Sonya Childress is a founding Co-Executive Director of Color Congress, an ecosystem-builder that resources, supports, and connects organizations led by people of color that serve nonfiction filmmakers, leaders, and audiences of color across the US and territories, with Sahar Driver. A veteran film strategist, she spent two decades devising impact campaigns and distribution strategies at Active Voice, California Newsreel and Firelight Media, where she piloted a fellowship for impact producers of color. As a Senior Fellow with the Perspective Fund, she examined issues of ethics, equity and accountability in the documentary field. She is a founding member of the Documentary Accountability Working Group, a board member of the Center for Cultural Power, a working group member for ‘The Lens Reflected’ study, a 2015 Rockwood JustFilms Fellow, a recipient of the 2022 Leading Light Award from Doc NYC, and a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences