As we draw near Project Goodwill, we’d like to announce our judges for the 2017 show!
Joe Allen Brown
Joe Allen Brown is Professor of Theatre Arts and both past Chair of Theatre (25 yrs.) and Dean of Fine Arts (seven yrs.) at Texas Wesleyan University. Known as “Pro Joe” to his students, he currently serves as the Academic Dean of Freshmen at Texas Wesleyan. A Phi Beta Kappa honors graduate with a B.A. in Theatre and Speech from the University of Arkansas, Joe also has an M.F.A. in Theatre Design from Southern Methodist University. Fall of 2017 will mark Joe’s 40th year at Texas Wesleyan, where he has received both faculty and student awards for excellence in teaching and also recognition and awards for his service to the University through his community involvement in theatre arts, AIDS education and outreach and also animal rescue and rehabilitation. Joe is a past recipient of the Live Theatre League of Tarrant County’s Lifetime Achievement Award and also Theatre Advocate Award for his work with theatres in Fort Worth and Tarrant County.
Debby Stein
Debby Stein is the Chief Improvement Officer for the Riverside Arts District in Fort Worth. She advocates for urban revitalization through grassroots efforts to mobilize citizens to use the arts as a catalyst for turning decayed and abandoned neighborhood commercial corridors into vibrant areas that enhance their communities. Debby is a former art gallery owner, dance teacher, performer and was Director of Visual Merchandising for men’s and women’s boutiques in Boston. She is the past chair of the Foundation for the Young Women’s Leadership Academy of Fort Worth, past president of the Live Theatre League of Tarrant County, and a member of the Steering Committee for 2015 Fort Worth’s Arts and Culture Plan
Melina Mayfield-Williams
Melina Mayfield- Williams is a Texas native and graduate of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. She holds a B.S. in Fashion Merchandising, Textile & Design. Melina currently works as an Assistant Buyer for Neiman Marcus. She is a wife to husband Terry Williams and mother to daughter McKayla. She is well versed in the fashion industry with not only experience as a merchant in the buying offices, but also experience as a visual merchandiser, store and department manager, as well as a fashion stylist. Melina has a love for all things fashion and is especially fond of shoes and handbags!
Ashley Griffin
Ashley Griffin serves as Manager of Digital Marketing at Highland Park Village – the premier luxury fashion and lifestyle destination in Dallas. In this role, Ashley is responsible for developing innovative marketing strategies to drive awareness and engagement, as well as oversee the execution, tracking and optimization for all programs across the brand’s digital platforms. Prior to joining Highland Park Village, Ashley served as Manager Resort Marketing Strategy at Omni Hotels & Resorts and Assistant Manager Loyalty Marketing and Partnerships at The Neiman Marcus Group. Ashley is a cum laude graduate of Florida State University where she earned a B.A. in Mass Media Studies and a double minor in Sociology and English. Outside of the office, Ashley shares her love of fashion with friends near and far through her personal style blog, The Inspired I, volunteers as a mentor to her little sister, Michelle, through the Big Brothers, Big Sisters Program and can be found indulging in all the best cuisine any city has to offer.
Kanani Mahelona
Kanani Mahelona grew up in Dallas, where he studied Pattern and Apparel Design at El Centro College. In the vibrant Dallas women’s apparel industry of the early 1980s, he worked as a designer and patternmaker for several garment manufacturers.
Recruited in 1989 by Gerber Technology, the world leader in computer-aided patternmaking, grading, markermaking, cut planning, and textile design systems, Kanani eventually became the company’s Principal Software Products Specialist, where he traveled the world to work with customers as varied as Ralph Lauren, US Army and Fisher-Price.
Kanani has served in advisory roles for many university fashion design programs, including FIT, Savannah College of Art & Design, FIDM, University of North Texas, Texas Woman’s University, El Centro College, the Art Institutes of New York City, Miami, Dallas and Houston, and Baylor University.
Kanani has resided in New York City since 2005, where he pursued studies in Interior Design at NYU. In 2012, Kanani branched out on his own to start a successful, Manhattan-based design-software consulting business for the textile-related industries and has designed the textile print collections for resort wear company Jean G Designs for the past several years. This year, the same passion for recycling, reuse and upcycling that has attracted Kanani to participate in Project Goodwill has led him to new work with Eileen Fisher Remade, the fashion brand’s new customer buy-back program, and upcycling worn and damaged Eileen Fisher garments into beautiful new fabrics, garments, accessories and housewares.
Project Goodwill is Tuesday, May 2. Tune into our live feed on Facebook to watch from home!