Emily Alati 

After growing up in Virginia and attending college in Richmond and Charlottesville, I ventured up to New England to begin my career in the textile, apparel and footwear industries. I’ve lived in Portsmouth NH for the last 23 years currently with my daughter Sadie (16) and son Gus (13). My career began at Polartec as a textile engineer and soon after I switched to the footwear industry beginning with Timberland where for 12 years I developed performance and sustainable materials plus helped to establish the company’s first eco product line. The next 5 years were leading materials innovation at VF’s Global Innovation Center for footwear brands Vans, Timberland, The North Face and Altra. I then transitioned fully to Vans where I currently lead Materials Innovation and Sustainability. With degrees in Textile Science & Process Engineering from the Institute of Textile Technology and a B.A. in Fashion Design from VCU, my love of material science and sustainability are true passions that both continue in my work today.