Our Team

Jeff McCarter, Founder & Executive Director

Jeff McCarter

Founder & Executive Director

Jeff McCarter created Free Spirit Media in order to share his experience as a media professional (cameraman, editor, and Emmy Award-winning producer) with underserved urban youth. More >

Melissa Bryan, Program Director

Melissa Bryan

Program Director

With over 15 years of youth development experience, Melissa brings an array of management, evaluation, and program design expertise to FSM. More >

Shaun Cave, Technology Coordinator, NLCP

Shaun Cave

Technology Coordinator, NLCP

Shaun is the Technology Coordinator for Free Spirit Media’s programs at North Lawndale College Prep, making sure urban youth have opportunities to develop skills to be successful beyond high school. More >

Rebecca Connie, Youth Voices Program Coordinator

Rebecca Connie

Youth Voices Program Coordinator

Rebecca Connie joins the Free Spirit team as the Youth Voices Program Coordinator. She received her MFA in Film and Video from Columbia College Chicago and her BA in Media Studies and Anthropology from DePaul University. More >

Elizabeth Czekner, Lead Instructor, North Lawndale College Prep & Christiana Campus

Elizabeth Czekner

Program Manager

Elizabeth Czekner is an interdisciplinary artist and educator. She holds a B.A. in art education and a teaching certificate from The Ohio State University and a M.F.A. from Columbia College Chicago where she focused her graduate studies in video, new media theory and practice. More >

Amir George, Production Assistant, Little Village High School

Amir George

Production Assistant, Little Village High School

Amir joins Free Spirit Media as Production Assistant at Little Village Lawndale High School. He is a motion picture artist and curator, whose background includes production of web content, short films, and music videos. More >

Eugene McKinney, Program Coordinator

Andrea Hart

Program Coordinator

Andrea Hart is a multimedia journalist and interdisciplinary educator who believes in democratizing contemporary media to give voice to the voiceless. More >

Max Foehringer Merchant, Program Assistant, North Lawndale College Prep

Max Foehringer Merchant

Program Associate, North Lawndale College Prep

Max is a native of St. Louis Park, Minnesota and joins Free Spirit Media as a Program Assistant through the Lutheran Volunteer Corps. More >

Dan Neumann - FSM News Technology Coordinator

Dan Neumann

FSM News Technology Coordinator

Dan is a Colorado State University alum and once lived with Fulani herdsmen in The Gambia, West Africa as a Peace Corps volunteer. More >

Larissa Nikola-Lisa, Lead Instructor, NLCP Christiana

Larissa Nikola-Lisa

Lead Instructor, NLCP Christiana

Larissa Nikola-Lisa is a graduate of Emerson College, where she earned a Master’s Degree in Visual Media Arts with an emphasis in documentary filmmaking. More >

Julie Nkodo, Program Assistant

Julie Nkodo

Program Associate

Julie is a native of Rockville, Maryland and joins Free Spirit Media as a Program Assistant through Princeton Project 55’s Fellowship Program. More >

Chad Rispalje, FSM Productions Producer

Chad Rispalje

FSM Productions Producer

Chad started as FSM's Technology Coordinator at the Gary Comer Youth Center in December of 2008, instructing youth in the technical aspects of broadcast journalism and live-event production. More >

Anel Ruiz, Development and Operations Director

Anel Ruiz

Development and Operations Director

Anel Ruiz joins Free Spirit Media as the Director of Development and Operations. Anel brings diverse fundraising, communications, and strategic management expertise to FSM. More >

Christiana Santos, Associate Producer, Instructor

Christiana Santos

Production Coordinator, FSM Productions

Christiana joined Free Spirit Media in the spring of 2009. She is a producer and instructor for FSM Productions, which provides opportunities for Free Spirit Media high school students to work on professional media projects for a variety of clients. More >

Rahkal Shelton, HoopsHIGH Coordinator

Rahkal Shelton

HoopsHIGH Coordinator

Producer and mentor, Rahkal Shelton joined the Free Spirit Media team in 2010 to coordinate the HoopsHIGH Sports Broadcasting program. More >

Samantha Spencer, Lead Instructor, North Lawndale College Prep & Collins Campus

Samantha Spencer

Lead Instructor, North Lawndale College Prep & Collins Campus

Samantha joins Free Spirit Media as the new lead teacher at NLCP Collins. Over the past ten years, she has been working with high school age youth across the city of Chicago striving to create opportunities for them to express themselves creatively. More >

Teresa White, FSM News Program Coordinator

Teresa White

FSM News Program Coordinator

A native of Chicago's South Side, Teresa White knew she was destined to become a journalist when in high school she reported on the shooting death of a fellow classmate at the Chicago Vocational Career Academy. More >

Jasmine Williams, HoopsHIGH Technology Coordinator

Jasmine Williams

HoopsHIGH Technology Coordinator

Jasmine is a native of Chicago's South Side and joined the Free Spirit Media team in 2012 as Production Coordinator for  HoopsHIGH. More >

Elie Zwiebel, Program Associate, North Lawndale College Prep

Elie Zwiebel

Program Associate, North Lawndale College Prep

Hailing from Denver, Elie has a diverse work and volunteer background leading him to social justice work through Free Spirit Media and AVODAH Corps: The Jewish Service corps. More >