the strength of her thesis, a Hoopes Prize-winning thesis on racial conflict in China, written and researched during the year spent in Beijing, which helped her fluency in Mandarin Chinese.
However, she showed interest in a career in acting from an early age, and moved to New York City to try her hand in the City's film industry, waitressing, auditioning and working at the Tribeca production company of Robert De Niro. She succeeded in getting a little television work in the early 1990s, but got her first film job in the independent gangster movie Amongst Friends, on which she worked her way up the ladder behind the camera to eventually associate-produce the film, and, more importantly, was eventually cast as the female lead. The indie production was well-received, and Sorvino's performance attracted enough buzz to get her cast in two more movies, one a more prominent indie, Barcelona, the other her first Hollywood feature, Quiz Show, and her skillful performances brought her yet more attention.
CLAUDIA PASTOR
Advisory Board Member
Claudia Pastor is a Texas native and proud mother. She is a true asset to the foundation.
"My spirit has always gravitated towards a need to help others. I am a strong believer that the good you put out into the world will come back to you as a blessing. I was raised by a strong woman who taught me that in life, we have to push ourselves to overcome adversity, and work constantly on improving this world for the ones who come behind us.
As a trailblazer myself, I had the honor to be a founding member of a Real-estate professional non-profit organization based in Katy, TX. My experience in the world of finance allowed me to bring a lot to the table in managing budgets, and educational platforms. Later, I became a chapter President. I ran a board of 12 volunteers, and over 100 members. Our main objective was to spread education of homeownership, and financial literacy to our community, and Real-estate professionals. I later mentored my successors who now run the chapter, and create a learning agenda for our community year after year.
~Claudia Pastor~