r(E)volutionary Woman

Chef Ayse Ozlem Oguzcan-Cranston, also known as Chef Oz was born in Eskisehir Turkiye, but was raised in Brooklyn, New York.

Chef Oz found her love of cooking at an early age, watching her Mother make meals for her family while growing up in Brooklyn. It was this love of cooking that inspired her to enter culinary school at the Institute of Culinary Education in NYC.

After finishing her education at the Institute of Culinary Education in NYC, Ozlem decided to work at Abigail Kirsch Catering from 2007-2012. In 2014, Ozlem decided to open her own catering business and decided to cater in the tri-state area.

When Ozlem and her husband moved to Kingston, NY, she got the opportunity to take over a brick and mortar restaurant and she opened Masa Midtown in March 2020 as a catering and events venue. When Covid hit, she pivoted her business to do takeout, but eventually opened to the public after the positive response from the community. Currently, Masa Midtown is open as a restaurant and catering business with Chef Oz at the helm.

Chef Oz resides in Kingston with her husband, Bill Cranston, and her kitty.

To learn more about Chef Oz and Masa Midtown:
IG: masa-midtown

Named as an “Architect of Change” by Maria Shriver, Sara Hirsh Bordo is a 15x award-winning filmmaker and Founder/CEO of Women Rising®, listed as “One of the Most Innovative, Interesting, and Purpose-Driven Women Led Startups to Watch” by Inc Magazine.

Women Rising® began in 2013 with Sara directing and producing the first TEDxAustinWomen which became the year’s most live and on-demand viewed TEDxWomen event around the world. Sara’s film directorial debut, A BRAVE HEART: THE LIZZIE VELASQUEZ STORY premiered and won the 2015 Audience Award at SXSW and won awards at all eleven festivals played, received two WEBBY Awards, and secured global distribution via National Geographic,
LifetimeTV, Amazon Prime, and iTunes.

In 2017, Sara’s second film, PROTECT HER, was a first-of-its-kind project, aimed at protecting girls on campus by activating the power of the schools’ male athletes and was acquired by Amazon Prime. In 2018, Sara executive produced the animated short TIGHTLY WOUND, which played 25 film festivals worldwide, was acquired by Condé Nast and most recently executive produced the five-time award-winning documentary about deaf access to entertainment, SIGN THE SHOW, acquired by Apple+.

She has directed and produced Prevention Magazine’s Health and Wellness Summit, The Women’s March of Texas, which became the largest gathering of women in Texas history, followed by the Official Women in Football Weekend at Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta, as well as executive produced March for Our Lives NYC, and directed The United State of Women Summit at the Shrine in Los Angeles, keynoted by Former First Lady Michelle Obama.

Currently executive producer of SXSW Community Award-winning ConnectHer International Film Festival and consulting director for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation-sponsored, ConnectHer Pitch Fest, Sara has written and directed national short films and award-winning campaigns for clients like TOYOTA, ESPN, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures, Marvel, Farmhouse Fresh Goods, and University of Texas at Austin’s NIKE 360, as well as consulted on many Hollywood film marketing campaigns including Warner Bros.’ Wonder Woman franchise and Sony/Marvel’s blockbuster Madame Web.

In 2024, Sara and Women Rising released the findings of “Autoimmunity and the ‘Good‘ Girls,” the first sociological survey exploring the intersection of empowerment and autoimmunity in American women. The research has been featured by Psychology Today, is being used as curriculum for graduate school, and Dr. Richard Carmona, 17th Surgeon General of the United States, stated, “We are fortunate that Sara has taken this exploration on to inform us all on these gender dynamics of empowerment and health.”

Her first book “Autoimmunity and the ‘Good‘ Girls: How the Power to Put Yourself First Can Keep You Well,” sold at auction in a worldwide deal to HarperOne/Harper Collins in August 2024 for release in 2026.

Sara and her work have been featured in the books I Am That Girl and The Feminine Revolution, is a member of the Producer’s Guild of America and a three-time Juror for Best Documentary. An invited delegate to TED Women, the United Nations Media Day, the Vanity Fair New Establishment Summit, and The Obama White House’s Champions of Change Summit, Sara has been nominated twice for Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Entrepreneur, and is a member of the Global Wellness Institute Women in Leadership Committee. She has spoken about her creative work and activism at Apple, Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, the Air Force Academy, Women in Film, The Associated Press, and SXSW.

Sara and Women Rising’s work have been featured in Forbes, The Hollywood Reporter, Bustle, The Washington Post, Women.com, NPR, Fortune, Variety, Women and Hollywood, TCU Magazine, Tri Delta Magazine, Austin Woman Magazine, People, The New York Times, Women to Watch, and The Kelly Clarkson Show.

She previously held positions in media and entertainment, including Executive Director of Interactive Marketing at Paramount Pictures, VP of Digital Marketing at MGM Studios, and CEO and Co-Founder of NowLive, which was acquired by Live Media Group.

Sara lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, is Aunt Sissy to 11 nieces and nephews, and Fairy Godmother Sara to three godchildren.

To learn more about Sara Hirsh Bordo, her films and Women Rising:
Instagram: @sarahirshbordo
Facebook and LinkedIn: Sara Hirsh Bordo

Born in Brazil and living in the US since 2003, Simone Bueno is a multi-talented filmmaker and web developer who brings over 25 years of experience to her passion for empowering stories. As a mother of two, she understands the unique challenges faced by moms and small business owners seeking to connect with their audience. Simone’s journey in the film industry, spanning various roles from pre-production to color grading, led her to discover her passion for training others on on-camera presence and video creation. Through personalized sessions, she helps individuals overcome self-doubt and build confidence, enabling them to share their stories authentically and effectively. Simone’s extensive background in web development, including the creation of online courses and user guides, further enhances her ability to tailor her teachings to beginners.

To learn more about Simone Bueno::
https://simonemony.com
https://linkedin.com/in/simonedbueno
https://youtube.com/@IamSimoneMony
https://instagram.com/iamsimonemony
https://facebook.com/iamsimonemony

Fatima-Tuj-Johora is an independent visual journalist and a National Geographic Explorer based in Bangladesh. Her passion is to produce artistic visuals that include information about stories of daily life, children’s and women’s rights, and environmental rights. She conveys significant facts about the human experience in intimate and engaging storytelling. Her works concentrate on the effects, consequences, and adaptation of global climate change that relate to natural phenomena and human experiences.
Despite having a degree in biological science, Fatima chose to pursue a career in photography because, to her, photography is all about empathy: it fosters closeness and understanding while addressing contemporary social issues like injustice, abuses of human rights, and our adverse relationship with the environment.
She has worked as a contributing photographer at Reuters and ZUMA Press. Her images have been published in The Guardian, Liberation, The Courier, Avax News, Hindustan Times, and many others.

Portfolio website: www.fatimatujjohora.com
Instagram: @fatimatujjohora

Yelba Zoe McCourt was born in La Ceiba, Honduras and arrived in the US as a toddler. She grew up in New York City. She attributes her diverse upbringing with her ability to portray different characters and her facility with accents. She is a graduate of Stuyvesant High School and Barnard College, Columbia University in New York City. She studied acting and graduated from the American Repertory Theatre/Moscow Art Theatre Institute for Advanced Theater Training at Harvard University. Early on in her career she performed sketch comedy and improv in the West Village. Her television credits includes:Sesame Street, House of Buggin’, Law & Order, First Time Out, Riot, Walker Texas Ranger, Local Heroes, Fired Up, Tracey Takes On, Diagnosis Murder, Moesha, On Common Ground, No Mother’s Crying, No Babies Dying, Strong Medicine, The Mind of a Married Man, Hollywood 7, ER, For the People, and Kingpin. Her film credits include:Carlito’s Way, No Exit, Slings & Arrows, The Pest, Ghetto Rhapsody, Road Dogz, King Rikki, Hustlas, Frozen Stars, Shut Up and Kiss Me! Valentina’s Tango, and Griot’s Lament. In 2015 she graduated from UCLA with a Masters of Science degree in Nursing. She most recently wrote and performed in “Where Y’All From?” a solo play directed and developed by Jessica Lynn Johnson at Solofest 2024. Her solo show will preview at the Hollywood Fringe Festival on June 6 at 8:15 pm at the Zephyr Theatre.
To learn more about Yelba Zoe McCourt and her show “Where Y’All From:
https://yelbazoe.blogspot.com/
https://www.facebook.com/YelbaZoeMcCourt
https://www.instagram.com/yzmccourt/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/yelbazoemccourt/?trk=opento_sprofile_details
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0652205/

Lauren Valbert is a person who has “reinvented herself” several times. She has founded her own company twice, been a global marketing communications professional for tech companies for many years, developed innovation programs for corporate clients, and has been working with start-ups and scale-ups for more than two decades.

In the newest chapter of her life, she has started her own training company, Training 2.0, to help people raise their game, whether that is in professional or personal life. She is also a seasoned podcast and event host, panel moderator, webinar facilitator, and workshop leader. Her personal passion is to increase the representation of marginalized people on stage and in media, as “presentation is representation”. She has recently published a book called “Imposter”, which helps readers identify and overcome Imposter Syndrome, and to identify their own particular “Imposter Persona”.

To learn more about Lauren Valbert:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurenvalbert/