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.

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 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 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.

BRENDAN WANGLER
Shop Backup
he/him
Honorific: Mr.
 

Brendan would find himself interested in all things sustainability thanks to a summer program offered by Chatham University which evolved into getting a four-year degree in the same thing. During this time, he found the Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse thanks to the endlessly magnificent Career Development Office. Through them, he was able to secure an internship as a Supply Chain Management intern. He learned a significant number of things from Creative Reuse but what he feels is an essential lesson is just how different sustainability can look from person to person and how we should embrace those differences for a better future. His hobbies include finding time to make art, watching any and all movies he can get his hands on, and exploring the vast ocean that is the internet for an incredibly niche video essay on something entirely random yet unendingly fascinating.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

board of directors

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

Kelsy Black, Board President, Luma Health 

Sarah Kipling McKay, Board Vice President, The Education Partnership 

Brian Savolskis, Board Treasurer, Highmark Health / HM Health Solutions 

Omoye Aikhuele, Board Secretary, City of Pittsburgh

Jerrelle Boston, PNC

Michelle Wion Chitty, Winchester Thurston School

Kayla Coley, Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh

Alicia Donner, Financial Empowerment Center 

Raphaela Esposito, Selvedge Threads LLC

Shelby Mastovich, Pittsburgh Technology Council 

Sarah Mayer, Shift Collaborative 

Adam Nye, Winchester Thurston School

Erin Palmer, Public Consulting Group

Maggie Zurbruegg-Ramey, Kendra Scott

 
 
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