Amanda Robinson: Founder / President
Amanda is the founder of Virago Alley and the Richmond Renaissance Faire.
Amanda has over 20 years of experience in the fine arts, having received her degree at The Savannah College of Art and Design with a B.F.A. in Painting and Art History. She is the founding director of Gallery5, a non-profit visual and performing arts center in Richmond, Virginia, where she received numerous awards and recognitions. In 2008 she received The Theresa Pollak Award for “Art Innovator of the Year”, and in 2006, was the youngest recipient of Style Weekly’s “Top 40 under 40” awards. Under her direction, Gallery5 was consistently awarded “Best Art Gallery of the Year” by the readers of Style Weekly and Richmond Magazine. She is also the owner of Sweet Fix, a custom cake studio in Richmond, VA.
She has continued her passions in Historical Art studies with a focus on Medieval Art and Architecture as well as creates in numerous artistic mediums including oil painting, woodworking and ceramics, most often favoring miniature scale. She is an avid traditional archer, hiker, forest dweller, rock climber, and adventurer.
Bizhan Khodabandeh: Vice President
Bizhan is passionate about how the arts and martial practices overlap in aiding mental discipline, confidence, focus, and social growth.
He has a Masters in Fine Arts through Virginia Commonwealth University in Graphic Design. Khodabandeh has been teaching and practicing for over two decades. He has a background in illustration, comics, fine arts and graphic design with both international and national recognition for his work.
Khodabandeh studied up to a black belt level in Shotokan Karate, practiced Muay Thai for 7 years, and, wrestled throughout his youth. He now focuses on historical martial practices such as: traditional archery, Historical Persian Martial Arts, and Historical European Martial Arts.
Ashley Moore: Secretary
Ashley has a B.S. Mass Communications with a concentration in Creative and Strategic Advertising from the Richard T. Robertson School of Media and Culture at Virginia Commonwealth University. They have worked for a number of arts organizations in the Richmond region, including the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond Symphony, and now Richmond Performing Arts Alliance providing marketing support in various capacities. Ashley serves as the Board Secretary at Gallery5, an award-winning, community-motivated visual and performing arts center located in historic Jackson Ward in the heart of Richmond. Both through their work at RPAA and in their volunteer roles, they strive to provide accessible opportunities for community members to both experience and be a part of the arts.
Jack Ryan Loredo: Treasurer
Ryan Loredo is a MBA graduate from University of Richmond's Robin's School of Business priding himself on his ability to provide unique insights which benefit organizations by turning challenges into opportunities. His goal in pursuing this degree was to enhance his leadership, analytical, and communication skills while gaining a masters-level understanding of corporate finance, accounting, strategy, marketing, and operations. He also holds a BS in Anthropology specializing in forensics, archaeology, and evolutionary sciences as well as a BA in history concentrated on historical development and changes in philosophy, politics, law, religion, and human interactions as precedence for the modern world. He also holds a variety of project management and paralegal certifications as well as a Six Sigma Yellow Belt. With professional experience across the non-profit, service, biomedical, financial, and legal sectors, he has developed a well-rounded understanding of how different industries and cultures intersect and operate.