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The Team - Directors & Producers

Randa S. Safady
Executive Producer
Randa Safady is Vice Chancellor for External Relations at The University of Texas System, overseeing the UT System Administration's offices of Development and Gift Planning Services, Public Affairs, Communications, Community and Business Relations, and Special Services. She has been involved in higher education development and strategic communications for 25 years, most recently having served as Associate Vice President for Resource Development at UT Austin and playing a leadership role in its capital campaign, in which more than $1.62 billion was realized. She received a Ph.D. from UT Austin and provides fundraising and communication counsel to many nonprofit and educational organizations.
Mat Hames
Series Director
Mat Hames is an award-winning independent filmmaker who has directed and written a variety of documentary projects, short films, and commercials. He wrote and directed the documentary feature Last Best Hope, about an airman harbored by the Belgian Resistance during World War II. The film received film festival accolades in the U.S. and Canada before airing nationally on PBS in 2006 and 2007, and will air across Europe in 2007. Mat has earned numerous awards in his career, including Telly Awards and Addy Awards for his commercial work, PSA campaigns for the Lance Armstrong Foundation and others. He is co-founder and President of Alpheus Media, Inc.
The University of Texas Foundation
Co-Producer
The University of Texas Foundation is a nonprofit corporation established in 1967 to accept and manage gifts in support of the UT System and its institutions. The Foundation functions independently under its own Board of Directors and pursues its own investment policies in the management of its portfolios.
Alpheus Media
Co-Producer
Alpheus Media, Inc. is an independent film production company based in Austin, Texas, whose work has aired on PBS and the Discovery Channel. In addition to producing documentaries like Last Best Hope and Making More, Alpheus has a client roster that includes AMD, Emory University, Capital Sports and Entertainment, the University of Texas, Kolar Advertising, and the Lance Armstrong Foundation.
Anne Nagelkirk
Producer
Anne Nagelkirk has 11 years of experience in strategy, planning, and marketing. Before joining Alpheus in 2005, she served as an account manager for an award-winning creative agency where she managed its largest accounts, including the Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF). Her work for the LAF resulted in a Gold Addy. Across million dollar and pro bono accounts, she works closely with her clients to meet their business and creative objectives. Recent projects include Share Your Story for the LAF and Papi's Kitchen, a children's cooking show pilot for PBS.
George Sledge
Director and Producer
For the past three years, George Sledge has produced and directed documentary television on series such as Downtown for the Austin PBS affiliate KLRU and American Made for CNBC. He also co-produced and co-directed Lubbock Lights, a feature-length documentary on West Texas music. His previous producing and production experience includes commercials, feature films, and network television series including Roller Girls (A&E), Austin Stories (MTV), Seinfeld (NBC), and Mad TV (Fox).
Ruth Pennebaker
Producer
Ruth Pennebaker is former assistant director of communications for The University of Texas System, where she has written website articles, helped produce presentations for System conferences, and helped to create a speaker's series. For several years, she wrote a biweekly column for the Dallas Morning News' Sunday editorial page and her work has appeared in nationwide publications, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, Redbook and other venues. She's the author of three prize-winning young-adult novels and is a regular commentator for KUT Public Radio in Austin.
Cile Spelce Elley
Producer
Cile Spelce Elley is the director of Chancellor's Council programs and communications for The University of Texas System. She has spearheaded program content for multiple events held for the 6000 members of the Chancellor's Council and its executive committee. In her past life, Cile was an award-winning broadcast journalist working in Dallas, New Orleans, Austin and Waco. Her favorite TV accomplishment? Anchoring the evening news for two years with her father at Austin station KEYE-TV. In her spare time, Cile makes documentary films with her husband, Chris.
Beth Hames
Supervising Producer
Beth Hames, who has 13 years of industry experience, began as a producer and editor in Dallas, where she produced a monthly magazine-style series for General Motors. She continues to manage projects for Alpheus, with a focus on writing and producing short documentaries. Beth's work has regularly been recognized for excellence, including a New York Festivals International World Medal for I Had a Friend Named Hope and Telly awards for Live Music Capital of the World and Faces of Survivorship.
Rod Caspers
Supervising Producer
Rod Caspers, director of Creative Services at The University of Texas System, has taught and directed at the University of Northern Iowa, the University of Wisconsin and the University of Texas at Austin. At UT, he also served as the artistic director for the Office of University Relations. Rod conducts directing workshops nationwide and has often been a guest artist/instructor for the Facing History and Ourselves Program in Europe. In New York, he served as associate director for GreenPlays, creating and directing several new musicals and cabarets. He has directed over 80 productions. Recently, Rod stage managed the Rockettes' Radio City Christmas Spectacular for four years.
Cara Carney
Associate Producer
Cara Carney's career has taken her from television to the creative services industry and back again. She has produced packages for a talk television program, published books and DVDs for celebrities, and produced integrated marketing campaigns for some of America's most prolific entertainment properties. Her diverse background in news, sales, and branding has given her a unique perspective for production. After spending several years in Chicago, Cara has returned to her Texas roots.
Parke Gregg
Associate Producer
Originally a student of architecture, Parke Gregg has used his design background to head up a multimedia lab at Texas A&M University, producing educational CD-ROMs and videos. From there, he joined Tivoli Systems as Manager of New Media where he received international Summit and Monitor awards as well as an Addy and four Telly awards for his video and interactive work. Recently, Parke combined his technical knowledge, design background, and project management experience as the post production supervisor on the CNBC series American Made.

Dacia Saenz
Archive Coordinator