Salli Richardson-Whitfield is an industry veteran of over 30 years. She is featured in over 20 major motion pictures and has starred opposite a number of Hollywood’s top actors, including Samuel L. Jackson in THE GREAT WHITE HYPE, Denzel Washington in ANTWONE FISHER, and Will Smith in I AM LEGEND. She is best known for starring in the SYFY network’s hit series EUREKA as well as three seasons of STITCHERS on FREEFORM.
Salli has also burst on to the scene as an important director. With two episodes of EUREKA, she focused on launching a career in directing which lead to two back to back episodes of Ava DuVernay’s QUEEN SUGAR for OWN. Her now incredibly extensive directing resume includes such shows as ABC's SCANDAL, Netflix's LUKE CAGE, FREEFORM’S STITCHERS, FOX's LETHAL WEAPON, STARZ SURVIVOR'S REMORSE, FREEFORM’S SHADOWHUNTERS, NETFLIX DEAR WHITE PEOPLE, WGN's UNDERGROUND, BET's REBEL, SYFY’S THE MAGICIANS, STAR for FOX, NBC’S CHICAGO MED, and ABC’S AGENTS OF SHIELD.
In her spare time, Salli is a wife and mother who participates in countless charitable and philanthropic events, including The K.I.S. foundation. Moderated by Dr. Krystal Banfield, Vice President, Education Outreach and Social Entrepreneurship at Berklee, Salli will detail her artistic approach, the pivot from acting to directing, and the ways in which her identities have impacted her artistry. She will candidly discuss lessons she's learned as a Black woman in the television and film industry.