Leslie Kelen: Executive Director

Leslie Kelen was born in Budapest, Hungary and emigrated to the United States in 1959 with his parents, grandmother, and younger sister. He received a BA in Mathematics from Lehman College in the Bronx and an MA in Creative Writing from the City College of New York. Kelen started working on documentary-style projects in the late 1970s. In 1983, he co-founded the Oral History Institute, which became the Center for Documentary Arts in 2000. He is the co-author of five books and two chapbooks of poetry, including Missing Stories: An Oral History of Ethnic and Minority Groups in Utah (1996), Sacred Images: A Vision of Native American Rock Art (1996), and Faces and Voices of Refugee Youth (2002). In July 2003, together with his wife, received the National Education Association’s Applegate-Dorros Peace and International Understanding Award.

Kent Miles: Coordinator of Exhibits and Collections

Kent Miles is a native of Salt Lake City. After attending the University of Utah, he graduated from the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles. He has worked with the CDA for more than 20 years and was a principal contributor to many CDA exhibit and book projects, including The Other Utahns: A Photographic Portfolio (1988), Missing Stories: An Oral History of Ethnic and Minority Groups in Utah (1996), and Streaked with Light and Shadow: Portraits Of Former Soviet Jews in Utah (2000). Kent was the exclusive photographer on Faces and Voices of Refugee Youth (2002). In 1987 he was selected as one of the “Top One Hundred New [American] Photographers” by Photography’s Annual Awards in New York City, sponsored by Eastman Kodak and Maine Photographic Workshops, and was a regional finalist in the Leica Medal of Excellence awards. He taught business practices in photography at Brigham Young University from 1994 until 2006.

Doris M. Mason, LCSW: Assistant to the Director

Doris Mason is a clinical social worker whose interest in documentary arts developed as an undergraduate from studying at different campuses and becoming acquainted with people from many nations. She earned a BA in Russian language and literature in 1975 and a Master’s in Social Work (MSW) degree in 1978 from the University of Utah. Mason chaired the task force that helped establish Lutheran Social Service of Utah and is currently a board member of the CDA.

Mary Lee Peters: Development Coordinator

Mary Lee Peters is the CDA’s development coordinator. She taught visual arts to elementary students in the Madison, Wisconsin, public schools for 15 years and also supervised student teachers and taught art education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is the former executive director of the Riverside (California) Arts Council, a position she held for nine years before returning to Salt Lake City to join family here. Mary Lee served as director of the Salt Lake City Arts Council for five years, and she is a board member of Friends of Gilgal Garden and Tree Utah. Her multi-tasking work in the art world prepared her for development work with the CDA.

Justina Parsons-Bernstein: Photo Researcher

Justina Parsons-Bernstein has a BA in history and American Studies from the University of Oregon, an MA in history from New Mexico State University and a PhD in history from Rutgers University. Her studies include the history of the American West, environmental history, women’s history, labor history, indigenous history, global history and the history of technology. She has worked for an array of educational institutions, history-related entities and nonprofit organizations in New Mexico, Colorado, Oregon, Arizona, New Jersey and Utah. Before joining the CDA, she was the executive director of Tree Utah.