Staff
Directors and Founders
Christopher and Anne
Ellinger are nationally-recognized writers, wealth counselors, workshop presenters,
and organizers on issues of wealth and philanthropy. Through their writing, individual counseling,
and workshops, they have guided several thousand people through the personal challenges of wealth
and philanthropy.
In 1991, they founded More than Money, a nonprofit peer education network with over 1000 participants nationwide. Through publications, gatherings, and web resources, More Than Money helps people with significant financial resources explore the impact of money in their lives and act on their highest values. In 2004 they launched the Zing Foundation to both continue their philanthropic promotion and to build on their life-long interest in the effective use of participatory arts for social change.
Anne and Christopher also direct True Story Theater, an improvisational performance company that builds community by "playing back" the true life experiences told by members of the audience, and are members of the International Playback Theater Network that connects Playback Theatre troupes round the world.
Operations Manager
Diane Dana from 1987 to 1996 helped launch and form the Community Service Learning (CSL) movement, now
practiced in schools and communities across the country. Four of those years were founding and
coordinating the Massachusetts School-based Community Service Learning Program at the state Department
of Education, the entity through which federal and state funds for CSL were channeled to schools and
school support resources. From 2000 through 2004 she worked with a team of faculty and staff in the Five
College area of Western MA (Smith, Amherst, Mt. Holyoke and Hampshire Colleges and UMass/Amherst) to
launch the Community for Integrative Learning and Action (CILA), a space for area educators to explore ways
that higher education can better serve the whole of students’ realities.
She works at Zing on a part time basis and spends her other part time hours working to support the SEED Project on Inclusive Curriculum (Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity) at the Wellesley Centers for Women, Wellesley College.
Outreach and Development Team
Zhaleh Almaee is a theatre professional and social arts activist and organizer living in the Boston area.
She graduated summa cum laude from Emerson College with a BA in Theatre Studies and Directing and holds an
Associates Degree in Psychology from Darton College in Albany, Georgia. She has extensive training as a
certified domestic violence advocate and receives training in Playback Theatre as a member of True Story
Theatre company. Currently working as Program Manager for Improbable Players, a Boston based non-profit,
touring theatre company dedicated to educating young people about substance abuse prevention, she also
supports the mission of Zing as a member of the outreach and organizational team. As a theatre artist,
she collaboratively develops and presents socially conscious performance pieces for local venues. In 2000,
her dedication to the field of arts and social services won her recognition as a recipient of the U.S.
Achievement Academy Award.
Rosi Amador grew up in San Juan, Puerto Rico, raised by parents who were both professional actors, singers, and dancers. In the early 80’s Rosi managed the Underground Railway Theater, addressing social issues. In 1984 on a cultural exchange tour to Nicaragua she met husband Brian Amador, guitarist/composer with whom she founded the Nueva Cancion/New Song Latin music ensemble, “Flor de Caña.” Since 1994 Rosi and Brian launched Sol y Canto, and released several award-winning albums. The band tours nationally to performing arts centers and festivals.
With her music ensembles, over 22 years she has done benefit concerts for causes ranging from housing for low income communities at home, Central America, global health, children’s well-being, Greenpeace and World Fellowship, among others. In 1996 she founded MusicAmador, her Latin music agency, representing artists whose work she books into venues around the country, to promote bridge-building between Latin American and other cultures and express hope for a better world.
Rosi is currently transitioning into a part-time career in philanthropy for arts and social change, while continuing her work as Latin music ambassador with Sol y Canto.
Media and Communications
Betsy Leondar-Wright is the author of Class Matters: Cross-Class Alliance Building for
Middle-Class Activists (New Society Publishers, 2005) and the co-author of The Color of Wealth: The
Story Behind the U.S. Racial Wealth Divide (The New Press, 2006).
From 1998 to 2006, Betsy was the communications director of United for a Fair Economy (UFE); in that capacity she drew media attention to members of the Responsible Wealth project, who are wealthy people who think the rules are too tilted towards wealthy people. Before working at UFE, she worked against human service budget cuts, for affordable housing, and for pay equity for women. Betsy was on the More Than Money Journal editorial board for ten years. She has a masters degree in sociology from Boston College.
Besides consulting with the 50% Club, Betsy works with Class Action and gail leondar public relations, and she leads workshops on cross-class alliance building.
Web and Graphic Design
Jesse Pearlman Karlsberg is a web and graphic designer, and a
sound artist and shape note
singer. He has designed web sites and print material for Google, Inc., Harvard Divinity School, Rensselaer
Polytechnic Institute, Class Matters, True Story Theater, and a variety of small business and non-profit clients.
As an artist, Jesse’s work explores the intersections of personal narrative, communication networks, and history as embedded in place. His work encompasses installation, music for live performance, tunebooks, web design, audio tours, and works for radio.
Jesse’s experimental music has been performed by Pauline Oliveros, Anne Rhodes, Micah Silver, Angela Opell, Caterina De Re, and Tim Eastman, among others. He has recently presented work at the Tang Museum in Saratoga Springs, NY, the Boston Cyberarts Festival, the Center for Contemporary Culture in Barcelona, and numerous other venues throughout the Northeastern United States.