About AQS: Who We Are
Meredith Schroeder
Meredith, and her husband Bill, founded American Quilter's Society with a vision of promoting the accomplishments of today's quilters on a national and international scale. She has built an integrated framework of book publishing, distribution, magazine publishing, quilt shows and contests, newsletter, and appraisal certification, underlined with a dedicated membership organization. In turn, she has pioneered a unique organization within the women's craft industry. Meredith believes in building communities. She serves on the board of directors for the Paducah Bank & Trust Company, is a past board member of the Kentucky Historical Museum. She is chairman and founder of the Museum of the American Quilter's Society, and is a past member of the board of the Luther E. Carson Center for the Performing Arts, Paducah, Kentucky. Meredith currently serves on the Steering Committee for the Paducah Riverfront Development. She has received the Paul Harris Rotary Club award.
Richard Louise
Prior to joining AQS, Mr. Louise was managing director for Westminster Securities and its successor Hudson Securities. He was responsible for overall growth of the firm as well as running the Atlanta office and the international sales force. He comes to us with over 24 years of experience in sales, trading, operations, investment banking, customer relations, compliance, and marketing. Before joining Westminster, Mr. Louise was a branch manager with Spelman & Co., Inc., for 10 years where he was responsible for the office of supervisory jurisdiction and branch management of the Atlanta office. Additionally, he established an institutional division servicing the commercial banking environment. Prior to Spelman, he spent five years with small investment banks bringing numerous companies to market. Over his career he has raised hundreds of millions of dollars in growth capital for scores of emerging growth companies. Prior to entering the brokerage industry, Mr. Louise co-founded Sundial Publicity (an advertising and marketing company) and spent six years growing Sundial before selling the company to Host Group Inc.
Rick Loyd
Rick Loyd has 30 years experience with Schroeder Publishing Co., Inc., as vice president. Rick brings his broad range of experience both in sales and management to the American Quilter's Society as director of show development and sales. AQS has become the leader in award sponsorships due to his professional and genuine relationship with corporate leaders in our industry. He served 16 years on the board of The National Quilt Museum (MAQS). After graduating from John Brown University with a BS degree, Rick married his wife, Lynn; they have two children, Brett Austin and Leigh Meredith. In his spare time Rick enjoys golf, hunting, music, as well as family and church activities.
Tim Langlitz
Tim Langlitz comes to us from Cincinnati, Ohio, as the new AQS Marketing Director. His experience ranges across more than five-dozen businesses and communities from small to large organizations. He has been a frequent speaker at many events discussing the topics of online business, social media, and using the web to improve retail-store success. Most recently, he oversaw all consumer marketing for a large media company based in Cincinnati. A graduate of Centre College in Danville, Kentucky, Tim is very excited to join a wonderful Kentucky company. A person of eclectic interests, he also spent several years in professional theatre and teaching high school. He is passionate about the web, email, and social media and is eagerly looking to learn as much as possible about quilting. Tim and his wife, Rose, author of Tasty Crochet: A Pantry Full of Patterns for 33 Tasty Treats, are blessed with four children and are expecting their fifth. He enjoys spending time with his family, raising chickens, and leading his church’s youth group. He serves on the advisory boards of several regional companies and is involved with the Cincinnati Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution. Everyone in the Langlitz household has a handmade quilt from the kids’ great grandfather; Tim hopes to learn the art himself.
Bonnie K. Browning
Bonnie began quilting in 1979. She teaches and judges at quilting conferences in the U.S. and around the world. Bonnie taught in Melbourne, Australia; in Ankara, Turkey, at the invitation of the Minister of Culture; and judged and taught at the Tokyo International Quilt Festivals, Tokyo, Japan, in 2002 and 2003. Bonnie is a certified quilt judge and is qualified to judge master quilts. She has served on boards of art councils, local quilt guilds, the National Quilting Association, and Quilters Unlimited Showcase. Bonnie is the Executive Show Director for the American Quilter's Society quilt shows (since 1994), serves as a Bernina National Teacher, and has authored nine books on quiltmaking.
Gloria Bolden
Gloria Bolden is the advertising account manager for American Quilter magazine. Gloria is working within the quilt industry and beyond to assist clients in meeting their marketing goals. A Hoosier by birth, Gloria attended Indiana University in Bloomington. She has extensive account management experienced in radio, television, and print. Gloria believes in listening to customers, doing in-depth research, and then developing and executing marketing plans to best suit the client's needs. Her commitment to service fits in beautifully with the American Quilter's Society philosophy and mission. Gloria is available to assist you in your advertising needs.