RITIN Executive Insights Webinar Series:
AFFOA’s Partnership with Textiles & Universities

June 23, 2021
12:00-12:30pm EDT

The fifth installation of Rhode Island Textile Innovation Network’s Executive Insights webinar series is set! We are thrilled to announce that the next iteration in the compelling webinar series featuring business leaders sharing strategies will take place on June 23rd, 2021 from 12:00-12:30PM EDT.

Michael Woody will talk with AFFOA’s Michelle Farrington, VP of Strategic Growth, and Natasha Spackey, VP of New Business Development & Partnerships, about AFFOA’s partnership with textile companies and universities to further their mission.

 

Advanced Functional Fabrics of America (AFFOA) is a non-profit Institute headquartered near the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and a member of the National Network of Manufacturing Innovation (NNMI) Institutes. AFFOA’s mission enables a manufacturing-based revolution – the transformation of traditional fibers, yarns, and textiles into highly sophisticated integrated and networked devices and systems.

At the heart of this revolution is a simple premise: highly functional textile-systems necessitate sophisticated fiber-device components. To pursue this mission, AFFOA addresses the spectrum of manufacturing challenges associated with volume manufacturing of revolutionary fibers and textiles from design to end products. AFFOA facilitates the transition of these revolutionary fiber and textiles from the laboratory through pilot production, delivering the functionality of semiconductor devices and systems at fiber length, uniformity, and cost. AFFOA leads the convergence of semiconductor technology into fiber and textile production to commercialize textile products that see, hear, sense, communicate, store, and convert energy, regulate temperature, monitor health, and change color while delivering the conventional qualities of textiles to benefit the commercial consumer and warfighter.

Michelle Farrington
VP of Strategic Growth

Michelle is the VP of Strategic Growth at AFFOA (Advanced Functional Fabrics of America). Prior to joining AFFOA in January of 2021, Michelle was employed by Analog Devices for 24 years, where she worked on commercializing new technologies in MEMS inertial sensors, energy harvesting and e-textiles. She has held roles in manufacturing, product and technology development and business strategy. Michelle also started the e-textile technology development program at ADI. Michelle holds a BSEE and an MBA from Northeastern University and an MSEE from the University of Virginia.

Natasha Spackey
VP of New Business Development & Partnerships

Natasha is currently the VP of New Business Development & Partnerships at AFFOA (Advanced Functional Fabrics of America) where she leads efforts to connect and identify new opportunities to develop and commercialize AFFOA technology through partnerships with the AFFOA network. Natasha also manages the institute’s Education and Workforce Development initiatives, marketing and communication efforts, and membership network which spans 125+ startup, academic, manufacturing, nonprofits, and commercial industry organizations across the US. Prior to AFFOA, Natasha spent four years at Target Corporation leading strategic pricing and promotion for Target’s $2B private label grocery portfolio and managing the $900M Oral Care business as a Sr. Buyer in charge of merchandising, assortment, pricing & promotion, and P&L. Natasha also spent three years as a Program Manager at Bluewater Defense, a defense contractor which manufactures apparel and equipment for the DoD. Natasha received an MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management and a Political Science degree from Yale University.