Ballot Announcement for 2026 Board Elections

Since there is currently no limit on seats for MAKE Roanoke's Board, all candidates are running individually and not against each other. Members will vote to confirm or deny each person individually.

Samantha Sullivan (incumbent)

Samantha has been heavily involved with MAKE Roanoke since February of 2024, and has been serving on the Board as Secretary since December of 2024. She also serves as Marketing Committee Chair, Planning Committee Chair, and Fiber Arts Shop Captain. She has a bachelor’s degree from Virginia Tech in Apparel as well as minors in both Theatre (with a costuming emphasis) and Business. Samantha is passionate about community and making, and is so proud of what MAKE Roanoke has become so far.

Nick Dunne (incumbent)

Nick joined the Board in December of 2024, and also serves as our 3D Printing Shop Captain. Nick holds a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering Technology from Old Dominion University and an associate’s degree in Mechatronics from Virginia Western Community College. As a mechanical design engineer specializing in rotorcraft structures, he has over a decade of experience in engineering design, CAD systems, and 3D printing. Nick is also proficient in conventional and CNC machining, welding, and general fabrication. His practical knowledge and technical expertise make him a valuable asset to the operations and growth of MAKE Roanoke.

Alex Myers

A self-described "code monkey with too many hobbies", Alex has an interest in all things creative. She moved to Roanoke a few years ago, and first joined MAKE Roanoke with an interest in making friends and only enough know-how to assist with the Crochet classes. Now, she chairs the Fundraising Committee, coordinates trivia nights, and tries out new tools and classes like she's collecting merit badges -- with a particular fondness for anything in the wood shop. Driven mostly by a love of solving puzzles, Alex earned degrees in Computer Science and Economics; she also has a lifelong habit of striving to make safe, welcoming spaces online and in-person. And she's thrilled to be part of of a space that combines creativity with community.

Sam Browne

Sam cares deeply about the availability of educational resources and shared spaces that can help facilitate practical skill development by anybody willing to learn. To this end, he joined MAKE Roanoke as a member in January 2025 after relocating to SW Virginia with his partner. The sense of community fostered by this membership body is of the utmost importance to him, and he seeks to help leverage that community to guide MAKE Roanoke in a direction that is conducive to the desires of its members. He currently chairs the Building Committee responsible for the overall facility improvement efforts at MAKE Roanoke. His maker-adjacent interests include automotive repair and fabrication, homebuilding, metalworking, embedded systems, and CNC design. He holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and an M.S. in Computer Science from the University of New Mexico, and has a career background in developer productivity supporting high-performance computing simulation applications.

How To Vote

Our membership vote this time is for our Annual Board Elections. In order to vote, you must be a full member in good standing. This means you must have started your membership before January 23, 2026 or be a sponsored member. As a reminder, our youth-access patrons are not full members.

We will also have a survey soliciting feedback from our membership. All members are encouraged to fill out the survey, so that we can best prioritize our improvements in accordance with what our members want.

The ballot and the survey will be digital, and will be shared via a blog post on our website, on our discord server, and will be emailed out to members as well. Voting will be open for one week, ending at 11:59 PM on April 30.