Our Team

David Dodson is an award-winning film editor and director. Dodson directed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in three feature films, including “Me You He She,” the most successful movie in the history of cinema in independent Ukraine. As an editor, Dodson has been nominated for an MTV VMA award and edited a wide variety of films, from low-budget indies to large budget studio features. He recently edited “About Fate,” a RomCom starring Emma Roberts and Thomas Mann that is the #1 most-streamed film of the past three holiday seasons. Dodson’s extensive history working and living in both Russia and Ukraine, as well as his Ukrainian family through marriage, has given him a unique relationship and perspective on Ukraine. Dodson has appeared on Ari Melber’s MSNBC show, BBC World News, BBC Radio, Al Jazeera, the national broadcasting systems of Demark, Poland, Australia, and many more.

Born and raised in Rivne, Ukraine, Papach received her Master’s degree from the prestigious Kyiv-Mohyla Academy in Kyiv. Papach worked for many years in the Ukrainian film industry including co-producing Kvartal 95’s feature “Me You He She” for Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Now living in the U.S. with her husband, David Dodson, Papach works at Los Angeles-based non-profit New Horizons providing services to the neurodiverse community. Papach also devotes time to fundraising and procurement of essential gear needed by Ukrainian front-line units. She has recently coordinated the collection and distribution of more than 20 tons of English-language games and educational materials to hundreds of Ukrainian schools and youth centers.

Howard McCain is a writer/director of big-budget, science-fiction/action-adventure films such as “Outlander”, starring Jim Caviezel, John Hurt, and Ron Pearlman; and has written on franchise films like “Underworld,” “Conan”, and “Transformers.” Howard has also taught graduate and undergraduate levels courses in directing, screenwriting, and producing at the University of Miami, and is currently the executive director of Bradley University’s Hollywood Semester program in Los Angeles. 

Dmytro Lubinets is the appointed Ombudsman for the Ukrainian Parliamentary Commission on Human Rights. Charged with overseeing implementation of Paragraph Four of the Presidential Peace Formula, Lubinets leads the effort to locate and return Ukrainian children kidnapped by the Russian Federation during the course of Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. As the only person in Ukraine authorized to conduct negotiations to return Ukrainian children, Lubinets’ purview extends to POWs, civil and political rights, child rights, rights of military personnel and police officers, and international cooperation.

Denys Kaplunov oversees the Commission on Human Rights’ OSINT development team. He is a specialist in public administration, reforms, and international best practices, and has been a key member of projects supported by the European Commission aimed at developing and strengthening state institutions. Kaplunov is on the Faculty of Economics and Law at Donetsk National University. Kaplunov is an advisor to Dmytro Lubinets, the Ukrainian Parliamentary Commission for Human Rights.

As the founder of Dutchess Management, Caplan leads a strategic advisory firm dedicated to helping clients navigate complex business challenges and promoting social good through philanthropic ventures. As Co-Chairman of Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP, he led the private equity practice and built one of the largest private equity practices in the world. Caplan was the Editor of the Fordham Law Review and received the 2016 Louis J. Lefkowitz Public Service Award from Fordham Law School. Gordon also serves as a voice for criminal justice reform, spearheading the Prison Visitation Fund (prisonvisitationfund.org), a non-profit dedicated to keeping families together during a loved one’s period of incarceration.