President:
Tessa Gonzales has been sewing since she was four thanks to her Nonnie giving Tessa her first sewing machine. Growing up with an artist for a mom and living in art communities throughout her early childhood gave Tessa a passion for all things creative. If it can be sewn, she’s probably tried to sew it. Tessa has been teaching sewing classes in Austin at local shops since 2011, and attended the first ever QuiltCon by herself in 2013 in hopes of making new friends. (She did!) Tessa has been active in the Austin MQG by helping host events, being a guest speaker, establishing the outdoor quilt show at Austin Creative Reuse, and was the VP of Programming from 2019 - 2021.

Treasurer:

Eve Trester-Wilson is a lifelong learner and maker and has dabbled in everything from calligraphy to knitting to welding and woodworking. She grew up sewing and completed her first quilt in 1998, but took a long hiatus from quilt-making until joining the AMQG in 2015. Eve values the friendships she has made and the techniques she has learned through the guild and is enjoying giving back by serving on the board. Eve is a licensed architect but has spent the past 12 years as the co-owner of MakeATX, the laser cutting studio she founded with Kristen von Minden (a fellow guild member). Eve’s hands-on bookkeeping and small business experience makes her uniquely qualified to serve as treasurer.   

Secretary:

Nelia Box Karimi is a mom, a lifelong crafter, and a maker of things. She has always been curious and passionate about learning new things. Nelia learned to quilt seven years ago and fell in love with the design and making process, the history, and the squishy end result. The community of AMQG quilters has been a joy to Nelia since she joined in 2020. Nelia has learned so much, met some amazing people, and believes positive and helpful volunteers create amazing communities.

Vice President of Communications:

Heather Robinson has been quilting since 2011. But it wasn’t until she became a member of AMQG in 2020 that her quilting game kicked into high gear. She gets so much inspiration from the lectures, workshops, and the amazing work of other members. Being part of AMQG has really made Heather a better quilter! Heather values her work as VP of Communications and loves give back to the community she has gained so much from! 

Vice President of Programming:

KC Shortes first joined Austin MQG when her son was just a baby, now he is 12 years old and has a 10 year old sister. A lifelong sewist of costumes, clothing, and random projects, finding the AMQG community gave her a creative and social outlet and she entered the world of quilting. She loves the skillbuilding, inspiration, encouragement, and most of all the friendships from AMQG. KC loves collaboration and joined the board to bring fun activities, lessons, and sew-lebrities to the meetings, and most importantly, to make the AMQG special for everyone, and foster the inclusive, supportive, and inspiring community that has given us so many friendships, and fueled the creative needs in us all.

Vice President of Events:

Anna Kehl started sewing in 2011 after taking a beginner’s class at Stitch Lab in Austin, TX. She has been active in the AMQG since 2012 and previously served on the board as Secretary from July 2016 - July 2017. In addition to regularly attending and participating in guild events, Anna was the Co-Organizer of Sewcation 2019. As the VP of Events, Anna is excited about leading the committee of members that help to make guild events go off smoothly! Anna uses her 20 years of experience planning, organizing, and communicating in healthcare to planning, organizing, and communicating for AMQG.

Vice President of Community Service:

Kelly Casey comes from a family of quilters. Her mother and aunts learned to quilt from both her grandmother and grandfather. Kelly's quilting journey started about eight years ago. She make quilts for friends and family members, and also makes quilts to provide comfort to people she will never meet through service quilts. Kelly tries to reduce her carbon footprint by using thrifted fabric, trim, and scraps, though she does love a splurge at a local quilt shop. Kelly feels like she has found her tribe in the Modern Quilt Guild. She enjoy the social aspect of the guild and the constant inspiration and learning. As the VP of Community Service Kelly enjoys giving back to the guild but also to move it forward. She would like to see the guild become more interactive with the community, and would like to invite fiber artists from different backgrounds to join by encouraging a fun and safe environment for all skill levels.