Chairman of the Board, Founder
Wendy Stapleton is a Greenwich native who graduated Cum Laude from the University of Michigan before earning her MFA from the Professional Writing program at the University of Southern California. At USC, Wendy learned fiction and screenwriting from some of Hollywood’s most famous and beloved writers including Shelly Berman and Syd Field. For the past 10 years, Wendy has worked tirelessly raising money for multiple non-profit organizations many of which she sits on the boards of. She’s been a member of UNICEF’s Next Generation Board and was formerly the chair of the Greenwich chapter. Wendy also helps women and children affected by HIV and AIDS through an organization known as FXB in Baranquilla, Colombia. She raised enough money to support 80 families for 3 years until they were able to get healthier and better educated, eventually being able to sustain themselves and their children. Along with Ms. Stapleton’s background in the arts, her passion for philanthropy strengthens the GIFF team’s commitment to using film to serve the greater good.
Executive Director
Ginger Stickel has had a long love for film as an art form, which led her to start the Greenwich Youth Film Festival for high school students in Fairfield and Westchester Counties. After successfully running the film festival for several years, she joined the Greenwich International Film Festival as COO. She has recently worked as a part-time strategic consultant helping start-ups create business and marketing plans. Previously, she worked in brand management at Colgate-Palmolive developing brand-building programs that drove business with key retail customers. Some of her projects included overseeing a grass-roots marketing program that grew sales in hard-to-reach areas of the country, launching new products for SoftSoap Body Wash, creating strategic growth plans. Ginger graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Miami University (OH) and a Masters of Business Administration from Columbia Business School.
