Board of Directors
Ria G. Hawks, President & CEO, COFOUNDER
Prior to full-time devotion to Intertwine Arts, Ria was a pediatric nurse practitioner at Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital of NY Presbyterian, Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC). Her focus was providing palliative and curative care for children with cancer and life-threatening hematological diseases. Throughout her career, she has been an advocate for integrative therapies, including interventions that promote healing.
Ria recognized that weaving could decrease stress and anxiety as well as enhance self-expression and coping skills. She established a weaving program, which was adaptable to different developmental, physical, and emotional needs, in the pediatric hematology/oncology clinic at CUMC. As an adjunct professor at Bank Street Graduate School of Education, Ria shares her expertise with child life students. She also volunteers in the Arts in Medicine Studio, in the Pediatric Neurology Clinic at CUMC.
Maurine Packard, M.D., Treasurer
Maurine is a retired pediatric neurologist whose private practice was affiliated with New York- Presbyterian Hospital Weill-Cornell Medical School. Reflecting her previous careers as a general pediatrician then child development specialist, Maurine’s focus was on assisting families with children who had severe developmental disabilities and brain injuries access therapies that enabled each child to reach his or her full potential.
She discovered the uniqueness of weaving and was immediately drawn to this joyful, contemplative art form. She was impressed with the ease with which young children learned to weave on the SAORI loom, how involved and focused they became in the weaving process, and how proud they were of their creations. She recognized how accessible this technique would be for individuals with a variety of disabilities. In particular, the SAORI loom can be modified to accommodate those with motor challenges, her primary interest.
Marcia Kublanow, Secretary
Marcia retired after a long career in both for-profit and nonprofit marketing communications. Her avocation has always been fiber arts. She worked as a manager in advertising/public relations agencies and as a vice president and manager of communications in Citicorp’s Corporate Finance Division. In the nonprofit sector, Marcia worked at Beth Israel Medical Center as a public relations manager and at the UJA-Federation of New York as a senior project manager in its Management Assistance Program, a department that recruits and matches skills-based volunteer consultants with UJA-Federation’s network of 100 agencies to solve their most pressing business, management, marketing, and technical issues.
A weaver herself, Marcia is pleased to be working with Intertwine Arts to bring this unique art form to nonprofit organizations that support accessibility.
Lyndsie Levine
Lyndsie is currently Vice President of Operations at CCS Fundraising, a philanthropic consulting firm that partners with non-profits for transformational change. She works with a team of operations professionals to support internal strategic planning, business development, and talent management for NY-based executives. She initially joined CCS in 2013 as consultant, where she partnered with an array of clients in the arts, education, and environmental sectors.
In the time between these roles at CCS, Lyndsie served as the Director of Advancement and Strategic Projects at Congregation Rodeph Sholom, a 180-year-old synagogue in Manhattan. In this role, Lyndsie led the 1,700-family congregation in its largest ever capital campaign and annual fundraising efforts. She also spearheaded the community’s first ever strategic plan, managed its congregational listening campaign, led programmatic incubators, and designed and facilitated leadership development programs. Lyndsie graduated from NYU with a degree in Judaic Studies and Non-Profit Management.
Lyndsie is a lifelong creative and became hooked on SAORI weaving after sitting down at a loom for the first time. Feeling the joy and emotional benefits of weaving herself, she feels strongly that all people regardless of background or ability have the power to create and the right to experience the joy of making art.
Victoria Manganiello
Victoria Manganiello is an artist and designer. She is also an educator, consultant, mentor for emerging artists, and much more. Her New York University MA is in Art Education and Community Practice and her BA Degree is from Skidmore College in Art History and Studio Art. She is the recipient of numerous prestigious grants and awards, most recently from the American Australia Association Arts Fund. Her work has been included in a number of solo and group exhibitions throughout the United States and internationally including Romania, Bulgaria, Taiwan, Austria, and Italy She is also a part-time assistant professor of textiles at Parson’s and New York University.
Victoria’s multi-disciplinary and installation work, abstract paintings, and kinetic sculptures are made meticulously with hand-woven textiles using hand-spun yarn and hand-mixed natural and synthetic color dyes alongside mechanical alternatives and modern technologies.
Victoria recently completed a residency program with the Textile and Design Alliance (TaDA) in Switzerland. Their purpose is to promote the encounter between contemporary art practice and traditional and innovative textile production.
Rachel Moldauer
Rachel is currently a manager at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital in the office of Government and Community Affairs. In her role at the hospital, she supports community health engagement, and philanthropy and capacity building for nonprofit organizations across New York City and Westchester County.
Prior to her role at NewYork-Presbyterian, Rachel worked at Brooklyn Roasting Company, where she supported substantial growth across all areas of operations and strategy. During her time at the Company, Brooklyn Roasting was awarded the ADA Sapolin Employment Award by Mayor Bill de Blasio and the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities for its ongoing partnership with Job Path, promoting inclusive employment opportunities for young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Rachel is an avid weaver, cross-stitcher, and fiber arts enthusiast, carrying on the tradition of her grandmother, Anne Childs.
She is also an advocate for accessibility and disability justice, and has spoken on her personal experience with chronic illness and disability on panels during Disability Pride month. Rachel has a bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University and a Master in Public Administration in Health Policy from NYU. She is currently pursuing an Advanced Certificate in Disability Studies at the CUNY School of Professional Studies and is thrilled to be a Board Member with Intertwine Arts.
Weaving Instagram account: @abc_and_rac