Ruthie (she/her) has 15 years of DEI experience in various sectors from higher education, nonprofits, consulting, and healthcare. She currently is an executive coach in healthcare. Ruthie was an inaugural member of the equity advisory committee for the Metropolitan Council (2016-2018), is a 2017 alum of Wilders’ community equity pipeline, and is currently the Mu board chair. When she isn't working, you can find her paddleboarding or walking a trail with her pup, Samosa, or in the winter, cozied up with a good book.

Nonoko (she/her) joined the board of Theater Mu in 2019. Theater has always been a big part of her life, encouraged by her parents who were both performing artists in Japan where she was born. She primarily grew up in Chicago where she actively performed with her high school and regional theater companies, and after graduating college, she moved to San Francisco/Bay Area where she performed with and/or served on boards of a wide range of theater companies including Berkeley Playhouse, American Conservatory Theater, Asian American Theater Company, Ferocious Lotus Theatre Company, Actors Anonymous Theatre Company, among others. She and her family moved to Minneapolis in 2017, where she currently serves as the executive director of the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, the largest state association of nonprofits in the country.

Grace (she/her) is a lifelong theater enthusiast and supporter of the arts. She dabbled in acting as a kid and first discovered Theater Mu in 2022 with the play Man of God. As a Chinese adoptee, Grace strongly believes in the power of sharing stories as a way to build community and empathy, and is honored to support Theater Mu's mission to uplift Asian voices and experiences. She currently works as a major gifts officer at Lutheran Social Service of MN, and in her free time enjoys reading, baking sourdough loaves, watching movies, and working on getting a waltz jump on figure skates. 

Chad (he/him) has been a resident of Minneapolis with his wife Courtney for the past 17 years. He identifies as a person of blended heritage (Japanese, Swedish, and Scottish). As a former stage performer and a follower of Theater Mu for well over a decade, he greatly admires and holds in high regard what Theater Mu has done to amplify the voices of Asian writers, directors, and performers. Currently, Chad works as a business analyst and project manager in the technology space for an investment firm based in Chicago. When not working, Chad likes to fill his time running tabletop roleplaying games for friends and family, building mechanical keyboards and LEGO sets, and playing console video games.

photo by Adrienne Fox

Gabbie Ryan (she/her) has been a part of the Mu family since 2016 and has served on the board since 2020, bringing with her a passion for creating communities where Asian voices are uplifted, celebrated, and protected. She currently works as an equity and inclusion leader at Greater Twin Cities United Way. She was first introduced to Mu through the University of St. Thomas, where she created their Asian Student Union.

Rick (he/him) is a playwright, director, and artistic director who has been a leader in the Asian American theater community for four decades. He has written over 20 plays, including the award-winning Yellow Fever, Mask Dance, and Rosie’s Cafe. His plays have been produced across North America and in Japan. He was a co-founder of Theater Mu in 1992 and the artistic director there for 20 years, directing many plays including Into The Woods, Yellow Face, and The New Mikado. He has also directed at InterAct Theatre in Philadelphia and the Asian American Theater Company in San Francisco. He received the 2015 McKnight distinguished artist award, the 2012 Ivey award for lifetime achievement and the 2007 Sally Ordway Irvine award for Vision. He is a co-founder and former co-artistic director of Full Circle Theater in the Twin Cities.

Fran (she/her) joined Theater Mu as artistic director in spring 2025. Fran began producing at 19, and her many experiences include touring her one-person show, Faces of America, to over 500 venues. She has also served as co-artistic director of Will & Company, director of new talent for Playfair, an ensemble member of Critical Mass Performance Group, and as adjunct faculty at the University of Southern California’s School for Dramatic Arts. Fran is a 2025 Drama League directing fellow and a finalist for the Barb Whitman Award from the Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation. Commissions include work for Segerstrom Center’s Arts Teach, TreePeople, Twelfth Night Rep, and Center Theatre Group. TV credits include recurring roles on For All Mankind and For the People, as well as guest stars on Criminal Minds, Speechless, and the Michelle Yeoh-led Netflix series The Brothers Sun.

Anh Thu (she/her) is a community organizer who joined the Mu staff as managing director in July 2020. A child of refugees from Viet Nam, Anh Thu was brought up as part of the Minnesota Vietnamese American Buddhist community. She has spent the last two decades of her life working in higher education as an accountant while spending her free time working on social justice issues. Anh Thu is a board member of 825 Arts, Minnesota Citizens for the Arts, Northern Lights MN, and Eastside Freedom Library, and she has been an active core member of the local Asians for Black Lives Matter chapter, often acting as the event spokesperson for A4BLM. She continues to speak at colleges and universities as well as national and international conferences on topics of Asian American solidarity and movement building.

Karen (she/her) is a professor in the department of anthropology at the University of Minnesota and a core faculty in Asian American Studies. As a cultural anthropologist, her research centers on the culture of Wall Street, and her field sites include financiers and financial institutions. Her book Liquidated: An Ethnography of Wall Street won numerous awards, and she is currently writing a book on the ongoing ramifications of the Great Financial Crisis of 2008, the uneven bailout, socioeconomic inequality, and the rise of resentment. Born in Taiwan, she grew up in Tennessee, majored in feminist studies at Stanford University, and received her PhD at Princeton University. She lives in Minneapolis with her spouse, Jeff Chen, and two amazing children, Mira and Augie.