Board of directors
Representative Madinah Wilson-Anton
Board Chair Madinah is a stand-up comedian and Delaware elected official whose work lives at the intersection of humor, public service, and social justice. As a young, Muslim, Black woman with vitiligo, Madinah brings a powerful and deeply personal perspective to both the stage and the State House, using comedy and faith to explore identity, power, and lived experience while connecting with diverse audiences nationwide. In 2020, at just 26 years old, Madinah became the first Muslim elected to the Delaware State House, representing the 26th District where she grew up. Since taking office, she has been committed to advancing social, economic, and racial justice for all Delawareans. A proud alumna of the University of Delaware, Madinah holds a bachelor’s degree in International Relations and Asian Studies and a master’s degree in Urban Affairs & Public Policy. She has formally studied Arabic, Chinese, French, and Spanish, and has held leadership roles in numerous nonprofit organizations, including serving on the Board of Emgage, a national Muslim civic engagement nonprofit. 
Christopher “Chris” Blackwood
Founder and Executive Director Chris is the Founder and Executive Director of Grassroots Comedy and a learning, knowledge management, and change management professional with more than two decades of experience supporting complex, mission-driven initiatives. Throughout his career, Chris has helped organizations navigate change, strengthen collaboration, and build practical systems that improve how teams learn, share knowledge, and deliver results. He is known for bringing structure, strategy, and strong relationship-building to fast-moving, high-impact environments. As a founder and organizational leader, Chris combines operational strategy with creative vision. He built Grassroots Comedy around the belief that humor can break down barriers, humanize complex issues, and help organizations connect with people in meaningful, lasting ways. He is especially passionate about creating platforms for emerging voices and helping purpose-driven organizations reach new communities through storytelling and live experience. Chris has been performing comedy for 13 years, appearing in venues in the Washington, DC region and cities across the country, and has produced shows in the DC area for the past 11 years. He continues to develop new creative work focused on community, advocacy, and lived experience. 
Sofia Javed
Board Member At-Large Sofia is a Chicago-based comedian and writer. She spent over a decade working at the State Department and USAID, managing foreign assistance funds for human rights and civil society programs worldwide. She is thrilled for the opportunity to support comedy for a cause as a Grassroots Comedy board member. 
Deborah Kaliel
Board Member At-Large Deborah is an international public health leader who spent nearly two decades at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), where she worked on global HIV/AIDS programs through PEPFAR and helped support efforts that have saved millions of lives. Her expertise includes global health policy, strengthening local organizations, and building sustainable, locally led programs. She is also the founder of Crisis in Care, a volunteer initiative that raises funding and support for frontline health organizations around the world. These days, she spends a lot more time fundraising, writing, and explaining to people what foreign aid actually does. Deborah joined the Grassroots Comedy board after seeing firsthand that comedy shows could raise not just money, but also hope, connection, and the occasional much-needed laugh during a very difficult year. She was inspired by how Grassroots Comedy brings people together around important causes in ways that feel joyful rather than overwhelming. She brings her experience in nonprofit capacity strengthening and partnerships, event planning, and a deep appreciation for anyone brave enough to follow a joke after explaining how hard it is for nonprofits to change the world with too little funding and far too many reporting requirements. She believes strongly in the power of community, storytelling, and humor to help people care - and act. |
Robert Mac
Vice Board Chair Robert is a stand-up comedy veteran with over 30 years of experience performing around the globe. He also has more than a decade of instruction in stand-up comedy and joke writing for other comedians, professional speakers, and civilians looking to learn the basics of humor. He was the Grand Prize winner of Comedy Central’s national Laugh Riots stand-up competition, and has been a finalist in several other contests, including the San Francisco International Comedy Competition, Boston Comedy Festival, Billy Crystal’s Mr. Saturday Night Contest, and the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon Talent Search. He is a vital component of the Grassroots team, and his experiences are crucial to implementing our programs. 
Hannah Trav
Board Treasurer Hannah is a stand-up comedian and lawyer based in Philadelphia. Hannah has been performing comedy since 2014. She is the host of “The Happiest Hour with Hannah Trav” at Helium Comedy Club. Hannah is an associate attorney at Duane Morris LLP in the private client services group focusing her practice in taxation and estate planning. Hannah joined the Grassroots Comedy board to assist in the mission of using comedy to support important causes. 
Diz Costales
Board Secretary Diz was born and raised on the Big Island of Hawaii and has worked as a grant writer within local and national organizations advocating for social justice, indigenous rights, mental health, poverty, the arts, and environmentalism. Diz joined Grassroots Comedy in 2024 as a developmental consultant and fell in love with the organization and its mission to incite positive change through laughter. 
Haywood Turnipseed Jr.
Board Member At-Large Haywood is a DC-based comedian with sharp wit, an infectious laugh, and a gift for turning everyday chaos into hilariously spot-on social commentary. After 17 years on stage, he’s perfected the art of making people laugh and think at the same time. Off stage, he’s holding down Southeast DC with his family, community work, and his day job as a Supervisory Telecommunications Specialist…proving that somehow, daydreams and day jobs really do mix. 
Maury Mendenhall
Board Member At-Large Maury is a child protection and social service systems specialist with more than twenty-five years of experience strengthening care systems globally. She has held technical and leadership roles with international development agencies, multilateral organizations, and community-based institutions, collaborating with governments and global donors to improve services for vulnerable children and families across more than twenty countries. Maury is the Co-Founder and Co-Director of A Crisis in Care, an organization that mobilizes urgent resources and strengthens community-led partners to sustain lifesaving HIV care services for children, families, and at-risk communities worldwide. She has also led major global initiatives, including the development of USAID’s first Child Safeguarding Policy and the co-founding of the Global Social Service Workforce Alliance. She joined the Grassroots Comedy board after several successful GC shows that raised critical funds and awareness for A Crisis in Care, and she believes strongly in the power of creative engagement to advance meaningful social change. |