Balancing her accomplished careers in the entertainment and corporate industries for nearly three decades, Moneca S. Reid demonstrates passionate leadership as the director of operations for the Peachtree Village International Film Festival, an Atlanta-based event that celebrates global film, culture, and creativity. In this role since 2016, she wields her strong work ethic, organizational skills, and love of community and people to run the festival, including handling logistics, serving as a correspondent, conducting Q&A’s with filmmakers and artists, and overall ensuring that the vision and legacy of the festival’s co-founders, Len Gibson and James J.B. Brown, are maintained. She has also been at the forefront of building intern and volunteer programs within the organization and advising on similar initiatives for outside festivals, helping a pool of young talent develop their skills and gain valuable work experience, which stands among her proudest accomplishments.
Over the course of her career, Ms. Reid has also established herself in the financial industry as an exceptional manager of accounts, billing, and collections for several companies. Since she began at the film festival, she has been active as a commercial collections specialist with The Intersect Group and an accounts receivable specialist with the law firms Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete LLP and, most recently, Weinberg, Wheeler, Hudgins, Gunn & Dial, LLC. Proactive and always dedicated to delivering high-quality work, her reputation across businesses has been equally marked by her upbeat friendliness and infectious energy as a team leader and employee.
Born and raised in Chicago, Ms. Reid’s supportive and impactful family set the foundation for her personal and professional success. Her parents, both of whom participated in marches with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Rev. Jesse Jackson, served as highly influential throughout her formative years, shaping her strong sense of civic responsibility, communal involvement, and love for the arts. Through her churchgoing family, who, collectively, had more than 75 years of experience in the world of gospel music, she began performing and recording it professionally at just 14, leading later to R&B. She ultimately ventured into acting and expanded her career into stage plays and independent films, later finding success as a plus-size print model, makeup artist, and casting director.
At the outset of her professional journey in the early 2000s, Ms. Reid displayed commitment and drive within her two main fields of focus. From 2000 to 2005, she began her career as a commercial collections specialist for xpedx, developing her eventual expertise in collecting outstanding debts and working closely with major companies and small businesses. Alongside these responsibilities, she launched her own business, JUS 4 ENTERTAINMENT, through which she utilized all her artistic talent—from acting and singing to casting and makeup work to directing and producing—for more than a decade. Her extensive work history also includes time as a collections manager for Streaming Faith, a strategic manager for faith at Piksel Inc., and an office manager and bookkeeper at Qualitek Solution.
Dedicated to improving her skills and expanding her talents, Ms. Reid bolstered her credentials by earning a Bachelor of Science in social sciences from Northeastern Illinois University in 2009. In the midst of her studies, she was involved in the institution’s Black Heritage Club and served as junior adviser, vice president, and president of the Black Heritage Gospel Choir, as well as the vice president of student activities and student finance. Moreover, she has long been active in such professional organizations as the American Business Women’s Association and the National Council of Negro Women. As a further testament to her strong commitment to civic engagement, she was a field organizer for President Barack Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign, for which she hosted community and faith-based events and drives to canvass and secure voter registration.
Anticipating the future, Ms. Reid envisions her retirement from corporate America within the next five to 10 years. While continuing her work in the entertainment sector, she strives to work more intimately with social issues that affect communities, and eventually become an international activist, expanding on the work she has done at the local level. With four children and six grandchildren, she enjoys spending time with her family and an active lifestyle that includes traveling, swimming, reading, writing, and trying new foods.