Lois Russell
President
Lois Russell is a contemporary basket maker whose award-winning work has been exhibited internationally. President of the National Basketry Organization for three years, Lois teaches basketry across the country. Before becoming a studio artist, Lois was a journalist writing about education and served as an advisor to the U.S. Secretary of Education on national education reports.
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She was also president of Young Audiences of Massachusetts and served two terms on the Lexington, Massachusetts, School Committee. For over 20 years, she sat on the Internal Review Board at Children’s Hospital Boston and served four terms at Planned Parenthood of Massachusetts as well as on the board of CERF+. She is now on the board of Penland School of Craft. A resident of Somerville, Lois has degrees from Simmons College and Stanford University. Lois is the president of SA+C’s Board of Directors.
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Gary Roberts
Vice President, Chair of Strategic Planning, Chair of DEI
Gary Roberts, a Medford resident and ceramics collector, works at the MIT Sloan School of Management as Director of Faculty and Research Services, where he develops strategy and oversees an array of operations and resource planning. Prior to MIT, he worked at Tufts University as Assistant Provost for Academic Affairs and held a number of positions at Harvard University. Gary has served as the chair of the Medford Arts Council promoting community arts and culture.
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He also served on the Leadership Council for MASSCreative, a statewide non-profit advocacy organization. Gary, who earned a Ph.D. in English literature and languages from Brandeis University, is an active poet and translator of poetry. A Vice President of SA+C, Gary chairs the Strategic Planning and DEI committees.
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Polly Allen
Treasurer
Polly Allen left the corporate world in 1998 after a successful career in the apparel industry specializing in product development, merchandising and design. She has made a second career of volunteering her graphic design and financial skills to craft organizations. She serves on the Boards of North Country Studio Workshops and Snow Farm.
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Past board positions include the Craft Emergency Relief Fund (CERF+), the Penland School of Craft, the National Basketry Organization (NBO), and the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen. In addition to Board service, Polly is herself a textile artist working with paper and in basketry. Polly, a graduate of Wheaton College, lives in Boston, MA with her extensive craft collection. Polly is the Treasurer of SA+C and chairs the Finance Committee.
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Paulette Werger
Board of Trustees
Paulette Werger has been involved with SA+C for over 20 years. She is a metalsmith living in Lebanon, New Hampshire, whose work has been exhibited widely, including at the Chazen Museum of Art, the Renwick Gallery of Craft, and Fuller Craft Museum. Paulette has received numerous awards and permanent collection acquisitions.
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Her work is included in Schiffer Books, Mastering Contemporary Jewelry and Lark Books 500 Necklaces. Paulette teaches workshops in jewelry making and metalsmithing techniques throughout the country. She received her B.S. in painting and sculpture from the College of Saint Rose and Skidmore College in NY, and her M.F.A. in Art Metal from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She has served as faculty at University of Wisconsin-Madison and Montana State University. She is a founding member of Metalpeople Studio in Madison, WI. She serves on the Board of Trustees for the Alliance for the Visual Arts in Lebanon, NH. Paulette has held many leadership roles at SA+C and is currently a Vice President and on the Year of Craft committee.
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Efharis (Effie) Alepedis
Board of Trustees
Efharis Alepedis, a contemporary jeweler, has been making and exhibiting her work across the country and internationally for 22 years. Her work is in the collection of Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts.
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A resident of Boston, she has degrees from Tufts University and The Rhode Island School of Design and also works in her family’s franchise businesses. Effie has worked on CraftBoston and SA+C craft education efforts for many years and is now active on the DEI Committee.
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Jennifer (Jenne) Rayburn Billings
Past President
Jennifer (Jenne) Rayburn Billings is a goldsmith, enamelist and interior designer based in Melrose, MA. With degrees from the University of Washington and the University of Massachusetts, she has had a long and successful career in design and project management. In Boston she worked at Gensler, serving in many leadership positions.
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Currently she works as a consultant on corporate and residential projects. In the field of Interior Design, Jennifer served on the Board of the International Interior Design Association, serving in various leadership positions including as President. In addition, she served on the Board of Directors of the Boston Architectural College and has teaching affiliations with Endicott College, Boston Architectural College, Suffolk School of Art and Design, the Wentworth Institute of Technology, and the University of Massachusetts. Jenne was president of SA+C from 2016 to 2018 and serves on the Strategic Planning and Audit committees.
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Lorraine Bressler
Board of Trustees
Lorraine Bressler has been an active participant in the Boston arts community for many years. A collector of contemporary art and craft, she has a special interest in glass and ceramics.
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Lorraine has long been involved with the Museum of Fine Arts where she has worked in education and on a number of advisory committees. She is also active at Fuller Craft Museum. At SA+C Lorraine has served in the past on the Program and Education committees and is currently on the Development committee.
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Ellen-Deane Cummins
Board of Trustees
Ellen-Deane lives in Saratoga Springs, New York, and has been a summer resident on Lake George, in the town of Bolton Landing, for over 35 years. She was a Boston area resident for 23 years. Ellen-Deane is an avid collector of fine art and contemporary craft. She also has a passionate interest in classical music.
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Ellen-Deane has been an active member of many non-profit organizations in New York City, Boston, Washington DC, San Francisco, and upstate New York. She has served as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Society of Arts + Crafts for over 20 years and became an Honorary Life Trustee in 2014. Ellen-Deane is currently a member of the Board of Trustees of the Hyde Collection, a historic home and fine art museum in Glens Falls, a member of the Board of Advisors of the Union College Concert Series in Schenectady, and an immediate past member of the Board of Directors of the Saratoga Chamber Players.
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Jeannine Falino
Board of Trustees
Jeannine Falino has been involved with SA+C since she was the Peter and Carolyn Lynch Curator of American Decorative Arts and Sculpture at the Museum of Fine Arts in the 1990s. Now a resident of New York, Jeannine is a private curator and art historian with a long list of acclaimed exhibitions and books to her credit.
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She curated Crafting Modernism: Mid-century American Art and Design, and What Would Mrs. Webb Do? A Founder’s Vision for the Museum of Arts and Design in New York. In addition to curating and writing, Jeannine teaches at the Rhode Island School of Design and Parsons. A graduate of Providence College and Boston University, she serves on the steering committee of the New York Silver Society and the Friends of American Art at Yale. At SA+C she has worked on programming and is currently chairing the Governance committee.
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Lynne Francis-Lunn
Board of Trustees
Lynne Francis-Lunn was until recently the Director of Merchandising at the Peabody Essex Museum where she was responsible for generating revenue at the museum store and online. She served as a liaison to major donors, volunteers and the museum’s Fashion Visiting Committee.
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Now working as a studio artist, Lynn has won numerous awards from the National Basketry Organization including a Certificate of Excellence. Lynn has degrees from the University of Massachusetts and she is a past president of the New England Chapter of the Museum Store Association. At SA+C she sits on the Finance, Governance, and DEI committees.
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Beverly Gomes
Board of Trustees
Beverly has been a maker of craft objects since she was a child. She became a collector while still in college. She initially went to Pratt Institute to study design but abandoned the field in favor of psychology. With a Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University, she served as a research psychologist at McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School and New England Medical Center/Tufts Medical School.
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Subsequently, she earned an MBA from Babson College and joined Fidelity Investments, where she led numerous initiatives in technology, finance, and strategic planning. She collects craft at every opportunity and take classes in craft techniques for relaxation.
Beverly began working with SA+C as a CraftBoston intern in 2009, and joined the Board of Trustees in 2014. She has created fiber sculpture artwork and has exhibited her pieces in juried shows. In addition, she has been a docent at the Fuller Craft Museum, an organizer of artist open studios in her community of Lexington, and an organizer of exhibits with fiber artists. She continues to be an avid collector.
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Miguel Gómez‐Ibáñez
Board of Trustees
Miguel Gómez‐Ibáñez is a nationally recognized designer and maker of studio furniture. He is President Emeritus of North Bennet Street School. During his tenure at NBSS, he completed a $28 million development project bringing all eight professional training programs under one roof for the first time in a decade.
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His work has been featured in American Craft and Fine Woodworking, and has been exhibited in galleries and museums across the country. He has contributed articles and essays on furniture and design to Fine Woodworking, Woodworker’s Journal, and Furniture Studio. Miguel is a past president of The Furniture Society and currently serves on the Board of Trustees of Haystack Mountain School of Crafts and the American Craft Council. At SA+C Miguel serves on the Finance committee.
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Amy Nguyen
Board of Trustees
Amy Nguyen began exhibiting and selling her textile art in 2005 after earning a studio art degree and studying in the United States and Japan with shibori masters. Her work has received awards from the American Craft Council, American Craft Exposition, CraftBoston, Philadelphia Museum of Art Contemporary Craft Show and the Smithsonian Craft Show.
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Amy has guest lectured and led workshops at many institutions including the Museum of Fine Arts. Amy, who lives in Fort Point in Boston brings her interest in the connections between craft and traditional mind/body practices to SA+C where she sits on the Governance and DEI committees.
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Judith H. Obermayer
Board of Trustees
Judith is a former consultant to small high technology companies in the areas of strategic planning, financial management, and the commercialization of new technology. For many years she was associated with Moleculon Research Corp. (an R & D company in the chemical and pharmaceutical fields) as an officer, a director, and as a director of Moleculon, Inc., a public spinoff, later sold to an Australian company.
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She is a former Chair of the Enterprise Forum of Cambridge and served on the Board of the Massachusetts Technology Development Corporation. For many years she was a board member and treasurer of Bend the Arc: a Jewish Partnership for Justice, a national social justice organization that works toward a fair, just, and compassionate America. Currently a member of the Launchpad Venture Group, she is particularly interested in funding women owned and women led businesses. In addition to SAC, she is a member of Social Venture Partners, a philanthropic organization that provides both money and professional volunteer assistance and a director and past chair of the board of Jewish Vocational Service in Boston.
Her interest in collecting began with a piece of glass by John Lewis she purchased in the mid 70’s and has now expanded beyond glass but that is her particular interest.
She holds a BS degree from Carnegie-Mellon and a PhD in mathematics from Harvard University. She has three grown children and five grandchildren.
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Arthur Pressman
Board of Trustees
Arthur Pressman retired several years ago from a legal career that included being a partner at Buchanan Ingersoll PC in Pennsylvania and at Nixon Peabody LLP in Boston. He has continued to teach at Boston University School of Law and is working as a professional mediator.
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He is a Fellow of the International Academy of Mediators and the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. Arthur was Board Chair for seven years of South Coastal Counties Legal Services, a non-profit that provides free civil legal services to low income families, elders, victims of crime, and people with disabilities. A resident of South Natick, Arthur graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and got his law degree at Temple University. Arthur sits on SA+C’s Executive Committee.
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Jo Stealey
Board of Trustees
Josephine (Jo) Stealey is an artist known for her multi-media work using textiles and handmade paper. Her work is exhibited widely and is found in many private and public collections, including the National Portrait Gallery at the Smithsonian Museum of American Art.
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Jo, who has a PhD. in Art Education, lives in Columbia, Missouri. During her 35 years at the University of Missouri, she was head of the fiber program and led the Art Department before becoming the founding Director of the School of Visual Studies. In addition, she was the founding director for two Craft Centers in Missouri and has served on the board of the National Basketry Organization. She is a contributing author for textile journals, teaches workshops across the country; lectures on contemporary American basketry as well as curates and juries exhibitions. At SA+C Jo serves on the Governance and Year of Craft committees.
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Staff
Brigitte Martin
Executive Director
Brigitte Martin was previously the Executive Director of the Furniture Society; prior to that, she served as board president for the Society of North American Goldsmiths. Martin is known for founding and managing Crafthaus, an online community that supports and provides services to craft artists in all disciplines, as well as for organizing national Craft Think Tank events for many years. She has served as editor-at-large for the American Craft Council’s award-winning publication, American Craft.
Karina Burston
Deputy Director
deputydirector@
Karina has 25 years of experience in marketing, strategy, and operations roles in both for-profit and non-profit organizations. At SA+C she is responsible for managing staff, marketing, website redesign, and administrative functions. She has an MBA from Columbia University and a BA in English from Mount Holyoke College.
Jean Seestadt
CraftBoston Manager
craftboston@societyofcrafts.
Before working at SA+C, Jean worked as an art department manager for Hunter College, overseeing facilities and operations. She has worked as gallery manager at Lohin Geduld Gallery and Kinz + Tillou Fine Art in New York City, and as an artist assistant for Sanford Biggers. At SA+C, Jean coordinates and oversees CraftBoston, including the jurying and selection process, contracts, venues, marketing, and ensuring the good experience of the artists and attendees. Jean has an MFA from Hunter College and a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Zoe Langosy
Marketing, Graphic Design
marketing3@societyofcrafts.org
Zoe has twenty years of marketing, graphic design, illustration, and office management experience. Her most recent work has been for nonprofit organizations such as Trinity Church Boston, Munroe Center for the Arts, and the Multicultural Arts Center in Cambridge, as well as freelancing for other arts nonprofits in the area. Prior to 2008 she worked in illustration and design in Los Angeles and London. She is a graduate of Massachusetts College of Art.
Molly Burroughs
Administrative Assistant
adminassistant1@
Molly is a recent graduate of Williams College with a degree in Art History and History. Prior to SA+C she worked at Vose Galleries, Cuseum, and the Clark Art Institute. At SA+C she is responsible for numerous projects in support of office operations and marketing.
Joan Ciolino
Bookkeeper
bookkeeper@societyofcrafts.org
Joan has worked in arts administration for over twenty years, and has been with SA+C for five. She also works as Administrative Manager at the National Basketry Organization and as Bookkeeper at North Country Studio Workshop, while also managing her family gift shop in Gloucester, MA. Prior to that she worked for five years at the New England Quilt Museum. At SA+C she is responsible for all bookkeeping and human resource functions, as well as assisting with financial forecasting. She is a graduate of Wellesley College.
Martin Gredinger
CFO
consultingcfo@societyofcrafts.
Martin has worked as a consulting CFO for over 30 years with a variety of arts and nonprofit institutions including the Fuller Craft Museum, the deCordova Sculpture Park Museum, Fruitlands Museum, and Concord Museum. Martin has an MBA from University of Connecticut and a BA from Syracuse University.
John Michael Kennedy
PR Consultant
John Michael is president of JMKPR: Communications for Creative Industries, a public relations firm focused on working with individuals and organizations involved in the arts. The Society of Arts + Crafts has retained John Michael for more than five years to assist with a variety of public relations needs.