Meet Our Staff
From L to R: Leah, Nia, and Aria
Leah Van Tassel - Director of Finance and Operations
Leah has a background in business management and a dedication to cultivating community and woodcraft. She brings supportive leadership and administration experience to her role. Leah was a spoon-carving student of Jess Hirsch and served as one of the founding board members of Fireweed in 2019.
Aria Kampfer - Shop Technician and Instructor
Aria has a background in cabinet-making with an education in construction technology. She brings her love of precision and intuitive organization into stewarding the woodshop. Aria started at Fireweed as a shop volunteer in 2023.
Meet Our Board
Katie Rehani (she/her) Co-Chair Katie Rehaniis a lifelong youth worker whose career has focused on education, enrichment and therapeutic programs in school and wilderness-based settings. Currently working as the Vice President of Girls and Youth at YWCA Minneapolis, she brings a wealth of knowledge in program design and implementation, organizational sustainability and curriculum development. Adrienne Baker (she/her) Co-Chair Adrienne is a public interest lawyer, educator, and facilitator. She currently works for the Minnesota Justice Foundation at Mitchell Hamline School of Law. As a former high school English teacher and Outdoor Educator, Adrienne recognizes the richness of experiential education and creative play. Adrienne admires Fireweed's collective vision as an inclusive place for building, making, and creating. She's delighted to be part of the Fireweed community. Erika Janik (she/her) Fundraising Committee Chair Erika Janik is a writer, editor, and audio maker with more than 15 years experience working with and for mission-driven organizations. Currently, she is the managing editor of the Peabody award-winning environmental podcast Threshold. Erika has never met a craft she won't try. She loves knowing how things work and trying something new. |
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Heidi Wallis (she/her) Heidi Wallis is a novice woodworker and an avid crafter, cook, and baker; she loves to try new things! She brings her skills of project planning, event organization and a bit of fundraising experience to the organization. She currently works at a Fortune 500 company as a regulatory affairs specialist and previously worked in microbiology. Heidi is eager to support the continued success of this inclusive community. Molly Green (she/her) Molly Green is an educator with a passion for crafting, DIYing, and community-centered making. She holds a master’s degree in Educational Leadership & Policy Analysis from the University of Wisconsin - Madison and a bachelor's degree from the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, and has spent her career thus far in international education. Outside of work you can find Molly hosting crafty gatherings with Twin Cities Craft Club—usually knitting or crocheting—or tackling house projects in her backyard. Her first class at Fireweed gave her the confidence to step into a traditionally male-dominated space, sparking a love for hands-on learning that she’s now passionate about sharing with others. |
Matte Segal (they/them)Matte is a nonbinary queer woodworker with a passion for detailed work at a large scale (they first experienced timber framing in a remote alpine caldera and were absolutely smitten). They love community organizing, improving access to crafting skills and spaces, hand tools, and helping people see the world around them with new eyes and hope. Matte brings a decade of strategic marketing experience to the Fireweed board and has previously self identified as a "professional understander-er".
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Amanda Ressler Amanda is a lifelong believer in the power of making—whether it’s building a table or building community. With a background in finance and a love for hands-on problem-solving, she’s excited to support Fireweed’s mission of creating inclusive, welcoming spaces for learning and creativity. She brings a thoughtful, collaborative spirit and a deep appreciation for spaces where people grow through making. |
Frances Tsukano (she/her) Bio Coming Soon |
Tiff Tran (they/them) Bio Coming Soon |
Charlie Zieke (they/them) Charlie is an artist and grower with a decade of non-profit and educational experience. Charlie runs Zieke Design, a small creative studio that supports farmers, artists, and organizations of all sizes with visual storytelling. Their past work has included supporting land access for immigrant & queer farmers as the Communications Director at Sharing Our Roots Farm, wrangling goats and communications at Great River Montessori School and implementing restoration plans for a community permaculture orchard at Frogtown Farm. |
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Jeanette Torkelson (she/her) Jeanette has been carving and weaving for 5 years now, after taking her first spoon class with Jess Hirsch. She teaches sharpening, bowl carving and shaker boxes at Fireweed woodshop. She and her wife have 6 chickens, one dog, one cat, and not enough house plants and they all live together in the Corcoran neighborhood of Minneapolis. Her favorite tool is the Kalthoff axe and she loves seeing the relationships that form through craft. |
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Margaret Grefig (she/her) Margaret has over 20 years of experience in accounting and finance in the non-profit sector from Finance Manager at the YWCA of Minneapolis, to Financial Analyst at Metropolitan Council to Controller at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Minneapolis. She has worked extensively with grant writing, audit, budgeting, forecasting and financial modeling and seeks ways to share those skills with organizations rooted in social justice. Margaret loves 10-keys, spreadsheets, getting in over her head on home renovation projects, traveling, exploring nature and dancing in the kitchen. |
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Our Founder
Jess Hirsch (she/they)
Jess started Women's Woodshop in 2017 in South Minneapolis and championed the transition of the woodshop into a 501c3 Non Profit now known as Fireweed Community Woodshop. We thank Jess for their vision, leadership, instruction, and tenacity! Jess stepped down to pursue new career aspirations in 2024.
Fireweed Community Woodshop 14 SE 27th Ave Minneapolis, MN 55414 |
Copyright © 2024 Please don't take our images or ideas without asking. |