FabMo Board and Committees

FabMo is an all volunteer organization, governed and managed by a Board of Directors according to bylaws adopted in 2009. The Board currently meets monthly, by Zoom, and anyone interested in attending a meeting can contact board@fabmo.org for more information.

The Board makes policy, approves a budget, provides fiduciary and legal oversight, and does long range planning, all with our mission as a guide. Board members act as ambassadors for FabMo in the community. Each board member serves on at least one committee. Board members are unpaid volunteers.

Because FabMo does not have an executive director, the Board also acts in that capacity when called upon to do so. (Planning and implementing the move from Mountain View to Sunnyvale and adapting to changing requirements due to the COVID pandemic are good examples of this.) Most of the work to run FabMo is guided by committees. Some committees are active all year, some as needed. Some meet monthly and some more, or less, frequently. And individual volunteers at all levels are the heart of FabMo.

Meet the Board

Board Chair: Kathy Bonte is the current acting Chair and chair of the Marketing Committee. She is a designer, educator and small business owner who joined the Board in January 2021, after nearly a decade of volunteering with FabMo. She has helped to organize and implement FabMo’s online Artisan Showcase and FabMo’s reclaimed bounty was the inspiration for her handmade jewelry and accessory business YellowRose. She enjoys working with and supporting other artisans and for three years (pre-COVID) had organized ArtPop, a holiday pop-up for local makers in Mountain View. She is the founder of 3DKids Academy, which provides creative programs for young makers. Kathy does her best to incorporate FabMo‘s materials and the message of reuse and sustainability into all her personal and professional endeavors.

Secretary: Stephanie Goldman joined the board in January 2021 and currently serves as Secretary. She is also on the Marketing Committee, and is the primary face behind FabMo’s Instagram account and monthly Project of the Month tutorials. She first visited FabMo in 2011 and has been a frequent patron and volunteer ever since. Stephanie enjoys encouraging people to experiment, play, and learn through making things with their hands. She strongly believes that being creative is not a hobby, but a way of life, and that everyone has the ability to create amazing things — even those who say that they are not creative.

Tina Baumgartner is a member at large and chairs the Digital Sales Committee that is responsible for FabMo’s online and eBay stores. She has been a FabMo Board member since 2019. She also serves on the Marketing Committee, is responsible for most of FabMo’s Facebook activities, and writes most of the blogs on FabMo’s website. She loves to sew and craft but had to learn to accept that her ambitions exceed her artistic talents. Sustainability, especially waste reduction, is an important topic for Tina and a focus of her volunteer work at FabMo.

Shilpa Vir is FabMo’s newest Board member, having joined the Board in January 2022.

Treasurer: Bron McInerney serves on FabMo’s board as Treasurer, and is chair of the Budget and Finance Committee and Workshops Committee. A volunteer for many years, she has been active on many committees. Currently FabMo store and eBay digital sales are her major focus. Bron is a keen sewer and artist and FabMo figures in both those endeavours. Originally from New Zealand, she has always been interested in textiles from her days as a weaving student. FabMo’s mission to interrupt the flow of discarded materials into the waste stream is of great importance to her.

Ginger Silverman is a board member at large, and serves on the Nominating Committee. She went to the FabMo Boutique in 2014 and saw all the fabulous things that were being made from FabMo items. She figured out that hats would be fun to make with FabMo materials, and Fascinating Fascinator was born. She sells them and also makes hats for the many theatrical performances she is involved in. She joined the Board in 2018 and serves on the Nominating Committee. At FabMo, she thinks Sorts are the most fun! She is also an active Lion and serves on the Lions Board.

Gayatri Ratnam is a board member at large, chair of the Volunteer Committee, and a member of the Operations Committee. She is also an educational administrator, parent and a keen needle worker and crafter. In previous years she has taught “Sewing with FabMo” at the Mountain View Public Library. The mission of FabMo really resounds with Gayatri and her association with FabMo is rooted in a keen interest in building community and furthering the environmental goals of the organization.

Leslie Kern is a board member at large, the chair of the Technology Committee, and a member of other committees in support of their technology needs. She was first introduced to FabMo in 2009, and she has been a board member and involved on committees since 2016. In that same year, she initiated the FabMo Santa Cruz satellite program of selection events and participation in local events. An avid sewist and creator, FabMo's materials and environmental mission inspire her creations and her support of the organization. Leslie is also the founder of NIMAYANA, a collective of textile artists who make housewares and wearables using FabMo materials.