Leadership + Board of Directors
Creativity is your passion and your livelihood — and ASMP and its membership will stand beside you to help you live your best creative life.
National Leadership
Photo Credit: J. Michael Tucker
James Edmund Datri
Chief Executive Officer
James Edmund Datri was brought on as CEO of the American Society of Media Photographers on July 13, 2020, in the middle of the Pandemic and a challenging time for ASMP’s Members, the industry, and the organization. Under James’ leadership, and in the first few months of his tenure, ASMP launched its first-ever 360-degree digital and social media marketing campaign, and opened up membership to new media visual content creators from YouTubers to TikTokers, resulting in an 84% increase in the organization’s new member acquisition rate. With the new resources, he expanded the staff to include a full-time in-house general counsel and head of national content & education, and launched an entirely revamped online presence, including the new ASMP Academy — a unique and comprehensive resource for visual content creators of all stripes — a new website, a new database system, and a host of new and revitalized online member benefits and resources.
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James has served on the board of directors of the Ad Council and The Washington Ballet, served as vice chair of the Harvard Law School Annual Fund Council, as well as on the advisory boards of the Grammy Award-winning San Francisco Boys Chorus and the Annapolis Film Festival, among many others. He was named a Traphagen Distinguished Alumni Speaker at Harvard Law School, and received an ADCOLOR Award for his leadership on diversity, equity, and inclusion in the advertising and media industries. James received his B.A. from the University of California, Santa Cruz, where he was a University of California Regents Scholar, and earned his Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School.
Thomas Maddrey
Chief Legal Officer & Head of National Content and Education
Thomas Maddrey serves as Chief Legal Officer & Head of National Content and Education for ASMP after accepting this position in early 2021. For more than a decade, Thomas was a commercial and fine art photographer in his eponymous photography business Tom Maddrey Images. He received his photo training at the Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, CA. After moving back to Texas, he co-founded a fine art photography gallery in Dallas, Blue Square Art. He would then go on to create the Eclipse Photography Institute, an online- and retail-based education company dedicated to helping photographers learn about business and creative skills through workshops, courses, and a series of DVDs that were sold in over 800 stores throughout the world.
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After the success of Eclipse Photography Institute and his other ventures, Thomas focused on working with the creative community, and turned his sights to law where completed his Juris Doctor degree at the Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law. Shortly after being admitted to the bar, he would establish Maddrey PLLC, a boutique law firm of five attorneys dedicated to helping support creatives of all stripes do what they do best. Create. At Maddrey PLLC, Thomas had the opportunity to first represent ASMP as their external General Counsel from 2016-2021 before ultimately winding up his firm and accepting the opportunity presented by working with ASMP full-time.
In his time representing and working for ASMP and other creative organizations, Thomas has been the primary author on multiple U.S. Supreme Court briefs, including in the critical cases, Warhol v. Goldsmith, Allen v. Cooper, and Unicolors v. H&M. He has authored over a dozen amicus briefs at all levels of the judiciary helping to explain to the courts how their ruling will affect working creative professionals and why copyright protections are so vital. Thomas is admitted to the bar and is a member in good standing of the State of Texas, the U.S. Supreme Court, and the 2nd, 4th, 5th, and 9th Circuit Courts of Appeals.
Thomas has served on the Board of Directors of the Copyright Alliance, Texas Accountants and Lawyers for the Arts, and Arts Counsel Texas. He is the former Chair of the Entertainment, Art, and Sports Law section of the Dallas Bar Association. Further, he is a Board and Executive Committee Member of the Dallas Opera where he serves as Co-Chair of the Digital Strategy Advisory Committee. In addition to his J.D. degree from the SMU Dedman School of Law and his bachelor’s degree from the Brooks Institute of Photography, Thomas holds a degree in Business Administration from the University of Texas at Dallas.
Contact Tom by e-mail maddrey@asmp.org or phone (844) 762-3386
Melanie Porter
Chief Marketing Officer
For more than three decades, ASMP’s new Chief Marketing Officer Melanie Porter has been immersed in the photo industry. Her broad experience began at the age of 8, sleeping under the tables at industry trade shows where her family’s photo retail store, Arlington Camera, was exhibiting. After joining the third-generation business, Melanie became the Marketing Director and was intimately involved in the careers of tens of thousands of photographers across the country.
Her deep knowledge of the photo industry was further honed through her work with the hundreds of companies that comprise the photographic universe. From the on-the-ground sales and technical representatives, to the marketing and executives of the largest companies, Melanie has built a network of industry colleagues second to none. She created, among other events, the multi-year DFW Photo Expo, and was the driving force for the retailer behind-the-scenes at trade shows across the country.
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As primary coordinator behind the photographer / retailer relationship at the world-famous Texas School of Professional Photography for many years, Melanie brought her talents and knowledge to coordinate dozens of large-scale events from PPA and others, and she can’t wait to bring those experiences to the ASMP & NANPA Communities.
Photographer’s lives and passions are at the heart of Melanie’s career, and helping creatives reach their goals in life and business have long been at the foundation of her purpose and efforts.
Contact Melanie by e-mail mporter@asmp.org or phone (844) 762-3386.
Create your future with us.
Board of Directors
Photo Credit: Mark Berndt
Gabriella Marks
Chair
Joined ASMP: 2011
Chapter Affiliation: New Mexico
Positions Held: National Board Vice-Chair 2021-22, National Board Treasurer 2019-20, National Board 2021-23 and 2018-20; New Mexico Chapter President; New Mexico Board Member.
Work: Gabriella’s work focuses primarily on editorial portraiture and food, and has been featured on the covers and within countless regional and national publications, as well as in the permanent collection of the New Mexico History Museum.
Leah Nash
Vice-Chair
Joined ASMP: 2011
Chapter Affiliation: Oregon
Positions Held: National Board Treasurer 2021-22, National Board 2019-2021; Event Chair, Vice President, President (Oregon Chapter)
Work: www.NashCOPhoto.com and www.LeahNash.com
Value of ASMP Membership: “community/advocacy/education”
Non-photographic interests: Pretty much just photography. Okay, okay….adventuring, dancing, entertaining, trying new things, exercise.
Kevin Brusie
Treasurer
Joined ASMP: 1992
Chapter Affiliation: New England
Positions Held: National Board, 2019-20, 2021-23; New England Board Member [a long time ago] & volunteer to collaborate on the creation of the Mutual Mentoring Groups in New England
Work: Still & video (added 2004) serving mostly corporate direct clients in the financial services, veterinary science, & healthcare industries. Sometimes summarized as “photographing suits & lab coats in their natural habitat”.
Value of ASMP Membership: “I joined for the support and knowledge of the many experienced members in New England way back in ’92. It has been a great source of networking, inspiration, and knowledge. Knowing National always had our backs in DC was comforting, too.”
Non-photographic interests: Fun on two wheels – long distance motorcycle touring and road/mountain biking.
Lisa C. Alvarez
Secretary
Chapter Affiliation: NANPA
Bio: Lisa C. Alvarez is a California-licensed lawyer and a nature photographer based near Sacramento. As a nature photographer, she focuses on wildlife conservation and fine-art nature photography. As a lawyer, she educates and counsels photographers on preserving and strengthening their image rights so they can recover lost income and get properly credited for their creative work. In addition, she helps photographers enforce those rights when a federal lawsuit isn’t a reasonable option. Presently, Lisa serves on the National Board of the American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP). In addition, she’s a member of the Alameda County Bar Association, the Intellectual Property Section of the California Lawyers Association and its Copyright Interest Group, and the Copyright Society.
Photo Credit: Daniel Brittain
Ralph Clevenger
Joined ASMP: 1989
Joined NANPA: 1995
Positions Held: NANPA Board of Directors, 2008-2011, ASMP National Board, 2023-2026
Work: www.ralphclevenger.com
Value of ASMP Membership: Advocacy and business education. Brooks Institute of Photography had a student chapter and the resources that ASMP provided was critical in the education we provided to our graduates. During my 40-year professional photography career, I used many of ASMP’s business, marketing, and copyright learning assets on a regular basis. It was, and still is the best place for the business of photography and media creation.
Non-photographic interests: Travel, camping, whale-watching, scuba and freediving, but of course it’s impossible for me to do any of these things without my camera.
Thomas Donley
Joined ASMP: 2002
Chapter Affiliation: International (Japan)
Positions Held: National Board 2020-2022; ASMP New York President, 2015-2019, ASMP New York Membership Chair, 2009-2015
Bio: Thomas Donley is a New York City based photographer. He has been shooting for over 20 years: from Madison Square Garden to the Shuar tribe in the Ecuadorian jungle; from film sets in Vancouver, B.C. to Charleston, S.C.; product launches to corporate events; to the wild underground party scene in NYC. He has freelanced and done projects for publications including The New York Times, Time Out NY and Life Magazine.
Earlier in his career, Donley has also spent time embedded within the indie film worlds of production & distribution, working on the sets of veteran filmmakers Brian DePalma and Oliver Stone as well as several years on the staff of the pioneering indie film distributor, United Artists Classics (The Last Waltz, Diva, Entre Nous). He was the in-house photographer for Lightstone Productions, the creative home of filmmaker Demian Lichtenstein and Mr. Lichtenstein brought Donley onto the set of his film 3000 Miles to Graceland to take behind-the-scenes photographs of Kevin Costner, Kurt Russell, Courteney Cox and Christian Slater. Most recently he was production photographer for the film Beautiful People, a documentary about Irish seisiuns music on the lower east side of Manhattan, NYC. Donley has also taken on the role of Producer & Director for an ongoing documentary film project about the Hollywood blacklist of the 40’s & 50’s and the creative issues surrounding it, centering on the renown character actor, Howard da Silva. In the process, Donley has interviewed many actors, directors and artists, including: Ruby Dee, Pete Seeger, Ed Asner, Martin Ritt, John Houseman and Howard da Silva.
Rana Faure
Joined ASMP: 2017
Chapter Affiliation: New York
Positions Held: National Board (first position held) 2020-2022
Work: Shooting lifestyle, architecture, interiors, food portraits, corporate and private events
Value of ASMP Membership: I was always impressed with the professionalism exhibited by the ASMP members in my previous incarnation on the agency side working with countless photographers. I joined ASMP to be part of this community with a history of founders and members that include some of the greatest names in the industry and till this day. I found an amazingly strong, vibrant and active community sharing knowledge that is relevant, and working on important advocacy on behalf of the photographic industry on the whole which is essential to all of us. Given the tumultuous times in which we find ourselves, community and advocacy is fundamental and I am honored to serve
Darrin Scott Hunter
Joined ASMP: 2003
Chapter Affiliation: Ohio Valley
Positions Held: National Board, 2023-26
Work: Architectural photography for firms throughout Midwest and Eastern seaboard. Senior Design Manager for Dyer Brown & Associates, centered in Boston.
Value of ASMP Membership: “I first joined ASMP as a corporate member while working at a design firm after architecture school. I had taken photography studios in college but was mostly self-taught in the architecture genre. The original Yahoo Group discussion board for ASMP’s Architecture Specialty Group was a goldmine of information. I rarely engaged in chat myself, but just reading the discussions amongst seasoned national architectural photographers was the education I needed to make the leap from a corporate job into graduate school and freelancing with confidence that I could turn it into a viable career.”
Samantha Isom
Joined ASMP: 2020
Chapter Affiliation: New York
Positions Held: ASMP National Board for 2020-2022
Bio: Samantha’s mother was gifted a brownie camera as a young adult and began documenting every waking moment of life, Samantha was soon to follow. Samantha spent years as a photo assistant and digital tech to some of the top image-makers in the business, all while shooting on her own. Since then, she’s incorporated more motion/video to her image-making, going out not only as a photographer but also as a Camera Operator/DP. She has shot all over the world and has created the online journal and travel show . In 2015 she began training to shoot underwater and received her PADI divemaster certificate in 2018. She’s based out of New York City, though she has lived and worked in Chicago, New Orleans, Miami, Philadelphia, and spent a few months living and shooting in Hawai’i, and Indonesia.
Lynsey Weatherspoon
Joined ASMP: 2020
Chapter Affiliation: Atlanta Southeast
Positions Held: National Board 2021-23
Bio: Lynsey Weatherspoon’s first photography teacher was her late mother, Rhonda. Like her mentor-in-her-head Carrie Mae Weems, that first camera – a gift – delivered purpose. Her career includes editorial and commercial work that has been inspired and powered by her first teacher’s love and lessons.
The #blackqueergirl is an award winning photographer, portraitist and director based in Atlanta and Birmingham. Using both photography and filmmaking as tools to tell stories, Weatherspoon’s work has been featured in print and online in such publications as The New York Times, USA Today, NPR, Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Time, ESPN and ESPN-owned The Undefeated.
As a member of a modern vanguard of photographers, she is often called on to capture heritage and history in real time. The Equal Justice Institute’s Bryan Stevenson. The National Memorial for Peace and Justice. The Legacy Museum. Ronnie the shoe repairman in downtown Birmingham. The people of the Gullah-Geechee Corridor. An entire family infected with and affected by a pandemic. Demonstrators with raised fists and sad, vulnerable eyes. The sons and daughters of history. The mothers of children who died making history. The majesty of Mardi Gras. The loving hands of family caregivers.
Lynsey Weatherspoon’s work has been exhibited at The African American Museum in Philadelphia and Photoville NYC. She is an awardee, The Lit List, 2018. Her affiliations include Diversify Photo, Authority Collective, and Women Photograph, as well as National Press Photographers Association (NPPA), Professional Photographers Association (PPA), American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP), and American Photographic Artists (APA). She was also named a Canon Explorer of Light in 2020, and became a member of IATSE Local 600 in 2022.
Felicia Perretti
Ex-Offico
Joined ASMP: 2009
Chapter Affiliation: Philadelphia
Positions Held: National Board Secretary, 2019-20, 2020-21, and 2021-22, National Board 2021-23, 2020-21,2017-19; Chapter Social Media Coordinator, Secretary, Vice President, President
Work (Specialities): Food and Beverage Photography
Value of ASMP Membership: “I am a part of ASMP, and have been since the start of my career, for the programs, benefits, and networking opportunities offered by the organization. The knowledge shared by other working professional photographers who also are the backbone of the organization is something you can’t find anywhere else. I am where I am today in my career because of ASMP.”
Non-photographic interests: Exercising, Cycling, Cooking, Traveling
“ASMP has provided numerous events that have provided concrete direction for registering my copyright, this has made it possible for me to regularly register my copyright. It’s important to my agents and my clients that my work is all formally registered.”
