Kathy Le Backes has been working at the intersection of entertainment and social impact for over 15 years. She is currently the Director of Content Advisement on the Representation, Inclusion Strategies + Engagement team at The Walt Disney Studios where she helps ensure cultural authenticity and inclusion in their feature films. Prior to joining Disney, she was the Senior Director of Equity + Inclusion at WarnerMedia where she helped develop and run talent development programs to discover, cultivate, and amplify underrepresented writers, directors, producers, and below-the-line talent across WarnerMedia's brands, such as HBO, Warner Bros, Turner, and CNN. Before that, Le Backes was the Vice President of Development & Research at Wise Entertainment where she oversaw the development of the company’s slate with a special focus on inclusive content and diverse storytellers. She also executed the integration of social issues into Wise Entertainment’s creative IPs, and cultivated relationships with non-profit and social justice organizations to bolster meaningful storytelling. While at Wise, Le Backes was a producer on three seasons of the six-time Emmy-nominated Hulu original drama, EAST LOS HIGH. She also produced over 100 short-form transmedia videos for EAST LOS HIGH and Hello Sunshine’s SHINE ON WITH REESE WITHERSPOON. 

Prior to joining Wise Entertainment, Le Backes served as the Digital Campaign Manager for the Entertainment Industry Foundation’s Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) program. In that role, she oversaw and produced multi-platform digital and social media campaigns to help raise awareness for cancer research. She also executed SU2C social impact campaigns with brands such as MasterCard, Major League Baseball, and Lucasfilm. Before her role at the EIF, Le Backes served as Program Manager at the USC Annenberg Norman Lear Center’s Hollywood, Health & Society program, where she worked closely with writers and producers from hit shows such as ER, GREY’S ANATOMY, BREAKING BAD, and LAW & ORDER: SVU to facilitate storylines that educate viewers on social issues.

Le Backes is a regular lecturer on entertainment and social justice at USC, UCLA and Mount Saint Mary’s University. She is also a board member of Asia Society Southern California, a faculty advisor for the RespectAbility Entertainment Lab, and on the leadership committee for the Yes, And… Laughter Lab. Le Backes holds an MPH degree from the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California and a BS in Biological Sciences from the University of California, Davis.