Gwendelyn (Wende) Ballew
Our executive director, Wende Ballew is our artistic and administrative leader. They founded Reforming Arts in 2010 as an arts and humanities education program for people incarcerated in women’s prisons in Georgia.
Wende has taught at Kennesaw State University and continues to teach and direct Reforming Arts classes inside women's prison facilities in Georgia and facilitate Reforming Arts’ Theatre Reentry Project. Wende is a co-founder of the Georgia Coalition of Higher Education in Prison and the Southern Higher Education in Prison Collective. Wende has a bachelor’s degree in Theatre, a MBA, a Master in American Studies, a graduate certificate in Women's Studies, and is a PhD candidate in Qualitative Research and Evaluation Methodologies at the University of Georgia.
In 2018, Wende was named a Woman Making a Mark by Atlanta Magazine and a Woman to Watch by Weight Watchers Magazine. In 2019, The Arts Xchange awarded Wende and Reforming Arts with an Elon Dooley Arts and Social Justice Champion award.
Audrey Gámez
Audrey Gámez is the Program Director for Reforming Arts. An experienced educator, Audrey has taught for over 16 years. She brings over 10 years of experience in program management and 8 years of nonprofit administration to her role. She is a sought-after speaker for panels and events.
Audrey has presented nationally at several conferences and festivals including the Association of Performing Arts Service Organization Conference, Artists Thrive Conference, ELEVATE, and others. In 2018, Audrey was selected for the Points of Light American Express Leadership Academy.
In addition to her responsibilities with Reforming Arts, Audrey continues to work as a professional singer and music educator, maintaining a private voice studio. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of North Texas and Master of Music degree from Louisiana State University.
Gwendelyn (Wende) Ballew
Our executive director, Wende Ballew is our artistic and administrative leader. They founded Reforming Arts in 2010 as an arts and humanities education program for people incarcerated in women’s prisons in Georgia.
Wende has taught at Kennesaw State University and continues to teach and direct Reforming Arts classes inside women's prison facilities in Georgia and facilitate Reforming Arts’ Theatre Reentry Project. Wende is a co-founder of the Georgia Coalition of Higher Education in Prison and the Southern Higher Education in Prison Collective. Wende has a bachelor’s degree in Theatre, a MBA, a Master in American Studies, a graduate certificate in Women's Studies, and is a PhD candidate in Qualitative Research and Evaluation Methodologies at the University of Georgia.
In 2018, Wende was named a Woman Making a Mark by Atlanta Magazine and a Woman to Watch by Weight Watchers Magazine. In 2019, The Arts Xchange awarded Wende and Reforming Arts with an Elon Dooley Arts and Social Justice Champion award.
