Bob Van Valin

PRESIDENT AND ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Bob is PIP’s Artistic Director as well as President of the board. He moved to Buffalo on his fourth birthday and has called it his home ever since. He graduated from University at Buffalo with a BA in 2010, majoring in both Theatre & Media Study, and an MA in Theatre & Performance in 2016. Bob has been an active member in the theatre community for nearly ten years as a director, videographer and sound designer. Some favorite credits include: as Director, THIS IS OUR YOUTH (PIP), A MAN’S A MAN (Subversive & PIP), AFTER THE FALL (Subversive & PIP); as Assistant Director, THE COUPLE NEXT DOOR (RLTP), THE GRAPES OF WRATH (Subversive), ALL MY SONS (Irish Classical); as Video/Sound Designer, HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE (Subversive), THE FULL MONTY (Subversive), FAHRENHEIT 451 (Subversive), MEDUSA UNDONE (PIP). In 2012, he spent several months volunteering with Give for Greatness to raise funds and advocate for local arts non-profits.

Andrea Gollhardt

SECRETARY AND MANAGING DIRECTOR

Andrea serves as Secretary of the Board of Directors, as well as the Managing Director of PIP. A born and raised Buffalonian, she has experienced first-hand the power of a thriving theatre community and its ability to bring meaning to the lives of young individuals. Andrea received her BFA from Niagara University in 2012, majoring in Theatre Performance with a minor in Fine Arts. She had the privilege of interning at the Peterborough Players in New Hampshire, and went on to be a part of the Buffalo theatre community both on stage and behind the scenes. Off the stage, Andrea has served as a member of Independent Health’s United Way Community Ambassadors committee. Past acting credits include HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE (Lil Bit), AN IDEAL HUSBAND (Mabel), THE LIAR (Lucrece), A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE (Catherine) Artie Nominee, THE LITTLE FOXES (Alexandra), DANCING AT LUGHNASA (Chrissy). Her work as a costume designer includes THE LOVE SONG OF J ROBERT OPPENHEIMER (Subversive), BEAUTY QUEEN IF LEENANE (ICTC), THE PLOUGH AND THE STARS (ICTC), MEDUSA UNDONE (PIP).

Dr. Andrea Nero

VICE PRESIDENT

Dr. Nero came to arts nonprofit work the long way around, through a PhD in the history of science at the University at Buffalo, postdoctoral research at Harvard on the business of museums, and a career spent translating between the worlds of academic rigor and operational reality. What she found, again and again, was that cultural organizations rarely failed for lack of vision. They failed for lack of infrastructure: the unglamorous machinery of bookkeeping, compliance, fundraising strategy, and governance that keeps a mission solvent. That observation became Nero Strategies Group, the Buffalo-based consultancy she founded to give arts and culture organizations access to the business-side expertise they are most often expected to invent on their own. Her firm now serves regional nonprofits across fundraising, grant writing, bookkeeping, and operational strategy. She is the author of Unclonable (2025) and the forthcoming Credibility Architecture, has written for Forbes and the New York Times, and advises leading technology companies on artificial intelligence. She also serves on the board of Hunt Residencies. At PIP, she brings the perspective of someone who has spent a career arguing that the business side of art is not a compromise of the mission, but rather it is the mission’s only path forward.

Josh Robinson

MARKETING DIRECTOR

Josh serves as PIP’s Marketing Director and is responsible for designing all aspects of the organization’s visual identity. A graduate of Canisius University who was heavily involved with the university’s Little Theatre club both onstage and behind the scenes, Josh has honed his skills in acting, set design / construction and graphic design for many local theatrical productions. Past acting credits include THE GRAPES OF WRATH (Connie Rivers) and END DAYS (Stephen Hawking) with Subversive Theatre, and THE TASK (Debuisson) and LET’S HOPE YOU FEEL BETTER (Toby) with Post-Industrial Productions. Past technical credits include THE FOX ON THE FAIRWAY (Asst. Stage Manager) and A NIGHT WITH SCHWARTZ (Board Operator) with Kaleidoscope Theatre, WHITE BOY OTHELLO (Set Design) with Subversive Theatre, and MEDUSA UNDONE (Set Design) with Post-Industrial Productions.

Bella Poynton

LITERARY MANAGER

Bella is a playwright, director, and scholar from Buffalo, NY. She was a Regional Playwriting Resident at Road Less Traveled Productions from 2016-2018 and is the director of Queen City Playwrights, Buffalo’s new play development workshop for area playwrights. Recently, her work has been produced and developed by The Bechdel Group, MadLab Theatre, Quantum Dragon Theatre Company, Alleyway Theatre, The Great Plains Theatre Festival, Panndora Productions, Otherworld Theatre Company and Post-Industrial Productions among many others. She has been a finalist for the Heideman Award, the Woodward/Newman Drama Award, and the Sam French OOB Festival. She holds a BFA in Acting from Boston University, an MA in Theatre Arts from The University at Buffalo, an MFA in Playwriting from The University of Iowa, and is currently PhD candidate in Performance Studies at The University at Buffalo. She is excited to be taking on the role of literary manager at Post-Industrial Productions, and curate the Post-Industrial Plays in Progress Reading Series.

Bekki Sliwa

TREASURER

Born and raised in Buffalo, Bekki joined PIP’s Board of Directors in April 2026 and was honored to be elected Treasurer. Having known founder Bob for over a decade, she has long admired PIP’s commitment to producing socially relevant theatre, engaging younger audiences, and building meaningful connections within the Western New York community. Bekki holds a B.A. in Theatre from the University at Buffalo and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Canisius University. She strongly believes in the power of theatre to spark conversation, foster understanding, and support positive social change.

Bekki is excited to support PIP’s mission to create thought-provoking and accessible theatre for audiences throughout WNY. Past acting credits include GOD’S FAVORITE (Sarah), SHE KILLS MONSTERS (Stevie/Steve), BILOXI BLUES (Daisy), KING O’ THE MOON (Annie), and AFTER THE FALL (Felice/others).

Ashlyn Zgoda

OUTREACH COORDINATOR

Ashlyn serves as the board’s Outreach Coordinator and is responsible for building relationships with other nonprofits and community organizations. A lifelong lover of theatre and the performing arts, Ashlyn was heavily involved in Canisius College’s Little Theatre club with roles in productions like MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, FOR THE LOVE OF JULIET, and SWEENEY TODD, while also pursuing a Vocal Performance minor with a focus on opera. After graduating from Cansius in 2014, Ashlyn began pursing a career in social work by enrolling in UB’s MSW program, while also staying involved in theatre by building sets with her husband on productions like WHITE BOY OTHELLO at Subversive and MEDUSA UNDONE at PIP. Ashlyn graduated with her MSW in the summer of 2018, and has recently reignited her love of opera by joining Buffalo Opera Unlimited’s May 2020 production of CARMEN.