Tanya Wade is the Textile Resource Lab and THREAD-X Project Manager at the Manufacturing Solutions Center (MSC), as well as the Sewn Goods Workshop Instructor for the Carolina Textile District (CTD). With over 13 years at the MSC, Tanya has worked closely with entrepreneurs, brands and manufacturers to support domestic production, leading educational workshops, factory tours, and countless sourcing interactions.
Category: Speaker Bios
Tricia Carey
Tricia Carey is the Chief Commercial Officer at Avalo, an ag-tech innovator accelerating crop evolution through AI to produce climate-resilient, low-carbon cotton. With a career rooted in sustainable innovation, Tricia has been instrumental in advancing fiber solutions by launching TENCEL™ globally with Lenzing and commercializing CIRCULOSE® at Renewcell.
Buddy Garrett
Buddy Garrett is Associate Director, Textile Chemistry Research at Cotton Incorporated. In this role, Buddy oversees the Color Services Laboratory, Garment Wet Processing Laboratory, and Digital Printing Laboratory. As well, he assists in preparation and dyeing related research and development along with troubleshooting dyeing related issues and research involving garment performance finishing applications. Prior to […]
Fabian Walda
Fabian Walda is a textile engineer by profession with over a decade of experience in sustainability standard setting at Bluesign, where he contributed to building tools and criteria for safer and more sustainable chemistry and responsible industries. He recently joined the RUDOLF Group to advance sustainability from a corporate and implementation-driven perspective.
Ben Mead
Ben Mead serves as the Managing Director of Hohenstein Institute America. In this role, he is the company’s liaison with industry collaborations, government agencies and trade associations, while leading a team spread over North and Latin America. He also oversees OEKO-TEX® responsibilities for the U.S.
Dr. Gunther Duschek
Dr. Gunther Duschek is the Managing Director as the CTOO of RUDOLF, which has a global workforce of 2,000 employees across 50 locations. With over 25 years of experience in the
field of R&D in textile auxiliaries, Dr. Duschek has played a pivotal role in propelling innovation within the textile industry. He holds a diploma in chemistry and a doctorate in natural sciences,
having completed his studies at the University of Ulm and his doctoral research on fluorocarbons at Clariant, Basel.
Thomas Braun
Overseeing and running Swisstex California as Dyehouse manager and then as Technical Director gave me for 25 years an unparallel volume of experience in efficient and sustainable textile manufacturing, digital color management and the development of advanced dyeing processes.
Stephen Aber
Stephen Aber is the Marketing and Communications Manager at the Environmental Research & Education Foundation (EREF), one of the largest sources of private research funding in North America for sustainable materials management. He plays a key role in disseminating EREF’s research and facilitating dialogue within the industry.
Michele Wallace
For twenty-two years, Michele Wallace conducted textile chemistry research in the Product Development and Implementation division at Cotton Incorporated and participated in standards development to support the company’s research. During this time, Michele led the Analytical Services Lab and was the Chemical Safety Officer. She became engaged with life cycle assessment (LCA) in 2010 when Cotton Incorporated carried out the first global LCA of cotton fiber and fabric.
Matthew Farrell
Matthew Farrell, Ph.D., manager of textile chemistry research at Cotton Incorporated has over a decade of experience in cotton and textile chemistry and sustainable processes. Matt conducts and manages both internal and external research projects. He holds a master’s degree in textile chemistry and a doctorate in fiber and polymer science from North Carolina State University’s Wilson College of Textiles.
