Samara Frame

Samara Frame has served the arts as a theater-maker and arts administrator for more than two decades. As an AEA and SAG/AFTRA actor, she’s worked professionally in Los Angeles, Chicago, Denver and Madison, in theater, film, and television. Currently the Advancement Manager for UW-Madison’s Division of the Arts, Samara works to engage arts stakeholders on campus and in the community, raise funds for interdisciplinary arts initiatives, and connect the arts across UW. She previously worked as Director of Audience Engagement for Forward Theater Company, deepening relationships with audiences, leading fundraising events, developing partnerships, and increasing accessibility.

In other nonprofit areas, she worked for United Way of Dane County and Madison Reading Project. Samara launched Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in Dane County, served on grant review panels for Wisconsin Arts Board and Dane County Cultural Affairs Commission, and was appointed to the board of trustees for Verona’s Library Board. She has led youth empowerment programs and worked in advocacy for violence prevention and education.

She currently serves on the Executive and Development Committees of Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum, is a member of AFP Madison, OPEN, LGBT Chamber of Commerce, and is an active volunteer in the community. She holds a degree in Theater from Northwestern University and a certificate in fundraising from UCLA.