BTC ANNOUNCES 2026 GALA HONOREES
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, PLEASE
BTC
TO HONOR
TARAJI P. HENSON
THOMAS SCHUMACHER
SUSAN FALES-HILL
AND
JESSICA MATTEN/INDIGENOUS FILM ACADEMY
AT 3RD ANNUAL
“BUILDING THE CHANGE” GALA
IN NEW YORK CITY
ON MONDAY, MARCH 9, 2026
AT THE RAINBOW ROOM
TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW!
New York, NY (January 20, 2026) – Co-founders T. Oliver Reid, Warren Adams, and Reginald “Reggie” Van Lee, along with Board Members Aaliytha Stevens and Naila McKenzie, announced today that BTC will honor Academy Award-nominated Actor, Producer, Author Taraji P. Henson; Tony Award-winning Producer and Author Thomas Schumacher; Executive Producer, Writer and Arts Advocate Susan Fales-Hill; and President of 7 Forward Entertainment Jessica Matten/Indigenous Film Academy at its 3rd Annual “Building the Change” Gala on Monday, March 9 at the Rainbow Room (30 Rockefeller Plaza, 65th Floor). The annual event will celebrate entertainment professionals working in theater, film, television, cultural institutions, and music beginning with a 6:00pm cocktail hour, followed by a 7:00pm ET dinner and tribute.
For photos of the honorees, click here.
Tickets to the “Building the Change” Gala begin at $1,000. Visit the event page and purchase tickets at https://givebutter.com/BTC2026.
“BTC has placed 126 diverse individuals in Fellowships and Apprenticeships with leading Broadway Productions and arts organizations. There have been more than 2,000 applicants to date with those placements.
As we recently touched upon the milestone of five years of work and service to the entertainment industry, BTC is committed to continuing the work we and our partners set out to do, even in these harrowing times.
We stand firm in our mission to bring equity to the theater landscape and we are thrilled to honor these four trailblazing individuals this year for their humanity,” said the board of BTC.
With the blessing of the Boseman family, the Chadwick Boseman Change Maker Award will be presented to Academy Award-nominated actor, producer, #1 New York Times Best Selling author, mental health advocate, and entrepreneur, Taraji P. Henson. With a globally celebrated career that extends beyond the screen, she is making her on-stage Broadway debut with Cedric the Entertainer in the Debbie Allen directed Joe Turner’s Come and Gone this spring.
BTC will present the BTC Visionary Ally Award to Thomas Schumacher, who for more than three decades, has set standards of excellence in film, television, and theatre.
BTC is deeply honored, with permission of the Poitier and Belafonte families, to present the Poitier-Belafonte Award for Cultural Activism at this year’s gala to award-winning television writer/producer, author, and arts advocate, Susan Fales-Hill. This award was created in recognition of these two groundbreaking black artists and activists in the entertainment industry.
The Lynn Nottage Bold Beacon Award will be presented to trailblazing actress and producer, Jessica Matten/Indigenous Film Academy. For her, the spotlight is more than just a stage—it’s a platform for change.
To purchase tables or sponsor the event, please contact Dwight Johnson at info@dwightjohnsondesign.com or visit the event page to purchase tickets at: https://givebutter.com/BTC2026.
ABOUT BTC
BTC was founded by T. Oliver Reid and Warren Adams during the Summer of 2019. They identified the disparity between the growing inclusivity onstage, versus the almost non-existence of Black professionals off stage. They invited their colleague, Reggie Van Lee, to join them as Co-Founder in their march towards dismantling the systemically racist and biased ideology in the theatrical job space. BTC officially filed as a nonprofit 501(c)(3) in June of 2020.
BTC’s mission is to remove the “Illusion of Inclusion” in the American Theatre by removing barriers to access for those who have been historically marginalized and building a sustainable, ethical roadmap that will increase opportunities for the next generation of emerging talent.
For more information about BTC, visit their website https://buildingthechange.org/.
BIOGRAPHIES
Taraji P. Henson (Honoree) is an Academy Award-nominated actor, producer, #1 New York Times Best Selling author, mental health advocate, and entrepreneur with a globally celebrated career that extends beyond the screen.
Next up, Henson will make her on-stage Broadway debut with Cedric the Entertainer in the Debbie Allen directed Joe Turner’s Come and Gone. Her producorial efforts on the play, Jaja’s African Hair Braiding, earned her a Tony Award nomination for Best Play in 2024. Taraji has also signed a two-picture acting deal with Netflix. Later this year she will star in Netflix and Tyler Perry’s upcoming films Why Did I Get Married Again?, and ‘Tis So Sweet. Additionally, Taraji is executive producer of Netflix’s upcoming “Star Search” revival, premiering on January 20.
In June 2025, Henson starred in Tyler Perry’s Straw for Netflix, which debuted as the #1 film globally on Netflix with over 25 million views in its debut week, followed by an additional 48.9 million in its second week, making it both the biggest week this year for a movie and the biggest week for a 2025 launch on Netflix. Additional projects in 2025 include Apple TV+’s Number One on the Call Sheet, a two-part documentary that celebrates the achievements of Black actors in Hollywood, and CNN’s latest travel series “My Happy Place.”
Henson starred in Peacock’s 2024 limited series, “Fight Night,” which launched as the most watched premiere in Peacock history and the #1 original drama. The show earned the NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Limited Television (Series, Special or Movie), and Henson took home the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Television (Series, Special or Movie).
She quickly rose to fame with her breakout role in Hustle & Flow, earning a Screen Actors Guild nomination and a BET Award for Best Actress. She was most recently seen in the award-winning musical adaptation of The Color Purple, winning an NAACP Image Award and receiving a Screen Actors Guild ensemble nomination. Other film highlights include Hidden Figures, Acrimony, Proud Mary, Think Like a Man and Think Like a Man Too, Smokin’ Aces, No Good Deed, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
On television, she has garnered multiple Primetime Emmy Award nominations, most recently for her guest turn on “Abbott Elementary.” Previously, Henson won a Golden Globe Award, received multiple Emmy nominations, and became the first Black woman to win a Critics Choice Television Award in the Best Actress in a Drama Series category for her portrayal of “Cookie Lyon” on the smash hit series, “Empire.”
In June 2024, she released her #1 NY Times Best Selling, and NAACP Image Award Winning children’s book, You Can Be a Good Friend (No Matter What!). Henson also released her New York Times bestselling novel Around the Way Girl in October 2016.
In 2018, Henson created the Boris L. Henson Foundation, which exists to both normalize and improve access to mental health services for Black communities in hopes of eradicating the stigma around seeking help and support. Furthering her passion for creating and uplifting her community and beyond, Henson founded TPH by Taraji in 2020, an award-winning brand of inclusive, spa-inspired products. In 2024, Henson further expanded her business portfolio as the strategic advisor and creative collaborator for Seven Daughters Moscato. For Taraji, this collaboration is about more than wine; it’s about creating opportunities for magical moments of connection and lasting memories.
Thomas Schumacher (Honoree). For more than three decades, Thomas Schumacher has set standards of excellence in film, television, and theatre. He has overseen the development, creation and execution of The Walt Disney Company’s legitimate stage entertainment around the globe, including several versions of Beauty and the Beast, King David, The Lion King, Der Glöckner von Notre Dame, Elton John and Tim Rice’s Aida, Mary Poppins, On the Record, Tarzan™, High School Musical, The Little Mermaid, Peter and the Starcatcher, Newsies, Aladdin, Freaky Friday, Shakespeare in Love, Frozen, and Hercules.
With Music Theatre International, Schumacher created a program to license select Disney Theatrical titles for schools, amateur and professional theatres. This ongoing program has resulted in more than 500,000 performances around the world, reaching audiences exceeding 150 million.
Schumacher’s career at Disney began at Walt Disney Feature Animation, producing the animated classic The Rescuers Down Under. He was ultimately named President of the division and oversaw 21 animated features, including Lilo & Stitch, The Emperor’s New Groove, Tarzan, Treasure Planet, Mulan, Hercules, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Pocahontas, The Lion King, and The Nightmare Before Christmas. He worked closely with Pixar on their first five films, beginning with the Academy Award-winning film, Toy Story.
Additional film projects include serving as Producer of the in-cinema Fathom Events release of Newsies, as well as Executive Producer for the live-action remakes of Lilo & Stitch, The Lion King, and Beauty and the Beast, he also served as Executive Producer of the Disney Channel Original Movie Freaky Friday, and Frozen: The Hit Broadway Musical on Disney+.
Prior to joining Disney, he was associate director of the 1987 Los Angeles Festival of Arts, presenting the US premiere of Cirque du Soleil and the English-language premiere of Peter Brook’s epic The Mahabharata. Before that, he spent five years on staff at the Mark Taper Forum, served as a line producer on the 1984 Olympic Arts Festival, and was the assistant general manager of the Los Angeles Ballet.
Schumacher is the author (with Jeff Kurtti) of the book How Does the Show Go On? An Introduction to the Theater, released in three editions. He serves on the Broadway League’s Executive Committee and Board of Governors, as well as the Tony Administration Committee. He is co-chair of the National High School Musical Theatre Awards (The Jimmy Awards), and a member of the College of Fellows of the American Theatre. He is the former Executive Vice President of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and was a longtime trustee of the Entertainment Community Fund, now serving as a member of the Chairman’s Council. Schumacher previously served on the Board of Directors for Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, as a mentor for the TDF Open Doors program, and as an adjunct professor at Columbia University. He was the Chair of The Broadway League from 2017 to 2020.
Mr. Schumacher has been honored with the Tony Award for producing The Lion King, the UJA Federation Excellence in Theater Award, the Los Angeles LGBT Center Board of Directors Award, and has been honored by the Hotel Association of New York for his impact on tourism in New York City. He is a fourth generation Californian and graduate of the University of California Los Angeles.
When his departure from Disney Theatrical was announced, The Wrap observed, “He is truly one of the more unsung creative forces in the company’s history – a champion of art and culture in a place that was often overwhelmed by corporate initiatives and commercial concerns.” Deadline Hollywood declared, “Thomas Schumacher leaves an indelible mark on Broadway.”
Susan Fales-Hill (Honoree). Former Executive Producer/writer of HBO Max series, “And Just Like That,” Susan Fales-Hill attended the Lycée Français de New York and graduated with honors from Harvard College (AB ’84.) An award-winning television writer/producer, author and arts advocate, she began her career as a writer’s apprentice and “warm up” person on the original “Cosby Show.” After two years, she was transferred to its spin-off, “A Different World,” where she became one of Hollywood’s few female and youngest show runners. Under her leadership, the show received the Nancy Susan Reynolds Award, and was nominated for the NAACP Image Award, an Emmy (Diahann Carroll as guest star,) and received the prestigious Humanitas Prize. Other television credits include “Can’t Hurry Love” (which starred Mariska Hargitay of “Law & Order: SVU”), “Kirk,” “Suddenly Susan” (starring Brooke Shields), and Showtime’s “Linc’s,” which she co-created.
Ms. Fales-Hill is the author of four books, including a memoir, Always Wear Joy. Her articles have appeared in publications ranging from Essence, to Architectural Digest to Vogue to The New York Times. She’s a Contributing Editor at Town & Country.
Ms. Fales-Hill serves on the boards of St. Paul’s School, and as chair of American Ballet Theater’s Trustee Emeriti Council. She received the Melville Strauss Award, the organization’s highest honor. As Misty Copeland’s first sponsor in 2005, she helped launch and design the ballet company’s diversity effort, now named Project Rise. “The Wind at My Back,” which she co-wrote with Ms. Copeland, a memoir of the latter’s relationship with pathbreaking ballerina Raven Wilkinson was published in Fall 2022. In Fall 2025, she co-chaired ABT’s Misty Farewell Gala which raised nearly seven million dollars, a record at the organization, and in dance. Also in 2025, she was named to the Time One Hundred in Philanthropy and featured in Philanthropy Today for her work. She has served on the board of the Lycée Français de New York and as Vice Chair of her Harvard class reunions. From 2003-2006, she was an elected director of the Harvard Alumni Association. Susan is fluent in French and Italian. She lives in New York with her husband, Aaron Hill, (HBS’89) her daughter, Bristol Fales-Hill, (HC’25) and their lab/pit mix, Prince.
Jessica Matten (Honoree) is an Indigenous actress and producer who is of Red River Métis, Cree, Chinese, and European descent. For her, the spotlight is more than just a stage—it’s a platform for change.
Named one of Canada’s most promising talents by The Hollywood Reporter and praised for her powerful performances by The Globe and Mail, Jessica Matten has captivated global audiences in LeBron James’ Rez Ball, George R.R. Martin and Robert Redford’s “Dark Winds” (entering its fifth season, where she stars as ‘Bernadette Manuelito’), Jason Momoa’s “Frontier”, and the upcoming “Avatar: The Last Airbender” for Paramount Studios as ‘Katara.’
But Matten’s mission reaches far beyond the screen. As President of 7 Forward Entertainment and founder of one of North America’s first Indigenous Film Academy, she is actively reshaping the future of Indigenous representation in film and television. Whether funding grassroots film projects in remote communities, fighting for clean water access, or mentoring Indigenous youth, Matten is rewriting the script—both in Hollywood and in real life.
Through 7 Forward Entertainment, she produced the Native-led TV series “Tales from the Rez,” employing her own academy graduates immediately after finishing their training. These graduates entered union cast and crew roles, in an effort to create economic infrastructure and leadership opportunities on Native reserves where employment is scarce and living conditions are often third world. The series is currently streaming on AMC, debuting in the Top 10 on Amazon within its first few weeks. Her graduates have since secured internships on high-profile productions, including “Interview with the Vampire.”
Matten has funded programs for the Coalition to Stop Violence Against Native Women, helped build the Navajo Nation’s first all-matriarch skatepark, purchase over 5000 sneakers to the Navajo Nation, and supported hundreds across remote Indigenous communities through mental-health and fitness initiatives over the last 20 years in efforts to aid with suicide prevention and addictions. Her first documentary she produced with the Mohawk Nation, Boil Alert, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, spotlighting the lack of clean drinking water across Native reserves in North America.
In December 2024, she was honored alongside Olivia Davis, Ziggy Marley, and Jay Shetty with Variety’s First Faith & Spirituality Award. She also serves as the ambassador for the Dreamcatcher Gala, a Mohawk-led charity dedicated to empowering and uplifting Indigenous youth and was the recipient of the Arts & Culture Award in 2024.
Currently, Matten has partnered with the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA), Wings of America, Film Prize Junior, and AMC Networks to run her Indigenous Film Academy in 2026 out of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Utilizing studio facilities and industry partnerships, the program mentors four-year BFA Native students and places them as interns on “Dark Winds” Season 5, creating direct employment pathways for Indigenous youth.
At the center of her work is a soul mission: to be a bridge, a gate-opener, a system builder, a connector, and a catalyst for true change—transforming generational wounds into foundations of healing. Her purpose is to restore power, opportunity, and visibility by elevating the stories and communities that were never meant to be invisible.
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