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our staff
| Amanda Judge, Founder & Designer |
 | Amanda Judge is the proud Founder & CEO of Andean Collection, which she started while interviewing rural Ecuadorian women for her master’s thesis on poverty reduction strategies. Amanda holds an M.A in Law and Diplomacy from The Fletcher School of Tufts University and a B.A. in Finance from Santa Clara University.
She is fascinated by development in South America and gave up a steady salary in the financial services industry to work in some of the most desolate areas of Central and South America on poverty reduction projects. Select projects include: Working with UNICEF on determining the pattern of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Nicaragua and isolating flaws in the country’s health reporting systems; Developing a micro-enterprise project for women knitters with FINCA Peru, both as a knitwear designer and as a business consultant.
Amanda is an innovative social entrepreneur, who is intent on showing that business acumen and social good are not mutually exclusive. She has been interviewed on TV networks, including Fox and CNN on the company’s triple bottom line of profits, poverty reduction, and planet. She is a regular attendee at CEO and social entrepreneur events such as OnCue and Summit Series, and was recently named a ‘Better Business Babe’ by Women’s Health Magazine (May, 2012). Amanda contributes a fresh perspective and raw sense of humor to any event, and frequently speaks on issues pertaining to poverty reduction and fashion brand building.
In her childhood, she designed her own clothes and started a rouge jewelry store out of her friend’s garage at the age of 12. To this day, her entrepreneurial spirit lives on and she still likes to make pretty things. More than anything, Amanda likes to come up with grand new ideas to make this world a little better for all.
Amanda currently resides in Williamsburg, Brooklyn and can be contacted at
amanda@theandeancollection.com. Download Amanda’s full bio and speaking topics here.
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| Jessica Casper, Partner, Creative Director |
 | Jessica Casper is a Partner and the Creative Director at Andean Collection. With a background in both design and sales, she oversees all things design, and is predominantly responsible for the development of the Andean Collection’s “look and feel.” Currently, Jessica is working on refining the AC’s website as well as new accessories designs, and is looking forward to the team’s next trip to Ecuador to finalize the new collection.
Prior to joining the AC, Jessica served as the strategic alliances coordinator for AIGA, the professional association for design, a nonprofit organization, where she specialized in sponsorships and partnerships. While bringing her experience in sales and marketing to the team, design is her true passion. Jessica developed her passion for art and design at the University of Pennsylvania, from which she graduated with a B.A. in Visual Studies.
Jessica believes in the power of style and design as means of visually communicating concepts and expressing individuality. With the Andean Collection she has found a platform to exercise all of her creative outlets and in doing so help grow a socially responsible and artistically inspiring brand.
She can be contacted at jessica@theandeancollection.com
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| Bria Bergman, Partner, Director of Business Development and Private Label Designs |
 | Bria Bergman is a Partner and the Director of Business Development and Private Label Designs. Previous to her position at the Andean Collection Bria worked in the non-profit sector, focusing on Latin America and Caribbean underserved communities domestically and internationally. Bria worked at the Hispanic Heritage Foundation (HHF) and served as Manager of Production & Marketing. Working at the HHF allowed her to gain experience managing an array of projects from social media campaigns, sponsorship development with Fortune 500 companies, media relations, and creating viable partnerships with other national non-profits along with the private sector. In tandem with her job at the Hispanic Heritage Foundation Bria has also worked for Voice of Haiti, Inc. and has traveled to Haiti numerous times to manage eco-friendly sanitation projects.
Bria’s passion for Latin America and the Caribbean is rooted in her studies at the University of Michigan, where she studied Latin America and Caribbean History and also from her experience studying at the University of Havana, in Havana, Cuba.
Bria can be contacted at bria@theandeancollection.com
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| Joy Bittner, Director of Ecuador Operations |
 | Joy Bittner is the Director of Ecuador Operations. Living in Quito, Joy oversees the Andean Collection Ecuador office coordinating both day-to-day activities and new initiatives. Joy brings to AC several years of hands-on experience leading development projects in rural communities throughout Latin America. Before joining the Andean Collection, she spent time in the Dominican Republic consulting for the Caribbean-wide Global Fund HIV project and coordinating community development projects the Community Service Alliance.
Previously, as the founder of the Public Health Brigades in Honduras, Joy led an innovative basic sanitation and hygiene program working with subsistence farmers. Spending significant time in their homes, she came to know both the strength and struggles of these families to adequately provide for their children. It is this experience that attracted her to AC, having seen first hand the critical need of providing economic opportunities that help families escape a life of poverty.
Joy holds a Masters in Social Work (MSW) from Fordham University in NYC. Joy also completed a specialization in non-profit management from the Universidad de San Andres in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Joy's passion for working with people is echoed in the words of Albert Einstein: "only a life lived for others is worthwhile."
Joy can be contacted at joy@theandeancollection.com
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| Chiara Gerlich, Non-profit and Environmental Resource Manager |
 | Chiara Gerlich is the Andean Collection Non-Profit and Environmental Resource Manager. Based in Quito, she manages non-profit activities according to international Fair Trade Standards and secures sustainable and high quality resource supplies. Having studied Social Anthropology in England and France, and International Development Studies in The Netherlands, she was excited to find a way to work closely with people at a community level, while also promoting independent and self-sufficient paths out of poverty.
Chiara has always been particularly interested in sustainable fashion styles, such as those using recycled materials and those generally born out of conscious considerations about the world we live in, while providing the consumer with a unique product.
Chiara can be contacted at chiara@theandeancollection.com
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| Anna Kallett, Boutique Sales Innovator |
 | Anna Kallett is the Boutique Sales Innovator for Andean Collection. She manages AC's trade shows and works closely with hundreds of boutique accounts that span the globe. Anna has also traversed the globe in her own adventures abroad, which have led her to 26 countries and counting.
Anna graduated from UC Berkeley's Peace and Conflict Studies program in 2009, with an emphasis in Sustainable Development. After studying abroad in France, she spent over a year backpacking in Southeast Asia and India. Through her studies in Development policies and travels in developing countries, Anna’s passion for fair working conditions and traditional artisan handicrafts flourished into what it is today. She has since worked for prominent Fair Trade companies across the country, merchandising retail spaces and designing jewelry. She is thrilled to be part of the AC's innovative team.
Anna is a Northern California girl by heart, but loves the exciting pace of New York City. If she isn't traveling or working, you will likely find her at a yoga class, seeking out the best taco trucks in Brooklyn, or wearing very big earrings.
Anna can be contacted at anna@theandeancollection.com |
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| Jane May, Boutique Account Manager |
 | Jane comes to AC from a rather unusual background. She has always been and is currently a theater professional but couldn't resist testing her sales wings working for this fabulous company. As the in house Boutique Account Manager, Jane works daily with many of our thousands of retail locations and travels to numerous trade shows throughout the year showing off AC's ever expanding and exciting line.
Before her fairly recent move to NYC, Jane worked consistently on stage as an actor in Seattle, WA and all over the west coast. She graduated from Santa Clara University with a degree in Theatre and Dance and is still active in both communities. Jane truly enjoys working in the fashion industry where she constantly witnesses how creativity can flow in new and exciting ways.
Jane can be contacted at jane@theandeancollection.com
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| Sarah Parry, Warehouse and Quality Control Associate |
 | Sarah began working for the Andean Collection in February of 2011 operating from our beautiful, historic warehouse located in central Massachusetts. As the Warehouse and Quality Control Associate, Sarah manages several operations at the warehouse including the shipping and receiving of AC product, warehouse storage and organization, cost management strategies related to shipping, and website maintenance. With a background in jewelry creation and design, Sarah has also been crucial player regarding the initiation of consistent and thorough quality control projects, and checks between our artisans and clients to ensure that every piece of jewelry that leaves the warehouse is perfect. She has become a go-to person to help with a variety of projects. With her ability to learn quickly and think on her feet, she has proven herself to be a great asset to the team.
Sarah is always excited for a new challenge, and is eager to watch her role transform and grow with Andean Collection.
Sarah has a BA in Business Management from Fitchburg State University and has always had a strong passion for jewelry and textile design.
Sarah can be contacted at sarah@theandeancollection.com
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| Sally Sharrow, Product Development Coordinator |
 | Sally Sharrow is the Product Development Coordinator for the Andean Collection. She works with the AC’s Ecuadorian team of staff and artisans and the New York team of designers to implement fresh new designs each season, travelling frequently between Quito and Otavalo. A recent graduate of Tufts University, Sally majored in both Latin American and Environmental Studies, which led her to study abroad in Quito and to return after finishing school. Alongside her studies, she also worked in the university’s theater costume shop, where she nourished a passion for the design and production of clothing and jewelry. She has worked with a variety of community organizations focusing on environmental and social issues, especially climate change education and bicycle advocacy.
Sally is excited for the opportunity to work alongside the talented artisans of the Andean Collection to develop accessories using natural rainforest materials, and looks forward to working to incorporate new, increasingly sustainable materials into our products.
Sally can be contacted at sally@theandeancollection.com
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| Dakotah Shore, Order Processing Associate |
 | Since they were little girls, stringing beads together, Dakotah has been influenced by her older cousin’s (Amanda Judge, Founder and CEO) passion for jewelry and design. With a background in retail and marketing, Dakotah has a developed a keen eye for fashion, traveling with Amanda to Ecuador on initial buying tours, and serving as the original model for the AC website. She is passionate about the company’s fair trade mission, and is an artist in her own right, working as a painter and a potter in her spare time. She lives in central Massachusetts, and works out of her office adjoining the historic AC warehouse.
Dakotah can be contacted at dakotah@theandeancollection.com
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| Karin Yau, Marketing and Office Assistant |
 | Karin Yau is the Marketing and Office Assistant for the Andean Collection. Through fortuitous circumstances and hard work, she left her past as a project manager of a developmental psychology research lab at the University of Washington and joined the AC team in their mission of creating socially conscious and sustainable fashion.
Through her past experience working with disadvantaged populations in China as well as the US, Karin understands the importance of art as a form of expression, confidence building, and means of combating the devastating effects of poverty.
With a background in academic research and a passion for art and social justice, Karin uses her administrative and creative skills to assist Jessica in marketing duties and Bria in private label designs.
She is thrilled to be involved in both the design process as well as the administrative side of the company and is excited for the future of AC.
Karin can be contacted at karin@theandeancollection.com
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| Consuelo Yepez, Office Manager |
 | Consuelo is Andean Collection’s resource expert in Quito. She assists with quality control of AC's raw materials, including tagua, açaí and pambil. Her work involves everything from color verification and dye batch inspection to assisting in the transport of supplies and materials. She is also the office manager for AC's Quito office, taking care of any issues relating to facilities and supplies.
Ecuadorian by nationality, Consuelo has lived in Quito, the capital of Ecuador, for the last 18 years with her family. Prior to working with the Andean Collection, she was the secretary at a local social non-profit foundation. She enjoys working with the artisan community and especially loves supporting them in their creativity.
Consuelo can be contacted at consuelo@theandeancollection.com
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