Staff

Nina Sadowsky is an author, filmmaker and educator. She has written numerous screenplays and produced such films as "The Wedding Planner.” Her debut thriller, JUST FALL, was published by Penguin Random House in 2016 and her BURIAL SOCIETY series launched in 2018 with the second book in the series, THE EMPTY BED, published on January 28, 2020. The Burial Society series is in development for television. She is also the author of CONVINCE ME, a stand alone thriller, published on August 4, 2020, and is working on her fifth novel, PRIVACY. In addition to her role as Program Director of NYU Los Angeles, Sadowsky serves on the Leadership Council of Creative Future, and is a founding member of the Woolfpack, an organization of women showrunners, writers and producers committed to community and mentorship.

Robin Gonsalves is an experienced project leader in the non-profit and education industries with a demonstrated passion for the advancement of racial equity and justice. Through her experience in office and project management with Liberty Hill Foundation, a local grantmaking powerhouse in Los Angeles, she honed invaluable skills in operations, communications, and servant leadership.

Prior to moving to Los Angeles, Robin enjoyed her role as a Policy & Research Associate for the Center of Strategic Solutions, a racial equity consulting firm based at New York University’s Metropolitan Center for Research on Equity and the Transformation of Schools. Within her role consulting at CSS, she researched and advised school districts in New York City and Westchester on how to cultivate a school environment that is both culturally inclusive and responsive to its students and families. She supported school communities in deepening students' sense of belonging, empowering student voice, and navigating racial identity development in the classroom.

Robin is a graduate of the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development at New York University. She obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Education Studies with a specialization in Education Policy and a minor in Social & Cultural Analysis. Throughout her academic career, she explored an interest in the relationship between race and children’s media narratives, particularly studying its effect on children's racial identity development process. At her core, Robin is a passionate advocate for student voice and inclusive practice, and she brings this enthusiasm to the Program Manager role and her work with the students of NYU Los Angeles.

Chateau Bezerra is a Mexican-Brazilian filmmaker, raised in Senegal, Taiwan and USA. After surviving a nearly fatal hot-air balloon accident in Turkey, Chateau left his former advertising career to pursue his life-long passion, filmmaking. He graduated with an MFA from the USC School of Cinematic Arts and his award-winning films have been screened in festivals throughout the World. In his role as Professional Development Counselor at NYU LA, Chateau helps students to develop the professional skills necessary to succeed in the entertainment industry.

Gracie Corapi is a graduate of the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts with an MFA in film and TV production. She produced a number of advanced projects at USC, including a Student Academy Award Semi-Finalist and a short selected for the American Pavilion Emerging Filmmaker Showcase at Cannes. Other projects have premiered at LA Shorts and the Beverly Hills Film Festival. She previously earned her BA in dance and media arts from American University in Washington D.C., after which she was an apprentice member of a contemporary dance company, a freelance dance photographer, and a full-time nanny. She’s originally from Tennessee.  

Lena Parodi realized she wanted to be a storyteller when she was four years old. She and her family had just immigrated to the United States from Italy, and everything around her was strange and unfamiliar. After the long days of struggling to learn the language and social cues of a brand-new country, she would sit on the edge of the pool of her family’s temporary home in an apartment complex and tell elaborate made-up stories to her parents.

Since then, she’s graduated from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts with a double major in Dramatic Writing and Journalism and a Minor in Spanish. She has also written and directed short scripts for Cinequest Film Festival, transcribed and organized material for several documentary films currently being produced by Beau Willimon’s Westward Productions, translated interview footage from Italian to English for the History Channel’s docuseries Hunting ISIS, and edited and localized English translations of Korean online comics. She was also a Researcher for the 45th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards and worked as a Production Coordinator for Ignition Films.

Lena now lives in Los Angeles and most recently has worked at the non-profit HUMANITAS as their Program Manager, where she used her experience in production and her skills as a writer to organize and manage their screenwriting programs and competitions.

She is very excited to be joining the NYU Los Angeles team as their Academic Coordinator.

Lauren Cona, LCSW is a therapist with over a decade of experience in the mental health and social work fields. She earned her BS in Applied Psychology at NYU Steinhardt and MSW at Fordham University. Her areas of expertise include mood disorders, relationships, post-traumatic stress, psychosis, grief, addiction, LGBTQ+ issues, and gender & racial trauma. Lauren views wellness through a holistic, compassion-focused, social justice lens and strives to create a safe, supportive space for all NYU LA students. Originally from NYC, Lauren is an avid home cook, music lover, traveler, and house plant mom.

Contact: lc624@nyu.edu

Marjorie Lopez was born in San Salvador, El Salvador and moved to Los Angeles, California at the age of six years old. She struggled to overcome the language barrier and get used to everything as it was all new to her. She quickly realized how essential it was to master the language and the importance of a good education.

Her love of learning eventually became a passion for teaching. Marjorie attended Hawaii Pacific University for her undergraduate degree, becoming a first-generation college graduate with a BA in Elementary Education. During her undergrad Marjorie worked for different university departments such as Housing and Residence Life. This is where she realized that she wanted to pursue a career in higher education. She is now excited to be part of the NYU Los Angeles team.