Melissa Silverstein is a writer and speaker with an extensive expertise in the area of women and Hollywood.

She is the founder and editor of Women and Hollywood, one of the most respected sites for issues related to women and film as well as other areas of pop culture.

Women and Hollywood educates, advocates, and agitates for gender parity across the entertainment industry.

She is the Artistic Director and co-founder of the Athena Film Festival — A Celebration of Women and Leadership — at Barnard College in NYC.

The fifth annual festival will take place from February 5-8, 2015. ^[1]