Welcome, Mitch!

The Scrap Exchange, now in its 35th year as a nonprofit creative reuse center, has named Mitch Sava as Executive Director.

Sava will begin his position on Feb. 5, Board President Tom Dawson announced today.

“I am thrilled that Mitch is bringing his vision and depth of experience to the Scrap and surrounding community,” said Dawson, a longtime resident artist at The Scrap Exchange who works as landscape architect with the City of Raleigh. “Throughout his career, Mitch has developed a deep understanding of the world of creative innovation. While innovation may be a buzzword to some, Mitch puts it into practice every day—whether he’s solving a staffing challenge or building relationships with stakeholders.”

Sava comes to The Scrap Exchange from the National Geographic Society in Washington, D.C., where he was Vice President of EduLab, an innovation and design team. Prior to that, he spent six years as Vice President of innovation, learning and engagement at the Museum of Life and Science in Durham, and as Managing Director of Duke University’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship initiative.

At the museum, Sava co-founded Audacity Labs, an out-of-school start-up incubator program for teens that later spun off and merged with Helius Foundation to become Echo, a nonprofit transforming lives through entrepreneurship. Sava continues to serve on Echo’s board.

Sava arrived in Durham in 2011 from England, where he spent five years in the public sector leading initiatives nurturing innovation and the creative industries. He recalls visiting The Scrap Exchange that same year with his family, newly relocated from abroad.

Peering into one of the Scrap’s well-known blue bins, they discovered a stash of old-fashioned plastic multi-photo wallet sleeves. The family purchased 400 of them and used the materials to create handmade holiday cards—a moment that left a lasting impression.

“My true discipline is innovation. My whole career has been grounded in creating new solutions to challenging problems,” Sava said. I am looking forward to building upon the incredible foundation at The Scrap Exchange, which I see as a laboratory for creative reuse that can make our communities stronger and more sustainable.”

While based in Durham, Sava also worked with management consultancy Accenture and its design arm, Fjord. For roughly five years, he traveled extensively around the globe, designing innovation labs and identifying new business models and revenue streams for clients worldwide.

“What’s my personal passion? It’s about unlocking, unleashing the creativity and ideas of others and helping to make them real,” Sava said.  “How do we tap into the collective vision of The Scrap Exchange staff and community so the entire organization becomes a creative act? The mission here is powerful.”

Sava earned a bachelor of science degree in computer science from the College of William and Mary in Virginia. He holds a master’s degree in technology and human affairs from Washington University in St. Louis, as well as a master’s degree in public administration, innovation and entrepreneurship policy from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. He currently serves as an adjunct faculty member at both Duke University and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

He and his wife live in Durham with their two sons.

As Executive Director, Sava will oversee a staff of nearly 50 full- and part-time employees at The Scrap Exchange’s 12.5-acre campus within the historic Lakewood Shopping Center. The organization’s original retail store opened at Northgate Mall in 1991 as a creative reuse center. Today, The Scrap Exchange collects, sorts and sells cast-off materials from individuals and industries to promote creativity and environmental awareness. The organization has since expanded its mission to include workshops and art classes offered on site and throughout the Triangle. The Scrap Thrift, a nonprofit secondhand store selling clothing and household goods, opened in 2017.