Theresa Navarro

Narrative and Cultural Strategist, Racial Equity Educator and Consultant

Theresa (she/siya) is a Pinay cultural worker and working mama whose career in film and media spans two decades. She is currently Co-Director and COO at Catapult Film Fund, a SF-based nonprofit providing early-stage support for independent documentaries. Previously, Theresa was vice president of external affairs at American Documentary, the producer of iconic PBS series ‘POV.’ An Independent Spirit Award-nominated producer, her credits include Peabody Award-winning anthology series ‘America Reframed’ and sci-fi feature Advantageous, winner of the special jury prize at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival.

In addition to her career in film and media, Theresa contributes to public discourse on community, identity, and power and served as adjunct faculty at Hunter College and Columbia College in Chicago. Her participation in communities of practice and storytelling collectives includes A-Doc, Brown Girls Doc Mafia, and the transnational migration project ReimagineBelonging.org. She has been featured on juries, panels, and workshops at Allied Media Conference, Australian International Documentary Conference, AFI SilverDocs, Hawaii International Film Festival, SXSW, and New Orleans Film Festival, among other industry and community-based events around the U.S.

Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Theresa holds undergraduate degrees from the University of California at Riverside and completed her graduate work at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa. She was nationally recognized as one of 15 Asian Pacific American Women Leaders for her media arts work in 2011. Theresa is an envoy for the American Film Showcase, the premier film diplomacy program produced by the U.S. State Department and USC School of Cinematic Arts.