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“Chief Communications & Advocacy Officer at Nest | supporting artisans + makers worldwide (has lectured at Cornell, Parsons & FIT)”
Tara, Chief Communications + Advocacy Officer at Nest, oversees the promotion and advocacy of Nest's programs and partnerships while integrating the company's core values into its operations. Having spent two decades in the fashion and jewelry industries, she brings a wealth of experience to the role. Tara's expertise lies in leveraging storytelling, PR, marketing tactics, and digital channels to enhance brand recognition and engagement. Her previous position leading the Natural Diamond Council's Emerging Designers Diamond Initiative highlights her commitment to fostering inclusivity. Prior to that, Tara was the Head of Communications at Swarovski, where she played a pivotal role in driving global sustainability and philanthropic initiatives. Her work included establishing partnerships with organizations such as the CFDA and the United Nations, demonstrating her ability to navigate complex collaborations and create meaningful impact. Tara holds an M.S. in Sustainability Management from Columbia University and a B.S. in Textile and Apparel Management from Cornell University.
Gee’s Bend is known as living history due to the region’s generations of Black female quilters. The quilts, initially created for comfort and warmth, have become a symbol of Black survival and civil rights activism . But now the Alabama-based quilters are stepping out of the history books and into the mainstream fashion and home-good industries with the help of creative and economic nonprofit Nest . Nest describes as a nonprofit 501(c)(3) “supporting the responsible growth and creative engagement of the artisan & maker economy to build a world of greater gender equity and economic inclusion.” The nonprofit’s programs aim to give the country’s artisans sustainable livelihoods by “bringing radical transparency and opportunity to the informal handworker economy.” Photo: Stacy K. Allen Rebecca van Bergen, Nest’s founder and executive director, told Blavity that Nest and the Gee’s Bend quilters began their relationship around 2016. She said that the team traveled to Gee’s Bend and stayed...
A partnership between a nonprofit that serves artisans, Etsy, and the Environmental Defense Fund has issued guidelines on climate resilience and disaster recovery.
CFDA Nest and U.N. Agency for Refugees' accelerator program will help create sustainable livelihoods for refugee artisans while preserving cultural heritage and promoting ethical fashion.
