Leadership

Amy Tai (President)
is an educator, musician, peer counseling teacher, community organizer, climate change activist and  mother of a home schooled son.  She currently teaches violin at the Suzuki School of Newton.

Tonia Pinheiro (Treasurer)
is founder of Wake Up! Works, Iseeu Theater, is an improvisational singer and actor, and a trainer of diverse groups in improv, Playback, and cultural skills development. She moderates an international affinity group of BIPOC Playback Theatre practitioners. Tonia has more than 35 years experience in organizational management, human resources, the study of the human condition, and interpersonal communications.

Max Roberts-Zirker (Clerk)
is the Director of Shambhala Boston where he is a teacher in the Shambhala Buddhist tradition.  He ​h​elps to lead conversations about the intersections of identity and spiritual life. He has a background in arts and non-profit administration

Christopher Ellinger (Executive Director)
is the founding director of True Story Theater, a trainer, presenter and award-winning author.

Barbara Baker
is the TRiO Student Services Support Program Director at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts.  She is producer and writer of Ocean’s Awakenings, a film project through the lens of a colon cancer survivor.

Cat Gilliam
provides experiential trainings in Compassionate Communication (NVC) that are infused with the light and spirit of Anthroposophy and the embodied joy of Playback Theatre and improv.

Maria Tereza Schaedler-Luera
is a Brazilian-born teaching artist and consultant with extensive work experience and knowledge in theater, music, arts and literacy, and cross-cultural engagement.