Rebeccah Byer
Rebeccah Byer is the Founding Executive Director of The Olio. Originally from Chicago, Rebeccah started blowing glass in 1993 as a failing college student at the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana. She decided she wanted to open a ‘glassblowing school for kids’ right after she made Dean’s List as an art major, clearly finding her life’s calling that could connect with her love of teaching. Entrepreneurship being in her blood, Rebeccah felt that a solid business plan for products and commissioned work, as well as community classes and programs, would help round out the apprenticeship program for youth.
Rebeccah has spent the time since college in many places and industries, including film production, food service, marketing, publishing, education, administration, and non-profits. She has lived in Winston-Salem, North Carolina since 2006 and has two children. Rebeccah serves on the PTI Airport Public Art Committee, as a cohort in the Kenan Institute Arts Enterprise Lab 2.0, and was a member of the EMC Arts Community Innovation Lab. She is also a co-founder of Mary’s Mavens, teaches Social Entrepreneurship at Wake Forest University, and is currently working on her glass sculpture portfolio.