Thomas-Whit Ellis. Is a professor of Theatre Arts at California State University, Fresno. He also serves as department chair of Africana Studies. Professor Ellis has directed dozens of plays for the University Theatre program including Native Son, Colored Girls and The Gospel at Colonus. He also directed numerous productions throughout the region including God’s Trombones at the Central California Women’s Facility, Chowchilla. He was appointed Fulbright Scholar at the National Taiwan University where he directed the university’s first main stage production, David Henry Hwang’s Golden Child, (performed in English and Mandarin). Other international credits include El Hajj Malik at the National Theatre of Nigeria, Lagos and Death and the Maiden, Van Troi Theatre, Santiago de Cuba, Cuba. He has appeared in several movies and is an active member of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Radio and Television Artists. He currently serves on the boards of The Fresno Arts Council, Valley Public TV Community Advisory, Arte Americas, and The William James Association, Santa Cruz.