Rachael Cohen, Project Director
Rachael Cohen is an artist, educator, and the Project Director for Stuff Redux, Richmond’s creative reuse center. Stuff Redux collects and redistributes materials otherwise bound for landfill and holds workshops and events focused on art and the environment. Rachael loves to unlock the hidden potential of objects that others leave behind. She finds inspiration in the transformation of materials and enjoys encouraging others to create value and meaning in unexpected places.
Merenda Woodward, Party Coordinator
Merenda Woodward is a local artist and state certified art educator. She holds a BFA in Art Education with a minor in Crafts from VCU. She has shown work in local galleries and assisted with public art projects in Richmond and Philadelphia. Her areas of specialty include mosaics, book arts, and using recycled materials. She is passionate about art, teaching, and social justice. She enjoys being outside and spending time with her family. Merenda teaches part-time in Chesterfield County schools and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, and is the former art teacher at Crestwood Elementary.
Jess Norris, Intern
Jess Norris is a local artist and educator. Jess became involved with Stuff Redux because of her interest in securing low-cost creative and educational materials for after-school arts initiatives in Richmond. Jess works closely with the Stuff Redux team and to implement fun, unique, and impactful community workshops and events.
Haley Garvis, Intern
Haley is a sophomore at Virginia Commonwealth University majoring in Sculpture and ArtEducation. She got involved with Stuff Redux because of her attraction to reclaimed and unusual materials and an aspiration to support reuse and sustainability efforts. She loves the notion of giving objects and supplies that would otherwise be thrown away a new life in a studio or classroom. Her role at Stuff Redux is to contact and collaborate with businesses and companies to establish donations of excess or unwanted material. She also seeks out events in which Stuff Redux can participate, and volunteers at our store!
Melody Milleker, Intern
Melody is a senior in the Art Education department at Virginia Commonwealth Universityand has a minor in Art History. Melody loves working with students of all ages and initially got involved with Stuff Redux because of her desire to better the community of Richmond through education, art, and environmental sustainability. Her work at Stuff Redux consists mostly of all things tech-y or web-related and volunteering in the Stuff Redux store.
Our Board:
Ann Ritter
Ann M. Ritter, MD is a co-founder of Stuff Redux. Her passion for reducing andreusing began with her father and continued into her own home. Her interest in upcycling and creative reuse began with her children and their art class. This rolled over into the utilization of clean, non-used hospital items in her children’s art class, the Children’s Museum of Richmond and other creative centers. She is a pediatric neurosurgeon at Virginia Commonwealth University, Harry F. Young Neurosurgery Center. She attended Baylor College of Medicine, completed a neurosurgery residency at VCU and obtained her fellowship certification in pediatric neurosurgery in Dallas, Texas. She has held academic positions at the University of North Carolina and Nemours Hospital for Children. She has a house full! Three daughters, one husband, one dog, two cats and a parakeet!
Vicki Conley
Vicki Conley is a marketing, development and public relations professional with more than 25 years experience in both the corporate and non-profit arenas. She spent 20 years in the shopping center industry promoting national and international properties to investors, tenants and customers, and was directly involved with the initial expanse of outlet shopping into the European market. Vicki was named a “Woman of Worth” by the American Association of University Women and served on numerous boards and advisory committees including the Lyndon B. Johnson Museum of San Marcos, Del Mar College, Texas Travel Industry Association and the American Heart Association. In 2007 she shifted her focus to work with non-profit organizations, concentrating primarily on development and marketing programs for environmental and family causes. A native Texan, Vicki has lived in Richmond for three years and is happy to call Virginia her second home.
