MEET THE TEAM
The Faces of Our Organization
EL DUBOIS
Co-Founder President
Best-selling & Award-winning author EL DuBois was born & raised in Texas where she still lives today surrounded by her amazing family, and menagerie of fur babies. Erica is an avid artist, music lover, and reader. She is a Southern Belle at heart with a passion for Chucks in various colors, creating, and most importantly helping others. When Erica is not writing, painting, or producing films, she can be found enjoying a beautiful life with her loved ones. Erica's personal experiences have made her an advocate, and supporter of many causes facing survivors of any harassment or abuse. It is her greatest wish that no one ever has to suffer the traumas she endured, and that justice be brought for all those who have. These experiences have made her appreciate life, laughter, and love. She is a believer in positive attitude, positive actions, and paying it forward. Her motto is "do good things with no expectations, and life has a way of bringing goodness back to you". Erica started her own production company Poodle in a Pit Bull Fight & is Co-CEO of so&so Productions with her brother J. Mackie Matysiak. In 2021 her need to help, heal, bring change, & give back to the community, prompted her to co-found the Twisted Crown Foundation with her best friend Vanessa Flores.
VANESSA FLORES
Co-Founder Vice President
Vanessa "Vane" Flores resides in Texas with her loving family. Her years of experience in governmental affairs combined with various levels of managerial positions, make her an irreplaceable asset to the Twisted Crown Foundation. She is a bilingual small business owner with a passion for helping others. Vanessa loves to travel, experience new places, and enjoys the creative outlet her business VSK Custom Designs provides. Her combination of compassion, enthusiasm, and business savvy makes her a true gift to the Twisted Crown Foundation.
A loved one is a survivor which led Vanessa to be a strong advocate against the issues of domestic violence & abuse in all forms.
“To truly make a difference in this world, one must be willing to not only stand up, but, also fight for those who are unable to do it for themselves"
~Vanessa "Vane" Flores~
DANIEL OLIVER MCELROY
Treasurer
Daniel is the owner of Budget Blinds of Austin, Hill Country, and East Austin. He has been involved in small businesses his entire life and loves to think about interesting solutions to complicated problems. Daniel prides himself on going the extra mile for customers satisfaction. His passion in business is to provide exceptional customer service and solve his client’s problems every day. You can expect the same level of commitment from every one of his Budget Blinds teammates.
Daniel lives in Austin with his 5-year-old daughter and loves all things with a motor. He enjoys fast cars, fast planes, slow boats, and time with friends and family.
GLENDA MATYSIAK
Administrator
Glenda "GiGi" Matysiak is a Texas native who has been in the medical field since the age of eleven. Her years of experience in healthcare combined with her extensive managerial experience, make her an irreplaceable asset. She has always had an empathetic heart with a passion for helping others. Her compassion and kindness are a true gift to the Twisted Crown Foundation.
As a survivor, and the parent of a survivor this issue is one near and dear to her heart.
“Challenges are what make life interesting. Overcoming & helping others to overcome them is what makes life meaningful"
~Glenda "GiGi" Matysiak ~
J. MACKIE MATYSIAK
Non-profit Liaison
J. Mackie Matysiak was born and raised in Texas where he still resides today. His debut novel "The Stray Hours" is a highly anticipated gonzo picáro noir with a fat slice of Americana life. He is a multi-genre author, poet, & scriptwriter. When he is not writing he enjoys a multitude of arts & supports his hometown team, with baseball being his first love.
J. Mackie is also a strong activist, advocate, & board member of the Twisted Crown Foundation. A non-profit dedicated to survivors & the arts.
"I'd rather laugh about nothing than cry about everything."
~J. Mackie Matysiak~
BRENDA GILBERT
Advisory Board Member
Brenda Gilbert is the President of BRON Media Corp, a company she co-founded and leads with her husband, Aaron L. Gilbert. BRON Media Corp. (“BRON”) is the parent to two main operating hubs – BRON Studios and BRON Digital. BRON is the prolific and award-winning studio behind some of the most high-profile films of the last decade, in both the independent and studio worlds. BRON has produced or executive produced more than 125 productions, and BRON companies have received and have been a part of hundreds of honors including 38 Academy Awards nominations (6 wins), 34 BAFTA Awards nominations, and more than 250 Film Festival Award nominations. BRON is well known for many culture-shifting and history-making productions over the years and the Company’s focus is on live-action and animated film and television production, leaning in heavily with interactive gaming, music, and culture.
Brenda has had a special focus on BRON’s non-scripted projects and is currently an Executive Producer on several projects, including the Reverend Al Sharpton documentary Loudmouth; Reggie, a documentary about Reggie Jackson, Five-time World Series champion and 14-time All Star baseball player who challenged the racial divide in baseball during the 70’s and 80’s; the docuseries Nicki, following the life of Nicki Minaj, a global music icon and influencer and many others. Over her 20+ years in the media space, Brenda has produced, or executive produced more than two-dozen projects, including the animated film The Willoughbys, which premiered on Netflix in 2020.
In addition to her role on BRON’s Board of Directors, Brenda is Vice-Chair of BANFF World Media Festival and Vice-Chair of the Board for Film Independent; she was the track chair for mentoring initiatives with Woman in Animation; currently she is a mentor for the Women of Color Unite –#STARTWITH8 Program; Consulate General of Canada (in Los Angeles) – Canada Global Program; Creative Cypher - Film XLerator Program; and is an Advisor to Vancouver Film School and La Salle College.
Brenda is a proud member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences and has received the honors of Variety’s 500 list twice and Variety’s Women Who Have Made a Global Impact. In 2022, she received the prestigious Trailblazer of Excellence Award at the Oscar Micheaux Film Festival for breaking through barriers, providing opportunities and access to under-represented communities and always striving to reach new levels of success; she also received the Golden Orange Award at the Miami Media and Film Market (“MMFM”) in 2022 for her ongoing contributions and support of the MMFM, including educational initiatives, as well as for her accomplishments in the film, television and entertainment industry.
LAUREN SCHAD
Advisory Board Member
Lauren Schad is originally from the Cheyenne River Lakota nation. She graduated from the University of San Diego with a degree in Cultural Anthropology. Once a professional athlete of five years, retiring in 2022, she went on to create her textile business Wicahpi (star) Rugs & Textiles. Putting an emphasis on the importance of education and advocacy through art. Although Lauren is currently living in a small village in France with her partner Francis and their two corgis, she makes sure to carry her culture with her everywhere she goes. Whether she is visiting her family or relatives in the lands of the Oceti Sakowin (Seven Council Fires) in South Dakota, where she grew up, or traveling for work, she makes a point of using her platform to raise awareness on the issue of missing and murdered, indigenous women and girls and educating others about Indigenous people; eradicating stereotypes one conversation at a time.
LAUREN SIYOWIN PETERS
Advisory Board Member
Lauren Siyowin Peters emerges as a fearless and compassionate Dakota Sioux Native American and Mexican contemporary artist, wielding the transformative power of her craft to ignite societal change. She is born and raised in Los Angeles, California who has recently graduated with her Masters in Social work from the University of Southern California.
Siyowin recognizes the unsettling reality that individuals of her creed are not safe in this modern-day world. With a profound understanding of this issue, her goal is to create a representation of memory, serving as a focal point for capturing the tensions between native life, history, and remembrance.
Through her art, Siyowin aims to shed light on the challenges faced by Indigenous communities, inviting viewers to reflect on these important issues.
Driven by a passionate commitment to amplifying Native voices and advocating for indigenous rights, Siyowin's work encompasses both fine art and street art. Through her powerful creations, she seeks to raise awareness, inspire change, and leave an indelible mark on the world.
CLAUDIA PASTOR
Advisory Board Member
Claudia Pastor is a Texas native and proud mother. She is a true asset to the foundation.
"My spirit has always gravitated towards a need to help others. I am a strong believer that the good you put out into the world will come back to you as a blessing. I was raised by a strong woman who taught me that in life, we have to push ourselves to overcome adversity, and work constantly on improving this world for the ones who come behind us.
As a trailblazer myself, I had the honor to be a founding member of a Real-estate professional non-profit organization based in Katy, TX. My experience in the world of finance allowed me to bring a lot to the table in managing budgets, and educational platforms. Later, I became a chapter President. I ran a board of 12 volunteers, and over 100 members. Our main objective was to spread education of homeownership, and financial literacy to our community, and Real-estate professionals. I later mentored my successors who now run the chapter, and create a learning agenda for our community year after year.
~Claudia Pastor~
SHERILYN FENN
Advisory Board Member
Sherilyn Fenn is an American actress and author. She came to attention for her performance as Audrey Horne on the television series Twin Peaks (1990–1991, 2017) for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and an Emmy Award.
She is also known for her roles in Of Mice and Men, Ruby, Boxing Helena and Rude Awakening, and for portraying actress Elizabeth Taylor in Liz: The Elizabeth Taylor Story.
MIRA SORVINO
Mira Katherine Sorvino was born on September 28, 1967 in Manhattan. She is the daughter of Lorraine Davis, an actress turned drama therapist, and veteran character actor Paul Sorvino. Her father's family were Italian immigrants. The young Sorvino was intelligent, an avid reader and an exceptional scholar. Her father discouraged her from becoming an actor, as he knew how the industry often chews up young stars. She attended Harvard, majoring in Chinese, graduating magna cum laude in 1989, largely on the strength of her thesis, a Hoopes Prize-winning thesis on racial conflict in China, written and researched during the year spent in Beijing, which helped her fluency in Mandarin Chinese.
However, she showed interest in a career in acting from an early age, and moved to New York City to try her hand in the City's film industry, waitressing, auditioning and working at the Tribeca production company of Robert De Niro. She succeeded in getting a little television work in the early 1990s, but got her first film job in the independent gangster movie Amongst Friends, on which she worked her way up the ladder behind the camera to eventually associate-produce the film, and, more importantly, was eventually cast as the female lead. The indie production was well-received, and Sorvino's performance attracted enough buzz to get her cast in two more movies, one a more prominent indie, Barcelona, the other her first Hollywood feature, Quiz Show, and her skillful performances brought her yet more attention.
Advisory Board Member
