Dr. Joyce F. Brown, president of FIT since 1998, is a highly regarded educator and academic administrator
with over forty years’ experience in public higher education. She held a number of
senior administrative posts at the City University of New York (CUNY) before arriving
at FIT, including acting president of Bernard Baruch College and vice chancellor of
the university. Prior to her appointment at FIT, she was professor of counseling psychology
at the Graduate School and University Center of CUNY. Dr. Brown has also served as
a New York City deputy mayor during the Dinkins administration. At FIT, Dr. Brown
has led an ambitious multiyear strategic initiative that has transformed the college.
She has built faculty ranks, increased technology, enhanced student services, expanded
the curriculum with innovative new programs, and renovated facilities. She has invigorated
the college’s culture with groundbreaking initiatives in diversity and sustainability.
Under Dr. Brown’s leadership, sustainability became a key element of FIT’s mission.
Her early participation in the Clinton Global Initiative University formalized a commitment
to sustainability that was reflected in the college’s physical plant, curriculum,
and public programming. She established a Sustainability Council that promotes dialogue,
campuswide activities—including the annual Sustainability Business and Design Conference—and
manages grant programs for related projects. FIT has been honored by both New York
City and New York State for its leadership among public institutions in the field
of sustainability.
Chair, Sustainability Council, Chair, Science and Math
Dr. Karen R. Pearson
Karen R. Pearson, PhD, is a full professor of chemistry, chair of the Science and Math department, and
chair of the Sustainability Council at the Fashion Institute of Technology. Her work
focuses on the development of intersectional curriculum, programs, and research directed
toward preparing the next generation to address our biggest global challenges. This
work is grounded in a cross-disciplinary STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering,
Arts and Math) approach that unites education, sustainability, and workforce development.
Pearson is the recipient of numerous awards, including a SUNY Chancellors Award for
Excellence in Teaching and the Presidents Award for Curricular Innovation, and she
has been acknowledged as one of the top 100 of most influential women in STEM. Her
work has resulted in multiple National Science Foundation and National Endowment of
the Arts grants and numerous peer-reviewed articles.
Presenters and Panelists
Ann Cantrell
Associate Professor, Fashion Business Management, Fashion Institute of Technology
Ann Cantrell is an associate professor in the Fashion Business Management Department
at FIT, with a focus on sustainability. On campus she is an advisor to the Ethics
and Sustainability minor as well as the Style Shop and a member of the President's
Council on Sustainability. In the fashion industry, Ann's focus was on planning and
then product development at companies such as Brooks Brothers, Ralph Lauren, and Coach.
With an (S)MBA and a focus on both environmental and economic sustainability, Ann
has also been a shop owner for the past fourteen years in Brooklyn, New York. Her
store, Annie's Blue Ribbon General Store, is a community staple in Park Slope.
Kristy Caylor is an entrepreneur and sustainability visionary. She brings a unique understanding
of the circular economy to For Days, a company she founded with a mission to keep
textiles out of landfills. For Days rewards consumers for recycling their used textiles
in any condition through the company’s Take Back Bag program and helps them spend
those rewards on sustainable products.
Before founding For Days, Caylor co-founded and was president of Maiyet, one of the
first ethically driven luxury retailers. She sourced, built, and oversaw a network
of artisans across 14 countries; launched Maiyet on the Paris runway; opened a store
in New York; and sold the collection to major retailers including Bergdorf Goodman,
Neiman Marcus. and Saks. Caylor spent her early career launching and growing businesses
for Gap, Inc., including Banana Republic Petites and Banana Republic Japan, and was
instrumental in leading Gap’s Product (RED) division.
Her recognitions include The Voss Foundation’s Women Helping Women Honoree (2014),
the Glossy 50: Fashion Digital Front Runners (2018), and Entrepreneur’s 100 Women of Influence (2022). Under Caylor’s leadership, For Days was named one
of Fast Company’s Brands That Matter (2022). She is a member of the CFDA and has worked with the
UN Foundation, the World Economic Forum's Global Future Council on Consumerism, the
Lexus Fashion Initiative advisory board, Cradle to Cradle’s Fashion +, and the Ellen
MacArthur Foundation’s Textile Initiative. She holds an MBA from the University of
Southern California and a BS in industrial engineering from Northwestern University.
Steven Ceraso
Technologist, Spatial Experience Design, FIT
Steven Ceraso is the lead technologist working with the Spatial Experience Design program. He has
a deep history of and knowledge in the fields of sculpture and woodworking and currently
helps students with their installations and display work. He has also been teaching
furniture making through FIT’s Center for Continuing and Professional Studies for
more than seven years.
Whitney Crutchfield
Assistant Professor, Textile Development and Marketing, FIT
Whitney Crutchfield is an assistant professor in FIT’s Textile Development and Marketing department and
an adjunct instructor in the Textile/Surface Design department, serving the FIT community
since 2016. Her expertise lies in woven textiles and textile dyeing techniques, with
a particular emphasis on low-impact methods and materials. Crutchfield is the founder
and owner of We Gather, an educational textile studio in Brooklyn. She previously
held positions at American Eagle and Martha Stewart Living.
Andrea Diodati is an award-winning fashion designer and entrepreneur. After seeing the wasteful
nature of her wholesale fashion line, Diodati created a direct-to-consumer brand that
used 3D modeling to facilitate customer collaboration. Users could codesign dresses
that were custom-made in New York City using deadstock fabric. Diodati’s industry
experience includes designing runway for Anna Sui as well as freelancing for Kate
Spade and Alice + Olivia. Presently, Diodati is interested in how digital fashion
can replace single-use garment consumption.
Mallorie Dunn
Fashion Designer
Mallorie Dunn is a New York City-based fashion designer, consultant, and educator. An alumna of
FIT and Pratt, she worked in the juniors sector of corporate fashion before deciding
to switch to freelance work. Through the freedom that a freelance schedule allowed
her, she was able to launch her customizable, inclusive, and sustainable clothing
line, SmartGlamour, in 2014.
Kristen Fanarakis
Founder, Senza Tempo
Kristen Fanarakis spent nearly 13 years working on Wall Street before launching Senza Tempo, working
on the foreign exchange trading desk for firms such as Merrill Lynch and Citibank.
She later went on to work at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of
Business, in the Center for Financial Policy, and she currently leads the small business
policy focus at the Milken Institute.
Fanarakis grew up in North Carolina and attended the University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill (BA) and its Kenan-Flagler School of Business (MBA). She also holds
an MS in international economics.
She grew up watching old movies with her grandmother, which created a love of vintage
and classic fashion. Form and function are equally important in Fanarakis's design
philosophy. It's about making life easier for women. A businesswoman frequently on
the go and like the iconic American designer Claire McCardell, she generally designs clothing to solve problems for herself.
Shannon Goldberg
Founder, Izzy Zero Waste
Izzy Zero Waste Beauty, the world’s first zero-waste makeup line, is 100 percent reusable,
refillable, recyclable, and carbon neutral. It took home 15 major beauty awards in
the first year of business. During her tenure at Izzy, founder Shannon Goldberg was featured in the Amazon Women’s month roundup, named Yotpo’s “Amazing Women in
E-commerce” for Innovation, and Business Elite’s 40 under 40.
Before Izzy, Goldberg served as the general manager of the facial and skincare division
at Ideal Image; the vice president of marketing for Madonna’s luxury skin care line,
MDNA SKIN; the executive director of global marketing for Peter Thomas Roth Clinical
Skin Care; and the brand manager for Ling Skincare. In addition, Shannon created 4N21
Skincare and transformed it into a bestselling product line for ShopNBC and QVC UK.
Currently, Shannon is an executive board member at Izzy and serves as the head of
entertainment and influence at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, serving a mission
that is near and dear to her family’s heart.
Caroline Gordon
Instructor, Fashion Business Management, FIT
Faces and Places in Fashion is taught by Caroline Gordon, who has been an adjunct professor at FIT since 2018, teaching in both the Jay and
Patty Baker School of Business and Technology and the School of Art and Design. Gordon
has worked in the fashion industry in New York City for 16 years across multiple American
brands, including Ralph Lauren and Ann Taylor. She has experience in women’s wear
and children's wear, with a focus on buying and wholesale sales.
Melissa Marra-Alvarez
Curator of Education and Research, The Museum at FIT
Melissa Marra-Alvarez is curator of education and research at The Museum at FIT in New York City. She is
co-curator of the Food & Fashion exhibition and co-editor of the Food and Fashion book (Bloomsbury 2022). Her previous exhibitions include Moda Hoy! Latin American and Latinx Fashion Design Today (2023), Head to Toe (2021), Minimalism/Maximalism (2019), and Force of Nature (2017). Marra-Alvarez’s research interests include intersections between fashion and
the natural world, the relationship between fashion and popular culture, and fashion
as visual culture. She holds an MA in Museum Studies: Fashion and Textile History
from FIT.
Sarah Mullins
Assistant Chair, Footwear and Accessories Design, FIT
Sarah Mullins is the assistant chair of the Footwear and Accessories Design department at FIT.
She teaches courses in accessories product design and development, Adobe Illustrator,
and senior thesis. Her design experience specializes in handbags, leather goods, pattern
design, and children’s products. For more than 14 years, Mullins was a senior designer
on Maclaren’s global product development team. In addition to teaching and designing,
she has coauthored several books on making handbags and belts, and she continues to
make leather goods for distinct clients. The most specialized products she makes are
hyena paws for Disney's Broadway and touring productions of The Lion King.
Laura Novich
Sustainability Strategist and Partner, Hyloh
Laura Novich is a sustainability strategist and partner at Hyloh, a global consultancy making
a positive impact through the application of materials, processes, and circular design
thinking. With an incredible depth of understanding when it comes to materials reuse
and research methodologies, Novich can measure the impact of consumerism. In doing
so, she enables businesses to better manage their product life cycles. Novich trained
in environmental science and earned her MA in Sustainable Interior Environments at
FIT. She has worked as a materials researcher at Material ConneXion and a project
manager at the NYC Center for Materials Reuse.
Oded Oslander
Material Manager, Patagonia, and FIT Alum
Oded Oslander, an FIT alum, is a material manager at Patagonia, which is one of the pioneering
advocates of the use of sustainable materials in the apparel industry. He procures
sustainable materials that reduce our impact to the environment, minimize our carbon
footprints, and are sourced responsibly. Oslander develops a collaborative relationship
with each supplier that meets Patagonia’s social, environmental, and quality standards.
He builds an understanding of each supplier’s capacity, and then creates a plan that
provides sufficient lead time to manufacture high-quality and low-waste materials.
Before joining Patagonia, Oslander worked in research, development, and production
with major fashion brands such as Jones NY, Nine West, and Anne Klein. He successfully
helped to execute major programs within the apparel industry, while focusing on high-quality
products with affordable costs and fair-minded lead times. Oslander specializes in
global strategic sourcing and has an extensive knowledge of the procurement process
and material sourcing. He collaborates with global suppliers on a variety of fabrications
and provides expertise from the souring stage through final production.
Elisa Palamino
Fashion Designer
Elisa Palomino, PhD, fashion designer, has 25 years’ experience in the fashion industry at John Galliano
and Christian Dior. Until recently, Palomino was the BA Fashion Design: Print pathway
leader at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London. As an international
fashion lecturer, she was a Fulbright Scholar at the Smithsonian Institution’s Arctic
Studies Center and held fellowships at the Library of Congress and the Max Planck
Institute for the History of Science.
Assistant Director of Engineering and Sustainability, FIT
Al Palmaccio joined FIT in 1995 as a director of engineering for Ogden, which then held the college’s
Buildings and Grounds contract. In 2005, he was promoted to director of the physical
plant, and in 2019, when UG2 took over as the college’s Buildings and Grounds contractor,
he became assistant director of engineering and sustainability.
Everyone has a part to play in reducing FIT’s carbon footprint by turning off lights
and computers when not in use. But Palmaccio has played perhaps the largest role.
By managing energy-efficient equipment upgrades to FIT’s facilities – steam-powered
heating and cooling, LED lights, and water-saving washing machines, for example –
he has overseen a 58 percent reduction in the college’s carbon emissions since 2007,
when FIT began participating in the New York City Mayor’s Carbon Challenge.
He has worked with the New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services
(DCAS) to help fund these upgrades, by participating in their retrofit and demand
response programs. For this work and more, DCAS named him a 2017 Energy Champion.
He has also helped the college achieve recognition for outstanding performance in
the demand response program from the New York Independent System Operators and New
York Power Authority. On hot summer days, when electricity use is at its peak, he
manually shuts down chillers and reduces fan speed to minimize the college’s consumption,
thereby easing strain on the grid.
Jaclyn Rutigliano
Founder and CEO, Hometown Flower Collective
Jaclyn Rutigliano is the founder and CEO of Hometown Flower Collective, a Long Island-based sustainable
floral design studio and pop-up flower truck. After more than 15 years of working
as a publicist and branding/marketing expert with start-ups, nonprofits, and travel
companies, she started designing flowers as a form of stress relief, giving her a
way to reconnect with nature and have a method of creative expression. It was then
that she realized she had inherited the “floral gene,” following in the footsteps
of her parents and grandparents as a third generation florist. Having previously worked
with the slow fashion movement, she applied her learnings about ethical and sustainable
sourcing and responsible business and became committed to launching a sustainable
floral design studio, working exclusively with locally grown flowers. She launched
Hometown Flower Co., alongside her husband, Marc Iervolino, on Mother’s Day 2019,
the biggest day of the year for flowers, with a commitment to changing the status
quo of our expectations for and relationship with flowers.
Evelyn Rynkiewiscz, PhD
Assistant Professor, Science and Math, FIT
Evelyn Rynkiewicz, PhD, is an assistant professor of ecology at FIT. She earned her PhD from Indiana University
and subsequently conducted research as a postdoctoral research scientist at the University
of Edinburgh (National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Research Fellow) and Columbia
University. A disease ecologist, Rynkiewicz’s research investigates co-infection in
wild mice, focusing on how parasites and pathogens interact with each other and with
the host immune system. She teaches classes in ecology and biology, with her overall
goals being to increase science literacy among non-science majors and to give students
the confidence to bring ideas of the scientific process and understanding of the natural
world into how they think about their careers. Rynkiewicz is the FIT faculty advisor
for the Biodesign Challenge program.
Elizabeth Sanger
Staff Attorney, Federal Trade Commission
Elizabeth Sanger is a staff attorney in the Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Consumer Protection,
Division of Advertising Practices in Washington, DC. She has brought cases on behalf
of the FTC against companies engaged in deceptive advertising for health aids and
cognitive programs, unfair billing practices, illegal robocalls, and failure to disclose
information that might affect consumers’ purchasing decisions. Prior to practicing
law, Sanger worked in public health advocacy and promotion in her home state, Wisconsin.
She received her BA, MPH, and JD from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Outside
of work, she volunteers with a network that helps refugee families resettle in the
DC area.
Julian Silverman
Assistant Professor, Science and Math, FIT
Dr. Julian Silverman is a materials chemist and assistant professor at FIT. His research focuses on creating
sustainable ingredients for consumer products from renewable and waste resources.
Brooke Singer
Secretary of Sustainability, FIT Student Government Association, Direct and Interactive
Marketing ’23
Brooke Singer is the current secretary of sustainability for FIT’s Student Government Association.
In her studies at FIT, she seeks to implement sustainable practices and environmental
advocacy. Singer graduated magna cum laude with her associate's degree in Fashion
Design from FIT and is currently majoring in Direct and Interactive Marketing while
minoring in Ethics/Sustainability and Psychology. She is also involved in FIT athletics
as the goalkeeper for the Tigers soccer team. In 2021, she was awarded FIT Athlete
of the Year for her performance on and off the field. Outside of school, she promotes
gender equality as she shares her story online playing semi-pro women's tackle football
for the state of New York.
Nancy Brooke Smith
Founder, floral ave.
Nancy Brooke Smith has been obsessed with recycling, upcycling, and waste for most of her life: Her
first upcycling project was a Barbie camper she fashioned out of her brother’s discarded
toy truck. She considers herself a craftivist, wearing and selling her upcycled and
mended clothes with pride and purpose.
After a long career as an art director, Smith started floral ave., a sustainable design
business that combines her loves of fashion, collage, and zero waste. Her designs
are crafted from street finds and embellished with inventory gathered from years of
thrifting and scavenging and her grandmother’s leftovers. She calls her technique
“clothing collage” because, rather than restructuring garments, she covers flaws with
a myriad of materials and visibly mends and combines damaged pieces.
She loves the spontaneity of upcycling, craftism, and visible mending in particular.
One never knows how a garment will evolve. Visible mending by design is imperfect.
As a craftivist, Smith goes one step further, embracing flaws with embellishments
and cheeky patching, shouting “Hey, cool fix here!”
Elizabeth Way
Associate Curator of Costume, The Museum at FIT
Elizabeth Way is associate curator of costume at The Museum at FIT in New York City. Her exhibitions
include Global Fashion Capitals (2015), Black Fashion Designers (2016), Fabric in
Fashion (2018), Head to Toe (2021), Fresh, Fly, and Fabulous: Fifty Years of Hip Hop
Style (2023), and Food & Fashion (2023). She edited the book Black Designers in American
Fashion (2021) and has contributed to several edited volumes, exhibition books, and
Fashion Theory: The Journal of Dress, Body & Culture. Way holds an MA in costume studies
from New York University.
