Keynote Speakers

Saturday, May 25, 2013

Marc Cherry, Screenwriter and Executive Producer

 

Marc Cherry spent the early years of his childhood in Buena Park, California, a suburb of Orange County, and following a move to Oklahoma, the family relocated several times to and from Orange County and exotic countries around the world, such as Hong Kong and Iran. Majoring in Theatre at Cal State Fullerton, Marc won $15,000 in the late 1980’s on Dick Clark’s game show $100,000 Pyramid, took his winnings and moved to Hollywood to pursue a career in writing.

Marc began as a personal assistant to Dixie Carter on the set of Designing Women, and early success as a writer soon followed. Cherry’s writer/producer credits include the beloved television classic The Golden Girls, and sequel The Golden Palace. He also served as writer and executive producer on the television comedies, Some of My Best Friends, The Crew and The Five Mrs. Buchanans. Marc got his second big break in 2004 when ABC and Touchstone Television picked up his original Desperate Housewives script for production, which immediately proved to be a ground-breaking success, ratings powerhouse and quickly developed a devoted worldwide fan base.

Marc Cherry was Creator and Executive Producer of ABC’s hit series Desperate Housewives for eight successful seasons, and to date has won 7 Emmys, 3 Golden Globes, approximately 33 numerous other awards and 110 nominations.

Cherry has a development deal with ABC Studios under the banner Cherry/Wind Productions with Executive Producer partner Sabrina Wind and is currently filming his new series “Devious Maids” for Lifetime for 2013 season.

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Sunday, May 26, 2013

Honorable Elizabeth Guerrero Macias, State of California Superior Court Judge

A first-generation Mexican-American and the first in her family to obtain a high school diploma, Elizabeth G. Macias was appointed judge of the Superior Court of California, County of Orange in December 2012. Prior to serving as a judge, Macias was a deputy federal public defender. She spent 11 years as a member of the federal Public Defender's Office trial unit, litigating all types of federal matters, including white-collar fraud, drug trafficking, bank robbery and immigration.

Because her parents instilled in her the importance of a strong work ethic and a love for her culture, Macias began working with migrant education as an undergraduate, participating in programs such as Project B.E.S.T. (Basic Education Skills for Tomorrow).

She graduated from the California Western School of Law in 1999, and is a 1995 Cal State Fullerton graduate with  bachelors degrees in Psychology and Chicano Studies and a minor in Spanish. A member of the Orange County Hispanic Bar Association, she also serves on the board of the Latina Lawyers Bar Association. Since 2009, Macias has been teaching through California Western School of Law, Acceso Capacitation, trial litigation skills to attorneys and judges from Spanish speaking countries.

Macias is married to Cesar Covarrubias, and they have three children.