Exceptional Minds Adds Four New Members to Its Board of Directors

variety.com:

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor Exceptional Minds, the California-based non-profit training academy that works to bring young adults on the autism spectrum into digital arts roles has appointed four new professionals to its Board of Directors; Doug Gardner, Tim Gobran, Renard T.

Jenkins and Maria O’Hollearn. “These individuals bring a broad range of expertise to lead EM as we expand our programs to provide meaningful career pathways for autistic talent in the entertainment industry,” said Patricia A.

Turney,board chair. “We are thrilled to welcome four new members, effectively increasing our governance Board by 50%. Their passion for diversity, equity and inclusion, coupled with their dedication to empowering our students and alumni, will help drive our mission forward and ensure Exceptional Minds continues to thrive as a leader in neurodiverse talent development.” Students and graduates at Exceptional Minds have gone on to join Disney TV Animation, CBS Sports, Mattel, DreamWorks Animation and NBCUniversal.

Other alumni have landed full-time positions at Marvel, Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon studios.Gardner joined Echo Horizon School in 2024 as its director of finance and operations leading thefinance, facilities, IT and health/safety functions.