Our Staff
Darren Cotton, Executive Director
Darren founded The Tool Library in 2011 as an all-volunteer endeavor while living off campus and studying at the University at Buffalo. As a student of urban planning, Darren saw the potential of The Tool Library to not only help him fix his own home up, but to become a platform and infrastructure for citizen-led change. With a master’s degree in urban and regional planning, Darren has spent the past 13 years working to explore alternative models of community development in Buffalo, with a focus on greenspace development and urban reforestation, commercial corridor revitalization, waste reduction, and community capacity building.
Lissa Rhodes, Dare to Repair Program Coordinator
Lissa joined The Tool Library’s staff in 2022 as our first part-time employee. Having participated in Assemblyhouse 150's skill-building program in the construction trades and having worked as a trained carpenter building custom storm windows, Lissa saw The Tool Library as a perfect way to combine her love of building with her passion for community. She found tremendous joy and confidence in learning how to use tools and tackle projects on her own and loved being able to share that experience with Tool Library members. In 2025, Lissa transitioned from our Operations Manager to Dare to Repair Program Coordinator. When Lissa isn't building custom countertops or storage racks, you can usually find her organizing poetry readings, driving cross country, or enjoying the sweet silence of the woods.
Marty Byrne, Lead Safe Tool Borrowing Program Coordinator
Marty joined The Tool Library in 2024 as part-time Program Coordinator for our Lead Safe Tool Borrowing program. Marty began their engagement with The Tool Library as a University at Buffalo student working through a first-of-its-kind community work-study program offered through UB’s Office of Student Engagement in partnership with The Tool Library. As an English major, Marty loves reading and writing, but also knows their way around a printing press and brings a creative eye to The Tool Library.
Maddie Collins, Operations Manager
Maddie (they/them) joined The Tool Library as Operations Manager in April 2025 after volunteering with the organization since 2023. They'd been admiring The Tool Library from afar since its early days, so joining the staff felt a little like coming home. They love hearing what people are building, fixing, or dreaming up, learning something new every day, and keeping the shop supplied with an ever-changing soundtrack of whatever they're currently obsessed with. Outside the Tool Library, they're usually making music with friends, exploring Buffalo with Mazy (shop dog and unofficial mascot), being an absolute menace on Facebook Marketplace, or unwinding with an audiobook and a sudoku puzzle.
Our Board
The Tool Library Board of Directors (2025)
- Melanie Rushforth (President)
- Kellyn Torres (Vice President)
- Shannon Johnson (Treasurer)
- Laura Alexander
- Adam Blair
- Barbara Bono
- Eric Borenstein
- Dylan Burns
- Drew Canfield
- Tho Dinh
- Zack Glick
- Cole Lowman
- Paige Mason
- Antionette McClain
- Becca McGowan
- Michael McManus
- Jon Mrowczynski
- Braden Pritchard
- Robert Townsley
- Lauren Turner