Harriet Taub is the Executive Director of Materials for the Arts (MFTA), a program of the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs which provides donated materials to arts and cultural nonprofits, NYC public schools, and city agencies. Taub graduated from NYU and earned a BS in Art Education. She spent 8 years working in film, and after her daughter was born, she started her own children’s clothing company. After 14 years in fashion, in 1998 she began working for MFTA to help its newest members, public school teachers, in maximizing their visits to the MFTA. In her position Harriet found ways to encourage teachers to think outside the box and incorporate nontraditional materials into their classroom projects.  Due to her passion for reuse as well as her experience in both the film and fashion arenas, Taub was hired as the Executive Director just two years after joining MFTA. Today Harriet helps oversee MFTA’s 35,000 square foot reuse facility in Long Island City, which includes the warehouse, classrooms, and art gallery. Taub, her staff of 14 and teams of volunteers collect and redistribute nearly 2 million pounds of materials each year that would otherwise be discarded to landfills. Over time MFTA has become a cornerstone for the 4,000+ member organizations it supports. In 2017, Taub was honored with the Sloan Award, which annually recognizes six outstanding civil servants whose work and commitment to the public transcend the ordinary. As the Executive Director since 2000, Taub’s enthusiasm and dedication to connecting “those who have” with “those who need” has made her an exceptional leader.