The Texas Women Songwriters Festival is a gathering of songwriters and artists that serves to showcase and elevate this crucial and unique portion of our great state's culture. Set in beautiful downtown Lockhart, the BBQ Capital of Texas, the focal point of the festival will include three days of original music by some of Texas's best and brightest singer-songwriters.
Mandy Rowden – Founder and Executive Director
Mandy Rowden is a longtime musician based in Central Texas. In 2024, she published her master's thesis on Texas women singer-songwriters and actively seeks to create opportunities and elevate women musicians in all forms. Rowden is the founder of Girl Guitar, Austin's guitar, songwriting, and rock-and-roll school for women. In addition, she is a professor of Business in Music at Texas State University as well as an online educator for Elixir Strings. Mandy is a Gibson Artist, has released four albums of original music, and is currently on the Howlin' Dog Records label. Currently, Rowden resides in Lockhart with her family and can be found most weekends playing guitar, fiddle, or drums at performances across Central Texas.
Shelley Adelle Bliss - Development and Content Coordinator
With a rich background, Shelley is a New York Conservatory trained performer and wordsmith, now rooted in Austin, Texas.
Her Motto: Wake up, drink water, try not to be an a**hole. When in doubt, hire a theater kid!
She has built a multi-hyphenate career, teaching, performing, coaching and mentoring across media and wellness sectors. From 2019 to 2025, she served on the Happiness Team for Good Life Project and was the Team Lead for the Certified Sparketype Advisor community at Spark Endeavors. She’s also served on the Marketing & Community Outreach teams for Recipe Kick, Girl Guitar Austin, The Flourishing Center, Sonic Yoga NYC, and The Yoga Pagoda (which she founded and ran from 2010-2019)
Shelley is dedicated practitioner of embodied wellness, ancestral wisdom, and slow living, offering a uniquely grounded and poetic voice to her work. She is the founder of Haus of Bliss, a slow-crafted sanctuary rooted in folk traditions and inspired by quiet teachings. Her mission is to help individuals navigate life's challenges, set meaningful goals, and make lasting positive changes, empowering them on a tailored, holistic path to wellness.
Anne Sifuentez - Director of Brand & Partnerships
Throughout Anne’s career in advertising, she was fortunate to work with some of the best creatives in New York and Texas. She enjoyed fostering strong relationships and realizing an artist’s vision through story-driven campaigns. Anne has called Austin home for the past 30 years, forming a deep connection with the city’s music and art scenes. Seven years ago, she picked up the guitar and discovered a new creative outlet in songwriting. What began as a personal challenge quickly turned into a passion thanks to Mandy Rowden and the Girl Guitar community. Anne is looking forward to growing as a story-driven songwriter and learning from this talented group of Texas women songwriters.
Dakota Doster - Operations and Communications Manager
Dakota is a Michigan native who headed south chasing the sunshine and now calls Austin home. She grew up playing piano, then later added oboe, ukulele and acoustic guitar to the mix. In her free time, she likes writing country/folk songs and playing at open mics around town. Dakota also enjoys singing in SOCO Women’s Chorus and playing with her Girl Guitar band, SuperTight. Dakota has either worked or volunteered at CapTex Tri, Cap10k, ACL, SXSW, Austin Sunshine Run, Girl Guitar showcases and more! She loves the thrill of pulling off a large event! Armed with a checklist and a can-do attitude, Dakota is excited to bring the Texas Women Songwriters Festival to life!