Wednesday 15 May 2019

Elections for 2019/2020 Season: Meet Your Candidates!

With elections being held for two weeks from Thursday May 16th to Thursday May 30th, 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!  Candidates are listed in alphabetical order for each position.

Candidate for Vice President:
Kristina Rudnitski:
Why do I want to run for VP of the Ottawa Garment Guild?
Because I’m impressed with the dedication of the current team bringing us a fun evening once a month for the past year, along with special events thrown in every so often. Becoming part of this community of people who love to sew is inspiring, and I am happy to help develop the guild further, give back some of what it has given me. My ideas for the guild are grouped in 3 clusters: 
1) People and Community, 
2) Tools and Resources, and 
3) Programming. 
For People & Community, the objective is to get to know each other better through the use of name tags, member profile pages, sewing play dates and finding a fitting buddy. The objective for Tools & Resources is to capture the information in a searchable format by setting up a wiki which could include an online forum, book reviews, lists of sources, inspiring media, and a tip board. For Programming & Events, I’d seek ideas from the membership via a survey, alternate speakers with activities at meetings, have casual swaps, facilitate socializing for introverts, apply an environmental lens to what we do, look into field trips, and have in-meeting activities and/or workshops on pants fitting, drafting dress shirts, fitting & measurement, dress forms and reverse applique. 

Candidates for Workshop & Sew-In Coordinator:
Claire Kerry:
I’m Claire Kerry aka @Brit_Can_Sew on instagram.
I’ve been a member of the Garment Guild since Kallie and the Exec set it up and I’ve attended most meetings and events put on by the Garment Guild.The Garment Guild has definitely helped and enhanced my sewing skills, as really just over a year ago I hardly had any “me made” garments so with the challenges of #OGGPOM I’ve been encouraged to sew more and I haven’t really looked back. I’d love to be give more involved in the Guild to help with the organization of workshops and sew-ins. I feel well I’m suited to the role as I’ve been on a couple of boards since moving to Canada over four years ago, I am currently secretary for a my Son’s School and have been a Member at Large on a Nursery School Board, so I aware of what being on an Exec Committee entails. I’ve helped organize fundraising events for co-operative organizations. I’ve lots ideas for future workshops and events for Guild members . Also my youngest starts Kindergarten in September so I should definitely lots of time for this role (and sewing!).

Lindsay Macedo:
Hello! My name is Lindsay, and I am recent Ottawa Garment Guild member. I love to travel, there isn't a dog I don't stop to pet, and I'm a big fan puns! When I saw the posting for this position and wanting to be apart of the community, I thought it would be a perfect fit with my love for sewing and my professional background. I work for a National Sport Federation, managing programs and events in high performance sport, and during my free time I have been slowly growing my garment making skills (although my stash is quadruple my production rate!). Given the chance, I would love the opportunity to grow my creative event planning skills by working with the executive and the membership to plan fun and rewarding workshops! Sew looking forward to next year!

Candidate for Social Media Manager:
Leah Stolarski:
Hi, I’m Leah and I’d love to be your social media manager! I’ve spent the past three years as the web manager on the board of my daughters nursery school and now that she’s moving on to kindergarten I have the experience and availability to hopefully join the board of the Garment Guild. I also have over ten years experience as a graphic designer so not only can I post on all of our social media platforms but I can make it look great too. I’ve been a guild member from the first meeting and I’ve learned so much, dramatically improved my sewing, and really enjoyed socializing with other sewists. Although the outgoing board members have left big shoes to fill, I am enthusiastic and ready to continue to grow and improve our guild.

Candidates for Secretary:
Carmen Ali:
Hi I’m Carmen and I’m running for the position of Secretary. I learned to sew at the age of 14 and sewed some of my clothing through high school. After university I stopped sewing garments and occasionally brought out my sewing machine to hem pants while dreaming of sewing my own clothes again. Paralyzed by fear of failure, I didn’t sew for myself for 16 years. All that changed when, through a series of serendipitous encounters, I met Kate and was introduced to the Ottawa Garment Guild. I attended the first meeting last March and it re-ignited my love for sewing. It started with the #oggpom for an infinity scarf. From there I fixed up my serger and learned to sew with knits and I just completed my first pair of trousers! By day I’m an office administrator for a busy real estate team. I live for creating systems, organizing and keeping as much order as I can. Since February I have acted as interim Secretary on the Executive. The opportunity to be involved with the Executive as Secretary for 2019/2020 is an opportunity for me to contribute to the community that has had such an impact on my life.

Laura Gibson:
My name is Laura and I am running for the position of Secretary. I joined the OGG last fall and I something I’ve really appreciated from the start is the diversity of activities we do and the quality of the speakers and events we have. I know to keep all of these parts moving smoothly, a team needs to be organized and accountable. This means having a Secretary who can facilitate clear communication and be an engaged member of the team. I think I’d be a good fit for this position because I’m organized, friendly and enthusiastic. I’m looking forward to helping out the other team members fulfill their duties wherever needed, so we can keep creating awesome meetings and events for everyone. I’m also hoping that acting as Secretary will help me meet more of you!