Lowell Makes is a volunteer-run non-profit made possible by the dedication of our members, shop captains, leaders, and advisors.
Executive Committee
- Rio Sabella – President
- Samantha Burdett – Secretary
- John Noto (Co-Founder) – Treasurer
- Financial Committee Chair
- Tracy Flynn – Vice President
- Michael Irons – Operations Committee Chair
- Lynn Desmarais – Membership Committee Chair
- Jan Goplerud – Education Committee Chair
- Avi Dutra-Silva – Marketing Committee Chair
- Jim Frederick – Space Committee Chair
- Toph O’Leary – Shop Admiral
Lowell Makes Board
- Rio Sabella – President
- Samantha Burdett – Secretary
- John Noto (Co-Founder) – Treasurer
- James Saunders – Director at Large
- Eric Sack (Co-Founder) – Director at Large
- Mark Palermo – Director at Large
Lowell Makes Advisors
Michael W. Gallagher
Michael Gallagher was born in Lowell, Massachusetts. He began practicing law in New York where he tried multiple criminal matters for the District Court and then Felony Bureaus of the Legal Aid Society of Suffolk County, New York. In 1981, he returned to Massachusetts and practiced with the law firm of Donahue & Donahue Attorneys, P.C. for over eighteen years. Mr. Gallagher is a founding partner of Gallagher & Cavanaugh LLP headquartered in the historic Gaslight Building on Shattuck Street in downtown Lowell.
Mr. Gallagher is a member of the Greater Lowell and Massachusetts Bar Associations and the Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys. He has served as an elected Member of the Lowell School Committee. He has also served as a member and officer of numerous cultural, educational, and human service boards and organizations including the Merrimack Repertory Theatre, Superintendent of the Lowell Schools Search Committee, Massachusetts Commission on the Common Core of Learning, Lowell Citywide Parent Council, Lowell Youth Commission, Revolving Museum, Lowell Community Schools Program, Lowell Healthy Summer Program, and United Teen Equality Center.
Richard P. Howe Jr.
Richard P. Howe Jr. has been the Register of Deeds of the Middlesex North District since 1995. Throughout his tenure, Mr. Howe has been a leader in the implementation of new technology, being the first in Massachusetts to use electronic recording and the first to convert to an entirely paperless registry with all documents from 1629 to the present freely available on the registry’s website, www.lowelldeeds.com.
Mr. Howe holds a BA from Providence College, an MA in History from Salem State, and a JD from Suffolk University Law School. Prior to becoming Register of Deeds, he practiced law for eight years with an office in Lowell. In the early 1980s, he served as an Intelligence Officer in the United States Army. He recently co-authored “Legendary Locals of Lowell”, a history of the city told through pictures of its people. He also writes a blog on Lowell history and politics called www.richardhowe.com.
Amsi Morales Lopez
Amsi Morales Lopez grew up in Lowell. She attended Middlesex Community College and the University of Massachusetts Lowell, graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management with a focus in Marketing. Ms. Lopez went on to earn a Juris Doctorate degree from the Massachusetts School of Law and is a member of the Massachusetts Bar Association. She is a practicing attorney and real estate agent.
While working and studying full time, Ms. Lopez created the A.M.S.I. Foundation, Achieving Monumental Strides Independently, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to advancing education opportunities for students. Most recently, she has launched Principium Prep, an organization whose goal is to share information with students and their parents about a wide variety of education and educational funding options.
Jay Mason
Jay Mason is a registered, LEED-certified architect based in Lowell and the Principal of Architectural Consulting Services, LLC., a full service architectural firm involved in many commercial, institutional and residential projects with a focus on renovation and reuse.
Jay believes their work leaves an indelible mark on our community and our environment. This responsibility holds them to a very high standard. Because of this they must work hard to ensure that the work they do supports and enlivens the world around us. The vision required must seek a sustainable balance between the demands of culture and the realities of our environment. His love of history and the challenge of transforming existing, often derelict structures into functional and transformative space fuels his work. The chance to work with strong, focused and committed clients and groups gives ACS the means to see their vision become reality.
Rob Nason
A serial entrepreneur Mr. Nason was founder, president & CEO of Lowell based ACS, Inc from 1991 until its sale in 2005. After founding Nason Property Management, Nason became focused on real estate development. Mr. Nason currently owns and manages multiple downtown properties. He and his family own and operate the downtown Market Street Market, and associated catering operation. In addition to his business activities Nason is a an actor who performs regularly with the local Image Theatre company. Originally from the great state of Maine, where he attended the University of Maine. He now resides in Reading, MA with his wife Janette.
Chris Perkins
Chris Perkins is a Civil Engineer with a Professional Engineering license who spent most of his career at Hanscom Air Force Base and retired as the Base Civil Engineer responsible for over 200 people providing engineering and design, environmental, housing, emergency readiness, operations, and fire protection services to the base. Mr. Perkins is a passionate lifelong do-it-yourselfer familiar with electrical, plumbing, construction, any kind of repair work and furniture making.
Amy Potts
Amy Potts is the founder and principal of Stream Product Development, Inc. a small focused product development company in North Chelmsford. For the past 19 years Stream has created successful products with compelling user experiences for clients such as NxStage, Google, and Faro. Their work has been recognized with design awards from IDEA/BusinessWeek Awards, Consumer Electronics Show, and Appliance Design. The Italian design magazine, Ottagono, selected her for a feature article on 4 women designers in the United States. She is a featured lecturer and advisor on product development and green design at business and design schools including MIT, Clark, Tufts, Carnegie Mellon, RISD, and UMass Lowell. She has a BFA from Carnegie Mellon.
Derek Riemer
Derek has over 25 years experience creating innovative solutions for products in diverse industries from toys to power tools. For the past 10 years he has been a principal at Stream. Under his guidance, Stream was an early adopter of 3D printing technology; in 2005 Stream was the first design firm in New England to own the FDM printer Dimension SST 1200.
He has won many design awards including IDEA Gold Award and a Good Design. He currently holds 16 patents, and spearheads Stream’s commitment to developing our own products and creating licensing opportunities. He has a Bachelor of Science from the University of Bridgeport. He is a licensed airplane pilot and scuba diver.