Our Staff
-
Elizabeth Ochs and Isaiah Ochs Ellowitz
CRC Director and Co-Founders
Elizabeth: Educator, mother, community organizer, ice cream eater.
“The Creative Reuse Center is a place to design an alternative world.”
Isaiah: Fourth grader. Lover of soccer and cats.
“The Center helps the community by using recycled materials and giving them to people that need them.”
-
Janise Nieves
CRC Shift Leader and Artist Residency Co-Coordinator
Teacher, mental health worker, artist, sister, student, yogi, creator, designer.
“The CRC is a place where art and community meet and thrive. There's so much room for creativity here.”
-
Salina and Sophia Ting
CRC Shift Leader and Artist Residency Co-Coordinator
Salina: Parent, abstract artist, and community herbalist. Self proclaimed enthusiast of anything economically friendly/focused.
“The CRC allows me to feel comfortable and creative- two things that are necessary for an artist to thrive.”
Sophia: A digital artist who loves to make new friends!
“Creative freedom allows me to do things I love most which is art.”
-
Sheri Griffin
CRC Operations Director
Co-founder and former director at Farm Fresh Rhode Island, writer, editor and strategist for community-based nonprofits.
“I love being in a space where all ideas are welcome.”
-
Victoria Rodriguez
CRC Event and Partnerships Coordinator
Victoria Rodriguez (she/they) is a first generation, Azorian & Guatemalan, neurodivergent, artist, activist and community organizer born and raised in Providence, RI. A proud aunt, godmother, granddaughter, daughter and niece, Victoria is a believer in the power of the people and cultivates a deep relationship with the planet and all living kin across the four directions.
“The CRC is a place where we are practicing intergenerationally building the world we will pass on! A place that inspires, reuses, heals and imagines all the possibilities of what life in right relationship with nature looks like.”
Our Board
-
Corinne McKamey
CRC Advisor
Educator, arts-based researcher, mother, potter, home cook, dog person.
“I love that the Center is a place of endless possibilities for objects, people, and communities.”
-
Jose Medina
CRC Advisor
Resourceful, innovative, imaginative, optimist dreamer, and achiever.
-
Melissa Guillet
CRC Advisor
Naturalist, educator, artist, and mom. Creative Director of 15 Minute Field Trips.
“The CRC is such a great space because it’s well organized and well lit. It fosters creative aha moments.”
-
Sage Morgan-Hubbard
CRC Advisor
Mother, poet, artist, educator, public speaker, consultant, and dream midwife who co-curates inclusive diverse public spaces for lifelong living and learning for all people.
“The CRC creates a physical space for people to be in and at the same time, it is leaving an unfilled space in the landfill.”
-
Sam Andersen
CRC Board Chair
Mother, partner, daughter, sister, dog owner, friend. Believer in the power of education. Reader, cyclist, advocate for mental health.
“When I think of the CRC I think of space. A physical space that builds community and inspires creative thinking; the space that all of the center's bountiful materials would have taken up in the landfill; and outer space - because if you can't find a way to make your own solar system at the CRC it is time to expand your scientific artistic universe and get even more creative!”
-
Taylor Ellowitz
CRC Advisor
Designer, builder, father.
“The CRC is an agent of sustainability. What is waste for some people are treasures for others.”
-
Thea Upham
CRC Treasurer
Thea is a passionate foodie who comes from a family of artists and dabbles in a variety of fiber arts and crafts. She has over 10 years experience in nonprofit management and community building. When it's nice out she's at the beach and when it's not she's knitting while watching star trek at home.
"I love perusing the shelves and finding inspiration at the CRC. It's such an important resource for the community to be able to share materials, spark creativity and reduce waste."
Our Volunteers
-
Darla Rilling
CRC Volunteer & Marketing Enthusiast
Budding artist and connoisseur of all things creative.
The daughter of a fashion graphic artist and globe-trotting entrepreneurial football coach. Mom of three resourceful and talented teenagers. Passion for emerging brands, culture, and community. Social entrepreneurship, branding development, fundraising, these are a few of my favorite things!
“The CRC is a hidden gem! I’m excited about spreading the word, connecting creators, and igniting the transformative power of reuse in our community!”
-
Diana Arvanites
CRC Volunteer
Creative practitioner, mentor, and sharer of experiences. Her paintings, collages, artist books, and installations question and explore our relationship to environment and place.
She often uses the space of the artist’s studio to experiment and push the boundaries of her role as an artist in our community. By inviting participation and sharing space her practice embraces the way one engages in the social and civic world.
"The CRC is a community treasure. I love seeing the joy it brings to those who visit us." -
Hannah Nesbeda
CRC Volunteer
Hannah is primarily a textile artist but has never met a medium she hasn't wanted to dabble in - the more complicated and obscure, the better. She maintains a studio practice in the Smokestack collective in Fall River, MA. When she isn't deep in a craft project, she is earning her keep as a primary care nurse practitioner.
“What I love about CRC is the community and the spirit of sharing -- not just of materials but of expertise, enthusiasm, and joy.”
-
Janet Tenzcar
CRC Volunteer
Retired teacher, mother, friend, and lifelong creative crafter.
“The Center is my ‘candy store’ and inspiration.”
-
Joanna Williamson
CRC Volunteer
Joanna has dedicated over 25 years to volunteer service in support of military families, education, and community wellness. First as a jewelry business owner and then as co-founder of the 501c(3) Military Spouse Business Association, she played a key role in championing economic empowerment for military spouses. She later formed a coalition of advocacy groups to become instrumental in the passage of federal legislation advancing their rights. But crafting and repurposing have always been her first love and she couldn’t be happier to have found the perfect home at the CRC.
“Whether with a brush, a voice, or an idea, creativity shapes the hearts who shift perspectives.”
-
Liv Deitcher
CRC Volunteer Alum (in college now)
Innovative, devoted crafter, and bead enthusiast.
“The CRC is my favorite place!”
-
Rachel Lauth
CRC Volunteer
Writer and crocheter who loves coffee, halloween decorations, sea creatures, and the planet. Always excited to see a picture of your cat.
”The CRC combines so many of my favorite things together: crafting, community, and sustainability!” -
Samantha Salomon
CRC Volunteer Alum (in college now)
Jewelry maker, artist, painter, drawer, uses clay to make art, and organizer of the things.
“I love the CRC. It’s such a positive welcoming environment, and they once gave me a free pizza. “