Our Board

Ritika Kanade
President

  • Ritika is a Software Engineer by profession and has a strong interest in art and education. She has a Masters in Computer Science from Stony Brook University.

    She learned to throw on the wheel in 2020 and has since fallen in love with the ceramic arts. Ritika visits the studio regularly to keep throwing more vases and mugs. She loves sketching and enjoys spending her time exploring different forms of art.

 

Su Liu
Vice-President

  • Ever since she was in kindergarten, Su has dabbled in all forms of arts, focusing on pen and pencil primarily before discovering ceramics in 2021. She strongly believes that diversity and access are the future of arts, which is why she is excited to join the Pottery Northwest Board and help create an inclusive clay community for everyone.

    Su graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and has worked professionally in the video game industry for a decade. She used to travel for work, planning events all across the world, and still adores traveling to and exploring new places. Outside of pottery, she enjoys board games, bouldering, and being around water. She lives with her two kittens and too many plushies in Capitol Hill.

Alison K. Shlom
Treasurer

  • Alison is an attorney and multi-hyphenate artist, committed to fostering Seattle’s creative communities.

    With a background that blends strategic problem-solving and creativity, her goal as a board member is to ensure PNW remains an inspiring and welcoming space for ceramicists and artists of all levels and backgrounds to flourish.

    She previously served as the founding President of the Living Artists Collective, where she led efforts to build sustainable support for Seattle’s artists.

Terese Jennings
Director

  • Terry has been involved with clay on and off for 50 years. She received a BA in ceramics and is now retired and able to devote more time to the craft. Other interests include jewelry making. She hopes to be able to explore a fusion between jewelry and ceramics in sculptural forms.

    Terry believes in giving back to her community and would like to contribute her support to Pottery Northwest. She feels PNW is part ofher community and that it has supported her during these trying times.

Jennifer Wannarachue Chevchek
Director

  • “Clay is the meditative artform that’s always there for me when I need it.”  

    Jennifer Wannarachue Chevchek began experimenting with clay in 2011 while a designer at Nike where they had a partnership with Oregon College of Arts & Crafts.  The calm and meditative art of handbuilding led to her first personal project of a series of water canteens.  She eventually found her way to the wheel and in 2016 attended an Alfred University Summer Arts Workshop where she tried her hand at throwing large vessels and atmospheric firings, and the love interest continues to grow.

    Chevchek has been an apparel designer for over 20 years, starting in the skate and streetwear sector of the market and honing her design leadership skills at performance and activewear companies - Nike and Fabletics.  Athlete and celebrity collections is what Chevchek is known for in the industry, having designed championship looks for Roger Federer and Raphael Nadal, summer beachwear looks for Vanessa Hudgens and outdoor hiking collections for Khloe Kardashian.  She is a breast cancer survivor, wife and boy-mom.

John Miller
Director

  • John Randall Miller discovered clay several years ago as a way to unwind from the pace of corporate life. What began as a simple creative outlet quickly grew into a grounding practice that’s given him perspective, patience, and a strong connection to a community of makers. The same qualities he’s learned at the wheel carry into his work as a lawyer, where he helps startups and growing companies navigate the twists and turns of building a business. With experience in mergers and acquisitions, corporate structuring, taxation, and financing, John works to make complex challenges feel manageable and to set the stage for long-term success. Whether working with clay or clients, he’s most interested in the process of shaping something meaningful and lasting.