Stephen Apkon is an award-winning filmmaker, and social entrepreneur. He is the Founder and former Executive Director of the Jacob Burns Film Center, a non-profit film and education center located in Pleasantville, NY. Stephen is the Director and Producer of Disturbing the Peace. He is also an Executive Producer of Fantastic Fungi and Planetary, and Producer of I’m Carolyn Parker, and Enlistment Days, and Co Producer of Presenting Princess Shaw.

He is the author of The Age of the Image: Redefining Literacy in a World of Screens, published by Farrar, Straus & Giroux – foreword by Martin Scorsese.

Stephen lives in the Hudson Valley with his partner Marcina, their dog Osa, and the flora, fauna and fungi they share this corner of the planet with.

Originally from Washington, D.C. Nick spent over a decade in restaurants in New York City.  He worked for Union Square Hospitality Group and Delicious Hospitality Group opening Marta and Legacy Records along the way.

During Covid, he took the opportunity to leave the city and farm in Vermont and Massachusetts.  While at Grey Barn Farm and Barn in Chilmark, MA, he learned to raise dairy cows, chickens, sheep and pigs as well as establish a 5 acre organic vegetable program.

He then joined the team at Inness, a hotel in Accord, NY as the Farm-to-Table Manager and eventually the General Manager of their restaurant.

Nick loves the combination of agriculture and hospitality, working with nature, and dreams of circular economies.

Sean Gallagher is a documentary filmmaker & editor. With over a decade of experience in creating media for non-profits, he currently produces media for Reconsider and was previously the Lead Content Producer at Jacob Burns Film Center.

His first feature-length documentary, Brothers of the Black List, was presented by Jonathan Demme and screened at festivals such as DOC NYC and was awarded 'Best Documentary' at the Catskill Mountains Film Festival. Sean is a recipient of the Merit for 'Artistic Contribution to Social Justice' by the SUNY Oneonta Department of Africana & Latino Studies. He also served as a co-organizer of TEDxSingSing, one of the first TEDx events to be held inside a maximum security prison.

Sean lives in the Capital Region of NY with his wife and daughter. He thinks it’s weird to write in the third person.

Peter joined Reconsider in 2023 and has focused on developing the mental health documentary project. Peter earned a bachelor’s degree in ecology and evolutionary biology from Princeton University and a master’s degree in biomedical sciences research at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. His interest in mental health is both personal and professional. For years, he volunteered as an arts and music therapist with neurodevelopmentally disabled clients. He has completed his meditation teacher training and has served as a meditation guide. Peter spent a summer working in the fields at an organic vegetable farm in his home state of Connecticut and has passions for food and horticulture. When he was an undergraduate, Peter held weekly film screenings and was involved in reviewing entrants for the Princeton Film Festival. He has an affinity for Italian films from the 1960s and ‘70s and their soundtracks.

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How did a Genetics Major become the Chief Marketing Officer for two media companies, conceive a lifestyle magazine and launch 25+ CPG and beverage brands in the US? In addition to empathy and curiosity, genetics like brand and marketing is about understanding humanity in the context of this miraculous world in the past, present and future.  

Ruth is passionate about the process of creating and the art of possibility.  She honors the wisdom of everyone on a team and is highly successful at co-creating with diverse teams, teaching leadership skills and galvanizing culture by living shared values.  

She is a devoted meditator, mother, grandmother and friend.  Her success is mostly about being fearless in her conviction and playing in the unknown.  Oh, she has worked at Procter and Gamble, Univision, Colgate Palmolive, People Magazine, and The Elevate Prize Foundation…to name-drop if that is useful!

Lina was born and raised in the town of Lagan, Sweden. With the pine forest and lakes abundantly all around, nature was always a part of life growing up, with hikes, mushroom picking, sledding and swimming. 

As the rest of the world beckoned, she flew the coup to study Marketing and International Communications in Stockholm, Sweden and New Paltz, NY; after which she has found herself working administratively across various fields with various organizations such as; The Gustafson Group PR in New York, NY; Bladins School in Malmö, Sweden; Mission Valley Textiles Inc in New York, NY; McKinsey & Co in Stockholm, Sweden, Northwestern Mutual in New Paltz, NY, and presently with Reconsider, Accord, NY. 

During her career she has also served on the board at The Co-operative Nursery of Summit, Summit, NJ, as Assistant Treasurer and Environmental Coordinator. Currently serving as Secretary on the board of non-profit organization Friends of Guirgho. 

Greatest accomplishment; being the mother of her two daughters.

Marcina Hale LMFT grew up in Ashtabula Ohio, a adventurous tomboy who loved to climb trees, bike, swim, play sports and ponder life. She studied psychology at Ohio University, Media at Long Island University and Systems Therapy (Marriage and Family) at Fairfield University.  She is enamored with the mystery of life and loves to play with what is possible.  

Marcina is a therapist and film maker who is trained in many modalities from different traditions and who appreciates the collective wisdom of cultures.  She is a License Marriage and Family therapist and also CIIS and MAPS certified in psychedelic work.  She has facilitated conversations and workshops internationally and across the US and has had the honor of co-creating with many amazing people especially the team at Reconsider including the Guardians / Board Members, Wisdom Keepers / Advisory Board and Chacarunas / Bridgers.

She is an Executive Producer of Fantastic Fungi, Producer of Disturbing the Peace and is a facilitator for Reconsider workshop experiences, which have been given in the U.S. and internationally. Marcina spoke at TEDxKC Women about how to change the world in which we are living. 

Marcina’s vision is to catalyst the creation of experiences that evoke thought and conversations that both challenge and inspire a new ways of relating to ourselves and to life itself. 

Sarah Persitz infuses passion and purpose into all her professional endeavors. With over a decade of experience in community growth and engagement, she specializes in empowering individuals and teams to achieve their full potential. She possesses extensive knowledge in stakeholder engagement, grassroots growth, and strategic partnerships, and is committed to facilitating pathways to healing.

Throughout her career, Sarah has held senior roles in national and multinational advocacy organizations, co-founded an AI-powered matchmaking app, and established an international consulting practice supporting early-stage companies. She has worked with successful start-up professionals in various fields, from ancient wellness practices to exponential technologies.

An ardent supporter of transformational medicines that promote healing in our complex world, Sarah is a graduate of the University of Washington, holding a degree in Comparative History of Ideas and a Certificate in Non-Profit Management. Additionally, she is an ACC-trained coach, Master Level Reiki Practitioner, and breathwork facilitator currently residing in the Hudson Valley.