Golden Thread Announces Wynne Chan As New Managing Director

 Golden Thread Productions, the first American theatre company devoted to the Middle East, has announced Hong Kong-American administrator and theatre artist Wynne Chan (she/her) as its next Managing Director. Chan was selected after a rigorous nationwide process, and brings with her more than ten years of experience in nonprofit management, with a focus on defining and upholding nonprofit best practices. Most recently, she was the head of Candid’s Seals of Transparency program and managed the U.S.’s largest self-contributed nonprofit database with over 100,000 nonprofit participants. Along with her operations work, Chan also directs, vocal directs, produces, and performs regularly in the Bay Area. This hire moves Golden Thread to a dual leadership model with Chan sharing executive duties with Executive Artistic Director Sahar Assaf under the Board of Trustees.

Assaf celebrates Chan’s hiring: “I am thrilled to welcome Wynne as my co-leader for this exciting new chapter at Golden Thread. As we deepen our political and social justice engagement and align our programming with our strategic plan, Wynne’s partnership is invaluable. Her expertise in the nonprofit world, her artistic sensibilities as a director and performer, and her lived experience as a child of immigrants from Hong Kong bring a vital perspective to our community-focused mission.”

Board President Babak Sani adds: “Throughout our nationwide search process, Wynne distinguished herself as a thoughtful and confident leader with more than a decade of relevant financial and strategic planning experience. Her unwavering commitment to uplifting the voices of underserved communities both as an administrator and as an artist make her an exceptional partner to Executive Artistic Director Sahar Assaf."

Before helping coordinate the formation of Candid (from Guidestar and Foundation Center), Chan led GuideStar’s revenue budgeting, strategic planning, and impact evaluation, and facilitated cross-organization workstreams on strategic vision and culture and change management. She is the co-founder and artistic director of SDC Productions, and has worked with numerous theatre companies around the Bay Area, including San Francisco Playhouse, Shotgun Players, The Pear Theatre, Hillbarn Theatre, Berkeley Playhouse, Plethos Productions, and 3Girls Theater. Wynne graduated with a BS in Business Administration from the University of Southern California, with training in voice and theatre. 

Chan said of her new appointment at Golden Thread: “Theatre is meant to be provocative, challenge the status quo, and reflect the world around us. I’ve long admired Golden Thread’s commitment to producing theater that boldly supports these ideals. I’m humbled to join the brilliant Sahar Assaf, Golden Thread’s hardworking staff, and committed board, to further this mission. I’ve spent my career working on creating transparency and best practices for non-profit administration, and I am thrilled to bring this expertise and experience to Golden Thread as it continues to grow under Sahar’s visionary leadership. I am also thankful to Michelle Mulholland for her leadership in the past decade. I’m grateful for her guidance as I step into this role and I am honored to work alongside her as we produce Golden Thread’s essential Season for Palestine.”

Chan follows outgoing Managing Director Michelle Mulholland who has left an indelible mark on Golden Thread through her 13 years of service. Chan started her duties last month, and will be overlapping with Mulholland through the end of the year to allow for a healthy transition. Babak Sani celebrates Mulholland’s contributions: “On behalf of Golden Thread's Board of Trustees, I thank Michelle Mulholland for her commitment to and immense impact on Golden Thread. Michelle helped lead Golden Thread with passion and grace for 14 years, and her hard work to create highly professional and human-centered systems and processes is one of the main reasons Golden Thread has flourished during her tenure. We are so happy to have her with us through the end of this season — this extended overlap between Michelle and Wynne ensures that Golden Thread will continue to build upon the runaway successes of our 2024 Season.” 

Mulholland adds: “I am deeply grateful to have found a home at Golden Thread these past 13 years, both as a Managing Director and as a Costume Designer. It has had a profound impact on me personally and professionally, offering one of the high points of my career and helping to shape me into the person I am today. I am honored to have worked alongside both Sahar Assaf and Torange Yeghiazarian, all our artists, staff, board, donors, funders, volunteers, and community members, and I am full of pride for all the work we have accomplished together, especially this year’s Season for Palestine. Wynne is a strong, compassionate, knowledgeable, and talented theatre-maker, and I am thrilled to be leaving Golden Thread in her capable hands!” 

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