As a social worker, Patricia spent thirty years at the Erie County Department of Senior Services, working with home and community based services designed to enable older people to live independently. Having retired in 2012, she has been active in many community groups, including the Fargo Estate Neighborhood Association, Massachusetts Avenue Project, Schofield Care, Hearts and Hands, and the Food Policy Council. She is very excited to work with such a dynamic and valuable organization as Stitch Buffalo.

Elizabeth Lovria was born and raised in Western New York. She graduated from Syracuse University with bachelor’s degrees in Public Relations and English and Textual Studies. After a decade in the mortgage industry in New York and North Carolina, Elizabeth decided to pursue a new path and begin a non-profit career with WEDI and she proudly supports its mission and clients. Elizabeth is an avid runner, hiker, and supporter of Buffalo sports teams, and she enjoys creating through crafting, cooking, and cross-stitch.

Meenakshi Gupta is the Senior Program Manager at Rich Products and was nominated as the 2023 changemaker by Women’s Foodservice Forum (WFF). She holds an MS from the University at Buffalo, an MBA from IBS Hyderabad, and earned a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Calcutta in India. She also holds several professional certifications, including Project Management Professional, Certified Scrum Master, Advanced Scrum Master, and is a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt. Meenakshi lives in Buffalo, NY, with her husband and two children. She enjoys cooking Indian cuisine, traveling to new places, and spending time with her family in the outdoors.

A life-long resident of WNY, Amy is a proud supporter of all things Buffalo with a particular interest in the arts. She believes Stitch Buffalo, through its use of textile crafts promotes empathy and understanding among a diverse group of people and cultures. Amy is a retired physician, board certified in Anesthesiology and Hospice/Palliative Care, but her proudest achievement is being a mother to triplet boys.

Jane Cameron was a member of the inaugural class of CUNY Law School at Queens College and was a senior trial attorney with the Criminal Defense Division of the Legal Aid Society in Brooklyn. She also founded and was the president of the canine-loving nonprofit FIDO in Prospect Park. She returned to her hometown of Buffalo to work as an Assistant Attorney General in the Environmental Protection Bureau of the New York State Attorney General's Office. She is now a devotee of yoga, sewing, and travel.

Eve Everette is a theatre artist and project manager who teaches fifth grade in a Buffalo school.. She specializes in devised theatre and developing engaging, community-minded programming. Eve holds an MA in Classical and Contemporary Text for Acting from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, and a BA in Theatre and in Art History. Eve also completed the Harvard Program for Refugee Trauma: Global Mental Health Trauma and Recovery certificate program. Previously, she worked for the Anne Frank Project, served on Board of the Holocaust Resource Center of Buffalo, and facilitated for the National Federation for Just Communities of WNY. Eve enjoys writing, traveling, and puppetry.

Christine is a non-profit professional with more than 20 years of experience fundraising for social service and medical organizations. A native of Western New York, Christine is committed to the continued resurgence of the area and all who live here—supporting local arts, outdoor infrastructure, and the advancement of women. She currently serves as the Chief Advancement Officer at The Buffalo Zoo.

Kayla Gleason serves as the Chief of Organizational Strategy at Jericho Road Community Health Center, where she has worked for over ten years. She received her BS in Community & Human Services from Empire State College and her MA in Strategic Leadership from Roberts Wesleyan College in Rochester. Kayla is excited to support the incredible work of Stitch Buffalo, weaving together two of her greatest passions: building community among women and preserving diverse cultures.

Andrea Kuettel practices law in the health care field and is delighted to support the artisans of Stitch Buffalo. She enjoys textile arts of all kinds, especially weaving and sewing. Andrea is also a hobby beekeeper and loves celebrating all things in Western New York.

Sarah Richards-Desai is a PhD candidate and adjunct instructor at the SUNY University at Buffalo School of Social Work. She first engaged with refugee communities as a teenager through volunteering and has built relationships through World Refugee Day in WNY and other grassroots initiatives. Her other interests include knitting, crochet, oil painting, and piano.

Tashi is a program officer with the International Rescue Committee working on assurance and travel for the Welcome Corps program. With family from both Western New York and Nepal, Tashi has seen many of her family members migrate to new countries and hopes to help ease that process for families resettling in the United States. Tashi graduated from Colgate University in 2019 and has a professional background in refugee resettlement. Tashi began volunteering at Stitch Buffalo in 2020 and is grateful to continue to be part of the community as a board member.

Munawara Sultana was born in Pakistan and belongs to a religious minority group called Ahmediya Muslim. She holds a degree in science. In 2010, Munawara started a small textile business called MS Collection to support to economically empower her female family members and allow them to stand for their own rights. The business grew to almost 150 artisans from her hometown and started doing trunk shows and then international trade shows like Texworld New York. Munawara left Pakistan due to the inhumane treatment of women and minorities, coming to Buffalo, NY, for political asylum. She fell in love with the city and Stitch Buffalo—and considers them her new home.

Naomi Thompson is a crafter, researcher, and educator. She is new to Buffalo, having moved to accept a position as an assistant professor of Learning Sciences in the Graduate School of Education at the University at Buffalo. Particularly as a daughter of immigrants, she is fascinated by intersections of craft, culture, community, and learning. She explores these relationships in her research as well as her personal life, and is excited for the opportunity to help support the mission of Stitch Buffalo.

Joann Tomasulo has worked as marketing manager for the Lexington Co-op Market for 18 years, and also serves on their Strategic Leadership and Brand Teams. Previously she owned Hello World, an Elmwood Avenue store filled with art, fashion, and gifts. Joann has sewn since she was fourteen and used to love to make her own clothes and home furnishings. Now, it's simple hemming until there is more time!

Molly Worth’s background as a stylist and women’s ready-to-wear designer gave her the insight and skill needed to manage her own product development and manufacturing. In 2019, she launched “The Factory Buffalo,” where she is able to design and develop sewn products for her brand and others—all under one roof.