Our Board

Join our Board

Motivated and passionate individuals who wish to make a lasting contribution to our vibrant clay community are invited to apply for board service. We’re a passionate group that is committed to equity and inclusivity. To learn more, please CLICK HERE.

Ritika Kanade
President

  • Ritika is a Software Engineer by profession and has a strong interest in art and education. She has a Masters in Computer Science from Stony Brook University.

    She learned to throw on the wheel in 2020 and has since fallen in love with the ceramic arts. Ritika visits the studio regularly to keep throwing more vases and mugs. She loves sketching and enjoys spending her time exploring different forms of art.

 

Su Liu
Vice-President

  • Ever since she was in kindergarten, Su has dabbled in all forms of arts, focusing on pen and pencil primarily before discovering ceramics in 2021. She strongly believes that diversity and access are the future of arts, which is why she is excited to join the Pottery Northwest Board and help create an inclusive clay community for everyone.

    Su graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and has worked professionally in the video game industry for a decade. She used to travel for work, planning events all across the world, and still adores traveling to and exploring new places. Outside of pottery, she enjoys board games, bouldering, and being around water. She lives with her two kittens and too many plushies in Capitol Hill.

Nicole Zarfos
Secretary

  • Coming Soon

Jennifer Wannarachue Chevchek
Director

  • “Clay is the meditative artform that’s always there for me when I need it.”  

    Jennifer Wannarachue Chevchek began experimenting with clay in 2011 while a designer at Nike where they had a partnership with Oregon College of Arts & Crafts.  The calm and meditative art of handbuilding led to her first personal project of a series of water canteens.  She eventually found her way to the wheel and in 2016 attended an Alfred University Summer Arts Workshop where she tried her hand at throwing large vessels and atmospheric firings, and the love interest continues to grow.

    Chevchek has been an apparel designer for over 20 years, starting in the skate and streetwear sector of the market and honing her design leadership skills at performance and activewear companies - Nike and Fabletics.  Athlete and celebrity collections is what Chevchek is known for in the industry, having designed championship looks for Roger Federer and Raphael Nadal, summer beachwear looks for Vanessa Hudgens and outdoor hiking collections for Khloe Kardashian.  She is a breast cancer survivor, wife and boy-mom.

Terese Jennings
Director

  • Terry has been involved with clay on and off for 50 years. She received a BA in ceramics and is now retired and able to devote more time to the craft. Other interests include jewelry making. She hopes to be able to explore a fusion between jewelry and ceramics in sculptural forms.

    Terry believes in giving back to her community and would like to contribute her support to Pottery Northwest. She feels PNW is part ofher community and that it has supported her during these trying times.

Harsimrat Parmar
Director

  • Harsimrat, aka Simmi, is a software engineer by profession who has worked in the fields of Cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence at companies including Amazon, Oracle, and Salesforce.

    Originally from India, Simmi was astounded by a potter working with clay and has wanted to learn the art ever since. Not finding the opportunity to learn art back home, after moving to Seattle for work, getting introduced to Pottery Northwest through a friend became a blessing for her.

    PNW helped Simmi connect with the clay community, art, and her creative self. She has taken various classes at the studio to learn and explore clay play techniques. She loves the clay community and always wanted to give back, thus decided to join as a board member.

Katherine Prince
Director

  • Katherine is a lifelong crafter who took her first wheel throwing class in early 2023 and instantly fell in love. She decided to join the board of Pottery Northwest to deepen her involvement with the wider ceramics community and to help facilitate equitable, inclusive spaces for artistic self-expression.

    Professionally, Katherine has an MS in Conflict and Dispute Resolution and has worked in tech for the last decade. When not in the studio, she can be found kayaking, enjoying live music, and spending quality time with family and friends.

Ana Rusness-Petersen
Director

  • Ana N. Rusness-Petersen (she/her) is Shunpike’s Accounting & Administrative Coordinator.

    Ana is an arts leader, community placemaker, and creative producer who has worked over two decades as a venue manager and all-around production resource for theatres, festivals, arts organizations, and public spaces in Seattle (Brown Soul Productions, The Shattered Glass Project, Seattle Public Theatre, ACT, Theatre Schmeater, Seattle Rep, STG, MAP, Macha, and Second Story), Chicago (Goodman, Timeline, Pegasus Players, Remy Bumpo), Austin (ZACH Theatre), and Fargo (Broadway Square, NDSU Performing Arts, Tin Roof, Theatre B, FMCT, Trollwood, Frost Fire, WE Fest).

    She got her MFA in Arts Leadership at Seattle University in 2019, and is now working with Shunpike, the Bellevue Youth Symphony Orchestra, and serving as a Rentals Consultant for ZACH Theatre, as well as serving on the Board of Pottery Northwest.

    She is a member of the Theatre Communications Group (TCG), International Live Events Association (ILEA) and is an Alumni Advisor for Seattle U’s Arts Ecosystem Research Project, which also published her case study on the U District’s Neptune Theatre.

    Ana uses her company, Ana Noelle Creative Productions to administer her creative projects, consulting, collaborations, photography, publishing, and philanthropic efforts.

Susan Springer
Director

  • Sue Springer discovered clay in the early 1970’s and has explored functional pottery, tilemaking, sculpture, mosaics, glaze chemistry and public art. After completing an MFA from the University of Oregon she established Illahe Tileworks and Illahe Studios and Gallery.

    In addition, she has long been long involved in non-profit arts organizations and boards.

    Currently she lives in Seattle, Washington where she maintains a studio in Pioneer Square exploring innovative approaches to form through ceramic sculpture. She is currently a member of Shift Gallery and exhibits throughout the Pacific Northwest. At this point in life, she is eager to support young ceramic artists, and support Pottery Northwest’s mission.

Rob Strong
Director

  • Rob was first introduced to ceramics as part of his industrial design degree and over the years clay has been his great escape for the hustle and bustle of a demanding tech job.  

    From getting his hand dirty, to meeting other creatives, the opportunity to make and create forms either functional or not fuels Robs passion for pottery.

    Finding ways to share and create access to these experiences for others in our culturally rich and diverse community is both a privilege and a joy.  

Olivia Garcia
Director

  • Olivia is passionate about art as both a participant and appreciator. She rediscovered clay through Pottery Northwest and is currently learning wheel throwing. Olivia finds meaning in community engagement and amplifying underrepresented voices and perspectives. She is excited to bring both her personal experiences and professional expertise to the PNW board. 

    Olivia is from the Bay Area and currently lives in Seattle. She has work experience in operations, marketing and product strategy and currently works as a management consultant. Olivia studied anthropology at the USC and has a masters in business from the Foster School of Business. Olivia also volunteers with nonprofit Project Girl Mentoring Program. In her free time, she enjoys being active, discovering new music, fermenting foods and all kinds of sciencey kitchen projects.