Leaders in Entertainment, Communications, Pro Sports Join Emerson Board of Trustees

The Emerson Board of Trustees has welcomed seven new members, all of whom are leaders and visionaries in their respective fields, including film and television, creative representation, communication/public affairs, and professional sports. The seven new Trustees, as well as five additional members appointed in 2024, are joining the Board as it works to replace those whose terms have expired with dynamic and talented new members. 

“These seven Trustees, all outstanding leaders and innovators in their industries, are joining a revitalized and restructured board that is excited about Emerson’s new strategic direction under President Bernhardt’s leadership,” said Board Chair Eric Alexander ‘78. “Our entire board is hugely optimistic about Emerson’s future.” 

The new trustees include Randy Barbato ’82, LHD ’24, co-founder of World of Wonder Productions and WOW Presents Plus; Bill Gersh ’10, managing partner at entertainment and sports agency Gersh; Elizabeth Daly Gersh ’10, an executive at anime streaming platform Crunchyroll; Peter Loge ’87, director of the School of the Media and Public Affairs at The George Washington University; Netflix director Kevin McKeon ’07; Sam Presti ’00, general manager of the Oklahoma City Thunder; and Tara Sandler ’84, partner and executive producer at Pie Town Productions.

“We are thrilled to welcome these new trustees, all Emerson alums, whose innovation in their respective fields and commitment to the college will support our strategic goals and ensure that Emerson is the nation’s premier institution for communication and the arts well into the future,” said President Jay Bernhardt.  

Randy Barbato

Randy Barbato is an acclaimed director, producer, and co-founder of World of Wonder (WOW), the multi-platform entertainment company he founded in 1991 alongside his creative and business partner Fenton Bailey. The duo has been behind the Emmy Award-winning RuPaul’s Drag Race and Million Dollar Listing franchises, as well as several award-winning and critically acclaimed documentaries, including The Eyes of Tammy Faye, which inspired the Oscar-winning scripted film of the same name, Monica in Black and White; Catch and Kill: The Podcast Tapes; Inside Deep Throat; Party Monster; Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures and more.

WOW has reshaped pop culture around the world, earning 33 Emmys and bringing the global network WOW Presents Plus to 190 territories. Barbato has been honored with the IDA Pioneer Award, and included in Realscreen’s Global 100, Variety’s Reality Leaders and Reality TV Impact Report, and OUT 100. World of Wonder was ranked #2 among film and TV powerhouses in Fast Company’s World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies, and WOW/Drag Race was named Hottest TV Franchise in Adweek’s 2024 Hot List.

Bill Gersh

Bill Gersh is a Managing Partner at Gersh, a prominent entertainment and sports agency. An agent specializing in representing artists within the alternative and unscripted sector, Bill manages a roster of experienced and acclaimed on-camera talent, directors, artisans, production companies, and executives.

Bill began his career at Gersh in 2014 as an assistant, and was promoted to agent in the Alternative Department in 2016. Prior to joining the agency, he gained experience in production across various reality, live television, and variety projects. 

Elizabeth Daly Gersh

Liz Daly Gersh is a strategic media executive with experience shaping content strategy and driving viewership at renowned brands. She is currently serving as the Senior Manager of Ad-Supported Programming at Crunchyroll, an anime-focused subscription-based streaming service under the Sony Group.

Prior to Crunchyroll, Liz had a long and impactful tenure at OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, where she rose to Senior Director of Content Strategy, Scheduling and Acquisitions. Liz received her MBA from UCLA Anderson School of Management.  

Peter Loge

Peter Loge is the director of the School of Media and Public Affairs at The George Washington University, director of GW’s Project on Ethics in Political Communication, and an associate professor. He has more than 30 years of experience in politics and strategic communication, and gives talks about communication and ethics around the world. His book, Soccer Thinking for Management Success: Lessons for organizations from the world’s game, debuted as a #1 release on Amazon.

Since graduating from Emerson, Loge has served as the president of the Alumni Association, helped launch Emerson’s Washington DC program, and has been honored by Emerson Athletics, Phi Alpha Tau, the Communication Studies department, and with the Alumni Achievement Award.

Kevin McKeon

Kevin McKeon is a director at Netflix, overseeing live-action family/all-audience original feature films. Prior to Netflix, he was the Senior Vice President of Production at Mattel Films, shepherding feature projects including 2023 Best Picture Oscar nominee Barbie, the upcoming Masters of the Universe, A24’s Barney, and the J.J. Abrams-produced Hot Wheels.

Independently, he produced Call Jane starring Elizabeth Banks and Sigourney Weaver, which premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival. He also produced the psychological thriller The Housewife, written by Alyssa Hill, with Naomi Watts and Tye Sheridan, which wrapped production in Summer 2025. Previously, McKeon served as Executive Producer on IFC’s drama The Tribes of Palos Verdes with Jennifer Garner, and the redemption drama Burden, starring Garrett Hedlund and Forest Whitaker.

Sam Presti

Over 17 years as the Oklahoma City Thunder’s executive vice president and general manager, Sam Presti has led the franchise to the postseason 13 times, including five Western Conference Finals, with appearances in the 2012 and 2025 NBA Finals. Presti was named the 2024-25 NBA Basketball Executive of the Year, prior to winning the 2025 NBA Championship.

Presti graduated from Emerson as the first Rhodes Scholar nominee in the school’s history, and played basketball for legendary coach Hank Smith. Presti’s first opportunity in the NBA came in 2000, as a video intern for the San Antonio Spurs, where he worked his way to Vice President and Assistant General Manager and contributed to three championships.

Tara Sandler

Award-winning television veteran Tara Sandler has been shaping and producing reality TV for over 40 years, and currently helms Pie Town Productions, a leading producer of travel and lifestyle programs she co-founded with her partner, Jennifer Davidson, in 1996. Pie Town’s early hits for TLC, Great Country Inns and Inntimate Escapes, paved the way for groundbreaking programs like A Dating Story and the Emmy-nominated A Baby Story, which became TLC’s first number-one daytime show. Their portfolio expanded with enduring hits for HGTV, including House Hunters, now celebrating 27 years on air with thousands of episodes and dozens of spin-offs.

Sandler is also a founder of the Commons in Provincetown, Mass., and the Lily House in Wellfleet, Mass.; and a founding member of the Historic Palm Springs Plaza Theater and Q+ Art at the Palm Springs Art & Architecture Museum.