Susan V. Booth is the newly appointed Artistic Director of the Goodman Theatre. She previously joined the Alliance Theatre in 2001 and has initiated the Palefsky Collision Project for teens, the Alliance/Kendeda National Graduate Playwriting Competition, and the Reiser Atlanta Artists Lab, as well as commercial partnerships on such projects as The Prom; Tuck Everlasting; Ghost Brothers of Darkland County; The Color Purple; Bring It On: The Musical; Twyla Tharp’s Come Fly Away; Sister Act: The Musical; Bring in ’da Noise, Bring in ’da Funk; and Jesus Christ Superstar GOSPEL. She has directed nationally at Goodman Theatre, Hartford Stage, Ford's Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, St. Louis Repertory Theatre, Cincinnati Playhouse, New York Stage and Film, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Northlight Theatre, Victory Gardens, Court Theatre and many others. She holds degrees from Denison and Northwestern Universities and was a fellow of the National Critics Institute and the Kemper Foundation. She has held teaching positions at Northwestern, DePaul and Emory Universities and is a past president of the board of directors for the Theatre Communications Group, the national service organization for the field. She has been a grants panelist for the Doris Duke, Mellon, Heinz, USAA, and NEA, and has been a frequent TEDx speaker. Booth’s leadership is underwritten by the BOLD Theater Women’s Leadership Circle, an initiative to support and promote women’s theater leadership funded by the Helen Gurley Brown Foundation. She serves on the board of the Emory Center for Ethics and is a member of the International Womens’ Forum.

Malkia Stampley is an actor, director, arts advocate, teaching artist, consultant and producer. Born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Malkia attended Marquette University for theater arts and was a Resident Artist at Skylight Music Theater and Acting Intern at Milwaukee Repertory Theater. She is an alum of Broadway for Racial Justice’s Casting Directive Fellowship and Theater Producers of Color (TPOC) Producing Course. As Goodman Theatre’s BOLD Artistic Producer, Malkia is passionate about partnering with local and national artists, providing a world class theatrical experience for artists and audiences.

Malkia co-founded Bronzeville Arts Ensemble in 2013 to address the lack of diversity in Wisconsin Theater, serving as Producing Artistic Director for three years. Her directorial debut, a modern conceptualized BLACK NATIVITY by Langston Hughes for Black Arts MKE in 2016, continues to be an annual Milwaukee holiday favorite after three years under her direction. In 2020, Malkia co-founded the Milwaukee Black Theater Festival in response to the economic, social and racial crisis following the murder of George Floyd, providing a multi-venue platform that amplifies local Black artists in the Midwest.

Theater directing credits include Black Arts MKE, First Stage, Skylight Music Theater, American Players Theatre, Milwaukee Jewish Community Center, Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Shattered Globe, Timeline Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare, Milwaukee Black Theater Festival, Farmers Alley Theatre and Milwaukee Fringe Festival. Malkia co-authored LINES which premiered at Theatre LILA in 2018. Favorite producing credits include CLYDE’S, GOODNIGHT, OSCAR (world premier), GEM OF THE OCEAN, NOTEBOOKS OF LEONARDO DA VINCI. Malkia’s stage performance credits include Bronzeville Arts Ensemble, Children's Theater of Madison, First Stage, Forward Theater, Milwaukee Chamber, St. Louis Black Repertory Theater, Manhattan Theater Project, Congo Square, Court Theatre, Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Cincinnati Playhouse, Next Act, Optimist Theatre, Skylight Music, Theatre LILA, Renaissance Theatreworks, and a slew of independent projects. She performed in two international touring productions of "Disney: On Classic" in Japan and Taiwan. TV credits include 61st Street, Shameless, Work in Progress, The Chi, Chicago PD, Chicago Med. Films include Native Son, Beats, Small Town Wisconsin, Killing Eleanor and several short films by independent filmmakers with an extensive voiceover career. Malkia has been a guest instructor for UW-Osh Kosh and Lawrence University, keynote speaker and in partnership with multiple community organizations continuing her arts advocacy work. Malkia is a proud member of Actors Equity Association and Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA).

Lena Romano (she/her) is a producer, dramaturg and director based in Chicago, IL. She has a passion for new work development and aims to inspire and challenge audiences in different ways. In her current role as Associate Producer at Goodman Theatre, Lena produces main stage shows and festivals throughout the season, while also supporting community engagement initiatives and emerging artists. She also currently serves as a Board Member of Chicago Dramatists, where she enjoys strategizing about the theater and its future. Previously, she worked at TimeLine and Pivot Arts (Chicago), as well as South Coast Repertory Theatre in Southern California. Lena graduated from Chapman University, with degrees in Theatre Studies and Sociology. She continues to explore new creative horizons, with upcoming film projects.