Our story

The Eugene Tea Festival was created to cultivate and celebrate the tea community in Eugene and Springfield, Oregon. 
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Founded in 2019 by Madelaine Au, the first festival launched in May 2023 and is slated to occur annually in May.
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The annual festival is a sensational pour fest with interactive tea tastings, tea ceremony experiences, informative and fun workshops, and a vibrant marketplace, which includes offerings from local artists. The festival takes place in a single day in the Farmer’s Market Pavilion in downtown Eugene.
 
The Eugene Tea Festival relies on support from its avid volunteers and the Eugene tea community. 
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If you’re reading this, you can consider yourself a part of the Eugene Tea community. Interested in getting involved? Email Madelaine at madelaine@eugeneteafestival.org

Meet Our Board

Madelaine Au

Executive Director & Founder
Madelaine Au is the Executive Director and Founder for the Eugene Tea Festival.
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Her love of tea began at the NW Tea Festival as an attendee in 2017. After that she volunteered as the Volunteer Coordinator for the Portland Tea Festival in 2018.
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Madelaine’s love of tea has continued to flourish and she is excited to continue dedicating her efforts to building the tea community in the Eugene/Springfield area! Learn more about Madelaine’s tea journey at Knowing Oregon.

Mason Hutchison

Board of Directors
Brief profile bio for this Mason Hutchison is the founder of HerbRally, an herbal community hub that promotes herbalism education and events.
 
He is also the host of “The Herbalist Hour”, a podcast and YouTube series where he interviews a diverse array of plant people.
 
Mason is a proud father, avid chess, basketball and ping pong player, spring water gatherer, and an enthusiast in the art of frugal nutrition.will live here. Add an overview of this person’s role or any key information.

Kassaundra Lynn

Board of Directors
Kassaundra Lynn is the founder of Rooted Remedies Apothecary, a community-led apothecary that promotes holistic health and wellness and aims to bring the herbal community together. It is also Eugene’s only community apothecary.
 
Growing up in the lush Pacific Northwest, she has always had an immense love of nature and the outdoors. Kassaundra’s love of nature and herbalism has recently spilled over to the world of tea after vending at the the first Eugene Tea Festival in 2023.

Leah Murray

Board of Directors
Leah Murray is a native to the Willamette Valley. Born in Cottage Grove, she hasn’t ventured very far from her deep valley roots. She has worked in a variety of fields including home health, security, hospitality, and janitorial before discovering her true passion in nonprofit life. Leah is a graduate of both Lane Community College and the University of Oregon, and spent a year as an AmeriCorps*VISTA.
 
In addition to being the Executive Director of Shelton McMurphey Johnson House since 2014, Leah is the chair of the Downtown Neighborhood Association, the marketing Vice Chair for the League of Women Voters of Lane County, and the Communications Chair for the American Association of University Women Eugene/Lane branch. She is also the Chair of the fledgling Storybook Theatre of Cottage Grove.
 
When not attending a meeting or running the museum, Leah enjoys gardening, reading, and spending time with her family in the Santa Clara area of Eugene. She is grateful that she gets to share her passion for historic preservation and nonprofit service with anyone who will listen.

Angela McDonald-Wilkins

Board President
Avid gardener, as well as tea lover Angela McDonald-Wilkins is the owner of Oregon Tea Traders in Eugene, Oregon.
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She has also been the President of the US League of Tea Growers since 2019. She currently teaches classes about growing and drinking tea across the country.
 
Aside from all things tea, she loves baking and spending time with her 2 children.

McKenzie Schwing

Board of Directors
McKenzie Schwing is a Marketing Director and has her Business Degree from Cal Poly of Humboldt. She lived in the Redwoods for over 6 years before moving to Oregon and has a taste for the outdoors. If she is not out hiking with her dogs or snowboarding in the winter time, you can find her visiting pastry shops to sip on tea and enjoy a pastry. She is excited to grow her tea knowledge and be more involved in the community.

Melissa Ulven

Board of Directors
Melissa Ulven, a Project Manager professional with a passion for tea, brings her unique experience to the Eugene Tea Festival Board of Directors. Her love for tea was kindled while living in Alaska for 13 years, where she discovered the comfort and community it offers in the harshest climates. Melissa is also an enthusiast in death education and provides project management support to the End-of-Life and Death Scholars group. She also serves as a board member of the Cascade Collie Rescue in Eugene. In between all the work, Melissa enjoys participating in nosework dog sports with her 7-year-old rough collie, Chena.