matthew robinson/ Board president

After moving to the NW, Matthew sought out an organization that would allow him to make an impact in the lives of kids. He found that in PlayWrite. After attending a number of PlayWrite events including a performance, he decided to join the Board and is excited to help the organization grow. Matthew was born and raised overseas in Kingston, Jamaica, and has lived in Florida and Texas. He holds a BA from the University of Florida (Go Gators!!) and a JD from UT-Austin, and currently works at Nike.

Brad fortier

Brad has performed and taught in the US, Canada, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Finland, and Slovenia. Brad got his start as a member of Portland’s Brody Theater from 1996 to 2012. He has a masters degree in the interdisciplinary study of the anthropology of improvised theater from PSU.

Brad Fortier is the creator of "Spontaneous Village" (a curriculum used for community building among refugees) and the training and development coordinator for the Oregon Health Authority’s Office of Equity & Inclusion. Brad was the coordinator for Portland Community College’s Illumination Project, a student leadership program that uses interactive theater to teach about social justice issues. As an anthropologist, Brad continues his research on improvised theater and its social, psychological, and neurological benefits for people.

Brad has authored two books focused on the anthropology of improvisation: Long-Form Improvisation: Collaboration, Comedy, and Communion & A Culture of Play: Essays on the Origins, Applications, and Effects of Improvised Theater. In Portland, Brad has inspired many with his talent, warmth, kindness, and wisdom.

Pamela Sterling

Pamela Sterling grew up in Portland and graduated from what was then Madison High School. She was active in theatre from an early age, appearing in productions for the Portland Civic Theatre and Júnior Civic Theatre. She earned a BFA degree from the Professional Actor’s Training Program and an MFA degree focusing on playwriting, directing and child drama from the University of Washington in Seattle. After graduating from the UW and working as an actor in Seattle, she left to join the resident acting company of Stage One: The Louisville Children’s Theatre in Kentucky where she received her Actor’s Equity Association union card. Her career then expanded to include leading professional theatres as artistic director as well as free lance directing, acting and playwriting. She has also served as a dramaturge for new play development with the Cincinnati Playhouse, the University of Texas-Austin, Idaho Theatre for Youth, the Kennedy Center’s New Visions New Voices program, and The Wharton Center’s Young Playwright’s Festival with the University of Michigan. She recently retired from Arizona State University’s School of Music, Dance and Theatre where she taught courses in playwriting, acting, theatre for young audiences and theatre for social change for graduate and undergraduate students.

Although she currently resides in Chandler, Arizona where she attends board meetings via Zoom, she has returned to Portland often, directing for Profile Theatre under the artistic directorship of Jane Unger, Northwest Children’s Theatre under the artistic directorship of John Monteverde, and was commissioned by Oregon Children’s Theatre to write an adaptation of Little House on the Prairie. She was also introduced to the work of PlayWrite on one of her visits to her hometown and was impressed by the mission, the artistry and the passion of the staff and company artists. She is proud to be a board member and looks forward to contributing in a supporting role to PlayWrite’s important work.

kathy jennings / secretary, Treasurer

Kathy began her career with Deloitte & Touche, where she gained experience in audit, tax and internal controls. For 8 years, she was Sr. VP of Finance & Administration for the Portland Timbers. Kathy has led accounting, HR, IT, merchandise operations, major stadium renovation projects, and launched three professional sports teams. Currently, she is the Controller of Oswego Lake Country Club. She also runs her own successful bookkeeping practice. She earned The Portland Business Journal’s CFO of the Year Honoree in 2013. Kathy currently sits on the board of Jackson Middle School PTA. She has also served on the Boards of Junior Achievement of Oregon/SW Washington and Beaverton Symphony Orchestra. She is also a graduation of the Art of Leadership program. Kathy’s favorite activity outside of work and volunteering is travel. She and her family love to explore new places, countries and cultures together.

Nancy campbell Mead

Nancy has lived most of her adult life in Oregon. Nancy earned her BS degree in psychology from Portland State University, and her law degree from Lewis and Clark College of Law. She is retired from working as a Washington County Circuit Court Judge. Since her retirement Nancy has been active with the National Organization for Women (NOW), and currently serves as a National Advisory Board Member and as a member of the National NOW PAC Board. For fun, Nancy likes to do anything that takes her outdoors. She is an avid hiker, and in 2011 she rode her bike with friends across the United States. As a judge, especially during the years she presided over the Juvenile Court, Nancy saw first hand how positive roll models and activities that improve self-esteem can change kids’ lives. Nancy views PlayWrite as an organization that provides both, and wants to be a part of helping it to expand to reach more youth.

Sherry lamoreaux

Sherry’s day job is writing marketing collateral and content, most often for large tech companies. She has been a marketing manager or director for Geotechnical Resources, Inc. (GRI), Supertracks, and Swan Island Networks, and a senior writer/editor for Act-On marketing automation. Her creative projects include theatrical plays, short stories, and screenplays. She won an Oregon Book Award for Drama for Vitriol & Violets: Tales From the Algonquin Round Table. She was the first press officer for Bag&Baggage Productions, in Hillsboro, and was on the board for three years. She has done public relations for other theatres in Portland, including Broadway Rose, Triangle, and Cygnet Productions. She is married and has two grandchildren she dotes on.

bruce livingston / founder*

Bruce has been connecting youth at the edge with theatre since 1996. He established PlayWrite to pursue this passion, combining established theatre practices and neuroscience research with engaged and invested coaches to best serve the needs of youth. Bruce holds degrees from Reed College and the University of Chicago, both in Anthropology. He lived and taught in Shiraz, Iran from the late 60’s until the 1978 revolution. In 1980 he entered the culinary world in Paris, and adventures with food occupied him for the next decade and a half. In 1996, he was invited to write a play for a child in the Haven Project, and ever since has been passionately involved in connecting young people with theatre. He served as Managing Director of the Haven Project from 2000 through April 2003, and founded PlayWrite in November of 2003.

*Bruce Livingston left the board when he retired in 2021, but he’s PlayWrite’s founder and we like to honor him for that, so we’ve kept his bio on this page.