Our Team
Staff | Governing Board | Charter & By-Laws | Board Minutes
Staff
Kim McCurdy Waag, Executive Director
Hired in January 2018 as Membership Manager, Kim moved into the Program Manager and Fair Director position later that year, and was named Executive Director in November 2020. Kim earned a Bachelors Degree in Business Management with a specialization in Information Technology from the University of South Florida (Tampa). Her 36-year career brings both corporate experience and non-profit expertise to all aspects of Tennessee Craft. In addition, she is a champion for persons with disabilities and has advocated on state and local levels for accessibility and diversity in the arts for persons of all abilities in all aspects of arts advancement and engagement. Before relocating permanently to Nashville, Kim provided years of volunteer support to Tennessee Craft.
Todd Herzberg, Director of Marketing & Exhibitions
Hired in August 2022, Todd received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Central Michigan University and a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Kentucky. After graduate school, he taught at Murray State University as the Assistant Professor of Drawing and Foundations Coordinator for four years before moving to Nashville in the summer 2022. Todd is an accomplished artist and printmaker who works primarily in the processes of drawing, relief, lithography and animation. His work has been exhibited in many solo and group exhibitions both domestically and abroad. Prior to starting at Tennessee Craft, he won a Merit Award at the 51st Annual Spring Tennessee Craft Fair.
Trish Tallon-Blanchard, Director of Programs & Community Engagement
Hired in August of 2023, Trish received a bachelor’s Degree in Studio Art from Francis Marion University in Florence, South Carolina with a focus in painting. Trish has worked in a variety of roles in highly creative profit and non-profit organizations. Shortly after graduation, Trish moved to Los Angeles, California where her non-profit art experiences began at The Craft & Folk Art Museum. In 1996, she moved to Nashville, and later joined the staff of The Office of Cultural Enrichment at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. At both of these organizations Trish was involved in all aspects of exhibition planning; conferences; special events. Experiences at these organizations have been bookmarked by many years where Trish also shared her passion, knowledge and relationships with many local artists as an art curator providing art on sets for film and television including ABC’s series NASHVILLE.
Tabby Loyal, Grants & Sponsorship Manager
Hired in April 2023, Tabby received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Western Kentucky University. She has worked at various Middle Tennessee nonprofits including the Frist Art Museum, Read To Succeed and Center for the Arts as a grant writer, sponsorship coordinator, exhibitions coordinator and catalogue production specialist. Tabby is an active studio potter who participates at craft fairs in the area and is featured at many locally owned businesses. She volunteers her time with the Bell Buckle Arts Council, Boudreaux’s Equine Rescue and Sanctuary, Center Stage Academy, and parent teacher organization.
Governing Board
We thank our Board for their dedication and leadership. As a member-driven organization, we elect our Officers and Members-at-Large with approval from our membership. Chapter representatives are elected by the members of each respective chapter. Click on the arrow by each Board Member’s name for more details.
2023 Board Members
President: JoEl LoGiudice (Ashland City)
JoEl Levy LoGiudice has a long history with Tennessee Craft as a volunteer, juror, and supporter. Though a resident of Middle Tennessee, her relationship with the fine art and handmade craft community is broad within Tennessee and nationally. As a practicing weaver/designer/jewelry maker and bead maker, JoEl is a prolific artist, and an in-demand workshop leader at numerous craft schools nationally, sharing her technical and creative skills. She is well known in the art/handmade craft community in Tennessee (and beyond) and is actively engaged with individuals and art-based organizations.
JoEl is also a seasoned arts administrator who served as a Vanderbilt University art force for over 30 years. In this role, JoEl oversaw and developed programs that provided students, faculty, and the public with a multitude of creative art and craft workshops and exhibitions, as well as performing arts, musical, and cinematic experiences. Within this realm, JoEl is well known and respected among her higher education peers, artists, and members of the community within Tennessee and beyond. She joined the Tennessee Craft Board in 2021.
Vice President: Audry Deal-McEver (Nashville)
Audry Deal-McEver is a working artist with a full-time studio practice. She is a Nashville, TN native who works primarily with clay. The majority of her income is earned from sales at high-end art and craft fairs; as a result, she has insight about the Tennessee Craft Fairs compared to other regional events and how peer organizations function nationally. As a working artist, Audry has developed event planning and management experience. She also tends to financial management and marketing of her work as a self-employed small business owner.
In addition to earning a BFA in Ceramic Studio Arts, Audry has studied abroad at Burg Giebichenstein School of Art and Design (Halle, Germany), and has engaged in short-term residencies at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Red Lodge Clay Center. Audrey Joined the Tennessee Craft Board in 2021 and is the Chair of the Board Fair Committee.
Secretary: Open
Treasurer: Reneau Dubberley (Johnson City)
Reneau joined TACA, now Tennessee Craft, in 2003. He became a board member in 2004 as a chapter representative (Northeast Chapter) and has served on the Board every year since, except for three years. He was Board Treasurer 2009-2010 and again serves as the current Treasurer and chair of the Board Finance Committee. He supports Tennessee Craft as the mentoring organization for aspiring artists and accomplished artists.
Reneau holds Mechanical Engineering and MBA degrees. He is a tenured retired professor and a sports event director. He has broad experience serving as President, Vice-President, and Treasurer of many governing boards within his community.
Past President: Linda M. Nutt (Kingston Springs)
Linda M. Nutt is a long-standing craft enthusiast, collector and art advocate. She is a seasoned Ph.D administrator with a social science research background. Throughout her career, she has served as a self-employed consultant, as a nonprofit administrator, and in a variety of roles within state government.
Her interest in art was kindled by art history classes in college and intensified when she married a craft artist. With her husband, they have marketed and sold his creative works in national craft shows, galleries, and via an online e-commerce store.
Linda has a long history of volunteering with organizations that support appreciation of art and hand- made craft of all disciplines. She has served on the Governing Board of Tennessee Craft since 2015.
Members At-Large
Tiana Boisseau-Palo (Knoxville) Tennessee Craft—East Representative
Tiana Boisseau-Palo is an undergraduate student at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville who resides in Rockford, TN. Through printmaking she explores her relationship with her family and her connections to her Creek-Cherokee roots. She uses printmaking and beadwork to tell stories, with a strong desire to educate through social justice.
Though usually personal, she hopes that her pieces can be used as a universal message by all. She turns her prints into sculptures by adding beadwork or embroidery to the art pieces themselves, or by creating a model to form the pieces onto. She has exhibited at the Ijams Nature Center and at the Emporium Gallery with Tennessee Craft and will be holding her first exhibition as the co-organizer of Finding Home, a print exchange with students from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, University of Colorado, Boulder, and other established artists. Tiana joined the board in 2022 as the East Chapter Representative.
Evan Brown (Nashville)
Evan Brown is an artist, gallery manager, curator, and business professional residing in Nashville, TN. He manages NKA Gallery, a multifaceted gallery designed to curate the best creativity within art, music, fashion, culinary, and community events. In this role, he strives for creating opportunities for inclusion and diversity in the arts. Receiving his BA and MBA in Business Administration from Tennessee State University and Trevecca Nazarene University respectively, he offers his business expertise as a Contracts Manager with Philips Healthcare. In this role, he provides legal and business expertise in the evaluation, development, and negotiation of commercial transactions, contracts, proposals, and quotes. Evan joined the board in 2023.
Nancy Fischman (Johnson City) Tennessee Craft—Northeast Representative
Nancy Fischman’s diverse interests and experiences include a period as a city planner; the development director for The Road Company, a not-for-profit theater group; managing editor and editor for two periodic publications; a fundraiser for the Blue Plum Festival in Johnson City; and a freelance graphic designer.
She has had an avid interest in the arts since childhood, enjoying music, live concerts, museums, and theater everywhere she has lived, from New York City to Johnson City. She enjoys taking her camera when on vacation and has exhibited her photography through the Johnson City Area Arts Council’s 4×4 fundraiser and the Johnson City Public Art’s 5×5 fundraiser (JCPA). She has served on the Governing Board of both organizations, and just rotated off of the JCPA after serving three years as chairperson.
Nancy revived her interest in pottery in 2009 by taking a ceramics class at East Tennessee State University (ETSU) and was lucky enough to be able to audit classes through the 2021 spring semester at ETSU. In 2017, she purchased a 6800 square-foot building, Atelier 133, which will soon open and offer 15 artist studios (including one for herself), a gallery, and a bakery/café. Her goal is to promote local and regional artists with month-long gallery shows, small music events, spoken word events, workshops for artists, and internships for art students. Nancy joined the Tennessee Craft Board as Northeast Chapter Representative in 2022.
Shaun Giles (Old Hickory) Executive Committee
As the Frist Art Museum’s community engagement director, Shaun Giles manages community partnerships and supervises educational outreach programs. He develops resource materials, plans professional development for teachers, organizes community exhibitions, and oversees teen programs and college internships.
Giles holds a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from Tennessee State University and has been with the Frist Art Museum since 2005. He was recognized by the Tennessee Art Education Association as the 2015 Museum Educator of the Year. Shaun frequently implements accessible art programs for the general public, including the Frist Art Museum’s program at the Tennessee Craft Fair Kids’ Tents. He serves on the Public Art Committee for Metro Arts: Nashville Office of Arts and Culture. Shaun joined the Tennessee Craft Board in 2021.
Jessica Hagar (Cookeville) Tennessee Craft—Plateau Representative
Jessica Rose Hagar grew up in McMinnville, TN. Known for its beautiful national park and nurseries, McMinnville allowed Jessica to develop a love for the natural world. She found a love for art through community art programs, and began her college career at Tennessee Technological University desiring to teach art on a professional level. She soon realized how much she enjoyed working in the Fibers studio at the Appalachian Center for Craft in Smithville, TN. She has a BFA in Art Education and Fiber Arts. She is an accomplished artist who has been recognized by national organizations for her creative works and is also the recipient of scholarships and internships.
She recently returned to the Appalachian Center for Craft as their Fibers Artist-in-Residence. She currently works as the creator and owner of Jrose Textile Arts, where she designs and makes hand woven and dyed wearable and decorative Fiber Art. Jessica is also an Arts Educator at Peachtree Learning Center in Cookeville, TN. Jessica joined the Tennessee Craft Board in 2018.
Kelly Hider (Knoxville) Executive Committee
Kelly Hider is a regionally and nationally exhibiting studio artist living in Knoxville, TN. She holds a BFA from SUNY Brockport in NY and an MFA from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. By altering found photographs using photo-editing tools and surface manipulations, Kelly highlights both the presence and absence of subject, and an exposed vulnerability to the passage of time. Her most recent solo exhibits have been in Nashville, and Knoxville. Her work is recognized as the recipient of numerous grants and an artist residency at the Hambidge Center in 2019.
Kelly has worked full-time at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts for over six years. Having recently been promoted to Director of National Programs, Hider has held two prior staff positions as their Youth Education Programs Manager, and Gallery Manager. Kelly joined the Tennessee Craft Board in 2021 and is the Chair of the Board Workshop Committee.
Allison Letson (Nolensville)
Allison Letson has served over twenty years in the healthcare industry for HCA and Healthtrust in revenue cycle and healthcare IT. Her various roles in the industry range from Special Projects Analyst and Systems Analyst to Application Developer, Engineer, and Integration Services Manager. In each of these roles, her numerous responsibilities include requirements gathering/documentation, meeting facilitation, project management, problem solving, process improvement and training. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from Florida State University in Tallahassee, FL.
Allison has coordinated and managed the HCA volunteers for the TN Craft Fair for the last several years by being present and actively volunteering at the fair herself. Through her experience working with the TN Craft fair, she has developed an appreciation for our mission at TN Craft and looks forward to bringing her skills to the Governing Board. Allison joined the Tennessee Craft Board in 2023.
Vincent Lillegard (Nashville)
Vincent Lillegard is an attorney and a Partner of Bass, Berry + Sims PLC. His practice focuses on financing transactions, including credit facilities and high-yield debt offerings, and he is responsible for drafting and negotiating loan documents, reviewing company disclosures, and managing diligence teams.
Vincent received his JD from New York University School of Law, where he was Articles Editor for the Journal of Legislation and Public Policy. He previously studied anthropology at Middle Tennessee State University as a Tennessee Hope Scholar with General Assembly Merit Bonus.
Vincent has volunteered in community legal clinics and has served with AmeriCorps VISTA. He currently resides in Nashville, TN. Vincent joined the Tennessee Craft Board in 2021.
Paige Ward Moore (Jackson)
Paige Ward Moore is the Shop Technician and 3D Instructional Staff member teaching ceramics and sculpture in the Art Department at Union University. She is also Union University’s Potters Guild supervisor and is a member of the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts.
Paige has exhibited her ceramics throughout the United States and also shares her artistic expertise in outreach programs to the Jackson/Madison County public schools. She has a MFA in Ceramics from University of Florida and a BA from Union University. She resides in Jackson, TN. Paige joined the Tennessee Craft Board in 2020.
Patricia Schwarz (Memphis) Tennessee Craft—Southwest Representative
-Bio Coming Soon-
Courtney Stone (Nashville) Tennessee Craft—Midstate Representative
Courtney Stone is an attorney at Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis LLP, where she is a member of the firm’s Finance and Restructuring Group. A graduate of the University of Chicago, Courtney obtained a B.A. in Art History, and in 2014 earned her J.D. from Harvard Law School. Prior to entering legal practice, Courtney held various positions in the art world, including roles in art galleries in Chicago and New York City and a fellowship at the Art Institute of Chicago.
In her free time, Courtney enjoys riding her motorcycle, oil painting, and tending to her growing dahlia collection at her home in Nashville. Courtney joined the Tennessee Craft Board as Midstate Chapter Representative in 2022.
David Taylor (Nashville)
David Taylor is a successful hospitality business co-owner and operator in Nashville, TN where he resides. Prior to opening his businesses, he served as a management consultant for colleges and universities with a primary focus on strategic planning, organizational and process design. He earned his BA in mathematics from Birmingham-Southern College and an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. David has nearly twenty years of experience serving on governing boards including the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest LGBT+ civil rights organization; and the Campaign Board of the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund. In 2011, Nashville Mayor Karl Dean appointed David to the Davidson County Board of Zoning Appeals where he served ten years, two as Board Chair. David is also a serious ceramic craft artist who participates regularly in national workshops and mentorships and can be found most nights and weekends in his home studio. David joined the Tennessee Craft Board in 2023.
Christi Teasley (Monteagle) Tennessee Craft—South Representative
Christi Teasley is an artist and educator living and working in Monteagle,TN. She studied textile dyeing, printing, surface design, and construction at the Rhode Island School of Design, where she received a BFA and later returned to earn an MA in Art Education. Christi taught studio art and directed the Gallery and Visiting Artist Program at St. Andrew’s-Sewanee School (SAS).
After teaching for 27 years, she continues to work on leadership teams for Shakerag Workshops, the Grundy Area Arts Council and Tennessee Craft–South. She serves as Treasurer for two organizations and is also a liaison with the Marion County Arts Council and the Franklin County Artisans Guild. She chairs communications committees for the Grundy County Library Board and the South Cumberland Community Fund Board.
Christi is now engaged in studio practice centered on crafting “works of cloth” with both new and traditional processes of natural dyeing, printing, mark-making, and stitching. She is a member of the newly formed Broad Mountain Conglomerate Ruggers and has been working with her dyed cloth and recycled materials to create hooked rugs for the past couple years. Though a long-time member of Tennessee Craft, Christi joined the Tennessee Craft Board in 2020.
Carlton Wilkinson (Nashville)
Carlton Wilkinson is an artist, educator, entrepreneur, and art activist residing in Nashville, TN. He received his BA and MFA in graphic design and photography from Washington University at St. Louis and the University of California, Los Angeles respectively. Carlton has an extensive background as an artist and educator in higher education. He has taught courses in graphic design, photography, and African Art History in colleges and universities across the country ranging from Vanderbilt University and Watkins College of Art, Design and Film to the University of North Carolina Wilmington and Volunteer State Community College. In his current business, Wilkinson Arts, Carlton works as an art broker, artist representative, and collections manager for various clients. He currently serves on the boards of Leadership Nashville and The Arts Business Exchange in Nashville. Carlton joined the Tennessee Craft Board in 2023.
Jessica Wilson (Smithville)
Jessica Wilson is a regional and nationally recognized utilitarian ceramic artist living in Smithville, Tennessee. Her vessels explore the layers that make up humanity. She received her BFA from The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA and her MFA from the Rhode Island School of Art and Design in Providence, Rhode Island. Jessica has a career in academia that spans over 15 years. She currently serves as Associate Professor of Ceramics at Tennessee Tech University’s satellite campus; best known as the Appalachian Center for Craft. No stranger to Tennessee Craft, Jessica has previously served as juror for the Tennessee Craft fair in 2019 and joined the Tennessee Craft Board in 2023.
Donna L. Woodley (Nashville)
Donna Woodley is a visual artist and educator residing in Nashville, TN. Her paintings primarily discuss the relationship between Black and American culture and have been exhibited both regionally and nationally. She received her BS and MFA in Studio Art from Tennessee State University and Lesley University College of Art and Design in Boston, Massachusetts respectively. Since receiving her MFA in 2016, Donna has served in professor roles at institutions such as Belmont University, University of the South, Austin Peay State University, and Tennessee State University. Familiar with serving on boards of organizations; Donna serves on the boards of the National African American Literacy Institute and the Ron Settles Memorial Foundation. Donna joined the Tennessee Craft Board in 2023.
2023 Advisory Council
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- Kim Brooks
- Paulette Coleman
- Donna Glassford
- Diane Hayes
- Jim Hoobler
- Jane Ann McCullough
- Alice Merritt
- Pat Moody
- Bill & April Mullins
- Mary Schatz
- Alf Sharp
- Steve Sirls
- Laura Turner
Tennessee Craft Charter
Tennessee Craft By-Laws
Minutes from recent board meetings
2023
2022
- August 2022 Board Meeting Minutes (pdf)
- February 2022 Board Meeting Minutes (pdf)
- June 2022 Board Meeting Minutes (pdf)
- November 5 2022 Board Meeting Minutes (pdf)
2021
- February 2021 Board Meeting Minutes (pdf)
- June 2021 Board Meeting Minutes (pdf)
- August 2021 Board Meeting Minutes (pdf)
- November 2021 Board Meeting Minutes (pdf)
2020
- February 2020 Board Meeting Minutes (pdf)
- June 2020 Board Meeting Minutes (pdf)
- August 2020 Board Meeting Minutes (pdf)
- November 2020 Board Meeting Minutes (pdf)
2019
- February 2019 Board Meeting Minutes (pdf)
- June 2019 Board Meeting Minutes (pdf)
- August 2019 Board Meeting Minutes (pdf)
- November 2019 Board Meeting Minutes (pdf)
2018
- January 2018 Board Meeting Minutes (pdf)
- June 2018 Board Meeting Minutes (pdf)
- August 2018 Board Meeting Minutes (pdf)
- November 2018 Board Meeting Minutes (pdf)
2017
- February 2017 Board Meeting Minutes (pdf)
- May 2017 Board Meeting Minutes (pdf)
- August 2017 Board Meeting Minutes (pdf)
- November 2017 Board Meeting Minutes (pdf)
2016
- February 2016 Board Meeting Minutes (pdf)
- May 2016 Board Meeting Minutes (pdf)
- August 2016 Board Meeting Minutes (pdf)
- November 2016 Board Meeting Minutes (pdf)
2015
- February 2015 Board Meeting Minutes (pdf)
- May 2015 Board Meeting Minutes (pdf)
- August 2015 Board Meeting Minutes (pdf)
- November 2015 Board Meeting Minutes (pdf)
2014
- February 2014 Board Meeting Minutes (pdf)
- May 2014 Board Meeting Minutes (pdf)
- August 2014 Board Meeting Minutes (pdf)
- November 2014 Board Meeting Minutes (pdf)
2013
- February 2013 Board Meeting Minutes (pdf)
- May 2013 Board Meeting Minutes (pdf)
- August 2013 Board Meeting Minutes (pdf)
- November 2013 Board Meeting Minutes (pdf)
2012
- February 2012 Board Meeting Minutes (pdf)
- May 2012 Board Meeting Minutes (pdf)
- August 2012 Board Meeting Minutes (pdf)
- November 2012 Board Meeting Minutes (pdf)
