Elisha María Miranda-Ramirez

Arts executive and higher education leader with extensive experience in transforming creative visions into sustainable programs. Skilled in managing a $10M budget and securing $4M in philanthropic support while enhancing student success and community engagement through strategic partnerships and innovative programming.

• Bard High School Early College / Bard College, Visiting Professor of Artistic Practice, 01/01/09–12/31/10
• National Book Foundation, Author-in-Residence, 01/01/07–12/31/09
• SUNY Purchase, Lecturer, 01/01/06–12/31/09
• New York University, Lecturer, 01/01/04–12/31/06
• City University of New York, Lecturer, 01/01/03–12/31/06

• Led public programming at the Hammer Theatre, including mainstage productions, artist talks, professional-development events, student showcases, and community collaborations; selected productions included Urinetown, The Living, Alone Together, and Betty’s Garage.
• Produced departmental convocations and public conversations featuring Joe Russo, Aurora Guerrero, Eva Longoria, Esai Morales, April Hernandez-Castillo, Renee Tajima-Peña, and other artists and industry leaders.
• Co-organized the L.A. Rebellion Ethos & Legacy series with filmmakers and scholars including Haile Gerima, Shirikiana Gerima, Zeinabu Irene Davis, Damani Baker, Grace Lee, Merawi Gerima, and Sophia Nahli Allison.
• Co-organized an Afro-Latinx Cinema Series and a year-long Women of Color and Film series; convened cross-institutional dialogue on art, design, media, and creative agency.
• Built collaborations spanning Sundance Collab, Cinequest, Frameline, SFFILM, Stanford, Santa Clara University, UC Santa Cruz, MACLA, California Black Media, community organizations, and regional arts and higher education partners.
• Review Panelist, Ford Foundation Fellowships and National Endowment for the Humanities; juror/reviewer for Creative Capital, SFFILM Rainin Grant, SXSW, and national film and media organizations.
• External program reviewer for Loyola Marymount University, San Francisco State University, and CSU Monterey Bay; external tenure and promotion reviewer for universities including UC Irvine, UC Riverside, UC Santa Cruz, Rutgers, University of Washington, Arizona State, Bryn Mawr, and Vassar.
• Shared-governance leadership includes Interim Dean, Department Chair, Academic Senate Vice President, University Senator, Graduate Council Curriculum Committee, assessment and accreditation committees, and retention, tenure, promotion, and executive search committees.

• Writer/Producer, Power to the Pencil, animated documentary series (2021–2024).
• Consulting Writer, Alma’s Way, PBS, created by Sonia Manzano (2022).
• Consulting Writer, Teresa, STARZ/Lionsgate, with showrunner Carlos Portugal (2017).
• Producer/Line Producer, Angélica, feature film screened at international festivals in Toronto, São Paulo, and Guadalajara (2014).
• Director/Producer, Corporate Dawgz, recipient of the Directors Guild of America Student Award and Thesis Honors; Director/Producer, Blind Date, official selection at Sundance and award winner at Urbanworld and the International Latino Film Festival.
• Writer/Director/Producer, Pandora’s, an off-Broadway multimedia theatre production and interactive web project at Theater Row, New York.

• The Daylight Is Also Haunted: Misha Green, Black Ancestral Love, and the Radical Re-Making of Horror., In Reclaiming the Frame: Black Creators Transforming Television and Film Utilizing a bell hooks’ Love Ethic, 2027
• Moonlight and Mosquita y Mari: Centering the Black and Brown LGBTQ Coming-of-Age Narrative in Cinema., Bloomsbury Handbook of International Screenplay Theory, 2026
• The Call of Essence: Reflections on Dr. George Smith’s Heidegger Lecture Series., IDSVA Journal, 2025
• Art as a Lasting Platform for Disenfranchised Women: Reflections from Venice., IDSVA Journal, 2024
• Through the Eyes of a Child: Cinematic Narratives of Immigration and Abandonment., In Seen but Not Heard, Lexington Books, 2018
• Raising Cane., in OtherRican ed. Aurora Levins Morales & Vanessa Perez, Random House, 2017
• A Kiss From Lares., in Juicy Mangos, ed. Michelle Herrera Mulligan, Atria/Simon & Schuster, 2007
• Vieques Puerto Rico: A Baptism by Fire., in The Fire This Time, ed. Viven Labton/Dawn Lundy Martin, Anchor Press, 2004
• The Sistahood: On the Mic., Atria/Simon & Schuster, 2006

• NBC Writer’s Launch Finalist, 2024
• Excellence in Teaching Award, Chapman University, 2023
• National Hispanic Media Coalition Script Writers Fellow, 2022
• Producers Guild of America Creates Fellow and Google Award recipient, 2021
• Television Academy Faculty Seminar Fellow, 2019, 2021 and 2022
• Sundance Collab Partner and Producer, 2020
• Two Dean’s Artistic Excellence Grants and Distinguished Faculty Service recognition, San José State University
• Athena Lab Winner, Barnard College, 2018
• Film Independent Screenwriters Lab, 2011
• Sundance Feature Screenwriting Lab Finalist, multiple years
• New York Foundation for the Arts Filmmaking Grant
• New York State Council on the Arts Filmmaker Grants
• National Association of Latino Arts and Culture artist and writers grants
• Directors Guild of America Student Award and Thesis Honors
• Angelus Filmmaker Award
• Gordon Parks Award
• Tribeca All Access Fellowship

• Artificial Intelligence, Aesthetics, and Human-Centered Creative Practice
• Film, Immersive Media, and the Aesthetics of Memory and Perception
• Museums, Exhibitions, and Public Engagement at the Intersection of Art, Science, and Technology

• MT. SAN JACINTO COLLEGE, Riverside County, CA, 01/01/26–Present, Interim Dean, Arts, Communication and Design Pathway, Serve as senior academic and operational leader for a comprehensive arts, communication, design, and humanities portfolio across multiple campuses, with responsibility for academic programs, chairs, faculty, curriculum, assessment, scheduling, enrollment, student success, resource allocation, and instructional quality., Lead development of a proposed Creative Media bachelor’s pathway that connects artistic practice, digital production, communication, technology, workforce needs, transfer opportunities, and regional access., Partner with the Vice President of Instruction/Provost and senior leaders on strategic planning, hiring, budgeting, facilities, program review, grant-integrated resources, and institutional priorities; supervise and coach chairs and faculty through evaluation, professional development, personnel matters, compliance, and program improvement., Strengthen enrollment pipelines, dual enrollment, Middle College partnerships, retention, equity-minded scheduling, and evidence-informed student success while navigating complex issues with transparency, discretion, and care.
• SAN JOSÉ STATE UNIVERSITY, San José, CA, 08/01/18–05/31/21, Chair and Associate Professor, Department of Theatre and Film; Executive Producer, Spartan Film Studios; Artistic Director, Hammer Theatre, Led a multidisciplinary arts department serving more than 1,000 students across film, theatre, production, public programming, and interdisciplinary media; managed a $10M budget and oversaw faculty and staff, scheduling, hiring, curriculum, accreditation, facilities, grants, partnerships, and student success systems., Provided executive and creative leadership for Spartan Film Studios and the Hammer Theatre, overseeing development slates, student and faculty productions, mainstage programming, visiting artists, community partnerships, public events, and professional learning opportunities., Managed an endowment, supported the appointment of two endowed chairs, and directed a $1M facilities fund for classroom, studio, design, and soundstage renovations; advanced fundraising priorities for scholarships, digital media resources, facilities, and student professional opportunities., Built partnerships with Sundance Collab, Cinequest, Frameline, Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana, California Black Media, Stanford, Santa Clara University, UC Santa Cruz, and regional arts and community organizations., Expanded interdisciplinary work in television, ethnic studies, digital media, online learning, accessibility, music, computer science, and video games; led remote-learning and production transformation during COVID-19, including development of a cross-CSU production safety manual., Created transparent planning, evaluation, mentoring, communication, and student-support systems; led WASC and NAST-related work, completed a major self-study, chaired tenure-line searches, and supported faculty through retention, tenure, promotion, and professional development.
• CHICA LUNA PRODUCTIONS / CHICA SOL FILMS, New York, NY, 01/01/00–12/31/09, Co-Founder and Executive Director | Producer, Director, Co-founded and led a New York nonprofit media arts organization dedicated to expanding access, training, and professional pathways for women of color excluded from traditional film-school and industry networks., Secured $2.5M in donor and foundation support; built relationships across philanthropy, media, arts, education, and social justice; managed organizational strategy, staff, budgets, program delivery, evaluation, communications, and board engagement., Created the F-Word film training program for women of color ages 18–30, curated an online festival of diverse work, and authored The Women of Color Media toolkit., Directed and produced independent films, documentaries, web series, network interstitials, and commercial campaigns for clients including Nickelodeon, BET, WNBC, McDonald’s, AT&T, MAC, Clinique, Harley-Davidson, MoveOn.org, and The Boston Globe.
• COMMUNITY EDUCATIONAL SERVICES, San Francisco, CA, 01/01/92–12/31/96, Founding Director, Kellogg Koshland Youth Leadership Program, Designed and launched a multi-year college readiness, youth leadership, media arts, and technology initiative for underserved San Francisco students; secured a $1.5M endowment from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation., Directed strategic planning, curriculum, evaluation, foundation reporting, community partnerships, and a six-person team; guided more than 160 students through four cohorts of leadership and college-preparation programming., Selected as a Community Fellow in MIT’s Department of Urban Studies and Planning to document and analyze the program’s community-based arts, education, and youth-development model.
• CHAPMAN UNIVERSITY — DODGE COLLEGE OF FILM AND MEDIA ARTS, Orange, CA, 01/01/21–12/31/25, Associate Professor, Taught and mentored undergraduate and graduate students across directing, screenwriting, adaptation, television, animation, Latinx cinema, emerging media, artificial intelligence, and speculative storytelling., Contributed to MFA redesign and the merger of Screenwriting and Television Writing & Production into a unified Writing for Film & Television program; supported assessment, WASC accreditation, curriculum, admissions, recruitment, and student success., Established a Teaching Mentor Program for new faculty, introduced intimacy training for directors, and served in the Academic Senate, Graduate Council Curriculum Committee, Assessment Committee, Faculty Diversity Committee, and college DEI leadership.
• DEPAUL UNIVERSITY, Chicago, IL, 01/01/23–12/31/25, Adjunct Faculty, Online Film and Media Studies, Teach asynchronous film and media studies using accessible, culturally responsive, and trauma-informed digital pedagogy; mentor diverse remote learners through structured feedback and active-learning approaches.
• EASTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY, Spokane, WA, 01/01/14–12/31/18, Assistant/Associate Professor | Co-Director of Film | General Manager, KEWU Radio; Vice President, Academic Senate | Affiliate Faculty, Women & Gender Studies, Led film-program operations, radio administration, assessment, curriculum, scholarship review, faculty searches, website redesign, and shared-governance initiatives; chaired planning for a downtown Spokane arts center., Taught film, television, directing, producing, playwriting, adaptation, new media, and criticism while maintaining an active creative research agenda supported by competitive university grants., Recognized with student and institutional awards for mentoring, allyship, team excellence, and creative scholarship.
• MCVTS SCHOOL OF THE ARTS, New Jersey, 01/01/10–12/31/14, Founding Director and Assistant Professor of Practice, School of Film and Video, Founded a college-preparatory film and video program in partnership with the New Jersey Institute of Technology for artistically gifted students, including students with developmental disabilities and those struggling in conventional academic settings., Built a fully equipped production stage, designed curriculum, hired and coordinated instruction, and guided student work into festivals; more than 90% of graduates were admitted to BFA programs, many with scholarships.

• Lead a multi-campus Arts, Communication and Design portfolio at Mt. San Jacinto College, integrating academic planning, personnel, budgets, facilities, enrollment, program quality, and development of a proposed Creative Media bachelor’s pathway.
• Managed a $10M academic and production operation at San José State University serving more than 1,000 students and a multidisciplinary workforce of 15 tenure-line faculty, 25 lecturers, and staff across film, theatre, production, public programming, and emerging media.
• Secured $4M in philanthropic support: a $1.5M W.K. Kellogg Foundation endowment for a youth leadership and media arts initiative and $2.5M to establish and sustain Chica Luna Productions.
• Oversaw an endowment, two endowed chair appointments, and a $1M facilities fund supporting classroom, studio, design, and soundstage renovation; partnered with development colleagues on scholarships, facilities, technology, and student opportunity.
• Led high-profile programming through the Hammer Theatre and Spartan Film Studios and produced public conversations, screenings, performance seasons, artist engagements, and interdisciplinary initiatives featuring nationally recognized artists and industry leaders.
• Built arts-and-technology initiatives through curriculum and partnerships in artificial intelligence and narrative cinema, digital and immersive media, video games, animation, radio, online production, accessibility, and creative entrepreneurship.