A Heartfelt Thank You to Our Outgoing Board Members
[Accessibility Description: Photos of Marcy Cruz and Tegan Lecheler.]
Two Board Members Whose Unique Contributions Have Helped Build a Better NAAFA
By Amanda Cooper, NAAFA Board Chair
As NAAFA looks ahead to 2026, we extend our deepest gratitude to two incredible board members who completed their terms in 2025. Their contributions were vital in building our organizational capacity, because dedicated volunteers are the lifeblood of our organization.
Just a few years ago, NAAFA's all-volunteer Board of Directors was an impressive but stretched team of just three people. Their heroic efforts were keeping us afloat, but it was also clear: to achieve our bold goals, we needed to grow our leadership and infuse new energy.
Thankfully, the 50th anniversary conference they spearheaded sparked the inspiration we needed. The following two years, we welcomed a wave of new board members, including the phenomenal Marcy Cruz and Tegan Lechler. Their unique talents and passions helped propel NAAFA into a new chapter.
Marcy Cruz brought an unfailingly positive and radiant spirit to every meeting, even during personally challenging times. Kind and thoughtful, she was quick to offer praise and lift up her fellow volunteers. Marcy brilliantly connected NAAFA to the fashion world, leveraging her platform as host of the NAAFA YouTube series Ahead of the Curve to amplify our message. Her savvy and relationships were instrumental in gathering donations for our first virtual auction, where she secured more donated items than any other board member. While she will be missed on the board, we are thrilled that Marcy remains in our community as a volunteer and expert advisor on fashion and inclusion.
Tegan Lecheler, one of our youngest-ever board members, also brought extensive experience in organizing, politics, and policy. As she grew in her career as a non-profit executive, she also helped work on sustainable practices and organizational development. She channeled knowledge and a deep passion for policy into strengthening NAAFA. Tegan was instrumental in building out our policy change efforts, providing critical support for passing groundbreaking size discrimination legislation in New York City and supporting the earliest efforts of some of the organizers in Minnesota who would go on to pursue the legal changes made in Minneapolis last year . She proudly represented NAAFA to a new generation at the Impact Conference. As her career continues to ascend, we know she will remain a connected and supportive force for NAAFA's mission.
The dedication of volunteers like Marcy and Tegan is how movements scale and how organizations evolve. They answered the call when NAAFA needed them most, and their legacy is a stronger, more strategic, and more connected fat rights community.
