Jaime Suárez is considered one of the driving forces behind the development of contemporary ceramics in Puerto Rico. He cofounded Estudio Caparra in 1972 and Grupo Manos in 1976, paving the way for the creation of Casa Candina in 1980, which was instrumental in establishing the ceramic medium as one of the principal artistic movements on the island. In his extensive ceramic career, he has exhibited in Brazil, Cuba, Venezuela, New York, New Mexico, Colombia, Italy, France, Japan, Korea, and Greece. He has been awarded prizes in international ceramic exhibitions and competitions in Faenza, Italy, and Zagreb, Croatia. His work is included in prestigious international collections in Europe, Asia, the United States, and Latin America. He is the creator of the monumental Telluric Totem at the Fifth Centennial Plaza in Old San Juan and various other public art sculptures and murals integrated into architecture and public spaces. He is also recognized for his leadership and collaborations with cultural institutions on the island.

“I feel both honored to have the opportunity to serve as Board member and grateful, not only for the help you are giving in Puerto Rico, but also for giving Puerto Rico, through me, a voice at CERF +.”

Robert Booker recently retired from his position as executive director of the Arizona Commission on the Arts. Before accepting the position in Arizona in 2006, he served as the executive director of the Minnesota State Arts Board and a member of the education division at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Booker started his career as an intern at the South Dakota Arts Council. He also served as president of the board of the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA), chairman of Grantmakers in the Arts, and a trustee for the Western States Arts Federation, Arts Midwest, the Minnesota Museum Educators Association, the Minnesota AIDS Project, and Arts over AIDS. Appointed by Governor Janet Napolitano, Booker served as the co-chairman of the Arts and Culture Committee for the Arizona Mexico Commission for twelve years. Most recently Robert was appointed by Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego as a commissioner representing district 3 for the Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture. Trained as a ceramic artist, Booker is fascinated by both the intended and accidental mark. He now creates works on paper and canvas in two distinct areas: large collage works and artwork focused on social justice issues like HIV/AIDS, abuse, and gun control.

“I have been a fan of the incredible work of CERF+ for many years. The dedication of the staff and the board is an example of servant leadership at the highest level.”

Malene Barnett is a cross-media artist and founder of Malene B Atelier, a New York-based art and design practice specializing in fine art, product design, and bespoke carpets. Her work has been commissioned by global corporations such as Viacom, WeWork, and Saks Fifth Ave and landmark office buildings, including the Astor, the Chatsworth, and the MetLife building. A cultural enthusiast and passionate entrepreneur, Malene collaborates with international artisans and commercial brands, most recently Kravet and S’well bottles. She is the author of the Malene B Essentials e-guide series, a TEDX speaker, and an industry commentator for TV and radio. Her work has also been featured in leading international design and lifestyle publications, including Luxe Interiors +Design, Elle Decor, Interior Design, and House Beautiful. 

“I feel honored to join the board of CERF +. As a studio artist, it’s comforting knowing CERF + provides the necessary tools for craft artists to thrive. There are many craft artists in communities that have been placed at the margins in this industry and are therefore not aware of CERF +, and I want to help increase awareness of the organizations, educational tools, and services available.”

Jono recently rejoined the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) in Panama, Panama, where he first worked in 2008. He is leading the Disaster and Crisis Prevention, Response, and Recovery Unit (DCPRR). The DCPRR focuses on all components of disaster risk management, as well as all phases of disaster and crisis response. The unit also ensures quality, relevant, and effective support to the National Societies of the Red Cross to improve the services they provide to communities and people affected by disasters and crises and in support of resilience-building processes of disadvantaged groups. Prior to his work with the IFRC, Jono was the Global Disaster Response & Relief Partnerships and Special Projects Manager at Airbnb and grew up as a Red Cross youth volunteer back in 1994 before working for the American Red Cross and a four-year assignment with FEMA. He is an experienced professional working in both the humanitarian/disaster assistance and higher education industries. He is skilled in crisis management, nonprofit organizations, government, higher education, and emergency management.

“CERF+ is filling a critical mission space for both preparing artists before a disaster strikes, as well as ensuring a safety net is visible for artists impacted by disasters. Time and time again, I have seen firsthand how disaster impacted artists struggle, like many nonartists, to navigate the complex disaster assistance ecosystem. With the impacts of climate change having more negative impacts on vulnerable communities, the role of CERF+ is even more important.” – Jono Anzalone

Pati Young, MSW, is a collector of studio crafts and has been involved in creativity and the arts for most of her adult life. She received her MSW in Clinical Social Work from the University of Maryland at Baltimore (UMAB) and her BS in Interpersonal Dynamics from the University of Massachusetts/Amherst’s University Without Walls. In addition to a focus on family therapy at UMAB, she also studied Art Therapy, which she used for 15 years as a practicing psychotherapist. While semi-retired from her role as a psychotherapist since 2000, her last business endeavor, “Monkey C, Monkey Do,” offered professional organizing services to artists, psychotherapists, and creative others and helped them to promote their art and maximize their creativity. She served five years on the Board of Directors of the James Renwick Alliance (JRA) and the American Craft Council’s Board of Trustees from 2013-2019. Her interests in creativity have led her to dabble in a number of craft areas including ceramics, photography, stained glass, blown glass, fused glass, as well as wearable art clothing and jewelry.

“I’m excited to bring my expertise in organizations and human resource development skills, my training as a psychotherapist, and my passion for the arts to CERF+,” Pati says. “I believe these skills lend me insight and understanding of the ‘creative other’ and ‘organizational self,’ strengthening my ability to work towards a successful future of craft, its makers, and the organizations that support the arts.”

Tanya is a Los Angeles-based artist/designer/craftsperson who was raised in Tijuana, Mexico. She holds an MFA in furniture design from Rhode Island School of Design and a BA from San Diego State University. In her formative years she created various collaborative installations with the Border Arts Workshop, an artists’ group that engages the languages of activism and community-based public art. Her current work uses craft as a performative medium to generate dialogues about identity, culture and gender while creating community. Aguiñiga is a United States Artists Target Fellow in the field of Crafts and Traditional Arts, a National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures (NALAC) and Creative Capital 2016 Grant Awardee. She has been the subject of a cover article for American Craft and has been featured in the PBS series, Craft in America.

In my 30-year career working at the National Endowment for the Arts in the field of folk and traditional arts, I became acutely aware of the value of our nation’s diverse cultural heritage. It also became clear to me that individual craft artists frequently work both without the benefit of broad public recognition and beyond the reach of most established mechanisms for financial support. When I retired, I wanted to devote a good portion of my free time to organizations like CERF+ that provide valuable services to artists and art forms that have made a significant contribution to the quality of my life.

Donald received his BFA in Jewelry and Metalsmithing from Rhode Island School of Design in 1982. He has been a leading figure in contemporary American jewelry and has served a term as President of the Society of North American Goldsmiths and earlier as Chair of the Editorial Advisory Board of Metalsmith magazine. His jewelry has been shown in galleries and museums all over the world and is in the permanent collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, the Corning Museum of Glass, the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, the Mint Museum of Craft and Design, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and others. In 2003 he was the first jeweler to be an Artist in Residence at The Studio of the Corning Museum of Glass.Since then he has been an artist in residence in Austria, Australia, and Taiwan and was a speaker at a number of universities and international conferences. In 2011 Donald was the keynote speaker at the annual conference of the International Society of Glass Beadmakers and a featured speaker at a jewelry conference in Dubai, UAE. In 2012 he was an Artist in Residence at California College of Art in both the glass and metalsmithing programs for the spring semester. In 2014 he was an Artist in Residence at the Uroboros Glass Factory in Portland, Oregon. In 2016 he will be the keynote speaker at the annual Society of North American Goldsmiths conference in Asheville, NC, and will be lecturing at the Smithsonian as part of the James Renwick Alliance Distinguished Artist Series.

CERF+ does such important work supporting artists, most especially artists who need help with emergencies and maintaining professional studios. I have seen up close how artists work and know the challenges they face on a day-by-day basis. CERF+ understands the needs of artists on a deep and informed level, and is a fierce advocate to advance effective and strong professional studio practices and creating and sustaining safe and healthy work environments.

As a staff member of a state arts agency (and state government) I see many ways our goals intersect with CERF+’s goals. We both want to help artists realize their dreams and make the most of their talent and ensure their ability to thrive. I am on the board because I think we can do this better together!

“My passion in the arts has always been focused around material-based studio art. I’ve been a high school art teacher, art museum executive director, art consultant, and artist advocate. I am blessed to have the opportunity to serve on the CERF+ as a board member. Connecting my sphere of friends and associates in the home furnishings industry to the artist maker community is my focus.

I intend to have a blast while making new friends, broadening the reach of CERF+, and bringing additional support to the mission of ensuring studio artists thrive and have a safety net of resources to sustain their livelihood.

YEAH! I love what I do!”

I agreed to serve on the CERF+ board of directors for one simple reason: to continue to help artists grow their businesses. For more than twenty-five years, I have worked with artists, makers, and designers to help them to explore ways to grow their business through the use of sound marketing and public relations principles, get themselves and their work published, and sell their work in markets that range from small but important street fairs where one can establish a career, to galleries and retail shops, to exhibiting in large international fairs for wide-ranging audiences. By being part of CERF+ I also get to play a small role in assisting these individuals in a time of need when their livelihood has been threatened by natural or man-made disasters, or health issues that prevent one from continuing to work to make a living. CERF+ celebrates the value that artists bring to our daily lives while helping to ensure their career survives life’s uncertainties.

Paul has extensive experience in higher education, administration and leadership in not-for-profit arts organizations. He served as Professor and Chair of the Department of Art at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and is currently executive director of the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts. He is a fellow with the National Council of Arts Administrators and has most recently served on the board of the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA). As a sculptor, Paul is interested in the collision of abstraction, urban planning and utopian systems. He has produced multiple large-scale projects, designed for specific institutions such as: the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Denver Art Museum and the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft. He has been the recipient of numerous artist residencies including: the Ragdale Foundation, the Vermont Studio Center, Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts and the Arts/Industry Program at Kohler Company.