Festival Staff

Before becoming Executive Director, Christopher Head served as Managing Director of the Environmental Film Festival in the Nation’s Capital since 2008. He participates in all levels of programming at the Festival, including researching and selecting films and negotiating the rights to screen films. He also negotiates with various speakers, including filmmakers and environmental experts so they may attend screenings for introductions and question and answer sessions. He also coordinates with venue partners to select dates, venues, and films to screen as co-presentations, in addition to securing venues where DCEFF is the sole presenter.
Before joining DCEFF in 2007, Christopher worked in production for Story House Productions in Washington, DC. He graduated from American University with a B.A. in Film & Media Arts.

Brad is the Director of Programming for the Environmental Film Festival in the Nation’s Capital. He has worked as the director of photography for various documentary projects – including the upcoming film Painted City – and has served as a videographer for local production companies and universities, as well as at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. He holds a BA in Asian Studies from Furman University and an MA in International Journalism from Cardiff University.

Sam Plakun is the Program Manager at The Environmental Film Festival in the Nation’s Capital (DCEFF). She has been with DCEFF since 2016 aiding in all aspects of the programming process and serving as the main point of contact for the Festival’s filmmakers, partners and special guests. Before joining DCEFF Sam worked in New York City as an Associate Producer for social-issue documentaries, working on such films as Young Lakota, Care, and Bill Nye: Science Guy.

A native of Western Massachusetts, Sam earned a degree in Media Arts for Social Justice from Pitzer College, a member of the Claremont Consortium in Southern California. Now a proud D.C. resident, Sam shares her love of film with her husband and two cats.

A graduate of DePauw University, Bri’anna uses that expensive film studies degree as the Programming Associate for the Mill Valley Film Festival and the Environmental Film Festival in the Nation’s Capital. She has previously worked for many other festivals including the Atlanta Film Festival, DOC NYC, and the Nantucket Film Festival. Originally from the suburbs of Chicago, Bri’anna now calls Brooklyn home.

Jacob began working with the Festival in December 2017, handling DCEFF’s social media pages, newsletter and website. In July 2019, he officially took on the role of Director of Online Communications, adding overall strategy to his previous duties.

Jacob came to DCEFF with a background in non-profit and higher education communications, having begun his career working on environmental campaigns in Colorado and Minnesota. He is a proud father to a house full of animals, including his dachshund/chihuahua mix, Bertie, and two corgis, Morty and Pippin. Jacob is a Wisconsin native, holding a degree in Film Studies from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee.

A Washington native, Monica started her festival career as a programming intern for the Nantucket Film Festival after graduating from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts with a B.F.A in Film and Television Production. She later became a reader for Nantucket's annual screenwriting competition, as well as a script analyst and judge for the Richmond International Film Festival, the Creative World Awards, the Bluecat Screenplay Competition, NYC Midnight, and individual screenwriters. Returning to the Washington area in 2011, she worked for the American Film Institute’s documentary film festival for nine years under its Silverdocs and AFI DOCS iterations. Before joining DCEFF, she served as the production coordinator, associate programmer, and director of programming for the Annapolis Film Festival. She currently holds the champion title for pickled peppers in Montgomery County, Maryland.

Alice joined the Festival in May 2019 as Development Manager, having most recently worked as the Development & Events Specialist at CentroNía, a nationally recognized nonprofit that provides education and family support services across greater Washington, D.C. In May 2021, Alice became the Acting Director of Development. Her substantial and wide-ranging experience equips her particularly well for the full scope of her responsibilities at DCEFF, including managing special events, the Friends of the Festival membership program, foundation and corporate giving, and overall fundraising strategy.

Besides working in development, Alice is a competitive marathon runner and training coach. A native of San Antonio, Texas, she holds a B.A. in International Affairs from The George Washington University, as well as a Fundraising Event Management Certificate from the Event Leadership Institute.

Mary Chandler joined the Festival in October 2022 as Development Assistant. A native of Norfolk, Virginia, she came to DCEFF after working previously at the American Hiking Society and Compass Pro Bono. Mary Chandler is a "Double Hoo," holding a B.A. and M.A. in English Literature from the University of Virginia. She interned at Girls on the Run Hampton Roads for several summers and now volunteers for the Northern Virginia council.

Outside of development, Mary Chandler enjoys creative writing and photography. Her young son, husband, and energetic terrier mix are her favorite muses.

In the film festival world, Allyson has previously worked at Brooklyn Film Festival, Camden International Film Festival, DOC NYC, Hamptons International Film Festival, Indie Street Film Festival, Nantucket Film Festival, NewFest, and SFFILM, among others. Allyson also has a background as a filmmaker herself; her most recent short film, SITTING, recently made its world premiere at SCAD Savannah Film Festival, was an official selection at Omaha Film Festival, and won "Outstanding Narrative Short" at Tallgrass Film Festival. Additionally, her short film FIRST DATE is available on Hulu as part of "Bite Size Halloween" now! More: allysonm.com