Meet Our Staff
Amy Lloyd has had a many faceted career in education. Her undergraduate work was at Fontbonne University in St. Louis, MO. Her graduate work in organizational administration was at UT Austin with an emphasis on social justice. She taught in high schools, middle schools and elementary schools from St. Louis, MO to Palo Alto, CA to Austin, TX. She recently retired as an Elementary School Principal in Austin where she dedicated her organizational leadership towards cultural empowerment, green sustainable citizenry, social emotional health and wellness, and creative innovation. She currently serves as Board President for GAVA, Go Austin, Vamos Austin, which organizes and mobilizes community power to reduce barriers to health for the people most impacted by historic inequities. She continues to serve on the Austin ISD Equity Council. Amy joined Ten Thousand Villages Austin in 2004 as a volunteer, then a committee member, board member, and Board President until 2010. Amy is the Manager of Ten Thousand Villages Austin, joining after her retirement from education, with the goal of building increased strength and longevity to this beloved Fair Trade mission. Together We Thrive!
Nuzhat Baig was born and raised in Karachi, Pakistan. In Pakistan, she gained valuable retail experience in her family business, from a broad-minded father who believed in his daughter’s success. Nuzhat is fluent in multiple languages, and with these multilingual skills, has travelled to several different countries. Nuzhat moved to the United States in the 1990s and gained retail experience in Houston, TX. In 2016, Nuzhat moved to Austin as her son started university. In Austin, she continued to be active in retail management, visual designing, and make-up artistry before joining Ten Thousand Villages in 2019. Nuzhat is passionate about Ten Thousand Villages because she values the impact and uplift the organization makes for global artisans, including those in her home country, Pakistan. Nuzhat is the Assistant Manager and Volunteer Coordinator for Ten Thousand Villages Austin.
Jennifer Greene has lived in Austin for over 20 years and has 30 years of experience in Human Resources with special emphasis on foreign nationals and expatriates. She has worked across the country and has travelled extensively in places such as Kyrgyzstan, Turkey, and France, resulting in her respect for and knowledge of global artisans. She graduated from Texas A&M with a minor in Psychology, Le Cordon Bleu Culinary school with honors, and completed a French immersion program outside of Geneva, France. Before moving to Austin, Jennifer was volunteer of the year in Galveston community service organizations – Rotary International and Downtown Revitalization. Along with working at Ten Thousand Villages, she is an active advocate for the Homeless and Refugee population within the Austin community. She feels incredibly fortunate to be at Ten Thousand Villages and manages to find delights and have fun every single time she is in the store. She also is crazy about wrapping gifts to send our fair trade items home with ethical shoppers! Jennifer supports Ten Thousand Villages as the store’s Sales Lead and Community Outreach.
Meet Our Board of Directors
Michael has a purpose driven career in public service due to his desire of working diligently to manifest a harmonious society. After receiving Environmental Science degrees at the undergraduate and graduate level, his civil service career of mitigating human impacts to the natural environment commenced internationally as a Peace Corps Environmental Officer at St. Kitts/Nevis, continued as an Environmental Scientist at NASA, and lastly as a public servant as the Community Tree Preservation Division Manager at the City of Austin, retired in 2019. Over the past three decades he has worked hand-in-hand with the general public, provided technical assistance, and devised implementation welfare plans by working with diverse interest groups throughout multiple communities. Michael is currently a Commercial Arborist Representative at Bartlett Tree Experts. His thoughtful approach brings a high level of arboriculture expertise while providing environmental value for his clients; Caring For People Who Care For Their Trees. In 2017, he became a Board Member of Ten Thousand Villages as a passionate advocate for community accord, and now serves as Board President.
Sophie is a native Austinite with a passion for exploration, the great outdoors and all living things. After receiving her BA in Anthropology at Scripps, a women’s college in Southern California, Sophie entered a career in financial services. Sophie previously worked for a local asset management firm and is now an associate Wealth Advisor at Meridian Wealth Advisors. Sophie joined Ten Thousand Villages in 2017 and now serves as Board Vice President. Outside of her professional life, Sophie can usually be found on a bike, hike, in the water, on a bouldering wall, catching some live music or cuddling her hooligan cat, Lila.
Joanie is a licensed professional counselor and has spent her career working with people who have disabilities, developmental delays or mental health issues. Joanie has been a Ten Thousand Villages volunteer since November 2005, and has had the distinct privilege of also serving on the Personnel Committee and then becoming a board member. Joanie has served on the board as the past president for the last six years. She currently serves as our representative on the national Ten Thousand Villages Contract Store Council.
Zohaib recently graduated from the Baker Institute at Rice University with his Masters in Global Affairs. He completed his undergraduate degree from The University of Texas at Austin and also holds a Masters in Public Administration from Texas State University. He is active in progressive politics and social justice issues. Most recently, he was a staffer during the 86th Texas Legislature. Currently, he is working on the Warren for President campaign in South Carolina during the 2020 election cycle and supporting our board remotely.
Taylor is an experienced Strategy Analyst at WP Engine with a history in high growth technology and dynamic environments. She received her Bachelor's Degree with Honors from the University of Texas at Austin, in International Relations, with a focus in Global Finance, and a certificate in Business and Public Policy. Outside her work, her passions include personal finance, closing the gender investment gap, Real Estate, Austin’s startup culture, and surfing. She sits on the Board of Directors as a Financial Adviser for Ten Thousand Villages of Austin.
Kara has had a passion for Fair Trade for over 20 years. She has worked with and supported fair trade organizations through consumerism, volunteerism and for a brief moment, owning her own e-commerce fair trade organization. Her education is based in financial and economic challenges/empowerment, and is currently a Project Manager at Brookfield Residential. She loves her position as Chair of the Personnel and Operations Committees and looks forward to continuing the mission of Ten Thousand Villages of Austin for many years to come.
