The team is made up of Hannah Paquette, Kristen Buchanan, and Jolene Quaintance.

Hannah Paquette

Cofounder and Co-Executive Director at PNWFC

Hannah Paquette (Olympia, WA) first got to know the PNW fiber community a few short years ago when she conducted a capstone project at The Evergreen State College in 2022 titled “The Olympia Regional Fiber Resource Directory.” The ORFRD was an educational resource originally intended for students to locate internships and potential jobs in the local fiber industry; however, feedback from the greater fiber community indicated that such a resource was widely wanted and needed. She made motions to expand the directory into a public resource relevant to the entire Pacific Northwest Region not only connecting students to work, but also promoting and connecting regional fiber producers, mills, and businesses. Along the way, she met Jolene and the two eventually partnered up to expand the PNW Fiber Resource Directory together in 2024, with a focus on education and outreach.

Her work on the ORFRD landed her contractual work with the Northwest Agriculture Business Center (NABC) writing the PNW 2024 Sheep’s Wool PreFeasibility Study in which she explored factors that would determine whether or not a regional wool pool would serve wool producers in the region.

Hannah is on a continuous journey developing her passions in fiber arts and handwork, but has an affinity for curating yarn (IYKYK) and spinning. She also enjoys singing, dancing, and taking leisurely walks with her dog. Hannah raises her two kids with her husband in the wilds of Washington’s Black Hills.

Kristen Buchanan

Cofounder and Co-Executive Director of PNWFC

Kristen brings over twelve years of learning design, business development, and program operations & strategy to Pacific Northwest Fiber Connect. She has guided growing companies and nonprofits to create amazing people systems, learning programs, and cultures that scale while supporting humane and compassionate relationships with their communities. Perhaps also relevant is that Kristen has been sewing garments and quilts for 25+ years. She is a spinner and novice weaver, and utterly obsessed with local fiber. She and her husband manage a small family farm in Southwest Washington and raise their two children in the midst of their garden and animals.

Jolene Quaintance

Founder of The Wandering Ewe Fibers & Cofounder and Event/Relationships Director at PNWFC

Jolene Quaintance (Belfair, WA) began her journey into fibers at Soundview Fiber Mill. She quickly developed a passion for fiber preparation and processing, resulting in her participation in the annual shearing school at the WSU Extension Program in 2023. Working directly with fiber animals and fleeces, she was inspired to explore the relationships between farming, fiber grading, skirting, and waste. Accordingly, she made the jump later that very year to found The Wandering Ewe Fibers - one of the few pelleting mills in Washington State. If you know Jolene, you know she is a zealous supporter of the PNW regional fiber community and economy. She strives to continuously learn, grow, and create lasting relationships with all those who love fiber in hopes that by working together, we can all find community and success.

Jolene enjoys knitting, crochet, and spinning and loves to share and teach these skills in her community. You will probably meet her at a fiber event with a drop spindle in hand, eager to talk fibers. She is a glowing human being, wife, mother, grandmother, business person, and fierce friend.