Meet the People of Buttonwood

Dana started with deal toys in 2000, co-founded Buttonwood in 2009, and took over full ownership & control in 2017.  She is happy to continue to find challenges and wonderful people in her daily work.  A native New Yorker, she attended Stuyvesant High School and went on to Middlebury College in Vermont.  She also spent a year at Uni Mainz (to challenge her German, she loves it and needs the practice).  You can also throw her a curve ball and test her Latvian, which is less proficient than her German but probably more amusing. When she’s not working she loves photography, she takes taekwondo with her kids (Kihap!) and scours the internet for healthy vegetarian recipes to cook.

As one of Buttonwood's first employees, Sean built our design team from the ground-up, and leads them in the design, strategy, execution, and delivery of all the creative output for both in-house and client projects. Sean's team sets the creative vision for the Buttonwood brand and ensures our purpose is reflected in every personalized experience and touchpoint. With 20 years of experience he’s a valuable member of our team.

When he’s not at work you might find him snowboarding or skateboarding with his kids or attempting to restore his 100 year old Victorian home. Fun facts, Sean used to paint murals for a living, he recently earned a certificate in Design Thinking from MIT and also published a coloring book to benefit research into Alzheimer's Disease.

Kalynn, originally from Upstate NY…no not Westchester, but a small city called Utica, moved to NYC after graduating from LeMoyne College. She began working at Buttonwood in March 2013 as an assistant and now, 7 years later she is the Director of Sales. Kalynn prides herself on making connections with her clients and forming meaningful relationships with them.

She loves yoga and pilates and most recently has found a new passion for weight lifting with her trainer, which is a good thing because she also comes from a large Italian family that often times feeds her too much. With any other spare time that she has you can find her planning her next trip.

Nghia, also known as Neil by those around him, is an Art Director who has been honing his artistry for over 6 years at Buttonwood. Constantly seeking to be efficient, Nghia is always tinkering with new tech and experimenting with out-of-the-box solutions. He developed the visuals for Buttonwood’s 3D presentation, a feat he is proud to have accomplished.

A child of immigrants, he came to the US from Vietnam at the age of seven. He grew up in New Jersey then, later on, spent the majority of his adult life in the concrete jungle of New York City. He now resides in the Evergreen State of Washington where he spends more time enjoying nature as well as outdoor activities. He misses New York City but he is happy not to have to step in another puddle of dirty snow again.

Leo loves to play video games and make the odd meme here and there.
He is a quick study and likes to dabble in the stock market, he's learning more and more every day.  Fun fact, Leo came to work at Buttonwood as an intern!  He was part of a high school outreach program, but came back after graduation and has been moving up the ranks as full time employee ever since.

Allison is extremely detail oriented, organized, and has outstanding communication skills. She is super thoughtful, covers all the angles and tries to think of everything so you don't have to.

Allison loves Halloween and will never turn down an opportunity to wear a funny costume.  She is obsessed with Taylor Swift and Oxford commas. Allison performed in the super bowl halftime show with Justin Timberlake, studied abroad in London, and traveled Europe alone for a month (she thinks everyone should take a solo trip if they can).

Stephanie is an associate project manager, and newer member to the Buttonwood sales team. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York she couldn’t imagine living anywhere other than the greatest city on Earth. She has a love for travel and adventure, although she enjoys staying at home just the same. Her favorite thing to do is binge-watching tv shows and movies, old and new. With her immense love of fur-babies she hopes to one day retire on a dog-farm.

Alyssa started with us in February 2021 becoming the 4th member of the design department. Originally from Upstate New York, she moved to Chicago, IL to pursue a BFA in graphic design from DePaul University. Before graduating, she spent 6 months studying abroad in Sydney, Australia. Alyssa is passionate about digital design work and adding her own creative spin. She specializes in illustration, branding, and internet marketing.

When she’s not working, you might find her scuba diving, hiking, obsessing over Australia or scoping out a new insta-worthy photo opportunity.

Martin is a singer-songwriter and an amateur producer. He finds that Buttonwood is a beautiful place to work, not only because of the atmosphere of camaraderie and respect, but he finds it highly inspirational to be surrounded by such detail oriented colleagues. “Everybody at Buttonwood is very passionate about what they do, and it shows in the breathtaking mementos that they produce.” 

Martin released his second solo album in 2022.

Kyle Brand is a visual artist & designer living and working in Chicago, IL with a B.F.A. in Illustration. Specializing in illustrative design, packaging design & murals, he has shown in several collaborative and solo shows while also working on and designing public art projects throughout Grand Rapids, MI and even one in Detroit. When not working on art, he can usually be found sketching and reading graphic novels or enjoying some down time with his big dopey cat.

Ashley joined the Buttonwood team in January of 2022. Born and raised in Ann Arbor Michigan, Ashley attended College for Creative Studies in Detroit where she graduated with a BFA in Illustration. She has a strong passion for all things art and design and hopes it shows in the designs she creates here.

When she’s not working she loves drawing and experimenting with new mediums, checking out the nearest Antique shop, or working on Dressage with her horse Gabby