Abbie Kasoff
Founder/CEO

Say It With Clay (SIWC) is a private, non-profit Organization founded by Chief Executive Officer Abbie Kasoff. Abbie holds dual degrees in Art Therapy and Ceramics from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

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Nancy T. MacGregor
MA, ATR-BC, ATCS, LPAT, LPC. ACS, CCS, Clinical Director

Nancy believes in the power of the therapeutic relationship and that everyone has the strength to improve his or her relationship with the world given the opportunity.

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Rene Marrero
Director of Operations

Rene Marrero graduated from The College of New Jersey with a bachelor’s in psychology. He has worked with children and families in the non-profit social service setting for 20 years with experience in case management, community outreach, information technology, and management. He has made it his goal to keep families and communities healthy. He is also Co-Chair of the Community Network Association (CNA) of Camden County.

Regan Kaiden
Program Coordinator

Regan is a Collingswood resident and proud mom of three boys. She has worked in education in various capacities for over 20 years and believes strongly in the mission and incredible work Say It With Clay does everyday and is excited to be a part of this wonderful community!

Ricci Sheridan
Therapeutic Clay Teacher

Ricci Sheridan! After nearly two decades of involvement at Say It With Clay, whether long ago participating in mommy & me classes with her daughters, volunteering for various fundraising events or more recently enrolling in adult classes, the timing is right for Ricci to become a permanent member of the Say It With Clay team as a therapeutic clay teacher. A graduate of the University of the Arts with a BFA in crafts, Ricci has always been drawn to the power of clay and has witnessed the therapeutic benefits of creating one-of-a-kind pieces from concept to fine art. Ricci is most excited to work one on one creating masterpieces with young adults having diverse special needs.

Alex Kachenko
Ceramics Clay Specialist/ Kiln Technician

Alex is a self-taught, professional potter living and making work in Philadelphia. He has been working as an artist since 2013.

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Zahera Leacock
Therapeutic Clay Teacher

Hi, I am Zahera! I was born and raised in Philadelphia and have a background in Anthropology and cultural studies with a concentration in Pre-health studies. I am passionate about helping people prioritize all aspects of health and wellness. I have experience as a state-appointed behavioral assistant and EMT, currently working toward promoting public health initiatives in at-risk communities.

I have always been passionate about the arts, taking art classes and visiting museums in my free time. I have experience with clay and acrylics and joined Say It with Clay to explore and share my love for clay. I'm looking forward to helping people turn their visions into reality and making colorful memories with the clients and staff at Say It with Clay! 

Dave Cruz Therapeutic Clay Teacher

I've spent every part of my life that I can remember learning, and I've loved every moment of it. A litany of patient committed mentors through culinary apprenticeship have inspired me to become one myself, and I've spent a career helping many kinds of curious minds become colleagues. Developing an understanding of things and being able to give that back to others has been the greatest privilege of my life, and I only hope to continue the trend at Say It With Clay. It'll be my honor to teach you everything I can!

Gabriel Slimm
Building Maintenance

Gabe works as a caretaker at Say It with Clay, helping with jobs inside and outside of the studio. He also enjoys getting his hands dirty with clay projects.

Gabe graduated from the Career and Community Studies program at The College of New Jersey. He now lives in Collingswood and participates in the JEVS program there. Gabe also loves the theater and enjoys doing shows at the Ritz Theatre Company./

Erin Kingham
Therapeutic Clay Teacher

My name is Erin Kingham, and I am from Haddon Township, NJ. I have my bachelors in Health Sciences and Psychology. Currently, I am studying for my Doctorate of Physical Therapy at Lebanon Valley College. I am super-excited to be working at Say it with Clay, where I first learned ceramics. One of my favorite parts about working with clay is the ability to use my hands to create something new.

Lacie Gray
Advanced Clay Teacher

My name is Lacie Kasoff Gray. I went to Johnson & Wales for Culinary Arts and Food Service Management. I'm a trained chef and a lover of clay. I love teaching camp and learning new techniques!

Amy Gopshes Human Resources Consultant

The breadth of my human resources skills and experience is somewhat unique in that it spans multiple industries, workforce demographics, company cultures, and business challenges.

As a strategic business partner and director, I also bring to the table hands-on HR generalist experience covering everything from payroll, pension and benefits administration to building HR departments from the ground up.

I've held HR roles in retail, manufacturing, business services and energy production and delivered HR support to organizations with as few as 25 employees to 14,000+.

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Hope Rossell-Wood
Director Of Our Youth Committee

Hello! I’m Hope, the new Youth Committee Director. Working with clay has brought me so much joy and I’m excited to contribute to the mission of SIWC through working with our youth. I’ve been taking classes at SIWC since 2017 and my daughter has also started her journey as an artist in SIWC’s youth programming. My husband, daughter and I have lived in Collingswood since 2016. I do social work for a non-profit agency helping adults with developmental disabilities as my full-time gig and do art in my spare time.

Gopi Shah Art Therapist

Gopi Shah is a Licensed Associate Counselor (LAC) and a graduate of Drexel University’s Art Therapy and Counseling program. Gopi has experience working with children, teens, and adults in a variety of settings.

Gopi believes art can be used as a way of processing and communicating emotions. When it comes to the art-making process, Gopi encourages connection, discovery, creative autonomy, and play. 

Ivy Hunnicut Studio Manager

I’m Ivy Hunnicut and I grew up in Philadelphia, surrounded by the arts community. I began ceramics as a 7-year-old during summer camp and have loved working with clay ever since. I got my BFA in Ceramics with Entrepreneurial Studies from Tyler School of Art. I love wheel throwing and have more recently found myself making handbuilt sculptural work that also has function. While at Temple, I made many pieces without understanding their deeper meaning until after completing them. It is wonderful to get to experience the emotional value of creating art. Aside from artwork, I love nature, cooking and baking, and being with my pets!

Sybil Cohen
Therapeutic Clay Teacher

Sybil happily comes to Say It With Clay after a 30 year career as a public school secondary art teacher. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Tyler School of Art of Temple University and a four year certificate of the Fine Arts from The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. In addition to working in clay, Sybil pursues other creative interests in painting and photography and her work can be seen on Instagram at @what.I.see23.

Nasia Palaios
Therapeutic Clay Teacher

Nasia Palaios began working with clay back in high school as a way to relieve some of her academic stress and to have something to look forward to during her school days. To not much of a surprise, she instantly fell in love with clay. She eventually decided to center her whole life around it, pursuing an education and career in the world of ceramics. In May of 2025, she will have completed and received her BFA in ceramics, as well as a certification in art education, from Temple University’s Tyler School of Art and Architecture. She has been working with clay for over 6 years now, initially hand- building, but has switched gears in the past three years and identifies more as a functional potter who works predominantly on the wheel. Nasia is well versed on the wheel, throwing anywhere from one-pound pots to vessels of over 4 feet in height and 3 feet in width. She also has worked in and out of the classroom, educating students ages 4-18, for over three years now in mediums such as clay, painting, sculpture, recycled arts, and more. Nasia loves to work with individuals of all ages and skill levels to help them better connect with themselves through the mode of clay. She believes that everyone deserves the opportunity and resources to create art, and she is dedicated to doing her part to make that a reality.

Hope Irion
Art Therapist/LPC/Consultant

Hope Irion is a board certified art therapist and a licensed professional counselor currently located in Saratoga, NY. Hope is also a practicing potter with 10 years of experience. Her passions include supporting people of all ages and abilities with finding and expressing their creative voices within.

Megan Richards
Clay Teacher

Megan Richards is a local artist, currently focusing on ceramics. Megan graduated from Rowan University summa cum laude with a bachelor's in Art Education and a minor in Art History.

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