A Letter From Outgoing FS President Karen Ernst
The Board and staff of The Furniture Society would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to outgoing President Karen Ernst for her leadership of the Board of Trustees.
We are grateful for her years of dedicated service and guidance. She has been a source of calm and thoughtful direction as our organization navigated a return to in person events and happenings. We couldn’t have done this without her and look forward to her continued relationship with The Furniture Society in the coming year. Thank you, Karen!
![Ernst Karen](https://furnsoc.org/media/sized/images/people/Ed-Grant-Jurors/89275/Ernst_Karen_da190ee4ed.jpg 1200w, https://furnsoc.org/media/sized/images/people/Ed-Grant-Jurors/89275/Ernst_Karen_5eaf326ca7.jpg 1000w, https://furnsoc.org/media/sized/images/people/Ed-Grant-Jurors/89275/Ernst_Karen_4a6a44b3ce.jpg 600w)
“I can’t believe it has been almost six years since I began my time on the Board of Trustees of The Furniture Society (TFS). I have (mostly) maintained a membership to TFS since 2002, attending my first Furniture Society conference in 2005 in Indianapolis, then five additional conferences, including three where I brought a few of my Edinboro students along. In 2017 I felt like I was in a place in my academic career to try to give back to the organization that I had gotten so much from. At the Kansas City FS Symposium, held in conjunction with the American Association of Woodturners (AAW), I had the chance to get to know a few of the FS Board members better and expressed my interest in getting more involved.
I attended my first Board meeting in San Francisco at California College of the Arts (CCA) in 2018 and was so excited to have the chance to engage in the field of furniture design beyond my contributions as an educator and a maker. From that first meeting, to our most recent one six years later, I have felt grateful to have found a community within the Board and really the FS membership-at-large, that places value on, is interested in, and is driven by so many of the same things I am. As many of you have experienced, TFS really strives, in both its virtual and in-person gatherings, to build a community where new connections can be made, new ideas and information can be shared, and the field of furniture in all its forms can continue to evolve.
TFS, along with much of the world, has weathered significant change in the last few years. Though the early 2020s were tough to say the least, this organization was really pushed to rethink how we engage with our membership, leading to an expansion of the types of programming we offer, including virtual events and a lot more content shared through social media. We are currently holding conferences every other year, alternating with regional events that are likely more accessible for many of our members. I think it is hard to duplicate the feeling of gathering in person – reconnecting with and making new connections with our peers always leaves me so excited and inspired.
I have really enjoyed working with the Board of Trustees of the Furniture Society, both the past and current members, as well as our volunteers. In particular, TFS has enjoyed the stability and productivity that comes from having excellent staff in place, with our Executive Director Monica Hampton and Director of Education Pam Robinson. This organization would not be what it is today without all the work they have both invested.
I really believe that the time I have spent on the Board has contributed to many opportunities coming my way and has deepened my connection to this field; as we transition into new leadership, I want to express my gratitude to you all for having me as your Board President. The last two years have gone by quickly – this type of leadership position was a new experience for me, and I learned a lot about where my strengths (and weaknesses) lie. TFS is an organization that is near and dear to me, and I am happy to have been able to contribute something to its history. I feel confident in the organizational and leadership skills that Board President Kathryn Hall Asaro and Vice President Abby Mechanic possess and am excited about the future of The Furniture Society.”
With gratitude,