Meet Erin Lanigan, the executive director of Gizmo-CdA. As a professional, she has built multiple careers for herself, each building on the prior — as a teacher, administrator, business owner and consultant. Her business and leadership experience, combined with a passion for empowering, continues the founders' dreams and Gizmo’s presence as a powerhouse makerspace in the Inland Northwest. Although her very favorite thing to do is spend time with her husband and three teenage children, if given a few moments alone, you would likely find her reading or playing the piano or viola.

1) How are things going at Gizmo-CDA - any fun events or projects happening now or in the near future?

Things are going well at Gizmo! We are busy preparing for summer camps! Although the makerspace becomes extra busy with children during the summer, we still also offer classes and mentoring sessions to adults, so there is a lot going on. The energy is different in the makerspace during the summer. Our big garage doors are open to the warmer weather, and people are coming in out of the sunshine to be creative in the makerspace.

2) What are a few of the most exciting aspects of your position as Gizmo's executive director?

I am excited to connect the community with its makers at Gizmo, and to help foster creative relationships within the makerspace. The folks who come to Gizmo often come with an idea, and those ideas are made into reality here. At Gizmo, you will find preschoolers, youth, hobbyists, Etsy shop owners, people learning job skills and businesses all working on the equipment. Connecting these folks with needs in the community is something that I’m really excited about, and also connecting them to one another. It’s not unusual to see a child teaching an adult how to use a machine at Gizmo, and that is really special. Also, watching someone come in with a specific purpose become inspired by an entirely different skillset is incredible. I love watching learning relationships grow.

3) What is your preferred material to work with, and what have you created/engineered with this medium/material?

I really like to work with wood because it is so versatile. I can (and have) laser-cut earrings and decorations out of wood, worked on a jewelry stand, built a couple bed frames and a new custom wall for our travel trailer, just to name a few. Hammers, drills, drill presses, bandsaws, sawzalls, compound miter saws, table saws and the computerized numerical control router are all a part of my regular woodworking creations, and it’s pretty empowering to think about something and then make it!

4) What's something people would be surprised to know about you?

I am a certified Montessori teacher and trainer, and my family used to own a private Montessori school in Montana that served infants through elementary school. Also, I love to be in or near water, I like to scuba dive and at one point I owned 45,000 books!

5) Why should people explore makerspaces and experiment with their creative side?

The potential at makerspaces is nearly limitless, and engaging with that sort of creativity not only helps forge new pathways within the brain, but it also helps improve your mental health! The machines and equipment in makerspaces are fantastic, but the relationships you build and the mindsets you learn extend well beyond the tools.