Three Rivers Fibershed Board
Maddy Bartsch (they/them)
President
Maddy Bartsch is a farmer, educator and organizer of decentralized textile economies based in Minneapolis. Maddy has helped a broad range of clients navigate local textile economies through projects like the Minnesota Hemp Wool Project, the TRF Regional Fiber Sourcebook, the National Mill Inventory Survey, and as a Yarn Incubator for Fibershed. In addition to fiber systems, Maddy’s work includes tackling food systems as the Community Connector for the Cannon River chapter of the Sustainable Farming Association. More recently, Maddy received a Farmer-Rancher SARE grant which has enabled them to focus on 2 years of research around building a natural dye cooperative in the midwest. Maddy is co-founder and co-president of the Three Rivers Fibershed and teaches and speaks on the topic of local fiber systems and sustainable textiles to learners of all ages throughout the Midwest.
Maddy can be reached at hello@threeriversfibershed.org
Lily Turner (she/her)
Programs Director
Lily is a Fashion and Costume Designer, sustainable fashion activist, and arts educator currently living in Minneapolis, MN. Her design work is influenced by her childhood-- connecting with soil and learning to tell stories from a young age on her small family dairy goat farm in Northeast Ohio shaped how she approaches art, design, and materials as a whole. She worked with Rust Belt Fibershed (Cleveland, OH) as a Communications Intern in 2022 and for TRF in 2023 as the Documentary Photographer for our Sheep to Shawl Project. Lily completed a thesis research project at Macalester College titled "From Field to Fashion: A Journey in Sustainable Design and Regional Understanding" which allowed her to deep dive into our local fibershed and release a circular, soil to soil based collection, showcased at Minnesota Fashion Week in April 2024. Through her role as the Programs Director, she is excited to continue aiding in the connection of all those who take part in the textile lifecycle, from fiber producer to designer and beyond.
Lily can be reached at programs@threeriversfibershed.org
Josie Cooke
Regional Outreach Coordinator (Northern Minnesota; Duluth Area)
Josie can be reach at regionaloutreach@threeriversfibershed.org
Shivangi Kedia
Treasurer
Shivangi grew up in India, where she was inspired by her father's dedication to establishing a printing mill that utilized various methods, including hand blocking, hand screen printing, and flatbed screen printing. Her childhood Sundays were filled with joy and adventure as she played among the large, beautifully printed fabric rolls. In 2008, she moved to Minnesota with her husband, and they have since made Rochester their cherished home, raising two wonderful boys. Professionally, Shivangi works at the prestigious Mayo Clinic, where she excels in managing business aspects such as financials and human resources. Her passion for community service, coupled with her eagerness to deepen her understanding of regional fiber systems, led her to become involved with Three Rivers Fibershed. A serendipitous encounter with a knitting colleague at work rekindled her love for fabric. Shivangi now enjoys knitting as a hobby, cherishing the meaningful connection it provides to her roots in textile printing.
Shivangi can be reached at treasurer@threeriversfibershed.org
Cerissa Stockton
Steward Outreach Coordinator
Cerissa can be reached at
regionaloutreachnorth@threeriversfibershed.org
Ada Brown (Robin)
Communications Director
Robin graduated with a degree in technical communication and professional writing Metro State University in summer of 2024. Though writing, fashion and climate justice have all been life long interests, sewing is a recent obsession. Her senior project, Self-Stitched: A podcast about the nitty-gritty and stitchy of sewing your own wardrobe, was the start of an exploration of how dress history, sustainability and fast fashion intersected with her own journey towards a self-made wardrobe. In her role as communications director at Robin is excited to get writing about all things Fibershed and hopes to be able to put forth some awesome-entertaining-educational content in the future.
Robin can be reached at communications@threeriversfibershed.org.
Jane Hansen (she/her)
Regional Outreach Director
Jane Hansen is passionate about sustainable and regenerative agriculture and the environment. What started as a love of knitting led her to learning to spin and finally to raising the wool herself. She began keeping sheep on her farm in Ogema, WI in 2009 and got her foundation flock of Coopworth sheep in 2012. In addition to the Coopworth breeding stock, she keeps a trio of Romeldale/CVM wethers. Jane loves that agriculture and specifically raising sheep for wool is a pursuit that involves constant learning. She works tirelessly to improve her pastures, flock health, wool quality and her business skills as well. Jane received an education in Architecture and worked as a construction manager. She finds that translates nicely to the problem solving skills needed on the farm. She also worked for a decade as the coordinator of the Wisconsin Local Food Network and through that work, she discovered that her forte is connecting people. When Jane discovered Three Rivers Fibershed, and became a member in 2017, she knew she had found a fiber home. The vision and mission of Three Rivers Fibershed to develop regional fiber systems that build soil health and protect the wellbeing of our biosphere right here in our little corner of the world aligns perfectly with her own philosophy. Jane strives to help the members of Three Rivers Fibershed connect with one another and with customers for their beautiful locally produced and processed fiber and also to continually improve the wellbeing of the land and their flocks.
Jane can be reached at stewardoutreach@threeriversfibershed.org
About our board of directors
Three Rivers Fibershed relies on a small but mighty board of directors to oversee and conduct the work for all aspects of our growing non-profit organization. Our board is made up of shepherds, fiber enthusiasts, and individuals with professional skills and a desire to support and grow our organization. The board of directors is entirely volunteer run and acts through consensus decision making. We currently meet monthly on the second Monday of each month from 6:00-7:30 pm (Central Time).
If you are curious about getting more involved with Three Rivers Fibershed, please reach out to us at hello@threeriversfibershed.org. We would love to talk with you more about opportunities for involvement.
