Staff & Board

Encore Team

The Encore Team

2026 Summer Teaching Artists and Interns

Teach

Teaching Artists - coming soon!
Arts Management Intern - Crystal Ignacio

Staff and Teaching Artists

Get to know our Staff and Teaching Artists!

Sara Strehle Duke

Executive Director

Sara Strehle Duke (Executive Director) has led Northern Virginia’s largest, award-winning children’s theatre since 2010. She was recognized as one of Leadership Center for Excellence’s 40 Under 40 in 2015. Previously, she worked for the Arden Theatre Company in Philadelphia and Round House Theatre in Bethesda. She is a Board member for Embracing Arlington Arts, a member of Leadership Arlington, Class of 2014, and a dedicated volunteer with several youth-serving organizations. She is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of The College of William & Mary.

Madaline Langston

Director of Programming

Madaline Langston (Director of Programming) has been with Encore Stage & Studio’s It’s Elementary Program for over a decade and is currently Director of Programming. Madaline is a graduate of the National Conservatory of Dramatic Arts Advanced Theatre program in Washington DC. She began developing her improvisation and classical skills performing at the Maryland Renaissance Festival. Madaline later joined the Shakespeare Theatre Company, followed by two National Tours with the John F. Kennedy Center’s programs for children. As a member of the SAG-AFTRA and Actors’ Equity, Madaline has worked on films, industrials, regional and national commercials.

 Aileen Pangan Christian

Director of Marketing and Design

Aileen Pangan Christian She/Her (Director of Marketing and Design) joined Encore’s administrative team in 2011. She taught dance at Downing-Gross Cultural Arts Center in Newport News, VA, and was involved with the KODACHROME dance community and BalletNova Center for Dance. Aileen is an alum of Christopher Newport University. Aileen is a certified digital marketing professional through the American Marketing Association and a member of the DC Filipinos Young Professionals and Filipinas on the Rise Falls Church Chapter.

Kelley O’Dell

Kelley O’Dell joined Encore in late 2019 to coordinate individual, corporate, and foundation giving after prior work in nonprofit organizations and government agencies. She holds a Master of Public Administration degree with a concentration in nonprofit management from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University.

Maureen Bouda

Maureen Bouda joined the Encore team in 2020. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Accounting and is a Certified Public Accountant with extensive public accounting experience including several nonprofit clients. After her time in public accounting, she worked in London, UK, for a large American multinational company focusing on financial statement consolidation, Sarbanes-Oxley internal controls, and process improvements. At Encore, Maureen works closely with our Board of Directors and Finance Committee to ensure accurate financial records and organizational forecast- ing. Maureen has a strong knowledge of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles and supports the organization on finance related matters.

Marguerite Williams

Marguerite Williams joined Encore in 2023. An arts aficionado, she is excited to be part of nurturing the love of theatre in our communities. She loves seeing kids’ confidence grow when they take the stage and try something new! She is a graduate of Yale University and a lifetime member of the Yale Dramat.

Cleo Potter

Production Manager

Cleo Potter they/them (Production Manager) grew up in the Alexandria and Arlington area and attended the College of Wooster, Ohio, majoring in Theatre and Dance. They specialized in stage management and lighting. Cleo is glad to be back in Arlington and involved with theatre in their hometown. Outside of theatre, Cleo takes great joy in their pets; their dog Lil, and kittens Phineas and Ferb. Cleo enjoys taking Lil on the trails around Arlington. Phineas and Ferb love when the feather wand comes out at home.

Emma Crawford 

Marketing Coordinator

Emma Crawford She/Her (Marketing & Development Coordinator, Box Office Manager) joined Encore Stage and Studio this season! She has a bachelor's degree in Media Studies from Radford University, where she minored in Theatre. Previously she has worked as a choreographer for Reston Community Center's Young Actors Theatre Camp and Year Round Program, Creative Dance Center's After School Dance Program and Performance Troupe, and various musicals and show choir sets with Loudoun County Public Schools. At Encore, she leads students in the Front of House Crew, as well as works in the office in the Marketing & Design and Development departments.

Pam Freedy

Education Director

Pam Freedy (she/her) is a theatre educator, director, and administrator with a keen curiosity for exploring intersections of civic dialogue and fantastic community imaginations through the arts. She is happiest in the theatre classroom, having spent over 15 years as a theatre teacher in schools and a teaching artist in a variety of community settings, ranging from clowning workshops with youth in the foster care system, to arts integrated school residencies, to devised theatrical productions with adults with disabilities. Pam holds her BA in Theatre Education from the University of New Hampshire, her graduate teaching certificate in K-12 Theatre Arts from the University of North Carolina – Charlotte, and a Masters in Applied Theatre from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London, England. For the past four years, Pam has worked as the Senior Manager of Education Programs with Imagination Stage in Bethesda, Maryland. She looks forward to bringing her knowledge and skill set to the many wonderful programs that Encore Stage and Studio provides to the youth and families of Northern Virginia!

Sam Austin

Technical Director

Bio Coming Soon!