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. 

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.

ALYSSA DAMERON
Shop Backup
she/her
Honorific: Ms.
 
Alyssa started at Creative Reuse in 2023 as a Chatham University work study student but became a part of the team in 2024, and she is super excited to continue working with Creative Reuse! She has lived in Pittsburgh almost her whole life and, as an art education major, she is happy to help spread some good to her home city through Creative Reuse. Alyssa’s main artistic mediums are painting, drawing, and collage, but she loves (and would love to hear about) all styles of art and creation. Outside of art, her hobbies include music, bowling, movies, and hanging out with her friends. She is psyched to continue working in such an educating environment and with such creative people, and you can see all that she creates on Instagram @dameron.art.  

HANNAH FIERLE
Materials Coordinator
they/them
Honorific: Mx.
 

Hannah grew up in the suburbs outside of Pittsburgh and has put down roots in the city as a young adult who loves the vibrant creative community it has to offer. They joined the team at Creative Reuse in 2024 and are over the moon to get to work at a place where their passion for sustainability and personal love for creating arts and crafts out of recycled and repurposed materials intersect. Hannah loves to make silly miniatures, mixed-media collages, and sometimes even puppets. When not at work, Hannah can be found volunteering at community gardens in Pittsburgh’s East End, reading books, searching for trinkets and doo-dads to use in their projects, and exploring the city with their partner and friends.

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.

JAMES KIM
Shop Backup
he/him
Honorific: Mr.
 

James moved to Pittsburgh in 2017 and has met a lot of great people and friends along the way! He joined the Creative Reuse team in 2023 and loves hearing all about the customers’ projects and ideas, and helping out in any way that he can. He is really excited to work with such a lovely staff in a space where he can grow and learn more ways to be sustainable, reduce waste, and be a more active member of his community. His favorite section in the store are all the sections with cute little trinkets! In his free time, James loves trying new foods, sightseeing around Pittsburgh, and playing board games! His recent favorites have been Paladins of the West Kingdom and Ortus Regni. If you’re designing any board games or just interested in discussing board games, James would love to talk more over Instagram @jems_kim!

LIA KOWALSKI
Creative Assistant
she/they
Honorific: Mx.
 

After starting as a Teaching Artist intern in the fall of 2023, Lia has recently found a new home as Creative Assistant and is overjoyed to be a part of the Creative Reuse community! As a mixed-media & collage artist, Lia is quite obsessed with incorporating found/reused/unusual materials into her artwork and loves the practice of creating something new from the interconnection of items who’ve lived a whole life before her! Lia is also an avid zinester whose zine contents range from utopic, imaginary worlds with mermaid kitties and sparkly unicorns to sensitive, Kimya Dawson-inspired introspection. You can find all of Lia’s cut-and-paste creations on Instagram @leftoverllunch

A photo of Aubrianne O'Donnell with illustrated bubbles floating around her face and a banner with her name on it under her chin.

AUBRIANNE O’DONNELL
Operations Assistant
she/her
Honorific: Ms.
 
No stranger to reuse, mending, and upcycling, Aubrianne has a strong passion for personal creativity and a commitment to sustainability in everyday life. Beyond assisting with the administration of Creative Reuse, she keeps busy with many fancies; mainly bookbinding, filling those books, reading (almost always horror/sci-fi), and handling the intricacies of running a small business. You can follow her aromatic endeavors on Instagram @lavationsoaps.

A photo of a person jumping in a karate like pose in front of a green wall with various illustrated doodles added on top.

BRENT PHETO
Shop Backup
He/Him
Honorific: Mr.
 

Brent started at Creative Reuse in 2024, joining to better serve the art community around him. Born in Virginia, he graduated from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and, after living in Austin, Texas, he now calls Pittsburgh/Wilkinsburg his home. He is a mixed media artist with a heavy emphasis on woodblock printmaking. When not working, Brent enjoys gardening, biking, playing too much video games, and a good rom-com. Check out his artwork  at @BrentPheto.

DANIEL SHAPIRO
Creative Design and Online Sales
he/him
Honorific: Mr.
 

Daniel started out as a volunteer and has worked at Creative Reuse since 2012. 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 sewing his own button-down shirts. You can find Daniel’s creative projects on his website danielshapiroart.com and Instagram @cowboygoods.

LEIGH WILLIAMS
Assistant Shop Manager
she/her
Honorific: Ms.
 

Originally from the deep south, Leigh has been in Pittsburgh since 2020 and at Creative Reuse since 2023. Leigh’s interest in sustainability runs deep and she believes that reuse and repair are the most direct way we can lower our impact. Between her formal art education, professional marketing/museum/production experience, and many, many hobbies, she has accumulated many nuggets of knowledge that are now put to good use at Creative Reuse. Leigh’s hobbies include illustration, fiber crafts, sewing, vintage jewelry/artifact collection, and gardening. Her favorite sections of the shop include the vintage and fabric sections. Check out her work on Instagram: illustrations @leighyostwillz and fiber ventures @leighknits.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

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

Board President: Maggie Zurbruegg-Ramey, Kendra Scott

Board Vice President: Erin Palmer, Public Consulting Group

Board Treasurer: Raphaela Esposito, Selvedge Threads LLC

Board Secretary: Sarah Kipling McKay, The Education Partnership

Omoye Aikhuele, City of Pittsburgh

Michelle Wion Chitty, Parkinson’s Foundation

Alicia Donner, Target 

Back To Top