In this month’s blog each of the members of this year’s Board of Directors shares their excitement about being on the board and what lies ahead in the next year(s). Read on, get to know us, and then tell us what you want from WARP so we have a better chance of delivering it. If you have questions for any of us, you can ask us directly, or go through our MVP, the incomparable indispensable Administrative Coordinator Kelsey Wiskirchen – . And now from the board:
Deborah Chandler – President –
This is such an amazing time for WARP, almost a rebirth. Thanks to the groundwork laid by the previous board, we now have 20 projects and committees established, some to be worked on immediately, others longer term. I’m very excited to be part of this very active board and look forward to helping to provide the best jump-start into the new era possible. I will share updates with members in every newsletter, and like all of the board members, truly hope that you will share your ideas and wishes with us.
Hedy Hollyfield – Vice President –
As a new board member I am excited to become more involved in the leadership of WARP. One of the first things I am working on is a member survey to assess how our members see the strengths and weaknesses of the organization and how it can be improved. I will also be working with the monthly Panel Presentations. This program, started during the pandemic, was effective at bringing WARP member stories to a larger audience and we want to keep the momentum going on that. A key interest area for me is DEI – diversity, equity, and inclusion. I hope to lay some ground work for us to examine the question as an organization, looking at both an expanded membership and the creation of policies that honor those factors in all our activities and relationships. Although WARP is obviously built around the idea of diversity, recognizing and supporting that in new ways is something we need to learn how to do. If you have ideas or suggestions, please share them with us.
Cheryl Musch – Treasurer – It’s exciting for me to once again be more closely involved with WARP members who have a passion for supporting artisan production of textiles. The new ways we’re connecting open up WARP to so many new people, and I’m looking forward to continued international involvement. I’m motivated to keep the good energy going, both online and in person, and look forward to upcoming auctions!
Sara Lamb – Co-Secretary – Of all of the gifts of the pandemic, one of my favorites is what it has done for WARP. Suddenly we are reaching people all over the world that we never could have reached before, and international participation has soared. We have a new board full of happy cheerful people anxious to take WARP to new heights and it is very exciting. At the same time, I personally have a weak internet connection, so the in-person parts of WARP are still very important to me. I have worked on several previous live Annual Meetings and will help with our Ohio meeting next year, and look forward to figuring out how to design it so that it addresses both avenues of communication, online and live. This is my last year on the board and it’s going to be a good one.
Cael Chappell – Co-Secretary –
As a new board member, I look forward to immersing myself into the WARP community and learning the organization from top to bottom. I especially look forward to hearing from other members’ ideas about what they see for WARP’s future and how I can help bring their vision to fruition.
Elena Laswick – How do I hope to make an impact? The first thing that comes to mind is working on ways to make WARP as inclusive as possible. I can imagine contributing to this goal by expanding our reach with younger folks with a stronger social media presence and working to include as many people from different countries and backgrounds as possible.
Sarah Saulson – The post-COVID world is emerging as very different from before. No place is that truer than for WARP. Our membership blossomed during the Pandemic thanks to Zoom in large measure, and has become much more international. I’m looking forward to building upon this exciting new development in WARP. As we move forward, I’d like to help ensure that the board builds and maintains strong links with our amazing membership.
Beth Davis – I am a founding member of WARP, but for various reasons I was a passive member for a long time. Now I want to be fully engaged again, bringing not only my connection to the history of the organization but the professional skills I have learned in the meantime. I am especially enthusiastic about User Experience Research as I know it can help improve the website and all of our other online connections to our membership. WARP has changed so much in the past 30 years, I want to be on the team that re-defines it and figures out how to best serve our 21st century membership. Toward that end, along with Hedy, I am working on the Member Survey that you will receive in August. We urge you to fill it out and return it, as we sincerely want to know what you want for and from WARP.
Maren Beck – What excites me most about WARP in the coming year is the opportunity to expand our regular contacts with our membership through online networking opportunities. This past spring we started the Business Networking Group, which linked members around specific topics related to members’ businesses, whether wholesale, retail, tours, artisans, or presenters. We will be starting to meet again after a short break, so let me know if you would like to join the group. The additional involvement of international members is also something I hope to see grow, as we are able to successfully use Zoom to connect membership all over the world in our meetings. I’m also hoping that we can continue to have a Zoom component of our annual meetings to better connect our widely dispersed membership.
Who to contact about what: (email addresses above, by each name)
- Member Survey coming out in August – Beth, Hedy
- Monthly Zoom Panel Presentations – Hedy, Deborah, Judi Jetson*, Cathy Jacobus*
- Zoom Discussion Groups, eg Business, Cultural Appropriation – Maren
- Artisan Resource Guide updates – Hedy
- Diversity, Equity, Inclusion – Hedy, Beth, Elena
- Auction/Raffle/Giving Tuesday – Cheryl, Elena
- Vendor Event in the fall – Maren
- Website Design and Spiffing Up – Cael, Beth, Elena
- Annual Meeting 2022/Ohio – Sara L, Elena, Cathie Joslyn*, Katie Simmons*
- Grants, Scholarships, Assistantships – Maren, Beth
- Volunteers – Maren, Deborah
- Nominating Committee – Maren
- Board Handbook and By-laws updates – Sara L,, Deborah
- Newsletter – Sarah S., Linda Temple*
- Blog – Deborah
- Social Media Management – Elena
(*You don’t have to be a board member to work in an area of interest. Join us!)