Executive Board & Founders
Amanda Waldhauser
Founder, Executive Director
Amanda is passionate about leveraging her career to advance the nonprofit sector. Her propensity for helping others comes from her experiences growing up in a single parent household in a low income community. She saw and experienced firsthand the difference that community, a support system, and compassion can make in the lives of others.
As her career developed Amanda was lucky to be given the opportunity to travel the world extensively for work, where she was captivated by the beauty, vibrance, and transcendent experiences that came along with connecting with artists across the globe. She believes that art is intrinsically tied to culture, and loves that personally connecting with artists often embodies learning about generations of craftsmanship, legacy, and community.
Amanda has over 9 years of progressive professional experience in nonprofit management, in combination with over 15 years of volunteer experience throughout the Chicagoland nonprofit sector. In addition to founding and running AEED, she is currently in post-graduate classes focusing on business analytics and nonprofit management at both Harvard Business School and the Kellogg School of Management’s Center for Nonprofit Management (Northwestern University.)
Natalia Trawkowski
Creative Director
Born to Polish immigrants, Natalia grew up feeling split between her Eastern European heritage and American environment. This sense of otherness, however, fostered a sense of connection with other immigrant children, as well as a deep appreciation for other cultures. Her multicultural upbringing made her a champion for inclusivity and a passionate advocate of opportunity for people of all backgrounds and identities.
Natalia graduated with a degree in visual communication, and has been in the eCommerce space for over a decade. Her breadth of experience has included multiple roles on the eCommerce teams at both Crate and Barrel and CB2, specializing in web design, marketing, photography and art direction. Her last seven years in the furniture and housewares industry has further fueled her love for interior design, as well as her belief in the impact environment can have on the human psyche.
Leicester Mitchell
Director of Photography
What drew Leicester to AEED was his passion for fair and ethical working conditions. As a son of Jamaican immigrants, he wants to build equity and solidarity with people of all backgrounds, especially those from marginalized communities. Often artists from marginalized communities are undervalued, and as a black creative himself, it is important to him to carve out a space for everyone through economic empowerment.
Leicester graduated from Southeastern Louisiana University, with a bachelors in fine arts. Over the last decade Leicester has worked in two worlds, doing freelance fashion & portrait photography, while working full-time doing design in the housewares industry. As a rock climber, he has volunteered for various groups, such as Sending In Color, to promote ethnic & racial diversity in predominantly white spaces.
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Director of Public Relations
Nathaniel or "Nate", has spent his career working for clients that have ranged from name brands like General Motors, Cisco, Panasonic and Chevron to the French Government and plucky tech startups like Cohesity and JupiterOne. His work has spanned from managing social media content for Panasonic to writing blog content for Chevron and all of the PR activities in-between. He has been leading PR teams for the better part of a decade through developing successful communications plans, content development, driving media coverage, and generally doing whatever it takes to deliver results for his clients.
Having spent most of his career helping companies carefully craft their public image, Nathaniel is thrilled to put his experience to work helping artists and craftspeople tell their stories and share their cultures through fair trade practices.
