Alison Mills Newman

Actor, Writer, Director, Producer

Alison Mills Newman began acting at 12 and is best known as Carol Deering on NBC’s Julia, starring Diahann Carroll. She also co-starred on CBS’s The Leslie Uggams Show and appeared in The Love Boat, Mr. Novak, and Broadway productions. She authored the novel Francisco, praised by Toni Morrison, Maggie 3, and The Tree Widow Study Guide. As a filmmaker, Alison is the executive producer of Virgin Again and the director of The Tree Widow, which won Best Director at the International Philadelphia Film Festival. Her films, often rooted in themes of redemption and faith, have been screened on AIB.TV, Amazon, and in churches and colleges nationwide, continuing to spark meaningful conversations. Alison and her late husband, Francisco Newman, ministered in Los Angeles, transforming gang members’ lives through faith, literacy, and community outreach. Their film Virgin Again screened at Cannes Film Festival, where they shared the gospel. Based in Atlanta, Alison leads Keep the Faith Ministries and its women’s outreach. Through her work she continues to inspire faith and hope across diverse audiences.

Professor Emerita Vera J. Katz

Director, Actor, Acting Coach

Vera J. Katz is a Professor Emerita from Howard University in the Department of Theatre Arts, where she taught both acting and directing for 32 years. For 24 years she was a faculty member of the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in acting. She has directed more than 50 productions, originally working under producer Joe Hyman of the famed playwright-director-author Moss Hart on Broadway. In 2023, Howard University honored her with the Bison Honors Living Legend Award. She holds a BFA in Theatre Arts from Brooklyn College, an MFA in Directing and Acting from Boston University, and has studied Film at both the University of Southern California and the University of California/Extension. She has taught such notables as Debbie Allen, Anthony Anderson, Chadwick Boseman, Corey Hawkins, Taraji P. Henson, Isaiah Johnson, Jayme Lawson, Phylicia Rashad, Wendy Raquel Robinson, Fredericka Whitfield, Lynn Whitfield and Isaiah Washington. She has published numerous articles in Black Masks Magazine and her book: A KATZ WALK: A TOOLBOX OF TECHNIQUES FOR ACTORS AND DIRECTORS has just been revised and will soon be available.