Staff + Board

Staff and board

STAFF

To contact us by email, please route your inquiry accordingly:

For information on pronouns and why they matter, visit https://www.mypronouns.org/what-and-why.

ASH ANDREWS
Executive Director
they/them
Honorific: Mx.
 
Ash Andrews first became interested in sustainability and creativity as a youth while using household discards like bottle caps, film canisters, and pistachio shells to create complex imaginary worlds. It was only after setting off to explore the real world when Ash truly began to see the global ecological connections between “making do” and the transformative potential of reuse and creativity for the environment, community, and self. After an immersive experience in various permaculture communities in Hawaii, Ash moved to Pittsburgh to continue their exploration of sustainable, thriving communities. Ash became the executive director of the Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse in 2016, after working at the center in various roles for 5 years. In 2020, Ash was named a 40 Under 40 honoree by Pittsburgh Magazine. Follow along with Ash’s adventures on Instagram at @ash_and____ 

CAMMIE BRADY
Creative Manager
she/her
Honorific: Mx.
 

Cammie is the Creative Manager, and has worked at Creative Reuse for over eight years! Wow! She has a passion for all things camp and kitsch, and likes to draw, paint, and create makeshift costumes from reused materials. Cammie believes that material reuse is a way to combat the current climate crisis and also keep art-making accessible to everyone, plus it’s just, like, totally cool, dude.

Fun facts: Cammie loves watching movies (especially horror) and has a cat named Griffin who is sort of mean (but very cute.)

You can see Cammie’s art on her Instagram: @Cammmieb.

CHRISTINA HANSEN
Shop Backup
they/them
Honorific: Ms.
 

Christina is a life-long reuse, upcycling, and preservation enthusiast with a professional practice in fine art conservation. When they’re not busying themselves learning the day-to-day operations of Creative Reuse, they can be found working on regional restoration projects including traditional paintings, public outdoor sculpture, historic decorative arts, and beloved garment repair. Christina has found their place in Creative Reuse, at the crossroads of their formal materiality studies, purposeful repetitive processes, and a “use what ya got” philosophy. They have lived in the Pittsburgh region for 10 years, by way of Florida’s Atlantic coast.
Find them scouring the bottom shelves for treasures, with their nose in a book, or on their (much neglected) Instagram @christina_snacktasha.

XIOLA JENSEN
Shop Manager
she/her
Honorific: Ms.
 
Back in 2017, Xiola started working with Creative Reuse through the Chatham University work-study program. When she graduated in 2019, she was hired to work in the shop! Since then, she has taken on the role of Shop Manager and Marketing Assistant. Her hobbies outside of work include drawing and journaling, so she can often be found lurking in the scrapbook and art supplies sections of the shop. Xiola understands the importance of reusing materials as a way to reduce waste, and she loves helping others do the same at Creative Reuse. Check out her illustration work at xiolajensen.com or on Instagram: @xiolathefairy.

LAUREL RILEY
Shop Backup
she/her
Honorific: Ms.
 

Laurel is 20 years old and was born and raised in Mount Pleasant PA, a small rural town just a ways outside of Pittsburgh! She’s a plant mom to 100+ houseplants, and also to her cat Shelby! Some of her favorite hobbies include hiking and scaling mountains (she’s an aspiring mountaineer!), landscape painting, pressing flowers, and yoga! She’s a junior in college studying Biology, and she really wants to be a research Botanist someday! She’s very passionate about the environment and planet, which is why she loves working for Creative Reuse!

VIVIENNE SHAO
Shop and Materials Assistant
she/her
Honorific: Ms.
 

Vivienne has worked at Creative Reuse as a Shop Assistant for 3 years. She enjoys managing anything and everything related to fabric and yarn. Her creative pursuits mainly lie with the fiber arts, so she has tried many different crafts from knitting and crochet to spinning and needle felting. She believes in avoiding waste and that any type of scrap can become art, turning yarn and fabric scraps into new funky yarns. One person’s trash can be perfectly good art material for another. You can follow her creative pursuits on Instagram: @yarnielife.

DANIEL SHAPIRO
Materials Coordinator
he/him
Honorific: Mr.
 

Daniel is the Materials Coordinator and has worked at Creative Reuse for ten years. He likes to create found object assemblages with Western and/or animal themes. His favorite materials come from the drawers of the card catalog (plastic animals, googly eyes, and other bits ‘n pieces). Daniel also likes to bake and recently he’s been experimenting with various flavor combinations for vegan cupcakes. He would really like to see all of us making secondhand our first choice, speaking out against injustices, adopting plant-based diets, and picking up trash we see in our neighborhood. You can find Daniel’s creative projects (and cupcakes) on his website danielshapiroart.com and Instagram: @cowboygoods.

MATT VITUCCIO
Shop Backup
he/him
Honorific: Mr.
 

Matt believes that artistic expression is one of humanity’s greatest joys, and that accessibility and encouragement are key factors in making that expression regular and practical. His favorite sections at Creative Reuse are the traditional art supplies, the bulk office supplies, and the vintage items. As a Shop Assistant he enjoys discovering the histories of unusual items, talking about projects and supplies with customers, and generating ideas of his own while spending time in Creative Reuse’s inspiring environment. Matt is a cartoonist and musician, and his work can be found on Instagram @mattvituccioart, @brightsidepgh, and @sleepingwitchandsaturn

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Creative Reuse also has a dedicated, creative, and engaged Board of Directors:

Adam Nye, Board President, Winchester Thurston
Kelsy Black, Board Vice President, Kelly Strayhorn Theater
Sarah Kipling McKay, Board Treasurer, The Education Partnership
Michelle Wion Chitty, Board Secretary, Winchester Thurston School
Omoye Aikhuele, City of Pittsburgh
Alicia Donner, Financial Empowerment Center
Peter Humphrey, EDI-International
Candace Johnson, Comcast
Theora Kvitka, Maven Clinic
Sarah Mayer, Shift Collaborative
Brian Savolskis, Highmark Health
Sarah Simkin, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General
Lynn Helbling Sirinek, Community Volunteer
Maggie Zurbruegg-Ramey, Kendra Scott

 

 
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