When being introduced at the Arts Education Partnership Annual Convening to share her research on the benefits of theatre education, Julane (she/her) was described as a “magical unicorn, both a theatre and education professional, with research and organization skills, and a logical mind who can show others what is possible.” A fierce advocate for theatre education, she has dedicated her 20-year career to uplifting the lives of children and families.

From 2019-2025 Julane led classes and camps for youth and teens in the Capitol Hill neighborhood as the Associate Director of Learning for Shakespeare Theatre Company (STC). Under her leadership classes grew an additional 100 registrations per year, and Camp Shakespeare 2024 was the largest in STC’s history. She also mentored over 30 volunteer high school and college students.

Prior to STC Julane was the Associate Artistic Director for Commonwealth Theatre Center (now merged with StageOne) where she directed over 20 productions. From 2017-2019 she served as the Drama Chair for Kentucky’s Governor’s School for the Arts. She currently teaches performance classes for PreK-6 grades at Pinecrest School in Virginia. Julane is a proud military spouse, mom of two boys, and driven problem-solver who aspires to unite communities through theatre.

Jen (she/her) is a director, actor, singer, and overall creator. Originally from New Jersey, she is now a Capitol Hill resident and considers the DMV home. After finishing a Directing Fellowship with Shakespeare Theatre Company in 2021, Jen joined the Learning staff (creating a workshop for Patrick Page’s All The Devils Are Here), became a Teaching Artist (also with Theater J), and served as the Young Performer Supervisor for Evita, The Jungle, Once Upon A One More Time, and Our Town.

Directing credits include Safe Hands: A New Musical (Off-Broadway-SheNYC), Drown The Muse (Capital Fringe), Finding Nemo Jr. (Murch Elementary), a reading of Stop and Think, Please (Mosaic Theatre Company), and a reading of Stef and Arno (Spooky Action Theater). Jen was also the Associate Director for Over Her Dead Body (dir. Kevin Place) at Edinburgh Festival Fringe, a workshop of Postmortem (dir. Sheryl Kaller) at Mosaic, Cabaret (dir. Jenna Place) at Montgomery College Dinner Theatre, and the premiere of The Chameleon (dir. Ellie Heyman) at Theater J.

She graduated with a BA in Drama and History (Honors) from Vassar College, and completed LAMDA’s Classical Acting Semester Program and New York Stage and Film’s Powerhouse Summer Training Program in Directing.

Patti (she/her) is an experienced non-profit leader, theater director, and teaching artist. Patti is a co-founder and served as the Founding Executive Director for ArtStream from 2005 to 2014, and as the Artistic Director from 2014 to 2015. She also served as the Interim Executive Artistic Director from February to September 2024. She is currently the Founding Executive Director/ Advisor for ArtStream.

She has taught drama at the Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Educational Theatre Company, Theatre Lab, CHAW, Imagination Stage and several other theater and education programs in the DMV. She has also directed, written or choreographed over 50 plays and is a Registered Drama Therapist (RDT).

She received the Community Award from Montgomery County Executive’s Award for Excellence in the Arts and Humanities in 2013, the Bank of America’s local hero award for Washington D.C. area in October 2009 and the EP Maxwell Schleifer Distinguished Service Award from EP Global Communications, Inc., publisher of Exceptional Parent magazine for advocacy on behalf of people living with disabilities in June 2008.

Raine (they/them) is an educator, director, and theatremaker. They recently served as the Lead Drama Teacher at Two Rivers Public Charter School in Washington, DC where they taught performance and arts integration classes for grades 2-5. Raine holds a BFA in Theatre from The University of Utah and an MA in Theatre Education from The Catholic University of America. They were born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah and relocated to the DMV in 2019 to work as the Education Apprentice for Olney Theatre Center. They also worked as the Learning Programs Manager for Shakespeare Theatre Company where they taught young people ages 6-18 in camps, classes, and in-school workshops and residencies. Raine has also worked as a Teaching Artist for Lexington Children’s Theatre, Imagination Stage, BlackRock Center for the Performing Arts, Alexandria Children’s Theatre, and University of Utah Youth Theatre. Learn more about Raine.

Scean (he/him) is an actor and teaching artist based in Washington, DC. He works with ages 3–5 through creative drama, storytelling, mime and pantomime, and movement, using arts integration to support social-emotional learning and classroom curricula.

Scean has taught with organizations including the Wolf Trap Foundation for Early Childhood Education, ArtStream Inc., and Signature Theatre. His work emphasizes imaginative play, emotional expression, and embodied storytelling within inclusive, developmentally appropriate learning environments.

In addition to his work in arts education, Scean is a standardized patient, using performance skills to support medical education and clinical training. He has experience with learners across a wide range of ages and abilities.

Wonnie Kim (she/her) is a theater producer, educator, and artist raised by the vibrant D.C. theatre community. She is a graduate of Georgetown University, where she studied Healthcare Policy and Classics. Her interdisciplinary studies culminated in her department’s first theater studies thesis. As an advocate for theater as care, Wonnie serves as an Associate Director for The Art of Care Initiative at The Laboratory for Global Performance & Politics. She also serves as the Artistic Producing Lead of HEART: DMV AAPI Theatre Alliance.

As an educator, Wonnie prioritizes inclusivity, practices empathy, and celebrates bold choices. She discovered her love for teaching at Holy Trinity School as an Aftercare Teacher and Art Assistant. At Shakespeare Theatre Company, she grew from a Student Teaching Artist, to a Learning Apprentice, to a Teaching Artist. Currently, she is a Community Engagement Fellow at Arena Stage, in the Learning Division. 

Ryan (he/him) is an actor, director, and teaching artist with over 15 years of experience working with students of all ages. Select acting credits include playing Hamlet twice; King Lear (w/Patrick Page), Much Ado About Nothing (dir. Simon Godwin), Our Town, and The Merchant of Venice at Shakespeare Theatre Company; the world premiere of Ken Ludwig’s Death on the Nile at Arena Stage; Twelfth Night at Shakespeare’s Globe; One Life to Live and his created web series A Day Late and Ten Pounds Overweight (Top Indie Film Awards).

As a teaching artist, Ryan emphasizes collaboration, storytelling, and building confidence through play and ensemble-based practice. He has taught with Shakespeare Theatre Company, Young Artists of America, National Conservatory for the Dramatic Arts, Arena Stage, PlayDay (NY), coLAB Arts, George Washington University, Rutgers University, PA Shakespeare Festival, and StoryTellers Theater Arts. He holds a BFA from Rutgers (Mason Gross School of the Arts) and an MFA from STC/GWU.

Taylor (he/him) is an actor, stage manager, and arts administrator from the DMV area. He’s performed throughout the East Coast with Shakespeare Theatre Company, Imagination Stage, 1st Stage, Rorschach Theatre, and Lost Nation Theatre. He received his BFA in Acting from Shenandoah Conservatory and has worked as a Teaching Artist for the past five years with Shakespeare Theatre Company, Signature Theatre, Levine Music, and Baltimore Shakespeare Factory. At these companies, Taylor has experienced the joy of working with students ages 6-18, exploring lessons on performance, stage management, combat, and design at DMV schools and theatres.

Eliseo Valerio (he/him) is a theatre educator specializing in language development through performance. He has previously done education work at the Alley Theatre, the New Victory Theater, Second Stage, Shakespeare Theatre Company, and in Mexico as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant. Eliseo is currently an elementary school Spanish teacher in Washington, D.C. and is the founder of Playlabras, a theatre-based language and literacy program for multilingual learners. He is also a member of the BIPOC Critics Lab through the Public Theater. He holds a BA in Theater and Performance Studies with Honors from Stanford University and an M.S.Ed from the University of Pennsylvania. 

Born and raised in the diversely rich community of Oakland, California, Malkia (she/her) found her purpose of helping to illuminate the lives of others. With over 14 years of experience working with non-profit organizations and educational institutions, Malkia discovered that she could deeply and intuitively understand individuals. This inherently gave her opportunities to educate and work congruently with a variety of populations. With her passion for serving people in human-centric ways, over the last few years she has been serving purpose-driven organizations and individuals with consulting and coaching services. With the desire to create socially responsible entities, in 2019, Malkia went and completed her master’s degree in Industrial and Organizational Psychology. She discovered that her unique talents in strategic and forward-thinking would be most impactful through starting her organization M.CHIO. 

In 2023, Malkia relocated to Washington, DC to deepen her impact by supporting people in the district. Malkia desires to transform the lives of the people she works with, to empower them to shift their corners of the world. 

Hayley (she/her), is a choreographer, performer, curator, dance educator and founder working at the intersection of experimental art and community practice. She is the Founding Artistic Director of darlingdance, a dance company in its fifteenth season, and a retired arts educator who has served populations across the DMV including university dance majors, youth in transitional housing, and adults with intellectual disabilities. Currently, Hayley serves as the Associate Artistic Director of ArtStream, Inc. Hayley’s various roles within the field converge around the concept of the archival body, with an emphasis on organic storytelling that is accessible for all bodies and art makers.

Hayley is an eight-time recipient of the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities’ Artist Fellowship grant, a five-time recipient of a DCCAH PEF grant, and a 202Creates Residency alum. She received an MFA in Dance and a dual BA in Dance and Human Services from The George Washington University, and a postgraduate diploma from Trinity Laban Conservatoire (UK).

Recent artistic projects include the premiere of her latest work at the Kreeger Museum (2025), a research residency with Washington Project for the Arts (2024), a National Gallery of Art presentation commission (2023), and a Kennedy Center presentation commission (2022).

Joan (she/her) is a life-long devotee of the theater beginning with her first job as a teenager in the box office of the Tyrone Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It was there she was exposed to professional theater at its best. A few years later, Joan worked at Children’s Theatre Company, also located in Minneapolis where she witnessed firsthand the positive impact of theater in the lives of children. After moving back to her hometown of Washington, DC, Joan worked for the National Endowment for the Arts and then the United States Senate. Retiring in 2013, she studied acting and became active in community theater in the DMV.

Joan brings an array of skills to the board of NCT including administrative expertise, financial management, and issue advocacy. She has a passion for theater and a firm belief in the unique ability of theater education to develop not only children’s intellectual skills but also the emotional attributes of empathy and collaboration urgently needed in today’s society.

As a grandmother of four, she has made it a priority to introduce her grandchildren to theater and is delighted that a grandson has begun taking classes with National Children’s Theatre. Joan’s goal on the board is to help NCT make theater education available to all young people.

Linda (she/her) is a seasoned legal services professional with more than 20 years of experience in law firms and in-house legal departments, supporting public and private global corporations on governance, compliance, and organizational structure. Skilled in supporting boards, executives, and cross-functional teams, she provides practical legal solutions on governance frameworks, reporting obligations, and corporate structure. Recognized for her strong attention to detail, risk oversight, and collaborative approach, Linda brings expertise that strengthens the sustainability and effectiveness of the organizations she serves.

Beyond her professional work, Linda is a dedicated parent and active PTA leader who has championed the revival of their local elementary school’s theatre program. She is a passionate advocate for the performing arts, believing in their unique power to foster creativity, confidence, and community in children. Linda is honored to bring both her professional expertise and personal passion to her role on the board of National Children’s Theatre.

Sarah (she/her) is an accomplished senior leader known for fostering high-performing teams and delivering measurable results across multi-billion-dollar portfolios. Currently, Sarah serves as the Director of the Enterprise Planning, Performance, and Evaluation Division at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Bureau of the Fiscal Service, where she has held various roles since 2008. As Director of the Payment Integrity Center of Excellence (2021–2023), Sarah’s leadership helped prevent over $800 million in improper payments and earned her team the 2022 Service to the Citizen Award for excellence in delivering service to the public. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Sarah managed the $24 billion Economic Impact Payment (EIP) Card Program, providing over 16 million debit cards to taxpayers.

Growing up in Alexandria, Virginia, Sarah fell in love with theatre at an early age when her godfather took her to see A Midsummer Night’s Dream as part of Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Free For All program. She has since shared this passion with her son, who participates in National Children’s Theatre’s classes. Witnessing his joy and commitment has reaffirmed her belief that early exposure to the arts supports a child’s mental, physical, and emotional development, and strengthens their sense of belonging and empathy.

Thalia (she/her) is a former professional actress, dancer, and lifelong theatre nerd. She is currently an associate professor and director of the Applied Developmental Psychology program at George Mason University, where she directs the Play, Learning, Arts and Youth Lab (PLAYlab), and codirects the Mason Arts Research Center (MasonARC).

Her work has been funded by the National Science Foundation, The John Templeton Foundation, Arts Connection, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the American Psychological Foundation, among others. With her students and colleagues, she has published more than 70 papers on the effects of pretend play, imagination, theatre, and other art forms (dance, marching arts, video games, literature) on child and adolescent development. She earned her BA at Cornell University, her MA and PhD at Boston College, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Yale University.

Since 2017 she has been the coeditor of the journal Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, the Division 10 journal for the American Psychological Association, where she has won several awards and was named a fellow. She lives outside of Washington, DC with her family.