With elections being held for two weeks from Wednesday May 20th to Wednesday June 3rd, we want to make sure you know who the candidates are! Candidates for each position were asked to provide a photo and a brief write-up on why they would be the best for the position. Details below!
Candidate for President:
Kate Hardie:
Hi! I’m Kate, and you may also know me as @ilovecupkates on Instagram. I’m running for President of the Ottawa Garment Guild for the 2020-2021 Season!
I’ve been on the executive of the guild since its inception, when we formed the very first executive committee. I want to continue helping to build our local garment sewing community in Ottawa! I think we are so lucky in Ottawa to have such a diversity of sewists and makers, excellent fabric shops, and people who have knowledge and expertise to share. In addition, I think there’s a bigger picture to building a guild for garment makers – in addition to building community, we are promoting body positivity, learning new skills, and feeling accomplished when we finish new makes.
Candidate for Vice President:
Johanna Persohn:
Hi everyone! I’m Johanna, (Instagram knows me as
@yellowdoormakes) I’ve been sewing since I was a kid, taught by my mom mainly (she sewed a lot of our clothes!). I remember when the guild started I was so excited! While I did have some in real life sewing friends I know it’s hard for many to meet others, and I love how it has grown to share our joy of garment sewing with so many!
Why am I running? Well, the thought of running for a position has been running through my head since the beginning, but I didn’t think I could commit the time. I volunteered with the committee to run the two Frocktails events OGG hosted and it was a lot of fun! So I thought now’s the time to get more involved!
While I admit I do have a pretty busy life with two kids (two boys, 7 and 10) and a day job, I also have a supportive spouse who values volunteering and I’m pretty used to making time for volunteer activities. For the last almost 9 years I’ve been the Chair, and more recently co-chair of the a committee for my local community association. I like to think I have some pretty in depth experience in working in a committee and in a leadership role like the VP position may require from time to time. I have been slowly stepping back from that role though, with my co-chair handling the vast majority of the work which will allow time for a role with the guild!
I also love research (I’m a historian by education) so I think lots of the tasks of the VP role, like OGGPOM are well suited to what I normally like to do! I also love working with others and coming up with unique solutions and ideas! Hopefully you will think I’m a good fit for the role and I look forward to another awesome year for the guild!
Candidate for Treasurer:
Laura Gibson:
Hi there! My name is Laura Gibson and I’m running for Treasurer. I’m drawn to the Treasurer position because I like being able to support a variety of different projects and look forward to being involved with all the workings of the OGG. I think I’m a good candidate for the Treasurer position because I’m comfortable with numbers and love a good spreadsheet. Being able to summarize data in an easy-to-understand package is also a big part of my day job as an analyst. One idea I would bring forth if elected as Treasurer would be to establish pay-it-forward fund for membership and workshop registration fees. Through the collection of small donations, the fund would support sewists in our community who want to participate in OGG activities, but may not be able to pay the full fees.
Candidate for Secretary:
Kimberley Low:
I've been sewing off and on since I was a kid with anyone willing to teach me, home ec, etc., but I've been consistently garment sewing for the past 5 years. I'm running for Secretary because I'd like to be involved and help with this organization which I've gotten so much out of. I have previous experience in the Secretary role and with the board of a non-profit in general with my Masters Swim Club.
Candidate for Social Media Manager:
Renee Michienzi:
Hello! I’m Renee (aka
oh.sew.renee on Instagram) and I’d love for the opportunity to be the Social Media Manager for the OGG. I’ve been a member for the past year and part of the online sewing community for longer. I’m a full time working mom (Admin in the Federal Government) of two little kids and have found a wonderful escape in sewing garments for myself in my sacred spare time. I love the steady presence of the Guild for bringing sewists together out of the sewing room, and walk away with from each meeting with inspiration and energy. I find that social media fosters and builds those connections between meetings and can really engage people beyond the sewing room. I’d love to be part of the process with the OGG in helping inspire, encourage and promote on social media platforms.
Candidate for Special Events Coordinator:
Leah Stolarski:
Hi, I’m Leah. I am currently the guild's Social Media Manager and for the upcoming year I am running to be the Special Events Coordinator. Professionally, I am a freelance graphic designer and an event florist. If you attended Frocktails last year you may have had your picture taken in front of the backdrop I created. I have very much enjoyed contributing to the guild and having a hand in continuing our mission of fostering a community of garment makers. After one year on the board I feel ready to move into a more involved position and take a more hands on roll in planning engaging events, including Frocktails. My goal for the guild has and continues to be to grow our community and include as diverse a group of local sewists as possible. I plan to work with the incoming board to keep the standards for events as high as they've been in the past and develop ways to engage more community members.
