Staff & Contacts

Kalmia Strong, Executive Director | Email: kalmia@squeaky.org

Kalmia Strong received her BA from Gallatin School of Individualized Study at NYU. After several years working in education, food, and community spaces, she received an MFA in Book Arts and an MA in Library and Information Science from the University of Iowa. While in Iowa City, she became involved with Public Space One (PS1), at the time a DIY basement art space. Strong spent 13 years collaboratively leading the organization as Program Director. During this time, PS1 has grown to be the steward of four buildings that serve as creative hub and resource for diverse artists and community members, hosting thousands of events and garnering local, regional, and national collaboration and support — all while maintaining an artist-led, community-driven approach. At PS1, Kalmia was a key collaborator in establishing and sustaining Iowa’s only community-access media arts and printmaking studios, the Center for Afrofuturist Studies residency, a robust sliding-scale adult arts education program, and an equipment lending library. Kalmia has also worked with ICDOCS film festival, the Grant Wood Art Colony, the International Dada Archive, the Iowa Youth Writing Project, Open Air Media Festival, and PromptPress, among other organizations and projects.

Mark Longolucco, Technical Director | Email: mark@squeaky.org

Mark is the Tech Director at Squeaky Wheel, overseeing the Equipment Rental Program, Equipment Access Grant, and Video Archive management. A part of Squeaky Wheel since 2008, he instructs numerous workshops and tutorials across all ages in the topics of video production/post production as well as audio engineering and sound design. With a BFA from the School of Art & Design at Alfred University, his artistic practice includes elements of audio synthesis, music production and video manipulation often intermixing both analog and digital workflows.

Ekrem Serdar, Curator | Email: ekrem@squeaky.org

Ekrem Serdar is the curator at Squeaky Wheel Film & Media Art Center, where he is responsible for the organization’s exhibitions, public programming, and residency program. Previously, he was a programmer with Experimental Response Cinema (Austin, TX) which he co-founded. He is the recipient of a Curatorial Fellowship from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts (2017). He is an advisory member of the FOL Cinema Society (Istanbul). His writing has appeared in The Brooklyn Rail, Millennium Film Journal, 5harfliler, Altyazı, among other publications. He is from Ankara, Turkey.

Caroline Doherty, Education Director | Email: caroline@squeaky.org

Caroline Doherty is an artist and educator working across multiple mediums, including sculpture, performance, video, and public projects. She holds a BFA in Sculpture from Massachusetts College of Art, and an MFA in Intermedia from the Department of Art at the University at Buffalo (SUNY). Based in Buffalo since 2014, Caroline has been an educator for over 20 years, facilitating artmaking for youth, university students, and adults in formal and informal settings in the US, México, and Canada, and brings this experience to her role as Education Director at Squeaky Wheel.

Carra Stratton, Interim Director and Development Manager | Email: carra@squeaky.org

Carra Stratton works on development at Squeaky Wheel. Since returning to Buffalo after graduate study in the Literature and History of Consciousness departments at UC Santa Cruz, she has taught, edited, worked on farms and with a beekeeper, and helped to found a local nonprofit working with undocumented immigrants in WNY.

Board of Directors

President, Dorothea Braemer
Born in Starnberg, Bavaria and based in Buffalo, N.Y., Dorothea Braemer is an award-winning filmmaker featuring numerous national and international exhibitions of documentaries and experimental films on topics ranging from biographies, education, climate change and musings about her family. Braemer’s work as a filmmaker, educator, and arts advocate is informed by her own experience and active participation in the various communities of which she is a part.  She is currently an Associate Professor at Buffalo State University in the Communication Department.  She is a former Executive Director of Squeaky Wheel and former Program Coordinator of Scribe Video Center in Philadelphia, PA.  Dorothea holds degrees from University of Massachusetts in Boston, and Temple University in Philadephia. She is thrilled to be back on the board of Squeaky Wheel!

Vice President, Donte McFadden
Donte McFadden, PhD, is a Visiting Associate Professor of Communication and the Unit Diversity Officer in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University at Buffalo. Prior to joining UB as the director of the Distinguished Visiting Scholars in the Fall of 2022, he served as the Senior Associate Director for Undergraduate Research and High Impact Practices for the Educational Opportunity Program at Marquette University. In this role, he served as the Director of the Ronald E. McNair Post Baccalaureate Achievement Program. He has held other leadership roles with the Educational Opportunity Program at Marquette, including serving as its Interim Director and Associate Director of Administration, Curriculum and Evaluation.Donte received his PhD in English with an emphasis in Film Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He earned a master’s degree in English and a BFA/BA in Film/Film Studies also from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Donte is co-founder of Black Lens, a showcase for African American filmmakers as part of the Milwaukee Film Festival.

Treasurer, Laura Shedd
Laura Shedd is a nonprofit finance professional, and has extensive background in the public education sector. Her career includes roles as the Director of Budget and Administration at CUNY K-16 Initiatives, Program Officer for CUNY Early College Initiative, and as a middle school math teacher for the NYC Department of Education. She holds a Master’s in Public Policy from the University of Michigan and a Master’s in Education from the City University of New York. Laura currently works as a freelance consultant to the nonprofit sector and as a tax preparer.

Secretary, Meg Knowles
Meg Knowles is an Associate Professor of Media Production in the Communication Department at Buffalo State College and is an award winning documentary and experimental media artist of more than 40 short films, and one feature length documentary. She also co-hosts and curates the Beyond Boundaries Film & Discussion Series, now in its twefth year, which is a collaboration between Buffalo State and the Burchfield Penney Art Center. She is the recipient of the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Outstanding Service, based on her work connecting the University at Buffalo with community organizations. She sits on boards in Western New York, and is currently Treasurer of the Buffalo International Film Festival. Meg has an MFA in Film Media Arts from Temple University, an MAH in Media Study and Art History from the University at Buffalo and a BA in Art History from Vassar College. She serves on the Executive, Governance and is Co-Chair of the Development Committee (Fall 2025).

Chris Borkowski
Chris Borkowski is a media maker from Buffalo, NY who has lived and worked in New York City, San Diego, Los Angeles and Miami. He is currently an Implementation Specialist at Gallery Systems. He has worked professionally as a video editor, network administrator, media arts center Technical Director, and University instructor in digital arts. He has shown his artwork internationally at various galleries and media festivals and has also performed a number of real-time audio and video pieces.

Jeff Maciejewski
Jeff Maciejewski is a documentarian with a marketing background, and is also an FAA licensed drone operator.  He has been on the in-house media production team at the AKG Art Gallery since they expanded the museum, and was previously a video production specialist at FARM Advertising Agency, the Basil Marketing Group and Fisher Price.  Past marketing clients include Georgia-Pacific, Kelley Blue Book, vAuto, Tops Markets, Bausch & Lomb, Independent Health, Blue Cross Blue Shield & Just Buffalo.  He has a BA in Media Production from Buffalo State University.

Kameron Wood
With more than a decade of experience, Kameron Wood’s  journey began in 2005 with a Squeaky Wheel student filmmaking training program. His education in film production and directing led him to Hollywood, where he  worked as a Producer and First Assistant Director. Kameron has dedicated himself  to mentoring youth through film summer camps and student mentorship programs in New York and California. In 2025, Kameron moved back to Buffalo where he currently works as the Communications Coordinator of the Buffalo History Museum.

Karen Welch
Karen is the Executive Director of the Western New York Law Center,  a civil legal services firm dedicated to pursing economic and social justice for the residents of WNY.   She has been involved in the civil rights and disability advocacy community for over 30 years.  Throughout her career, Karen has worked collaboratively with many community partners to combat disability discrimination and to improve the lives of marginalized communities.  Karen received her JD from the University at Buffalo and is a Buffalo resident.

Robin Lazzara
Robin Lazzara is a filmmaker and entrepreneur with a deeply held belief in the importance of diversifying the film industry. In 2020, she co-founded the Film Neighbor Network, a nonprofit organization created to diversify the film workforce in Western New York by making education in industry practices free and easily accessible. She is also the founder of Glow Video, a Buffalo-based woman-owned business that produces media for a diverse client base. Currently, she serves as the Project Manager for the Post Production Diversity Initiative (PPDI) at Buffalo State University.

Shellie Schmalls
Shellie Schmals is an arts and nonprofit leader with more than 25 years of experience working at the intersection of creative nonprofits, social service organizations, and community-based arts initiatives. She currently serves as a Major Gifts Associate at Buffalo Toronto Public Media, supporting public media and regional storytelling through donor engagement. Shellie has held leadership roles in film publicity and community outreach, including serving as a Regional Publicist for Searchlight Pictures and Lionsgate and as Atlanta Director at Allied Global Marketing. She has also been deeply involved in arts advocacy as a longtime board member of Women in Film & Television Atlanta and through her work with the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival. As a producer and performer, she has created and curated artist-driven projects that center underrepresented voices and community collaboration. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Daemen College, a Master of Education from the University at Buffalo, and an MBA from Brenau University, and is honored to serve on the board of Squeaky Wheel. 

Advisory Board

Almudena Escobar López, Kathy High, Chris Lee, Louis Massiah, Igor Vamos

Past Interns

(Since 2017)

Morgan Arnett, Lewuga Benson, Timothy Butler, Xiaochen Chang, Caitlin Coder, Joshua Colon, Kayla Jane Cunningham, Diego Diaz, Tiffany Gaines, Leanne Goldblatt, Jamie Hager, Lucy Handman, Connor Hockey, Alex Jaczak, Kaylee Janowski, Joshua Jensen, Martina LaVallo, Wenchao Lou, Kaitlyn Lowe, Catalina Matos, Jah’Nease McCullough, Elise Miller, Savion Mingo, Hatim Mohamed, Austin Nagelhout, Hoang Nguyen, Jacob Panzer, Kaden Radez, Yiheng Song, Colleen Stapleton, Jess Trainor, Audrey Warner, Alex Whetham, Rachel Witkowski, Donald Wullner, Sophia Yung, Jean Zhu, Tabia Lewis.