Audrey Gelman

Audrey Gelman, born on June 2, 1987, is an American entrepreneur and political staffer. Raised on the Upper West Side of New York, she attended the Lab School and Bard High School. Gelman began her higher education at Oberlin College in 2005, studying for two years before leaving to contribute to Hillary Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign. After Clinton’s primary defeat, she returned to New York and completed her bachelor’s degree in political science at New York University. During this period, she also appeared in the satirical web series “Delusional Downtown Divas” by Lena Dunham. In 2008, Gelman served as a press aide for Hillary Clinton. She continued her political work, serving as deputy communications director in Scott Stringer’s successful campaign for New York City Comptroller in 2013. That same year, she joined the New York office of the strategic consulting firm SKDKnickerbocker.

In October 2016, Gelman co-founded The Wing with Lauren Kassan, a women’s co-working space and social club in New York City. The initial location was in the Flatiron District, with a founding membership of 200 women. The Wing aimed to revive the atmosphere of women’s clubs from the late 19th and early 20th-century suffrage movement. In its first two years, The Wing maintained a policy of admitting only women and non-binary individuals. This policy faced scrutiny, leading to an investigation by the New York City Commission on Human Rights and a gender discrimination lawsuit filed in 2018. Following these events, The Wing updated its formal membership policy.

The Wing experienced significant growth and investment, raising $8 million in Series A funding in April 2017, led by New Enterprise Associates and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. By November 2017, the club had approximately 1,500 members. That same month, The Wing launched its magazine, “No Man’s Land,” and secured $32 million in Series B funding, led by WeWork. A second New York location opened in Soho by December 2017. Gelman was recognized by Politico, Forbes, and Fast Company for her achievements. In June 2020, she resigned as CEO of The Wing amid complaints regarding the handling of racist behavior and an employee walkout. The Wing permanently closed in August 2022. Gelman later founded The Six Bells, initially a home-goods store in Brooklyn in April 2022, and subsequently expanded it into a countryside inn in the Hudson Valley in 2025.