President

Ed is a Registered Architect and a LEED-Accredited Professional. He has more than 20 years experience on a variety of project types. He is a recipient of the prestigious William Van Alen Fellowship and has won numerous awards locally and nationally. Ed has authored several articles on architectural design and has published a book on his design philosophy: On Earth as it is in Heaven: One of Many Ways. He is a commissioner on the Kennett Township Historical Commission and a Board member of the AIA Delaware. Ed's work has been featured in local and national publications and has appeared on HGTV.

Treasurer

Alexis is a native Oxfordian, graduating from Oxford Area High School in 2009 and promptly beginning her banking career the same year. She is now a 13-year banker specializing in Small Business Banking. Her love for her hometown and desire to give back to the community led her to join the board of Oxford Arts Alliance in 2022. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, going to their cabin in northern PA, and doing casual photography.

Board Member

Allie Schumacher began her love of art at an early age through painting and sketching. While studying at Shippensburg University Allie spent a semester abroad, on Semester at Sea, where her love of photography truly developed as her main artistic outlet. After graduating with a BA in History she moved to Australia where she returned to school at Queensland University of Technology this time earning a Master’s Degree in Business. After graduating Allie moved to Brooklyn, New York, where she worked in events for the Brooklyn Museum of Art. In recent years Allie has moved home to Chester County where she works for Outback Trading Company as the Marketing Manager and is one of the co-founders of the Connective Festival. Allie loves to travel to different corners of the world taking in new cultures and share her experiences through photography and writing.

Board Member

Mary “Cheryl” Gross is a Lancaster County Resident, and has been a part of the OXAA since its inception in 2008. A creative and artistic person she was looking to become part of a community of like-minded people. She and her husband have lived on 4 continents and have traveled extensively. She is a graduate of Drexel University with a Bachelor of Science in Fashion Merchandising. Always an entrepreneur, her interests lie in jewelry design, culinary arts and travel. She has been a member of the board of directors since the beginning, except for a couple of years that she was living abroad. She is very proud of the tremendous growth and influence in the community that the OXAA has had and hopes to help implement exciting new programs for the organization.

Board Member

Karen Saniga, a native of PA, moved to the Oxford area is 1977. She and her husband Ernie live on a farm which they share with their cats, dogs and horses. Karen, a graduate of the Pennsylvania State University, spent her career in the field of education both as a teacher and administrator. Karen’s interest in art has led her and Ernie to travel throughout the US and Europe admiring the works of the old masters, modern and contemporary painters. For the last 20 summers the Saniga’s have hosted a student from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts as part of the Carlson trust Landscape Painting residency prize. Besides art and travel Karen enjoys horseback field trialing, golf, yoga, cycling and cooking.

Board Member

Patty received her BA in psychology and creative writing and her MFA in art - printmaking and painting. She worked in a variety of jobs including associate professor of art at University of Delaware and a variety of other universities and colleges as an adjunct faculty member. She still teaches Governor’s School for Excellence at University of Delaware. She currently works as a self employed housepainter, furniture finisher, and painting instructor for Kennett Design.

Director

Vice President

Mary Lou grew up in Southern Chester County, holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree, and has over 15 years of experience in non-profit management, development, and event planning. After working at a national architectural education non-profit in Washington, DC, her love of Chester County brought her home. She recently worked at a local community-focused non-profit, which further developed her passion for supporting her local communities. She now spends her time homeschooling her two boys and enjoys working on her farmette.

Secretary

Late in life, after careers in the US Military and organizations that support the military, Jay discovered art. His wife, Carol, has been a life-long artist but he knew art only as a neighbor or a man on another aircrew. Jay knew the history of each of the organizations to which I was a contributing member and now the histories of the community and art organizations to which he is not only a contributing member but an active reporter. Carol introduced Jay to the Octoraro Art Association and he discovered clay arts. Now his hands are firmly in the “mud”. This art group led him to the formation and growth of the Oxford Arts Alliance. Now his life is connected to the art and histories of these two art groups and our communities. He sees the future of Oxford embracing the arts such that visitors come to experience art and music and the unique history of this area.

Board Member

Catharine Dann Roeber is a resident of Oxford Borough and enjoys advocating for the arts and the economic vitality of our downtown. She first discovered the OxAA at a photography exhibit where the work of hobby photographers hung next to images by Puitzer prize winning artists. OxAA's dedication to support for fine artists, craftspeople, and musicians of all ages and abilities drew her to the organization and volunteering eventually led to board service. Catharine works at Winterthur Museum as an Assistant Professor in the University of Delaware's Winterthur Program in American Material Culture and also edits the journal Winterthur Portfolio.

President Emeritus

Born in Shiraz, Iran, Jahan left after high school to pursue higher education in the US. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania with Masters Degrees in Architecture and in City Planning, he worked for the city of Wilmington, DE and prepared a master plan for the Central Business District which guided future development. Subsequently he joined Temple University to coordinate university campus planning and to design and develop the university’s architectural projects. In private practice he has designed many institutional, commercial and residential projects. In 1994 he received the American Institute of Architecture, Philadelphia Chapter’s highest award for a public housing project in North Philadelphia. After moving to Oxford in 1995 and a short period practicing architecture, he focused on the objective of guiding Oxford’s economic development in order to revitalize Main Street. He was a principle founder and first president of Oxford Mainstreet, Inc. He assisted in organizing the Oxford Area Historical Association and was one of the original founders and first president of the Oxford Arts Alliance. Jahan taught architecture both at Temple University and at Drexel University, where he was an adjunct professor for 30 years. He is a member of Rotary International since 1983.

Board Member

Board Member

Priscilla Smith is an internationally exhibited artist who photographs domestic and studio tableaus utilizing the figure, children’s toys, and animal elements. Her work is represented in the permanent collections of Philadelphia Art Museum, Woodmere Art Museum, George Eastman House International Museum, Munson - Williams - Proctor Art Institute, and corporate collections including American Express and IDS Grace. Priscilla lives and creates her work in Oxford, Pennsylvania, USA and has been a photographer there and abroad for more than 35 years. She is currently on the faculty in the Department of Art & Design at the University of Delaware in Newark, Delaware where she designed and co-led an award winning photography program from 1991 - 2008 and began the Art Department’s first study abroad program.