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
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 artistic 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.
After the success of the Eclipse Photography Institute and his other ventures, Thomas turned his sights to law and 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.
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Thomas sits on the Board of the Copyright Alliance, Texas Accountants and Lawyers for the Arts, and Arts Counsel Texas. He is the current Vice-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.
Create your future with us.
Board of Directors
Michael Shay
Chair
Joined ASMP: 1993
Chapter Affiliation: Oregon
Positions Held: National Board Chair 2021-22, National Board Vice-Chair 2019-21, National Board 2020-2022, 2017-2019; Chapter President 3 years, Chapter Vice President 2 years, and Board Member 6 years with various responsibilities including Events and Sponsorship
Work (specialty): Food
Value of ASMP Membership: “ASMP has helped photographers in general by their national lobbying for copyright and copyright small claims. It has helped my career personally with its educational events on photo techniques, marketing, and business practices. Most of all, getting to know my fellow photographers has been a great support and pleasure during all the years I have been in Oregon.”
Non-photographic interests: Poetry, Beer Brewing, Karate, and of course, Food and Travel
Contact Michael: email chair@asmp-board.org
Gabriella Marks
Vice 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.
Felicia Perretti
Secretary
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
Leah Nash
Treasurer
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
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.
Elliott Cramer
Joined ASMP: 2005
Chapter Affiliation: Pittsburgh
Positions Held: Chapter President 2014-2019, Chapter Communications Coordinator 2012-2013
Work: Photo + Video for advertising, editorial and communication needs in healthcare, finance, higher ed, religious and industrial sectors.
Cramerphotovideo.com
Value of ASMP Membership: In today’s world when the community is mostly digital, it’s nice to know that one can go to their local chapter meetings and find friends and trusted advisors to help navigate the business of visual creation. Local and regional allies are a key element to achieving one’s dream.
Non-photographic interests: Watching old cartoons, sipping on craft beer, golfing, baseball, and building LEGO.
Thomas Donley
Joined ASMP: 2002
Chapter Affiliation: New York
Positions Held: National Board 2020-2022; ASMP New York President, 2015-2019, ASMP New York Membership Chair, 2009-2015
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
Nicholas Freeman
Joined ASMP: 2009
Chapter Affiliation: Los Angeles
Positions Held: ASMP National Board for 2020-2022, Los Angeles Chapter Board 2012-2020, Los Angeles Chapter Treasurer 2017-2020
Work (Specialty): Showing humans in their best light.
Value of ASMP Membership: “I was introduced to ASMP by a college professor through the ASMP Professional Business Practices in Photography book and the Strictly Business events. If it wasn’t for the support and education I have found in ASMP it is possible I would not have stuck with photography as a career, let alone the quality and success of the career I have had to date. I joined the board to ensure that others were given the same opportunities and support that was available to me.”
Non-Photographic Interests: board games and scuba / free diving
Michael Hart
Joined ASMP: 1979
Chapter Affiliation: Houston
Positions Held: ASMP National Board for 2016-2018 and 2019-2021, Chapter Board member: latest term 2008-2010
Value of ASMP Membership: “I am an ASMP Member because it has been the premiere organization for commercial photographers for well over 50 years. The information, education, and camaraderie from fellow members that I have gained in my nearly 40 years of membership has been invaluable”.
Samantha Isom
Joined ASMP: 2020
Chapter Affiliation: New York
Positions Held: ASMP National Board for 2020-2022
Lynsey Weatherspoon
Joined ASMP: 2020
Chapter Affiliation: Atlanta Southeast
Positions Held: National Board 2021-23
“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.”
