Stephanie Lieberman Paley, Secretary

Stephanie Lieberman Paley is a Certified Master Hand Knitter and a Certified Technical Editor from The Knitting Guild Association (TKGA), and holds a PhD in Molecular Biology from Columbia University. While working on her Master Hand Knitting certification, she wrote a paper on the history of knitting. Fascinated by the stories and traditions she uncovered,  she became passionate about promoting and preserving the history of knitting, crochet, and other fiber arts.

Stephanie learned to knit as a child and rediscovered her love of the craft as an adult. For more than 15 years, she has taught knitting and fiber arts to children and adults alike through her own studio, Stephanie’s Knit Lab, as well as yarn stores, art centers, after-school programs, and summer camps. She also volunteers her time and expertise at local libraries.

An avid traveler, Stephanie loves seeking out yarn stores wherever she goes, and has amassed a collection of yarn and bags from cities around the world. In her free time, she enjoys hiking and reading.

Marilyn J. Huset, Treasurer

Marilyn Huset is an ardent knitter and a member of the Madison (Wisconsin) Knitters’ Guild (the largest in the U.S.). She holds a B.S. in accounting and is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). She retired from TDS Telecom as Manager of Financial Communications, where she was previously Manager of Policies and Procedures and Manager of Accounting. At TDS Telecom, with newly acquired companies, and as national president of the American Woman’s Society of CPAs (AWSCPA, www.awscpa.org) she oversaw and revamped management structures, managed corporate records, annual meetings and board actions, and revised bylaws. She also co-authored a book on the 75-year history of the AWSCPA. She served on the American Institute of CPAs’ Work/Life and Women’s Initiatives Executive Committee and co-edited the book Promoting Your Talent: A Guidebook for Women and Their Firms by Nancy Baldiga. She is active in civic organizations and served as a treasurer for her church during two reorganizations, creating internal controls and a new church constitution.

Ashleigh-ellan Kavanagh-Colgrave

Ashleigh-ellan Kavanagh-Colgrave is a knitting historian, writer and researcher whose work explores knitting as a form of cultural, social and political expression. Her research is particularly interested in the ways knitting has been used to communicate, organise, resist and record history, challenging the perception of knitting as merely a domestic or decorative craft. Ashleigh-ellan holds a Master’s degree in Fashion Management, and has worked across writing, research, curation and creative practice. Her work spans knitting history, material culture, textiles and craft, with a particular interest in the relationship between everyday making and wider histories of gender, politics, labour and resistance.

As a freelance writer and journalist, Ash has written extensively about art, culture, textiles and tattoo history, with work appearing in publications including Knit Now. She has also worked in museum and exhibition contexts, including research, curation, artist engagement and public programming. Her current research and writing focuses on the history of knitting as rebellion, examining the ways knitters have used an ostensibly quiet and domestic craft as a means of communication, political expression and collective action. She is particularly interested in recovering the overlooked histories of the people who knitted, and asking what those objects can tell us about the societies in which they were made.

Emma Oliver

Emma Oliver is currently the Director of Creative Employment and an Assistant Professor at Montserrat College of Art in Beverly, Massachusetts. In this role, she leads initiatives that connect students with meaningful, paid creative work both on and off campus. Oliver helps students gain professional creative experience while still in school. She works closely with students to translate the skills developed through studio practice, such as problem solving, project management, collaboration, and creative thinking, into language that resonates with employers in the broader creative economy. Through mentorship, programming, and partnerships with local arts organizations and industries, she supports students in building sustainable creative careers and understanding the many professional pathways available to artists and designers. She also deeply enjoys teaching art education and studio courses each semester, knowing that the classroom to career connection is integral in gaining post-graduate employment.

Wendy Townley

Wendy Townley is a lifelong creative. As founder of Wendy Crafts, Wendy shares her passion for papercrafting in its many vibrant forms, including greeting cards, gift tags, junk journals, and scrapbooks. She is an avid recreational knitter and dabbles in sewing (both machine and hand stitching on paper). Wendy teaches crafting classes virtually throughout the month and in person in Omaha, where she calls home.