leadership

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The Inkwell proudly introduces our Board of Directors.

Manny Strauss, Board Chair

theatreWashington

Manny Strauss has been a resident of the Washington area since 1988. From 2003-2007, he co-published Washington Theater Review with Betsy Karmin. In addition to serving as Chairman of the Board of Directors for The Inkwell, Manny currently is Special Advisor to the President of theatreWashington and Managing Editor of theatreWashington.org.  He previously served as a Trustee at Round House Theatre, a member of Theater J's Council, and a member of the Board of Act Two Performing Arts (now Act Two @ Levine).

Manny has been a securities lawyer for more than twenty-five years, having practiced with global law firms, in large public companies, and at the Securities and Exchange Commission. He is a graduate of Cornell University (B.A.) and the Cornell Law School where he was a member of the Cornell Law Review.

Read Manny's thoughts about recasting the audience in new play development here.

Sheila Hennessey

Higher Talent, Inc.

Professional Actress

Sheila Hennessey is a professional actress in the Washington, DC area, appearing onstage with various local companies, and in film and television roles with productions that include HBO’s The Wire and Homicide: Life on the Street.  She earned her Master of Fine Arts degree in classical acting at the Shakespeare Theater’s Academy for Classical Acting at the George Washington University.  Working on the other side of the camera, she was Associate Producer for the documentary film Rediscovering Alexander Hamilton, which aired nationally on PBS in 2011, as well as a development consultant for a variety of documentary projects for Manifold Productions, Inc.

Sheila is an executive search consultant with Higher Talent, Inc., a national executive search firm specializing in the recruitment of senior executives for nonprofit organizations and higher educational institutions, focusing primarily on positions within fundraising and advancement.  Earlier in her career, she served as executive director of a nonprofit association overseeing downtown revitalization efforts, was an associate consultant with the strategic consulting firm Bain & Company, and spent several years in public relations and corporate communications.  She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Earth Resources from Stanford University.

Sara Jaffe

Community Foundation of Northern Virginia

Sara P. Jaffe joined the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia as its new Vice President in March, 2011. Sara provides leadership to the staff and runs day-to-day operations, marketing and public relations, donor relations and strategic engagement. The Community Foundation for Northern Virginia works to grow philanthropy to help meet the most critical needs of our region. During FY 2010, the Community Foundation awarded $4 million in grants to nonprofits and interfaith groups, awarded $130,000 in scholarships, and reported approximately $28 million in managed assets for grant making.

Sara brings 16 years of leadership experience, most recently leading development activities at Signature Theatre, a Tony® Award winning national theatre company based in Arlington, Virginia. During her nine-year tenure at Signature, she raised more than $30 million in operating and capital campaign funds to build a new state of the art performing arts center in Shirlington Village, building relationships with the philanthropic community including individuals, corporations, foundations, and volunteers.

Sara is a graduate of The Hockaday School in Dallas, Texas, and received her BA with High Honors in Theatre and Dance from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. A member of Leadership Arlington Class of 2006, Sara has served on the Professionals Board of Planned Parenthood Metro Washington and is currently on the Steering Committee for Washington Project for the Arts’ Gala. Sara lives in Arlington, Virginia with her husband David Ostroff, an Interactive Art Director and Graphic Designer, and Hannah, their 17 month old daughter.

Simone Wu

Choice Hotels International, Inc.

Simone Wu serves as senior vice president, general counsel, corporate secretary and chief compliance officer for Choice Hotels International, Inc., one of the world’s largest lodging franchisors. In this role, Ms. Wu provides leadership to the business as the primary legal advisor to the company’s senior management team and board of directors, and serves as an integral part of the leadership team. As general counsel, her responsibilities include advising on all legal matters including major domestic and international contracts and transactions, and matters relating to securities compliance, SEC filings and governance, licensing, and litigation.

Prior to joining Choice Hotels in February 2012, Simone served as executive vice president, general counsel, and secretary for XO Communications, a leading nationwide provider of advanced communications, managed network, and IT infrastructure services. She has also held legal and business executive roles at MCI and AOL, and practiced corporate transactional and communications law at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom.

Simone received a degree in political science from the University of Michigan and a law degree from Columbia University. She serves on the boards of directors for the Washington Metropolitan Area Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel and the Minority Corporate Counsel Association.

The Inkwell’s Steering Committee — Jessica Burgess, Anne M. McCaw, Lee Liebeskind, and Lindsay Haynes Lowder — also serve on the Board of Directors, two as voting members and two as non-voting members, for a period of two years.