Board and volunteers

Creative Space is run by Center for Creative Repair, a 501(c) nonprofit, and guided by a Board of Directors that helps care for the organization, the shared makerspace, and the programs offered there. The board reviews new ideas, supports clear space-use policies, and helps ensure that classes, materials, events and activities are introduced in a safe, organized and sustainable way.

New programs, equipment, instructor-led classes and special events are reviewed before launch so the space can grow responsibly while staying focused on hands-on arts, education, repair and creative making.

Board of Directors

Grey Tyson

Grey Tyson is a community builder, systems thinker and practical designer focused on creating accessible spaces for making, learning, repair and creative collaboration. Their work brings together hands-on problem solving, project development, community organizing and practical design to support shared spaces, creative infrastructure and locally rooted resources.

At Creative Space, Grey helps guide the development of a safe, organized and welcoming makerspace where artists, craftspeople, educators, families and community members can build skills, share knowledge and collaborate. Grey's work is driven by a belief that useful community spaces should be practical, beautiful, and easy for people to participate in, maintain and carry forward together.

Asifa Welch-Pasin

Asifa has been a board member with Orcas Recycling Services and The Exchange since 2019 and has organized the Trashion Fashion Shows on Orcas Island since 2012. For more than a decade she has created and hosted hands-on creative workshops, including sewing classes using reclaimed materials and projects such as pet clothing, beeswax wraps, costumes, reusable shopping bags, and upcycled jewelry made from discarded and unusual materials.

Since 2020, Asifa has offered sewing and creative reuse classes focused on practical skills, sustainability and accessibility. She has also mentored young artists and aspiring fashion designers, helping participants build confidence through making, design and creative problem-solving.

As a performer, singer and dancer, Asifa has appeared in productions at Orcas Center for the past 11 years. During that time she has designed, created and assembled hundreds of costumes for local productions, blending storytelling, imagination and creative reuse.

In addition to her creative work, Asifa serves as the Volunteer Program Manager at the local Food Bank, works as a journalist and office manager for the Islands' Sounder, and has volunteered with the Coalition for Orcas Youth since 2019. At Creative Space, Asifa brings deep experience in sewing, creative reuse, teaching, volunteer coordination and community arts. She is passionate about creating welcoming spaces where people can learn practical skills, share ideas and take part in hands-on creative projects.

Cameron Smart

Cameron Smart is a maker, writer, creative technologist and hands-on problem-solver with experience in software, electronics, automation, teaching and community-oriented design. His work brings together practical building, creative tools, technical education and collaborative projects.

At Creative Space, Cameron supports the development of maker programs, technology education, shared workspace systems and hands-on learning. He is especially interested in helping people learn through creative problem-solving, accessible tools, and projects that make it easier for community members to build, repair, experiment and share knowledge.

Brynna Bird

Brynna Bird ("Birdy") is a multimedia artist, filmmaker, mender and cat mom. Though she now calls Lopez Island home, she spent half of her life on Orcas Island, where she keeps a beloved community. Her happiest moments are spent working on creative projects alongside others doing the same. At the heart of her practice is a deep love for transformation: she finds joy in making new things out of old ones (paper collage, flotsam and jetsam sculptures) and in breathing new life into broken or worn belongings, especially sweaters and pottery.

Birdy contributes organizational support (she loves a good spreadsheet and a tidy craft cupboard) and brings her experience as a small business owner on Lopez to her role as Board Treasurer. She was part of the original dream that became the Center for Creative Repair, helping to envision and name the organization alongside Grey in 2022. Today she looks forward to co-creating new possibilities with her community, learning new crafts and hosting workshops on mending clothes. Someday, she's determined to knit herself a sweater.

Volunteer staff

Zachery Tillman

Zachery Tillman is a visual artist and craftsman. A fourth-generation local to Orcas Island, his work is primarily inspired by the natural, captivating beauty of the Salish Sea, which has led to a lifetime of dedication to building sustainable community and fostering environmental awareness here in the San Juan Islands.

At Creative Space, Zachery is a force of encouragement for blossoming artists who have yet to put pen to paper, so to speak, and loves to help foster the idea of art as accessible to all. He uses a deep familiarity with the islands and their people to tie connections from one group to another, forming bonds that would otherwise go unformed.

Kyle McNeil

Kyle McNeil is an experienced mechanic, machinist and hands-on problem-solver with AAS certifications from Bellingham Technical College, industry experience, and six years of service in the U.S. Navy. His interests include restoring old machines, learning from traditional repair techniques, and exploring newer tools such as CAD, 3D printing and digital fabrication.

At Creative Space, Kyle brings practical experience in shop organization, tool awareness, operational safety and hands-on project planning. He has also helped lead renovation efforts for the space, supporting the development of a safe, functional and well-organized environment for classes, creative work and community making.