Directors Guild of America national executive director Jay Roth announced Frank Bennett Gonzalez has joined the executive staff of the DGA as assistant executive director of diversity. Gonzalez will be responsible for coordinating the guild’s diversity strategy, managing its new and existing diversity programs, and leading the DGA’s efforts to implement and enforce the employers’ increased contractual diversity-related obligations, which were negotiated through the most recent collective bargaining negotiations. He will report to associate national executive director/Western executive director Bryan Unger.
“The DGA is committed to supporting and increasing diversity in DGA-covered categories,” said Roth. “Frank’s long experience managing diversity initiatives in the entertainment industry and his commitment to expanding opportunities for all DGA members will serve us well as we continue to push the employers to engage in hiring practices that reflect the world we live in.”
“Frank’s passion for this issue and his deep knowledge of the challenges and possibilities inherent in pushing for change will be invaluable as we continue to strengthen and enhance our diversity programs,” said Unger.
Gonzalez worked for more than 13 years on diversity initiatives for the Disney/ABC Television Group, most recently serving as director of creative talent development, where he spearheaded and expanded keystone creative initiatives and talent development programs such as the Disney/ABC Writing Program and the Disney/ABC-DGA Directing Program. In that position, Gonzalez also worked with the entertainment guilds and built relationships with community arts organizations. Gonzalez earned an MFA from the UCLA School of Film & Television, Producers Program, and a B.A. in Film Studies from UC Irvine.
