Kate Alexander- FST Associate Director At-Large, Forums Director

An actress, director and educator, KATE ALEXANDER has been creating theatre for over 30 years with hundreds of productions to her credit, many regional or world premieres. BroadwayWorld said, “Watching Kate Alexander perform is like having a masterclass in acting.” She recently directed A Tailor Near Me and Bad Books. Kate founded the FST theatre school whose mission and training are cultivated from her passion for “truth on stage.” She has also developed theatre programs in Russia, Scotland, and Israel. Committed to social change, Kate created a city-wide dialogue on race about which Rex Ellis of the Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture noted, “You are on the pulse of our collective anxiety.” She is the recipient of numerous civic and artistic awards. The 3rd edition of her coauthored book is due out in 2027.

Renee James Gilmore -ABC 7 Executive Producer, Host of Empowering Voices

RENÉE JAMES GILMORE is the executive producer and host of ABC7’s Empowering Voices. The public affairs television program explores issues of interest to communities of people who are underrepresented, marginalized, and whose concerns are nearly invisible to privileged Americans. Social justice and economic empowerment are frequent themes on her show and often the show’s guests risk reprisal for speaking truth to power. She is a fourth generation Sarasotan and the owner of a consulting firm.

Michael Tucker – Playwright of A Tailor Near Me

MICHAEL TUCKER is a veteran stage and screen actor best known for his eight years as Stuart Markowitz on L.A. Law, earning three Emmy and two Golden Globe nominations. His career spans Broadway, film, and television, with notable credits including Radio Days, The Purple Rose of Cairo, Diner, Tin Men, An Unmarried Woman, and A Night Full of Rain. He frequently collaborates with his wife, Jill Eikenberry, on stage and screen, and together they produced the PBS documentary Emile Norman – By His Own Design. Michael is also an author of memoirs, a cookbook, a novel, and several produced plays, including The “M” Spot, Fern Hill, and A Tailor Near Me. His additional works include The Nice Man Cometh, Cancelled, Mandy, and Killerman.

Jill Eikenberry – Actress

Jill Eikenberry is a renowned film, stage, and television actress - a five-time Emmy Award and four-time Golden Globe Award nominee, nominee for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical in 2011 for her role in The Kid, and winner of the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Drama Series in 1989. She studied anthropology at Barnard College before pivoting to acting and studying at the Yale School of Drama. Jill remains an activist for breast cancer research and early detection after beating her own battle with breast cancer. Her efforts have been recognized with awards and commendations and both she and Michael have been official spokespersons for the Susan G. Komen Foundation. She has since been inducted into the Cancer Survivors' Hall of Fame.