Rea Tajiri is a Philadelphia-based documentary filmmaker and interdisciplinary artist, whose critically acclaimed career spans over 35 years. Poetic, subtly layered and politically engaged, her work advances the exploration of forgotten histories, multi-generational memory, landscape and the lives of Nikkei. Tajiri is a 2025 Guggenheim Fellow, 2025 USA Artist Fellow and Professor in the Film Media Arts Department at Temple University where she teaches documentary filmmaking.

Peggy Du serves as the Executive Director and Accounting Manager of the Association of Chinese Americans (ACA), where she leads initiatives that promote cultural understanding and community engagement. She holds a Master of Business Administration in Global Leadership from Cleary University and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a focus in Accounting from Wayne State University.

Recognized for her impactful contributions, Peggy was honored as a “Game Changer” during the 2022 Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month by the Detroit Tigers, Red Wings, and Comerica Bank. Her leadership and dedication have also earned her a place in the Oakland County 40 Under 40 Class of 2024.

Shaista S Kazmi founded Apna Ghar LLC, the first care giving agency in Michigan providing care to seniors for the south Asian community. in 2023, Sukoon Care LLC acquired Apna Ghar. Shaista continues support Sukoon’s Care’s purpose of offering quality care at affordable prices so our loved ones could age-in-place with dignity and respect.

Mrs. Kazmi has trained women from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, recent refugees and women who are victims of domestic violence to become nursing aides and home health aides in the community. 

Shaista Kazmi holds a BA degree from Michigan State University in English literature and a post-baccalaureate from Harvard in medical sciences. She attended Kigezi International School of Medicine in Uganda with emphasis on practicing medicine in underserved countries and war-torn areas. She served as a clinical research assistant in neurosciences at providence hospital.

Mrs. Kazmi has been an invited guest on many podcasts featured in multiple magazines and most recently an interview with the Public Broadcasting Services (PBS).

Dr. Tanav Popli is a neurologist specializing in cognitive and behavioral neurology, with a particular focus on neurodegenerative disease. His clinical and research interests center on focal cognitive dysfunction, especially neurodegenerative speech and language disorders. His current research explores the functional network basis of focal neurodegenerative dysfunction, including the neural correlates of speech and language function, the use of structural and functional neuroimaging as predictive diagnostic and outcome tools in neurodegenerative dementias, and non-pharmacologic approaches to enhancing cognitive and language function, such as impairment-oriented behavioral therapies and non-invasive brain stimulation.

Bill has produced, written, directed and lensed local, regional and national documentaries for broadcast since the 1980s. His national projects include co-producing the Dupont Columbia Journalism award-winning “Beyond the Light Switch” series for Detroit PBS.

He directed the PBS documentary “The Ethanol Effect” for Detroit PBS. With his production company KDN Films, he directed “Lustron: The House America’s Been Waiting For” working with Ohio State University Public Television and the primetime national network broadcast of “Most Honorable Son” presented by PBS and NET Nebraska.

His work has also appeared on PBS News Hour, ABC News, CBS News and ESPN. He’s worked as a producer, photographer, on-air reporter and news assignment manager for television stations in Lansing, Flint and Detroit. He’s currently working on short films looking at the major issues facing Detroit.