Jody is a Director, Producer, Writer and Actress. Jody was educated in the US and UK, entered university at the age of 16, holds a Masters degree in Education and Social Research from the renowned Institute of Education, University of London, England, and is pursuing her PhD. She was the recipient of two Stanley Awards for Directing and she was nominated for the 2013 Jane LaChapelle McCarty Unity in Diversity Award.
Jody is the president of Sunka Wakan Dragonfly Film Studios which produced the full length independent feature, "West of Thunder". "West of Thunder" has been honored with numerous nominations and awards including the Best Film of 2012 in Human Rights and Peace. Previously Jody produced and directed a cutting edge video series, "Cool Green World", involving celebrity animal welfare advocates including Jane Goodall and Sarah McLachlan. She also produced and directed the award winning short documentary, "Mitakuye Oyasin", spotlighting issues on Pine Ridge Reservation and the Lakota connection with rescued wild mustangs. Jody was also a model in the US and UK; worked for BBC Television in London; and was a presenter for the Local CNN News in Detroit. Jody has been interviewed on television, radio and in print and can be seen in the upcoming British comedy, "Flim, the Movie" which will premiere in London, England in September 2013. She currently has two feature films in development.
Jody is president of Cambridge International Academies USA, a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization promoting global and multicultural education. Its flagship school, The Academy of the Fox Cities, has successfully served an international and multicultural student body and was the first school in the US to be accredited by the University of Cambridge, England, for its entire primary through high school program. She has been invited to speak nationally and internationally about the educational model she has created. Jody was also involved hands-on with the rescue and relocation of the wild mustangs of White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico to sanctuary in South Dakota in 1998 as covered by LIFE magazine. This began a decade long relationship of collaboration and respect with the Lakota people of Pine Ridge reservation. Jody is the originator and executive director of the Sunka Wakan Center and is currently working with an international team and Lakota members of Pine Ridge Reservation to create this program. This collaborative effort will include a K-12 Lakota International school which will be the first school of its kind—to combine premium international standard academics within a celebration of the Lakota Native American culture. The school also provides equine therapy and horsemanship cultural classes for the students and sustainability through ecotourism opportunities. A film production studio also was a part of the center, producing Hollywood caliber movies. This school addressed the dire educational situation on Pine Ridge reservation, empowering students out of poverty and providing a catalyst for change on the reservation. Profits from the movie, "West of Thunder" went to fund the creation of the school.
Indican Pictures
