Adolfo joined Textile Exchange in 2022 as a member of the Standards Platform. He provides support in creating a unified standard by transitioning the several Textile Exchange standards into one. Adolfo´s previous career includes working for CARE, Chemonics, Rainforest Alliance, and Preferred by Nature (formerly NEPCon). He has over 15 years of experience implementing international sustainability standards in the forestry, agriculture, and tourism sectors. His academic background includes a technical degree in Agronomy from a Guatemalan College, a B.S. Environmental Management Systems from LSU at Baton Rouge, LA., and an M.S. in Environmental & Resource Engineering from SUNY-ESF at Syracuse, NY.

With a passion for cultural studies and travel, Alexandria earned a bachelor’s degree in Spanish Studies through the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. She studied for a semester in Venezuela before embarking on travels through Colombia and Peru. Alexandria has a background in development, grants management, education, and coordinating. She’s performed in various capacities for many organizations throughout the U.S. in the non-profit sector. As an outdoor educator and expedition guide in Minnesota, Canada, Washington, and Colorado, she cultivated her passion for conservation and land stewardship. As a federal grant writer for school districts, she embraced the beauty and necessity of details to create positive change. As a Development Associate and Grants Manager for a conservation advocacy group in Wyoming, she developed a deeper appreciation for community-driven transformation. As a coordinator for arts education, she witnessed firsthand how connection drives creativity, and creativity builds relationships. In 2022, Alexandria joined the Textile Exchange as the Corporate Engagement Coordinator. Alexandria is passionate about environmental and social justice advocacy and is grateful to serve with Textile Exchange, whose mission is essential to these aims. Alexandria otherwise fills her time immersed in nature, practicing Yoga and Ayurveda, and making art.

Alli Hunter joined Textile Exchange in 2021 after redirecting her focus from foreign policy to fashion. Her interest in fashion started with the study of history, evolved through an admiration for classic films, and truly blossomed when she took up sewing during the pandemic. With a separate passion for geopolitics and culture, she spent a semester in Bulgaria and traveled extensively through Europe, earning her B.A. in International Relations from Roanoke College in 2019. From there, she began at a Washington, DC think tank, providing administrative and event assistance for foreign policy experts. She believes that creativity and service are the keys to a fulfilling life, thus she decided to find a career complementary to those values. Sewing introduced her to the world of sustainable fashion, and she’s honored to foster this practice on the Membership Team with Textile Exchange. For leisure, she enjoys finding pianos in empty ballrooms, making dresses to frolic in, and cultivating a home with her husband and cat

Amber joined Textile Exchange in 2014 as the Financial & Program Coordinator. She has experience in multiple industries including retail, hospitality, farming and real estate. She has assisted start-ups and worked with all aspects of small businesses. Amber graduated in 2001 from Wyoming University with a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Finance and a Minor in Economics.

Amy Franz has nearly two decades of diverse experience overseeing the careful collection, use, distribution, and stewardship of environmental data. As a Data Intelligence Manager at Textile Exchange, Amy focuses on the management of data associated with global fibers and materials and underlying datasets. Key areas include data collection processes; data flows across the organization to support a single source of truth; data standardization/harmonization; catalyzing data and technology solutions; and data governance which includes data quality, master data management, structure, and metadata management. Data will be used to support the Organic Cotton Market Report and the Preferred Fiber and Materials Market Report. In addition, Amy will contribute to Fiber Challenge Reports as well as Materials Dashboards for Fiber and Materials Production and the Climate+ Strategy. Amy holds a B.S. in Environmental Science from California State University, East Bay, and an M.S. in Environmental Management from the University of San Francisco. She is based in Sacramento, CA.

Ana brings 14 years of experience in assurance and operations management from roles with social and environmental standards systems including the Rainforest Alliance and the ISEAL Alliance. In the years prior to joining Textile Exchange, she founded and led a consultancy focused on supporting sustainability systems in the delivery of impacts using enhanced assurance and data governance best practices. She supports the Assurance and Operations team in implementing system management innovations to optimize Textile Exchange’s operations assurance systems, including support for data governance program implementation

“Originally from Italy but currently based in the UK, Andrea joined Textile Exchange in 2022. She has a bachelor’s degree in Media and Communications from the University of Sussex, during which she focused on environmental and humanitarian communications. In 2020, she completed a MSc in Sustainable Development from SPRU (Science, Policy, Research, Unit) at the University of Sussex. Before joining Textile Exchange, she worked as Support Analyst for an education provider. As Data and Technology Coordinator, Andrea works with all aspects of data and data-related technology within the organisation with focus on data intelligence, data analytics, governance and technology”

Anna Heaton’s passion is animal welfare. She has worked internationally on animal welfare and sustainable livestock management for over 15 years. Before joining Textile Exchange, she developed and helped implement numerous standards across a wide range of animal species for both the food and fashion sectors. This included consultancy work for Textile Exchange on the Responsible Wool Standard, Responsible Mohair Standard, and Responsible Animal Standard. Anna has also collaborated with Wildlife Friendly Enterprise Network on standards for wildlife friendly farming and tourism. In the UK Anna has a history of working directly with farmers and farmer groups on organic and regenerative land management.

Anne is the Director of Impact Acceleration for Textile Exchange and is leading the work on the Leather Impact Accelerator, Impact Incentives, the Responsible Leather Round Table, the Responsible Cashmere Round Table, and the International Buyers Group. In her previous role as Director of Industry Integrity for Textile Exchange, she led the Integrity Team in the development and management of the Textile Exchange suite of global standards. Anne has over 15 years of experience working with retail, including 10 years as a product manager at Mountain Equipment Co-op where she converted their cotton program to organic. In 2005, she co-founded Continuum Textiles, a sales agency representing socially and environmentally responsible textile products. Anne has been engaged with Organic Exchange and Textile Exchange in multiple roles since the organization was founded in 2002. Member of the Senior Advisory Team.

Ashley Gill grew up on a cotton farm in Texas and spent time as a Peace Corps Volunteer in rural West Africa before joining Textile Exchange in 2010. After spending time in various roles of the organization, Ashley has been working on the Textile Exchange standards since 2012, starting with the first International Working Group for the Global Recycled Standard. Since then, she has led RCS and GRS, the Responsible Down Standard and helped to drive our standard-setting process. She has supported dozens of companies in their use of standards and labeling claims. Ashley has also been engaged in aligning the organization’s strategy across all platforms of work. Member of the Senior Advisory Team.

Audra is a certified paralegal with a concentration in contracts and employment law. She holds a bachelor’s in history and is currently pursuing her Master’s in Human Resource Management with a focus in Organizational Development and Change Management. For over a decade she has worked in management from a classroom to a medical clinic. She is versed in compensation, benefits, legal processes and people operations. In her free time, she enjoys time with her rambunctious son outside in the mountains or the desert, travelling around getting to know new places and people.

Hi, my name is Ayden, I’m from Malaysia and am 23 years old this year. I am currently pursuing my master’s degree in Mathematics and working part time as a spin instructor at Fly Project. Lastly, my role in Textile Exchange as part of the Data and Technology team is a data analyst.

Beth Jensen is Climate+ Strategy Director at Textile Exchange, the leading global nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the use of sustainable fibers and materials within the apparel, footwear, and home textiles industries. She oversees the evolution and implementation of Textile Exchange’s Climate+ Strategy, supporting the industry’s efforts to achieve positive outcomes in the areas of climate, biodiversity, soil health, and water. Prior to Textile Exchange, Beth held leadership roles overseeing and driving sustainable materials and products programs at VF Corporation, a Fortune 500 company with a portfolio of outdoor and active brands including Vans, The North Face, Timberland, and Smartwool, and at Outdoor Industry Association, the North American-based trade association for the outdoor apparel, footwear, and gear sector. She holds a B.A. from St. Olaf College and an M.B.A. from the University of Colorado at Boulder Leeds School of Business.

With several years of experience in the non-profit sector focused on Sustainable Development and Social Impact, Bonolo has worked on developing cross-sectoral partnerships that catalyze action around the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Committed to creating transformative social change, she has supported leading corporate organizations and multiple stakeholders in developing strategic initiatives that integrate sustainability into their value chain and deliver high-impact social change. Bonolo holds a BA (Hons) Development Studies and International Relations from the University of Westminster and a Masters from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Callie Weldon has over a decade of experience working with sustainable textiles. As the Standards Engagement, at Textile Exchange, Callie consults with stakeholders on their sustainability goals and how Textile Exchange standards, traceability, and verification can be a tool for driving impact. She also specializes in animal fiber content knowledge, specifically alpaca and the Responsible Animal Fiber Framework. Before joining Textile Exchange, Callie worked for a number of impact brands as a buyer for ethical apparel programs. Callie is also the founder of Fair Fiber, a social start-up dedicated to creating economic mobility opportunities for small farmers in the Peruvian alpaca fiber industry. Callie holds a B.S. in Fashion Merchandising from the University of Delaware and an MBA in Global, Social, and Sustainable Enterprises from Colorado State University. She is based in Boulder, Colorado.

Candace has over 25 years’ experience in Computer Information Technology & Marketing. She has performed the following functions for both corporate and non-profit organizations: MIS – Manager of Information Systems, Network Administrator, and DBA – Database Administrator. She is Project Manager, Full Stack Developer, Digital Marketing Specialist and Certified Internet Webmaster (CIW). Her passion for technology led her to create and develop Camp Tech Inc., an interactive technology curriculum for youth ages 5-18. Candace is a member of the NAFE – National Association for Executive Females and WITI – Women in Technology International. She received the Women of Distinction Award 2014. Candace is the mother of 3 gifts from God; Noah, Nehemiah, and Naomi, married 28 years to Gregory.

Celeste is an insatiably curious lifelong learner who is passionate about community, partnership, provenance, ethics, and timeless style. Through stories, she delights in making the complex simple. Her first job (not including babysitting and waitressing) was as the receptionist at Chanel HQ in Paris. It ignited Celeste’s love affair with both product and fashion while elevating her commitment to service. Since then she has worked as Marketing and Community Director and Entrepreneur in Residence, Brooklyn Fashion + Design Accelerator; Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Brooklyn Fashion + Design Accelerator; Regional Director, Green Festival –New York; Co-Founder and EcoPreneur, RESTORE Clothing; Co-Founder, NOCHAIRS, Inc.; and Founding Member, Save The Garment Center. Member of the Senior Advisory Team.

Claire Bergkamp is the COO of Textile Exchange. A global non-profit driving positive impact on climate change across the fashion and textile industry. Textile Exchange is guiding a growing community of over 800 brands, manufacturers, and farmers to holistically understand, measure, and reduce the impacts of the raw materials they use. Since joining in 2021, Claire has helped the organization to drive forward a collective climate strategy for the industry, grounded in holistic systems thinking on the interconnected impacts of climate, soil health, water, and biodiversity. Prior to Textile Exchange, Claire was the Worldwide Sustainability and Innovation Director at Stella McCartney, leading the global environmental, human rights, and innovation strategy for the brand. Beyond helping to secure Stella McCartney’s place at the forefront of sustainable luxury, she played a leadership role a range of industry initiatives too. Claire also serves on the steering committee for the British Fashion Council’s Institute of Positive Fashion and has been an instrumental part of the United Nations Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action since its inception. Her influence and expertise on environmental strategy within fashion have cemented her as a core voice in the sustainability conversation over the last ten years, as well as a leader in the call for collective, connected action.

Cristina Airado has a multisector background with expertise in sustainable agriculture. As part of the Standards Team, Cristina supports the development of fiber crops production guidelines by mapping sustainable and regenerative farming practices to Climate+ strategy outcomes. Before joining Textile Exchange in 2021, she helped grantmakers understand their program impacts through data analysis and reporting while at Seattle-based social impact evaluation firm ORS Impact. Earlier in her career, she supported farmers and sustainable agriculture development across northwest Washington in various nonprofit roles. Cristina attained an MBA in Sustainable Solutions from Presidio Graduate School and is inspired by sustainable business management, stakeholder engagement, and systems thinking principles. She remains committed to promoting the uptake of climate-friendly production practices through an environmental and social justice lens. She earned a dual degree in environmental studies and sociology from Emory & Henry College in southwestern Virginia, where her passion for agriculture was first cultivated.

Grew up on a Cattle and sheep ranch in Southwest Wyoming training horses and Bird dogs. 30 years operating a Nationwide account service venture consulting businesses and school districts in compliance with US state and federal requirements. 25 years of financial fund accounting. Skilled in General ledger, A/p, A/R, Invoicing, accounting management, payroll, back reconciliations, and report generation. Hobbies include hunting, fishing, riding horses, and working on his own 35-acre place with his best Buddy.

Dawn Kearns joined Textile Exchange in 2019 as the Administrative Assistant to the Managing Director, La Rhea Pepper. Dawn previously worked as the Budget & Finance Officer at a large private university for 14 years. Her duties included the management and coordination of a nationwide continuing education program as well as fiscal oversight for the department. Dawn holds a BA in social work from the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh and a graduate certificate in Energy and Sustainability from the University of Denver.

Dinelle is a multidisciplinary product leader and sustainable business strategist dedicated to promoting innovation through the lens of circularity and regenerative systems in the fashion industry. Prior to joining Textile Exchange, Dinelle honed her expertise in merchandising strategy and product development at responsible fashion brand Eileen Fisher, where her career spanned over a decade. Following that, she spent two years as a retail consultant, implementing sustainable product strategies and bringing innovative solutions to design, global sourcing, and sales. Driven by her commitment to creating shared value through sustainable business growth, Dinelle earned her MSc in Business for Social Impact and Sustainability at GCNYC where she conducted unique research into systems and structures of the circular economy in fashion. Her greatest satisfaction comes from formulating integrated sustainability strategies that focus on inclusion and operational improvement, fostering a positive impact on culture, the environment, and the companies she partners with. When Dinelle is not immersed in fashion and product innovation, she loves spending quality time at home with her family in Brooklyn, NY and dreaming of a bright future ahead.

Donna leads Textile Exchange’s Marketing Communications team to ensure all focus areas within the organization receive a high level of visibility through innovative strategies involving internal and external communication, branding, marketing and public relations. In addition to this, Donna is also responsible for the oversight of Textile Exchange’s global events to create greater visibility for Textile Exchange and to provide a space for industry engagement. Prior to joining Textile Exchange, Donna worked in Development and Public Relations for a higher education institution from which she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Organizational Leadership. Member of the Senior Advisory Team.

Kate is part of the Fiber and Materials Team and is responsible for Synthetic Fibers. She has a passion for understanding and developing recycling technologies for synthetics as an enabler to achieve circularity in this material area, as well as an interest in the topic of microfibers and microfiber shedding. Kate has gained her knowledge and expertise in synthetics through prior roles in Sustainability and Circular Economy consulting, and for the last few years, working in an R&D team at a leading sportswear brand.

Eleni joined Textile Exchange at the start of 2022 as an Impact Data Senior Manager in the Climate+ team. Since obtaining her BSc in Earth Sciences and MSc in Environmental Technology from Imperial College London, Eleni has worked as a consultant within PwC’s Sustainability and Climate Change team and as part of Burberry’s Corporate Responsibility team. Eleni’s focus has been on environmental impacts associated with raw material sourcing throughout the supply chain. At PwC, Eleni managed complex environmental impact projects for luxury fashion brands, and while at Burberry, she used this knowledge to help drive more sustainable raw material sourcing initiatives.

Based in Italy, Liz has previously worked in China and Germany in the fields of international education, environmental conservation, communications and CSR. She has a B.A. in International Affairs from The George Washington University, and a M.Sc. in Sustainable Resource Management from the Technical University of Munich. Liz is passionate about nature, cultural exchange, and creative thinking.

Emma joined Textile Exchange in 2022 with over 10 years’ experience as an Executive Assistant. Having worked previously for brands such as YOOX Net-a-Porter Group and Harrods, Emma has a strong background within the Luxury Fashion industry. Prior to this, Emma worked at a luxury weddings and events management agency and has coordinated events across London, Paris and the US. Alongside diary and event management, Emma has a strong focus on employee engagement and company culture.

Evonne spent the past 20 years improving data and reporting for companies around the world. From a manufacturing background, she moved on to consultancy with PwC and IBM, project management with Wessex Water before settling into the sustainability sector with CSR Consultancy. A graphic designer on the side, Evonne is passionate about data visualization and using data to tell a story. Evonne started working with Textile Exchange in 2009, leading on data collection, analytics, reporting and consumer engagement. Currently, as the Director of Data Management & China Strategy, Evonne holds two different portfolios in the company: one that focuses on creating value from data for textile sustainability and another to promote sustainable fiber and materials growth in the Chinese market. Member of the Senior Advisory Team.

Grace has a background in apparel design and development with a strong emphasis on sustainability. In 2012, she earned a B.S. in Technical Apparel Design at the University of Minnesota. After graduating, she traveled to the pacific northwest to work in design and development and on building grassroots sustainability projects at local outdoor companies for 3-4 years. In 2018, Grace earned an M.S. in Sports Product Management at the University of Oregon, focusing on Sustainable Business Operations. In graduate school, she worked as a CSR intern at RSI, a global apparel manufacturing company based in Taipei, Taiwan. Building her sustainability career in the sports & apparel industry, she then worked on various sustainability and circularity projects at local and global companies, including Looptworks, Nike, and Under Armour. Grace started working at Textile Exchange in 2020 doing freelance research and in 2021 began working full-time as Executive Assistant to the CEO, La Rhea Pepper.

Originally from Sweden but currently living in the UK, Hanna Denes has been with Textile Exchange since 2010 and has been a Senior Standards Manager since 2017. Key areas of responsibility include the animal fiber standards and monitoring and evaluation across the Textile Exchange standards. Hanna has a Batchelor’s degree in Environmental Policy and an MSc in Environmental Technology from Imperial College, London, and 20 years’ experience working in environmental management and sustainable development.

Hannah comes from the restaurant industry, where she was most recently the general manager of the best steakhouse in Wyoming. She has found her passion at work to be focusing on ensuring all employees have the tools and systems they need to do their job well. Hannah received a BFA in Printmaking with a minor in Business Administration from the University of Florida. While she has a creative side for making art, she’s always loved math, numbers, and the satisfaction of well-organized accounting. You can find her outside when she’s not at work: climbing, mountain biking, gardening, or just enjoying the sunshine.

Sustainability professional committed to promoting a more sustainable textile and apparel industry for the past ten years

Hong started his career in the Testing, Inspection, and Certification industry over 15 years ago. He has been a frequent speaker at numerous Conferences throughout Asia Pacific related to Sustainable Textiles. In 2008 he Co-authored the Global Recycled Standard. Hong is a Netherlands Born Chinese and after his ventures in Hong Kong, South Korea, and China he is now living in New Zealand and is part of the Assurance Team and China team.

Hope joined Textile Exchange in 2021 as a Junior Graphic Designer. Hope graduated with a Bachelor of arts in Graphic design in 2019 from Falmouth university. While at university Hope worked as a freelance graphic designer at events company Alive network. Following graduation Hope completed a design internship and then went on to gain a years worth of experience as an in-house designer at biopharmaceutical company, Watson-Marlow. Although early in her career Hope is proficient in Adobe creative suite and is eager to continue to expand her skills as a designer while working at Textile Exchange.

Jack joined Textile Exchange in 2021 as a Data Analyst. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Information System and an MBA in Executive Management & Finance. Jack also has 15 years of experience in data analytics, business intelligence, project management, and consultancy along with his academic learnings. He has served multinational corporations such as Name Media Inc, The Nielsen Co, Samsung electronics, Astro & Amdocs. Together with his experiences, he also has exposure using the following, SAP business object, Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, Project, PowerPoint), R programming, Tableau, BigML, and SQL. Other than his professional experiences, Jack is also a scuba diver, mountain biker, and animal lover.

Jessica joined Textile Exchange to lead the development of the Corporate Fiber & Materials Benchmark (CFMB). She has over eight years of international cross-sectorial experience in sustainability, social responsibility and project management in Europe and in Asia. She is a big picture thinker who likes diving into issues, find solutions and then implement them with the aim to create value in society and contribute to a more inclusive world. Jessica wants to drive these changes within the apparel and textile sector. She holds two B.Sc, in Economics & Management and in Spanish/French/English Translation from the University of Salamanca, a M.Sc in International Affairs from the Comillas Pontificial University and a specialization in Business Sustainability Management from CISL.

Josefina has more than fifteen years of experience working on the development of sustainable supply chains and certification schemes projects in Latin America region. She has broad experience in supporting private sector companies with their social and environmental commitments and development of Responsible Sourcing Programs. She also has experience in Corporate Banking and Sustainable Finance. She works both for the Leather Impact Acceleration Program from Textile Exchange (40%) and the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (60%) where she acts as the Regional Director for Latin America, supporting the National Roundtables in Latin America. She is fluent English and Spanish (native)

Kathleen has worked as a grant and communications writer for colleges and universities and grassroots organizations for the majority of her career. Her work in sustainability and green schoolyards inspired her to create her own design business rooted in the practices of domestic sourcing through the American fibersheds, artisan production, and natural material selection. She has a passion for nature and learning about local, regional, and global solutions to land regeneration, especially in urban areas. Born and raised in Santa Clara Valley, California, Kathleen remembers the valley of fruit orchards and the rapid land changes brought on by the development of Silicon Valley. She now lives in Zionsville, Indiana with her daughter and husband, exploring the region’s artisan and farming communities and the beautiful nature of the Midwest.

Kathleen was one of the first 3 employees of the Organic Exchange in 2003. She recently joined the project team to help with the Organic Cotton Collective Impact project and with our 2030 Climate+ Strategy Development. She is also currently working with the Green Commodities Programme in UNDP as a Commodities advisor and advisor on their Platform Methodology upgrade. Her background is in people, team and organizational development and cross-sector partnerships focused on sustainable development. Kathleen was one of the first 3 employees of the Organic Exchange in 2003. She recently joined the project team to help with the Organic Cotton Collective Impact project and with our 2030 Climate+ Strategy Development. She is also currently working with the Green Commodities Programme in UNDP as a Commodities advisor and advisor on their Platform Methodology upgrade. Her background is in people, team and organizational development and cross-sector partnerships focused on sustainable development.

Katie has a strong background in the apparel and manufacturing sectors, having spent 6 years with the environmentally-conscious clothing brand tentree inc. before joining the Textile Exchange team. During her time at tentree, she gained valuable experience in customer care, sustainability, operations, social compliance, product compliance/testing, and a variety of administrative skills. She has also worked in a variety of roles in both manufacturing and quality assurance, giving her a broad understanding of supply chain structures and challenges, including the implementation of standards. At Textile Exchange, Katie helps support the Assurance team in a variety of duties including responding to inquiries from Accreditation and Certification Bodies, engaging with members in The Hub, and document management, among others.

Larysa joined Textile Exchange in 2019. With a certificate in Business Administration from Southwestern Community College, North Carolina, and over 5 years of experience in setting up office procedures, supporting and organizing stakeholder events and communications, and enhancing membership values for non-profit organizations, Larysa joined Textile Exchange to support the team and stakeholders of the Responsible Leather and Responsible Cashmere Round Tables. Larysa holds a master’s degree in Sociology from Carleton University, Ottawa. Her graduate research in scientific controversies as well as volunteer research on biodiversity preservation and food security motivated Larysa to dedicate her professional skills to the advancement of practices that are healthy and just both for the environment and society.

Laura joined the Textile Exchange Team as the Deputy Director of Standards. In this role she is responsible for overseeing our standards to ensure our certification programs are delivering impact, have meaningful engagement with stakeholders, and demonstrate credibility to support reach and adoption of sustainable practices in the textile industry. Laura has been working in sustainability assurance systems since 2000 when she joined the Rainforest Alliance. During that development period she had the opportunity to evolve with sustainable forestry programs during rapid growth of Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) certification around the globe. Laura adapted her assurance knowledge and experience to standards programs in agriculture, greenhouse gas verification, and tourism. Before joining Textile Exchange, Laura was leading the certification department at Preferred by Nature (formerly NEPCon).

Lee has been with Textile Exchange since 2008 and is primarily responsible for the consistent, credible implementation of Textile Exchange standards by certified sites and certification bodies. This includes leading the quality assurance process, interpretation and guidance of the standards, and the complaints process. He is also directly involved in the development and revision of standards and their supporting documentation. Additionally, Lee supports the financial and operational aspects of Textile Exchange. He holds a Master’s in Entrepreneurship, a Bachelor’s in Management, and a minor in Spanish from Texas Tech University. Member of Senior Advisory Team.

Liesl Truscott is the European and Materials Strategy Director with responsibility for developing and embedding Textile Exchange’s preferred materials program. Liesl has specialized in organic cotton and has a deep knowledge of the sector. With a first class degree in Environmental Management from the University of Newcastle in Australia, she has spent over twenty years in the fields of corporate social responsibility, occupational health and safety, and environmental management – working within both the private and public sector. Member of the Senior Advisory Team.

Linda joined Textile Exchange in 2020 as the Membership Administrative Assistant. Her role involves handling member details in Salesforce, assisting with renewals, billing for membership and aiding the members with conference registration. Linda previous experience includes working for a Wyoming based citizen advocacy group for 12 years, working to protect public lands, wildlife, and clean air and water in Wyoming. She had an Administrative role, dealing with payroll, billing, human resources, staffing coordination and event planning. Linda ran a commercial greenhouse in rural Vermont, understanding the need to use nontoxic chemicals for the health of the population and the earth. Linda has a BA of Art & Recreation from the College of St. Mary’s and the University of Omaha, Omaha, NE. She also completed classes in management and marketing from Central Wyoming College.

Lisa joined the Textile Exchange team in 2014 and supported the early development of the organization’s Organic Cotton Round Table and Organic Cotton Market Report. As Data Intelligence Manager, Lisa’s focus is now on supporting and integrating all regular data collection, validation, storage, analysis, and reporting processes to deliver high-value data for insights and decision making. A key deliverable of the Data Intelligence team is the collection, analysis, and distribution of global fiber and materials data and the underlying data sets to support the industry to measure progress towards the Climate+ goals and make science-based decisions as well as the integration of information collection and communication systems. Lisa is based in Dartington in the Southwest of England and holds a BSc in International Development from the University of East Anglia.

Madeline Heun joined Textile Exchange in 2022 after completing her MBA in Sustainable Fashion Management in Milan, Italy. Her journey started in nursing school, where she eventually realized her passion for making a positive impact is in the fashion industry. Changing courses, she pursued a Bachelor of Science in Fashion Merchandising with a double minor in Marketing and Fashion Media. Over the last few years, she lived in New York City and Italy while extensively traveling throughout Europe. Madeline believes through everyone’s unique worldly perspectives, we can come together and truly drive positive change. This led her to join Textile Exchange and continue to focus on interests in transparency and traceability, circularity, sustainable sourcing, and biodiversity.

Marissa Balfour joined the Textile Exchange in 2020 as a Biodiversity Specialist. She is a wildlife conservation and sustainable development professional with 7 years of consulting experience. Marissa also currently works as the Assistant to the Executive Director of the Wildlife Friendly Enterprise Network, where she develops and implements strategies for biodiversity conservation through certification. Previously, she has worked as a consultant for Conservation International on fashion and biodiversity. Other clients have included Relief International, EplerWood International, and World Animal Protection. Marissa holds a B.A. in Human Ecology from College of the Atlantic and an M.A. in Environmental Studies from Prescott College with a focus in Conservation Science and Policy.

Megan Stoneburner currently leads Fibers and Materials at Textile Exchange. She has more than 10 years of experience in product development and strategy, working in Sustainable Innovation, Inventory Management, and Production and Sourcing of apparel and home goods, with the majority of her career working at Gap Inc. She most recently came from Outerknown where she led Sustainability and Sourcing.

Melanie earned her bachelor’s degree in “Tourism and Hospitality” from Arizona State University and her master’s degree in “Non-profit Management” from Northeastern University. She has spent her career in the non-profit space, originally working as an Event Coordinator for Global Genes and most recently working in the programs department for Walk with Sally. She is excited to dive right into helping with our conference and other events. Outside of her career, Melanie lives in Los Angeles, California with her soon-to-be husband, Jason, and their three fur babies. Melanie enjoys spending time with family, friends, and indulging in the occasional Disneyland excursion. Her hobbies include reading, pottery, and travel. During quarantine, Melanie became an even more avid reader and created more pottery than fits in her house. She is looking forward to meeting everyone over the coming weeks.

Nicholas is an environmental advocate and Climate Reality Leader (trained by Al Gore) based in Los Angeles. Since relocating to Los Angeles in 2014, he has been one of the progenitors of the grassroots movement to change the fashion landscape, bringing together stakeholders, hosting events, and authoring consumer resources. Nicholas has worked with the nonprofits Beyond the Label, Fair Trade LA, Impact Fashion, So Cal Fibershed, Garment Worker Center, and Fashion Revolution USA and has worked in Chicago, New York City, Paris, Berlin, Munich, London, and Antwerp. He received his business degree with a focus on management information systems from DePaul University and began his career on the editorial side, producing high fashion editorial, advertising campaigns and fashion shows for global brands like Nike and Vanity Fair. Early career highlights include working with his conceptual fashion icon Hussein Chalayan on his runway show, and photoshoots with Andre Leon Talley & Karl Lagerfeld. Noticing that certain aspects of the fashion industry were at odds with his passion for protecting the environment and human rights, Nicholas decided to pivot his work to help the industry shift to better practices. Recently, he has been hands-on at both the city and state level regarding textile recycling initiatives and labor rights for garment workers, in addition to walking a local LA business through California Green Business certification. Nicholas can’t think of a better place than Textile Exchange to do what he loves: collaborating with others to achieve environmental & social justice.

Nicole is Textile Exchange’s Leather Manager. Her main focus is the development and implementation of the Leather Impact Accelerator. She also co-leads the Responsible Leather Round table that convenes stakeholders from all parts of the leather industry and related industries to accelerate the adoption of improved sustainability practices throughout the leather supply chain. Nicole’s background is in environmental health and toxicology and prior to Textile Exchange, she worked as a consultant on environmental management in industrial settings for 10 years, advising both the private and public sectors.”

Based in California, Noel joined Textile Exchange in 2022 as an HR Coordinator. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies from California State University, Long Beach. In 2021, Noel graduated with a Master of Arts in Communication Studies from California State University, Long Beach. Before joining Textile Exchange Noel worked as an educator and as an HR Specialist and has work she co-authored accepted into the 2022 Western States Communication Association academic convention.

Hello, I am Ochir, 27 years old native Mongolian. I have majored in Financial Management and International Economy and Business and specialized in foreign trade, corporate governance, and occupational health and safety. I have worked at one of Mongolia’s biggest cashmere knitwear manufacturers since 2017, starting as a project manager to head of the overseas trade department. I have some work experience in sustainable cashmere production and actively engage myself in meetings, conferences, and training organized amongst key stakeholders in the cashmere sector in Mongolia.

Ömür joined Textile Exchange in 2020 as the based in Bursa, Turkey. She has over 12 years of experience in the global textile and apparel industries, including customer service, sales development, event management, and Marketing Communications. She was involved in several product launch campaigns of sustainable products during her Marketing role, particularly because of her interest and passion for sustainability. Ömür has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Marketing and Communication Sciences. Ömür’s role at Textile Exchange will primarily see her support the organization’s work in organic cotton in this region, such as through the Organic Cotton Round Table, alongside other region-specific activities.

Phil started working with Textile Exchange in 2018, providing graphic design support for several key publications, namely the Organic Cotton and Preferred Fiber & Materials Market Reports, and the Corporate Fiber & Materials Benchmark. Phil joined the Textile Exchange team full time in January 2019, working under the Marketing Communications Director. Phil provides graphic design, creative and website support to the team, acting as the guardian of the Textile Exchange brand, and encouraging high standards of presentation across all aspects of the organisation’s communication. Phil holds a Bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design from Kingston University, London, and previously worked at the sustainable fashion consultancy MADE-BY between 2010 and 2018.

Prerna Pandey has three years of versatile experience in areas of sustainable supply chain, stakeholder management, market research, inventory management, and data analysis. She has worked in roles such as: research associate with Plastics For Change, analyst with Ernst & Young, and intern with Tata Steel. With Textile Exchange, Prerna started as an intern in October 2019 and has now taken the role of Materials Program Coordinator. As a part of the Corporate Fiber and Materials Benchmark team, Prerna is working to organize, develop and facilitate the benchmark program. Besides, she will also be coordinating some working group, as well as assist the data collection and compilation. Prerna is a scholar from Trinity College, Dublin, with Masters in International Management degree. She has attended the summer school at London School of Economics and has a triple major undergraduate background in Economics, Mathematics and Statistics.

Renske has a background in sustainable fashion management. She has worked for multiple fashion companies such as Kings of Indigo, PVH, and Hermès, and participated in the creation of sustainable material and internal corporate engagement strategies. Renske holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Fashion and Management from the Amsterdam Fashion Institute and a Master’s degree in Corporate Sustainability from the Radboud University in Nijmegen. In 2021 Renske joined Textile Exchange as the Coordinator of Membership and Corporate Engagement. Her aim is to thrive sustainability through meaningful collaborations.

Ricardo is a Regenerative Systems Strategist and Designer with a deep understanding of restorative production practices. His primary focus over the past 10 years has been bridging the gap between textiles/fibers & agricultural systems. His extensive background in systemic thinking allows him to coordinate between diverse topics and teams. Prior to relocating to Berlin, he was involved in sustainable growing activities in his native California. In 2010 he was exposed to the problems concerning fashion manufacturing and refocused his efforts on the textile industry. His pursuit to understand fashion’s global value chain and to learn innovative/ancient agricultural techniques lead him to places such as Guatemala, Japan, New Zealand, Spain, & Colombia. Ricardo’s work experiences as a project lead have strengthened his ability to manage supply chains as well as people. Ricardo is a big believer in harnessing the power of ‘place’ to solve global problems. This is what he refers to as bioregional circularity, a perspective he applies to all aspects of business. Ricardo has a B.S. from University of California, Davis, in Sustainable Agriculture as well as an M.A. in Sustainability in Fashion. At the Copenhagen Fashion Summit, Ricardo worked with an amazing group of young leaders to draft the first U.N. resolution on fashion related to the SDG’s and presented the work at the 2017 U.N.’s Global Leaders Summit.

Rita has over a decade of experience in corporate responsibility, global communications and stakeholder engagement with Fortune 100 brands, non-profits and NGOs. She has a strong understanding of sustainability in the apparel supply chain and brings hands-on experience working with US organic cotton farms and overseas textile mills and manufacturing facilities. Rita curates Textile Exchange’s global Textile Sustainability Conference and manages our communications platforms. Rita received a Masters of Science in Urban Policy Analysis and Management from The New School in New York City in 2011 and a BA in Communications from Pace University in New York. When she’s not working to positively impact the world for present and future generations, Rita enjoys gardening, photography, hiking and traveling.

I was born and raised in San José, capital of Costa Rica, where I developed most of my professional career in multinational organizations while performing in different functional capacities along the value chain from manufacturing to sales operations to customer service to auditing and certification of ISO and Fairtrade sustainability standards. This last one took me to Germany for a few years, but now I am back in Costa Rica and no, I don´t speak German. I like outdoor sports and activities where you can enjoy the sun and fresh air, like a bike ride, a beach day, or a hike in one of our tropical jungle national parks. I am a sports fan of basically everything that can be played, however basketball, football, tennis, and auto sports capture most of my attention. Besides sports, cooking is a hobby I practice a lot, especially Asian food and particularly Thai. I also enjoy learning about new cultures and biographies of people that have shaped our world.

Rose Johnson joined Textile Exchange in 2019 as the Communication Coordinator. She provides support to the Marketing Communications TEam, and is responsible for coordinating email communications, data protection compliance, event support, and general customer service. Rose has over 20 years’ experience in administrative healthcare, teaching higher education and professional development, and general management.

My Raw Material expertise first developed in Casablanca, Morrocco, working at factories producing apparel products for high street brands in UK, plus some pioneering work for top sportswear brands. Big part of my early career, a small town on the outskirts of Milan, where I spent a good amount of time, working with various mills in the region, and some other places in Italy. My time here was spent with a lot of spinners and fabric producers, mainly cotton, but also a lot of wool & linen. Next, I Lived and enjoyed the treasures of such a beautiful part of the world for over 3 years in Bandung, Indonesia. It is by far one of my favorite places, not just for the work experience but the diversity of cultures across thousands of islands and how they respect each other. My role here started as Raw Material Manager, but soon evolved to sourcing and commercial duties, not just for indigenous products but also across the whole of Asia. I arrived in London in 2007 taking on a Commercial & Operations Executive role, working with a UK company supplying the top high street retailers. In 2014 I joined Burberry and moved to Leeds where the UK manufacturing operation is located. Transforming the supply chain for the fabrics that make the Trench Coats, was my main responsibility It was a great experience not only because of the iconic symbol around the Trench Coats, but the history and artisan skills of the people working and nurturing the culture of made in Britain. It also gave me the opportunity to learn about the UK textile industry and the considerable size, still is today. In 2019 I returned to London, taking a role at Burberry HQ, leading the Raw Materials department in the Menswear & Soft Accessories collection It was here that I had the opportunity to lead the business transformation from conventional to organic cotton, as well as the whole supply chain for the Jersey category, across all divisions.

Sandra Marquardt has extensive experience in the agricultural, environmental, and fashion sectors. She is the president of On the Mark Public Relations, a firm she founded in 2006 to provide PR, research, writing, and event coordination to the sustainable and organic community. She also is the former North America representative for the Global Organic Textile Standard and communications director of the Sustainable Food Trade Association. Previously, Sandra developed and directed M+R Organics (a division of the public affairs firm M+R Strategic Services), focusing on the promotion of organic wool, and was the coordinator of the Organic Trade Association’s Fiber Council (she now is its secretary). She has worked for several non-profit organizations on agriculture, pesticide, and water quality issues. On weekends, Sandra coordinates an organic farmers market in her community.

Sharon is knowledgeable in QuickBooks accounting, Peachtree accounting, and Excel programs. Her job for Textile Exchange is primarily bookkeeping – maintaining the accounting records, payroll, preparation of quarterly tax reports, bank accounts and preparations for the yearly audit. Sharon has been involved with organic cotton since 1996 when she started with Organic Essentials, working in all areas for the business. In 2002, she became general manager of Organic Essentials and held that position until the company sold in 2006. As general manager, her job was mainly day-to-day operations. Sharon has been the Financial Administrator for Textile Exchange since 2006.

Siena joined Textile Exchange in 2020 as a Strategy Coordinator to work closely with Managing Director La Rhea Pepper. With seven years of experience in the fashion industry that took a turn while studying fashion design at Central Saint Martins in London, Siena has since focused on applying design and systems thinking to sustainable fashion development. She has experience ranging from managing design and production for a Fairtrade Kickstarter in India to working as a researcher at The Donghia Healthier Material’s Library in New York City. With a Bachelor’s of Science from The New School specially focused on the intersection of design, business, and sustainability, Siena brings a unique blend of project management, design thinking, data analysis, and research to Textile Exchange.

Siobhan joined Textile Exchange in 2021 as a Human Rights Strategist in the Integrity Solutions team after working in partner brand sustainability teams for over eight years. Since obtaining her BSc in Environmental Policy with Economics from the London School of Economics and Political Science, her primary focus has been on ethical trading and human rights in fashion supply chains. Siobhan is passionate about ensuring that communities surrounding supply chains are not detrimentally impacted by brand decision-making and happiest when travelling and learning from the people who are behind the manufacture of beautiful materials and products. Siobhan also has expertise in product sustainability, having led strategy in this area across her previous roles at British fashion brands Stella McCartney and Burberry.

Sophia Opperskalski is Data Intelligence, Senior Manager at Textile Exchange. She reports to the Director of Data and Technology and is responsible for the Data Intelligence team that supports and integrates regular data collection, validation, storage, analysis, and reporting processes to deliver high-value data for insights and decision making. A key deliverable of the team is the collection, analysis, and distribution of global fiber and materials data and the underlying data sets to support the industry to measure progress towards the Climate+ goals and make science-based decisions, published in the annual Preferred Fiber and Materials Market Report. Before joining Textile Exchange, Sophia worked for BSD Consulting where she was involved in projects on sustainability reporting, rankings, and strategy and was engaged in various projects related to sustainability and textiles. Sophia is based in Berlin, Germany, and has a M.Sc. in Integrated Natural Resource Management from the Humboldt University in Berlin.

Sophie joined Textile Exchange in 2021 as Coordinator for the Preferred Fiber and Materials Report and the Biosynthetic and Recycled Polyester Round Tables. Early on in her career, Sophie combined her background and interest in fashion and sustainability interning with the Inditex Fashion Group. There she focused on supply chain traceability and sustainability-related industry developments. Following this, she graduated with an M.Sci in Sustainable Development from Uppsala University & The Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. Her research focused on the disconnect between academia and industry in transitioning to a more circular fashion industry, which she later put into practice, directing the sustainability strategy for online fashion platform and application Cando. Sophie also holds a B.Sci in Geography from The University of Nottingham.

Stefanie is the Integrity and Standards Manager at Textile Exchange. For the Standards team, she is responsible for managing the development of tools and resources to aid in implementation and adoption of Textile Exchange standards, as well as providing support to standards users looking to label and make claims. Her role with Innovations consists of developing the Leather Impact Accelerator (LIA) and overseeing the coordination of the Responsible Leather and Responsible Cashmere Round Tables. Stefanie has been a part of the Textile Exchange team since 2017.

Steve is a tech geek at heart and lives for new technology. He excels at assisting employees with seemingly possessed technology. He has an AAS in Network Administration and has been working in the Information technology field for over a decade. He has worked with a wide range of software including Office 365, Azure AD, RingCentral, Windows, and Mac OS. Steve is currently working with scripting languages Python and PowerShell to automate administrative tasks. On the home front, Steve is the father of twins and they keep him and his wife very busy. As Systems Administrator for Textile Exchange Steve accesses, implements, and deploys new technologies.

Suet Yin joined Textile Exchange part-time in 2018 as a Data Analyst and Statistician. In 2020, she accepted a full-time position as the Senior Data Analyst and Statistician. Her role at Textile Exchange involves modelling and analysis of Textile Exchange’s Material Change Index (MCI), the largest peer-to-peer comparison initiative in the textile industry. She also assists the Standards Assurance TEam in monitoring and compiling data from Certification Bodies.

Originally from Germany, Susanna is based in Western Quebec, Canada. She has 20 years of experience in operational support and management, including over 10 years in the sustainability and certification sector. Before joining Textile Exchange, Susanna worked with Rainforest Alliance and most recently with NEPCon/Preferred by Nature, where she supported the development and implementation of key business processes. As Senior Manager of Impact Incentives at Textile Exchange, she supports the development and growth of Impact Incentives as part of the Impact Alliance and their use within Textile Exchange.

With over 15 years of Technical Project Management experience in Information Technology industry and have worked with organizations from various sectors such as Telecom, Banking, Insurance, Pharmaceuticals across the globe. I am well-traveled with exposure to working with people from various cultures, domains & backgrounds. For the last 6 years, I have been with IBM where I have successfully delivered and managed critical Projects related to Digitalization of the workplace service lines, Project Reporting & Data Transformation, Visualization Automation, CRM & Business Intelligence tools development and deployment, and various other technical migration projects. I hold an Engineering Degree (B.E) from the University of Pune (India). I also hold various technical and professional certificates like: • Project Management Professional (PMP) • Agile & Scrum Practitioner • ITIL Expert Certified • ISO 9001:2015 & ISO 20K Auditor & Practitioner • Microsoft Certified Engineer During my free time, I like to engage and spend my time in sports activities like badminton, foosball as well as going for workouts and running.

Taylor joined Textile Exchange as the Standards Coordinator in 2021 following her graduation from the University of Iowa, studying environmental policy and sustainability. Her passion for sustainable textiles started from a retail perspective. For five years, she worked for a local outdoor retailer in Des Moines, Iowa selling many brands certified by Textile Exchange standards. She has worked with several climate activism groups, including the Iowa City Climate Ambassador Program. During her time with the program, she worked alongside community members to identify and tackle climate problems at a local level. As the Standards Coordinator, her work supports the rest of the Integrity Team with standards revisions, stakeholder management, and standards benchmarking. She aims to increase environmental and social action through the use of textile standards.

Terry has previously worked at Dow Corning Wright as an Executive Administrative Assistant and for State Farm where she serviced current customer accounts and generated leads for new prospects. She joined Textile Exchange in October 2012 as an Executive Assistant. She provides Board, SAT, Platform Task Forces and IT/HR Support as well as assisting Membership and Fund Development. She is a vital member of the Conference TEam and handles registration for the event. Terry also publishes the “The Times of Textile Exchange” monthly newsletter and is coordinating the Textile Exchange effort to put systems and standard operating procedures in place. Terry was promoted to Administrative Coordinator in 2017 and to Systems Manager in 2020.

Trini joined Textile Exchange in 2019 to design and lead the assessment process of several standards that were gifted to Textile Exchange. She is the lead on Textile Exchange’s Global Recycled Standard (GRS), the Recycled Claim Standard (RCS), the Responsible Down Standard (RDS), as well as the Content Claim Standard (CCS). Over the past couple of years, Trini played a key role in the development of fair trade standards across multiple product categories. She is an ambitious and resourceful self-starter with a diverse background in standards development, international trade, project management, product development and management, multi-stakeholder engagement, relationship building, research, and process optimization and implementation. The apparel and textile space has always carried a special place in her heart and she is eager to co-create its future. A dual citizen of both Germany and the United States, Trini currently resides in Seattle, Washington. She holds a BS and MS in sociology from the Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz, Germany.

Val joined Textile Exchange as an expert in auditing and supply chain certification with nearly 15 years’ experience. She entered the certification world as an intern at the Forest Stewardship Council, before working with Rainforest Alliance’s certification division. At Rainforest Alliance, she developed extensive experience in auditing and certification body systems, primarily focused on the forestry, wood and paper sectors. Val then worked for Control Union, where she audited companies and standards in the forestry, textile, bioenergy and food sectors, including RDS/CCS audits.

Zach joined Textile Exchange in the spring of 2022 as an Internal Systems Coordinator. A Naval Veteran, Bringing with him over 8 years of comprehensive knowledge and experience in the Information Technology field. He brings a very professional attitude, with an emphasis on uninterrupted network uptime and network security. Some of his key responsibilities included managing a diverse networked environment and functioning as a Systems Admin for over 3000 end-users. He has managed a Helpdesk environment utilizing 20 other IT technicians to service customers in a timely and efficient manner. As an Internal Systems Coordinator, he will be using his wealth of technical experience to fully support software distribution and application, end-user account management, SharePoint Administration, and Internal System Security as Textile Exchange grows and expands.