Center for Nonprofit Leadership > Faculty

Kim Maxwell
Ojai Playwright’s Conference

Kim Maxwell’s transformative style of coaching has inspired beginners and professional actors for over twenty years. With her compassionate guidance, students undertake the sometimes painful and always rewarding process of uncovering, developing and performing their own stories.  From preteens to senior citizens, Ms. Maxwell’s students, over a thousand in number, have gathered in theaters, detention centers and living rooms throughout Los Angeles and Ventura Counties to have their stories heard.

Beginning her career as an actress, Kim has appeared in numerous plays, commercials, television shows and films. Moving from Los Angeles to Ojai, California in 1992, Kim’s passion for storytelling expanded to producing, directing, writing and teaching. In 1996, Kim co-founded Theater 150 and served as Artistic Director for eleven years. In 1997, Kim co-founded the Ojai Playwrights Conference where she continues to serve as director of its youth program. Both theater companies are still thriving as community-based 501-C3 non-profit organizations.

In seventeen years of serving her community, Ms. Maxwell has produced 2 successful theater companies, 32 Main Stage productions, 26 fundraisers, 73 readings, 4 educational outreach programs, and over 2,500 individual pieces of original material produced in over 120 workshop productions. She has also volunteered hundreds of hours of her time to community organizations ranging from public and private elementary, junior and high schools to multiple local non-profits.

Ms. Maxwell continues to live in the beautiful town of Ojai, with her amazing children Lily and Woody, her storytelling cronies and dedicated students.

Kim has facilitated the following CNL course:

• Public Speaking