Board of Directors
| MAFA Board | Name | E-mail contact |
|---|---|---|
| President | Patty Chrisman | president@mafafiber.org |
| Vice President | Dornan Trainer | vp@mafafiber.org |
| Treasurer | Joanna Brandt | treasurer@mafafiber.org |
| Secretary | Valerie Clark Bolton | secretary@mafafiber.org |
| Conference Co-Chairs | Patty Chrisman & Dornan Trainer | conference@mafafiber.org |
| Communications Chair | Nancy Everham | communications@mafafiber.org |
| Membership Chair | Maggie Patterson | membership@mafafiber.org |
| Grants Chair | Angela Fishman | grants@mafafiber.org |
| Board Committee Coordinators | ||
| Non-Conference Events | Patty Chrisman | events@mafafiber.org |
| Virtual | TBD | virtual@mafafiber.org |
| Technology | Carol Steuer | webmaster@mafafiber.org |
| Zoom | Toni Stevens | membership4@mafafiber.org |
Meet MAFA’s 2025-2027 Officers
MAFA’s leadership team represents guilds across the region and exists solely for the benefit of participating guilds and their individual members.
Patty Chrisman, President
It all began with the discovery of a little spinning wheel in her grandmother’s attic when she was a young girl, and a brief episode at a loom during Camp Fire Girl Camp in the 1970s. The spinning wheel is now in her possession. The location of the bookmark, woven in a small overshot pattern, is a mystery—it was pink and purple.
Long a spinner and knitter, following her retirement Patty was able to fulfill a long time goal of learning to weave. Patty maintains an active interest in all things historic—from buildings to textiles, and is involved with her local historic house museum, where she has been known to demonstrate spinning on her Great Wheel.
Patty believes in the benefits of belonging to a guild (or several) and she is a member of Frances Irwin Handweavers, Essex County Hand Spinners, and the New York Guild of Handweavers. She served as MAFA Secretary from 2018 through 2023 and as Vice-President since 2023. Patty served as Events Coordinator for MAFA 2023 and 2025 and is the Conference Co-Chair for 2027.
Dornan Trainer, Vice President
Dornan comes from a family of sewists, needleworkers, knitters and broom makers. (Her Trainer family were chimney broom makers in the Philadelphia area!)
Her mother taught her to sew on a Singer Featherweight given to Dornan’s mother as a wedding present from her mother. And in third grade her very progressive teacher at Sugartown Elementary in Malvern, PA taught her whole class, boys and girls, how to knit.
But it wasn’t until 1976 that weaving became her main fiber art. And it wasn’t until 2016, when she retired, that she joined a local guild – Triangle Weavers Guild. Lessons at local colleges or art centers and Handwoven magazine had been her instructors and her only fiber community until Triangle Weavers Guild opened up a whole new world of friends (and family).
Dornan has served as the MAFA Conference Sponsor Coordinator for 2021 and Vendor Coordinator for 2023 and 2025. She is also the MAFA Rep. for Triangle Weavers Guild.
Joanna Brandt, Treasurer
Joanna has been intrigued by fiber for years and has dabbled in crochet, needlework and sewing. She never considered creating cloth herself until 2016 when she took a beginning weaving course through the Weaver’s Guild of Greater Baltimore. Since then, she has been fascinated by the infinite possibilities in color and structure that weaving offers. She has attended the last four in-person MAFA Conferences and found the workshops and comradery to be wonderful.
Joanna is retired from a career in medicine as a general and forensic psychiatrist. She remains an active member of several boards and committees related to psychiatry. In addition to weaving, Joanna enjoys spending time with her grandchildren, traveling and gardening.
Joanna joined the MAFA Board as Treasurer in 2023. From 2019 to 2023, she served as Treasurer for the Weaver’s Guild of Greater Baltimore.
Valerie Clark Bolton, Secretary
While primarily a sewist, Valerie loves almost anything related to the craft of fiber and textiles and is always exploring new fiber crafts. She is quasi-retired from a 25 year career in the legal industry which has given her a love and appreciation for rules, structure and documentation. Valerie is a member of the Philadelphia Guild of Hand Weavers and recently served for two years as their vice-president.