WAM is led by artists, organizers, administrators, board members, and community collaborators committed to theatre as a force for equity and change.
Our team brings together artistic vision, nonprofit leadership, community care, and a shared belief in the power of storytelling to move people toward action.
The year-round team guiding WAM’s artistic, operational, community, and development work.
In 2010, co-founders Kristen van Ginhoven and Leigh Strimbeck read a book that changed everything: Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. The book made a simple, radical case—that unlocking women’s economic power could reshape the world. Van Ginhoven and Strimbeck saw an opening for theatre to become part of that work.
They didn’t wait for permission. They built WAM Theatre: a company where art and philanthropy are structurally inseparable, where every production channels resources, visibility, and power toward women and girls.
That founding belief hasn’t changed. It’s only grown more courageous and vital with time.
WAM’s board helps steward the organization’s mission, values, and long-term sustainability. Our board members support WAM’s ongoing work in artistic production, community engagement, fundraising, fiscal health, and accountability.
