GPFF’s Board & Staff

Program Director
Kelly DeVine

Brand and Marketing Agency of Record
Shanon Larimer
Larimer & Co.

Website Guru
Joe Ruggeri

3D Animation & Video Trailer Production
Wesley Brown
Cicero Studios

Accounting Services
McKenzie CPA Group
Minden Financial Solutions

Volunteer Coordinator
Ashlyn Williams

Volunteers
Niska Baddio-Escalade
Diego Guarderas
Morgan Hemphill
Ken Jenkins
Britt Keenan
Donovan Powell
Sol Ramos
Priscilla Rose
Allison van Tilborgh

Staff BIOs

David Wheeler, the Chief Executive Officer + Peace Practitioner at the Global Peace Film Festival, is a pioneer in the field of streaming video, having founded CareerTV. With over 40 years of experience in building businesses and managing organizations both domestically and internationally, Wheeler is recognized for his innovative thinking.

Before joining GPFF, Wheeler served as the Vice President of Innovation and Development for the Better Business Bureau of Central Florida. His career journey began in advertising sales at the Louisville Courier-Journal. Over time, he took on roles of increasing responsibility in news, production, and programming at various media outlets, including PBS, Gannett Newspapers, and The Weather Channel. This led him to senior management and operations positions within advertising and digital marketing agencies.

Wheeler’s academic background includes studying broadcast journalism at the University of Louisville and business administration and management at Sullivan University. He furthered his education in philanthropy and nonprofit leadership at the Edyth Bush Institute.

In addition to his professional accomplishments, Wheeler holds the position of Ex-Officio for both the Downtown Arts District and the Miss Orlando Scholarship Competition. He is currently serving on the Historic Preservation Board for the City of Orlando, Florida, and the Board of Directors for Central Florida Community Arts. His commitment to these roles underscores his dedication to community service and the arts.

Nina Streich, the Founder and Festival Director of the Global Peace Film Festival, brings a wealth of experience in film, television, politics, and event planning to her role. A lifelong activist, Streich’s commitment to fostering a more peaceful world is evident in her work as the Executive Director of the festival. Despite initially lacking local knowledge when tasked with creating a film event, she envisioned a collaborative effort with the local community, using the arts, especially film, to inspire positive social, cultural, and personal transformation.

Streich’s illustrious career includes creating trailers for over 50 major studio and independent feature films, producing documentaries, serving as the Deputy Commissioner of the NYC Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre & Broadcasting, and managing the Newport International Film Festival. Since 2003, she has been at the helm of the Global Peace Film Festival, contributing significantly to its growth and success.

Among her notable achievements are the establishment of a K-12 student peace art exhibit in collaboration with Orange County (FL) Public Schools, fostering relationships with a diverse range of community and arts organizations, and gaining international exposure by working on festivals in Japan, Korea, Israel, Jordan, and Nepal. Her dedication to these initiatives reflects her passion for the arts and her commitment to peace and community development.

Kelly DeVine, the Program Director of the Global Peace Film Festival since 2006, has transformed the traditional festival model into an active platform that harnesses the power of film and arts to inspire and motivate. Kelly’s approach to peace is not as an elusive goal, but as a process for managing conflict. She collaborates with local, national, and international groups to create a community-centric hub that educates, inspires, and empowers individuals to become agents of change in their own lives.

In addition to her role at GPFF, Kelly has provided consultation for impact projects for acclaimed documentaries such as Bully, How to Survive a Plague, and Revolutionary Optimists. With a long-standing career in film acquisitions and programming, she has recently served as a Consultant to Cinetic Rights Management/FilmBuff in New York and the Tribeca Film Institute (TFI). As a key member of the Acquisitions team at IFCTV for nearly eight years, she negotiated hundreds of film acquisitions in the independent feature film and short film market.

At GPFF, Kelly offers consultation to filmmakers on story development and strategies for festival and impact. She also regularly contributes as a reader for numerous grant programs, including ITVS, and serves on juries for film festivals. Her diverse roles and contributions reflect her commitment to the film industry and its potential for social impact.