Board of Directors

JON NAPPA

President

Jon Nappa has worked in television, motion picture, and corporate communications for over 35 years. His award-winning work has been featured on PBS, TLC, Hallmark Television, INSP-TV, and other cable networks. He is a traditionally published novelist of historical fiction, including the book, Storm Warriors, which birthed this organization.

Jon lives a life exemplary of compassion for those in need and who deeply believes in the power of inspired communications to awaken others to action. He often says, “It’s not what we believe that matters most, but what we believe strongly enough to act upon that makes all the difference.”

Board of Directors

CHARLIE WHITE

Secretary

Charles White is president of Bayview Financial Services and provides financial and investment planning services for clients and institutions in over 29 states. A recent reward recipient of Rotary Paul Harris award, Charles enjoys spending his free time volunteering and giving back to his community at the local and national level.

Board of Directors

JIM DEIGNAN

Treasurer

Jim spent several years working in human services with teens and families in a group home in Massachusetts. In the 80’s budget cuts closed the program and he transitioned into banking and then 32 years in mortgage banking.

Jim succeeded as a business proprietor beyond his hopes. He immensely enjoys offering financial guidance and industry insights to assist placing people into their home on sure financial footing. He remains active and responsible to originate for one of New England’s largest mortgage lenders while devoting much time, effort and expertise to the work of helping guide and support Storm Warriors.

Board of Directors

SARAH MCLEAN

Director

Sarah is owner of GPS, Global Packing & Shipping. That company was founded in Camden in 1988 under the name of Pop & Pac. The odd name of Pop & Pac originated because of the product lines sold by the business. In the early years, Pop & Pac sold over thirty varieties of popcorn and was also a drop-off location for UPS. The founders eventually decided to offer packing services as well, and the rest is history.  In 2002, Sarah purchased the business and recognized that packing and shipping had become the “tail wagging the dog,” so she and her team focused on professionalizing the core service. Since then, she has successfully established her company as a reliable partner in business-to-business service as the packing and shipping department for many small businesses while at the same time providing a valuable direct service to the consumer. Under its modern moniker, Global Packing & Shipping, or GPS, Sarah’s leadership has kept the company growing and living up to its original motto: “Shipping Across the Harbor and Around the World.”She brings leadership, networking and business administrative talents to Storm Warriors as evidenced by her exceptional work and reputation as the much-appreciated President of the Penobscot Chamber of Commerce.

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JESSICA JONES

Production Supervisor

Jessica studied Film & Photography at Ithaca College and then spent six years in New York City at a commercial post production house. In this time, she soaked up the city life, and worked with several agencies such as Saatchi & Saatchi, McCann, BBDO, Leo Burnett, Digitas, and Wolff Olins, before she even watched the series “Mad Men”. About the time her first niece was born, it was the same time the city was wearing her down, and she took this as a sign to move to Boston, closer to home. Jessica spent a year “researching” the craft beer movement for a college friend’s documentary, all the while underestimating Boston’s tight-knit film scene and with her background in production, it was a disappointment to start back at the bottom of the totem pole.

Lucky for her, a start-up television station was brewing back in the Midcoast, and so was a past high school relationship, so her hometown started looking less daunting than it once was. Jessica perfected her editing, graphic and technological skills for over three years with the independent channel, VStv. Her proudest work was bringing life to the logos of several local businesses, and editing for the series, MaineLife. And her most recent source of pride is her daughter, Corrine.

In 2018, Jessica was hired as Production Manager for Storm Warriors Media Foundation, which has brought a new meaning to her creative work. Jessica is excited to be using her skills and talents for the greater (social) good and feels so lucky to be able to work with the amazing humanitarian organizations through SWMF. She may be helping to bring awareness to the crises plaguing this world, but don’t confuse her with the troubled detective in New York, who’s getting paid by Marvel.

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REBEKAH NAPPA

Production Support

Rebekah Nappa was born in upstate New York but grew up in several different locations as her family moved back and forth between New York and North Carolina on multiple occasions.

In 2010 her family, total of six people, moved up to Rockport, Maine, with their 2 horses and 2 cats. With both her parents working, Rebekah went to public high school for the first time in her Junior year and immediately started loving her classes that had anything to do with production, film, and/or graphic design. Despite this, upon graduating high school, she applied and was accepted to a university for Secondary Education with a focus on U.S. History.

Realizing teaching was not her career, Rebekah moved to Portland Maine and attended Southern Maine Community College. In 2016 she received a degree in Communications and New Media and was immediately invited to intern at WCNY, a PBS television station in Syracuse, New York. Two months later Rebekah was hired as a Production Assistant. Her responsibilities ranged from working Ross Expression and After Effects to video editing and set preparation. She worked at WCNY for nearly 2 years before another calling reached her ears. Rebekah received an invitation to come back to the coast of Maine and work for Storm Warriors International.

Now Rebekah Nappa works as Production Support at Storm Warriors International (SWI). She is being trained for continuing producing, directing and other creative roles within the organization which is dedicated to storytelling for social good. Happy to be back with family, the ocean, the coastal towns, and the friendly locals, Rebekah is thrilled to be working with no end in sight of vital projects on the horizon. She loves meeting and working with other storytellers and learning from and helping many important organizations dedicated to helping others in need. She looks forward to continuing her journey, mastering her craft, and working hard to tell the stories designed to help rescue, recover and restore those in need.

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BRIAN GODING

Director of Photography, Cameraman

With a drive to create, and a curiosity to tell stories about the human spirit, Brian wandered in to the world of filmmaking. Brian is a cinematographer with a passion for light and meaningful composition. He has worked at Maine Media Workshops as the Film Technology Manager and a Teacher’s Assistant. Brian has also worked on various, commercials, PSAs and short documentary projects.

When Brian’s face is not glowing from the light of an LCD monitor or computer screen you’ll find him hanging with his wife Casey, son Oliver, daughter Helen or in the great outdoors drawing inspiration from New England’s beautiful landscapes.

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DAVID WRIGHT

Producer / Cinematographer

David has worked in over 60 countries as a cameraman, producer and photographer. Clients include major television networks such as National Geographic, the BBC, PBS, Discovery and VSOD clients such as Curiosity Stream.

With a long track record of working in the broadcast industry, David has also worked with various NGO’s to produce films to promote positive change and that included creating a media package (feature documentary, photo collection and website) to aid Tibetan refugees, but has also worked as an undercover operative in Japan, Costa Rica and China for the Environmental Investigation Agency to document the illegal trade in wildlife.

David has documented medical missions for Partners for World Health, in Senegal and Uganda on behalf of Storm Warriors Media Foundation.

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DANIEL STEPHENS

Producer / Cinematographer

Daniel Stephens studied filmmaking in the early 1990’s at Loyola University (New Orleans) and the University of South Florida. Subsequently he decided that the best place to apply his storytelling skills was the booming new Internet security industry that blossomed in the mid 1990’s. Eight years later Daniel realized his mistake: filmmakers should make films, not firewalls. In 2000, Daniel left the company he co-founded to return to filmmaking.

In the intervening years, he has served as the Chief Lighting Technician and Director of Photography and producer for numerous music videos, commercials, and short and feature films. He is particularly inspired by the verisimilitude of the unpredictable and feels these moments are the foundation of exceptional storytelling.
Daniel is deeply passionate about the planet’s resources, both environmental and human. He is particularly engaged in the field of social justice and often works with non-profits specializing in this area to document their work and inform the general public about it through film and multi-media. His work with PopTech has taken him across the globe, from Nairobi to Haiti and from Iceland to the streets of Chicago to document and create stories of social change and social justice.
In 2008, Daniel founded the production company goodfocus, specifically to work with non-profits and sustainability-focused companies. As an early adopter of the B-corp structure, goodfocus’ bottom line is focused on social and environmental impact instead of financial return. This model, along with Daniel’s freelance work, enables goodfocus to produce films that shine a light on organizations that might otherwise lose the opportunity to document their work through film.

Daniel first learned of Storm Warriors through a dear friend, Chris Lehmann, a Storm Warrior producer for many years. The experiences he shared of documenting Storm Warriors stories shook, sometimes shattered and always ultimately uplifted Daniel’s heart. The core values and direction of the organization are aligned so very closely with his own and because of this he finds himself continually excited and encouraged by the stories they tell and the organizations with whom they work. Daniel is excited that he is now part of that storytelling process.

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JOHN NAPPA

Production Support

John Nappa aspires to one day direct feature-length films. He enjoys working with cameras and learning anything and everything he can about them. He attended MCC in Rochester, NY for 2 years majoring in Cinema and Screen Studies. He interned at the SW Media Foundation for the summer of 2019 and has been a Storm-Warrior-At-Large since September that same year. He is excited to be connected to the Storm Warriors crew, and the team values his strong work ethic, collaborative attitude and commitment to pursuing his craft with excellence.

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NEIL SHELLEY

Technical Production Consultant

A Maine native, Neil Shelley has worked as a digital imaging technician, drone operator, editor, and assistant camera for a variety of projects including feature-length films, documentaries, and commercials. In addition to his wide-spread knowledge and experience, Neil is Maine’s only Adobe Premiere Certified Expert and is also a certified trainer for DaVinci Resolve. Neil enjoys sharing his knowledge by teaching classes in photography and filmmaking in the New Media program at the University of Maine, as well as technical centered workshops in Adobe Premiere, Adobe After Effects, Davinci Resolve, and digital cinematography at various locations throughout the state of Maine and beyond.

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DIANNE EMPEYNADO

Web Master / Developer

Dianne finished Bachelor of Fine Arts major in Painting in 2005 in Manila, Philippines. Unfortunately, she did not pursue her passion in arts after graduation due to financial constraints. She decided to work in Aviation as a customer representative and then, later on, became the lead supervisor for Quality Assurance and Customer Service. She worked for over a decade in the same industry. Despite being able to help support her family, she wasn't fulfilled by the work. She left her stable job and decided to pursue her passion as a graphic designer by creating illustrations, commission-based artworks, and digital painting.

At the same time, she worked two jobs and entered the e-commerce field as a customer and technical support representative. She became one of the VIP team members. Shortly thereafter, she was discovered by Jon Nappa because of her talent, skills, and inspiring work ethic. She has since become the WebMaster and IT Developer for the Storm Warriors Media Foundation.

One person told her that pursuing her passion in arts would not take her far because of the financial crises of 3rd world countries. But because of her perseverance and strong belief in herself and her capabilities, and her belief that everything arrives to its right time and place, she has now found what she has always wanted to be - a vital part of a great team -  and at the same time, able to support her family with financial stability.

Dianne knows money can't buy happiness but finding what she truly wanted in life has given her great fulfillment. She considers that to be genuine happiness to have in this lifetime.