This blog may be named after me, but that doesn’t mean I can do it alone! It takes a truly wonderful team of talented and dedicated people with heart who stick by the JenniferMaker core values to serve the needs of the 15 million makers in our community. These are the people behind-the-scenes who keep everything running smoothly, and I am forever grateful to them.
JenniferMaker Leadership Team
Greg Reese – Studio Director (aka Work Horse Unicorn)
Greg oversees our studios, efficiently managing and allocating our physical resources to keep projects on track and within budget. He also contributes and/or creates many of the amazing DIY projects that appear on the blog (like the all the furniture and shelves in the craft room, the R2-D2 bookcase, and the garden wall) to essential infrastructure upgrades (like faster Internet and video equipment). Greg also designs papercrafts, such as the Vintage Red Truck and enjoys creating things on the Cricut Maker and the 3D printer. In addition to all this, he keeps things running smoothly at home and is my rock. We could not do any of this without him.
Grandi Michelle – Operations Director (aka Wonder Woman)
Grandi is my Operations Director and helps keep operations running smoothly and under control so I can focus on providing projects and resources for our community. She supports our team and readers with a smile! As our Operations Director, she oversees our team, manages our affiliate programs, and creates systems and processes so we work more efficiently, plus she is quick to jump in wherever else she’s needed. We always say that she loves making sure everyone drinks enough JenniferMaker kool-aid! Aside from being an avid Carolina Panthers fan and lover of coffee, she’s also a crafter and loves making projects on her Cricut Maker 3 with her kids. She loves all things Cricut, glitter, epoxy, and paint!
Kim Larner – Outreach Director (aka Creator of Opportunities)
Kim is our Outreach Director and handles media inquiries, public appearances, and special outreach projects. She comes from a creative, crafty family, and is a maker herself. You can often find her DIY-ing her way through many situations. There’s nothing she loves more than spending time with her family (including the four legged members). Kim also enjoys reading with popcorn and a Diet Coke nearby, snuggling cute animals, and learning new things.
JenniferMaker Team Support
Christine Elizabeth – Executive Personal Assistant (aka Sidekick)
Christine is a woman full of moxie and many talents, perfect for being Jennifer’s new Sidekick. Always being a lady of the arts, she grew up dancing with pom, and after having her kids she became a mother of crafts, there’s nothing she can’t DIY! She will take on any project headed her way, from wrangling teenagers and helping with their extracurricular activities, making her own decorations, to home renovations. Loving to get her hands dirty she likes to care for her garden and play on the lake, taking advantage of any beautiful day given to her. Christine is both a planner and problem solver, when duct tape doesn’t fix it – she pulls a gadget from her Mary Poppins bag and with a snap- problem solved. Always on the go, this dynamo only slows down for her sunrise yoga and climbing to her roof to watch the sunset.
Kevin Dean – Studio Assistant
Kevin has always had an artistic streak in him and loves making things with his hands. Having two boys and now three grandsons, he has helped with his share of science projects and Halloween costumes. He has decorated birthday cakes and even made a wedding cake once. In the fall of 2019 when Jennifer and Greg decided to build a film studio, Kevin came on board to help make it a reality.
Karla Newman – HR Hero
Karla loves crafting and loves working in Human Resources, so joining the JenniferMaker team is a dream come true! She has been married to her adoring and supportive husband for 20 years and they have have 3 beautiful kids, and 2 fur babies. Her favorite place to go is the Pacific Coast during a sunset…it’s truly breathtaking! Some of her favorite things are camping, snuggling up in a cozy blanket to watch a good movie, being around family and friends, and anything chocolate! You can usually find her in the kitchen baking, playing board games with her family, or creating at the craft table. She loves to repurpose things…everything from cardboard boxes to plexiglass. One of her favorite quotes is from Marc Anthony, “If you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life.” So true!
Product Creation Team
Claudia Gonzalez – Product Developer (Dream Maker)
Creative, dreamer, and maker with a big heart. Claudia enjoys anything where she can be creative and adventurous. Helping others brings joy to her heart and is one of the biggest reasons why she feels at home here at JenniferMaker. In her free time, you’ll find her creating memories with her family or just enjoying life to it’s fullest.
Marketing Team
Lori Beth – Acting Marketing Director
Lori is our Maker Team Butterfly. She wanted wings, so we’re letting her fly! Lori loves fine art and design in all its many forms. She enjoys building and designing all the things from kitchens to school play sets to furniture. She is an artisan soapmaker and when she doesn’t have her hands in something creative, she loves gardening, beekeeping, or spending time with her family exploring nature. Lori is also the leader of our Maker Experience and Image Maker teams and leads our Maker Experience Experts and Social Bees who will help expand the reach of the JenniferMaker brand to new heights.
Graphics and Social Media Manager – Coming Soon!
Ads Manager – Coming Soon!
Natalie Larner – Maker Pixie (Graphic Designer)
Natalie is a creator at heart. She loves anything where she can be creative whether that be photography, cooking, videography, woodworking, or crafting. She’s currently in college studying multimedia with an emphasis on Graphic Design. She also loves animals and has many pets. In her free time, you’ll often find her cuddling one of her dogs, crafting a new DIY project, or trying out a new vegan recipe.
Jennifer Potocki – Image Maker (Social Bee)
Jennifer has always loved crafts especially ceramics, cross stitch, sewing and embroidery projects on her Husqvarna. Her favorite things to do are going to see Broadway musicals, dance productions, concerts, museums, theme parks, everything Disney, Universal Studios, sporting events, karaoke with friends and spending summers in Michigan on the Great Lakes. Or at a Tigers game! One of Jennifer’s favorite lines from the musical Mame she performed in is, “Life’s a banquet and most poor sons of b*** are starving to death!” (Auntie Mame). Jennifer says, “Enjoy life! Take a tap class! You can’t be sad if you’re dancing.” That’s why we love her.
Blair Soles – Image Maker (Social Bee)
Blair has always been interested in crafts! She loves anything and everything creative! She is currently in college studying dance and one day wants to be a performer at Disney! She also has a cat named Jax who she loves to cuddle and spoil. In her free time, she likes to create and explore new things!
Megan Larner – Image Maker (Social Bee)
Megan has always loved to craft and prefers to DIY instead of buy! She grew up in a very creative family and learned how to use her imagination from a very young age. You can often find her making personalized gifts or trendy home decor. Her favorite hobby is spending time with her family (the four-legged ones included), reading a good book, or spending time out in nature. She is also a Type 1 Diabetic!
Maker Experience Team
Michelle Simons – Maker Experience Manager
Michelle loves all things crafting but her first love is quilling. She also enjoys spending time with her family and two cats, and is Harry Potter and Pug obsessed! Her not so healthy obsessions are Dr. Pepper and Reese cups. She has been a Cricut user for 12+ years, in customer service for 20+ years, and feels immense joy in helping others with their crafting needs. Michelle enjoys lending a helping hand to everyone on our team.
Vicki Diaz – Design Counselor (Cut Above & Maker Academy Student Support)
Vicki started her crafting passion 10 years ago with digital scrapbooking and card making, which quickly evolved into purchasing the Cricut Expression. She graduated to the Explore and then the Maker. Her passions are spending time with her grandchildren and her flowers, dabbling in photography, and sharing her crafting passion with others.
Erin Bowman – Design Counselor (Cut Above & Maker Academy Student Support)
Erin is a lifelong crafter and mom of two, who enjoys collecting glitter and sharing her crafting experience with others. When she’s not working or playing and crafting with her kids, you can find her enjoying local history and nature. She loves fine art, dogs, manatees, and anything that sparkles. She has 20+ years experience in customer service and finds great personal fulfillment in helping others.
Carol Bauer – Maker Experience Expert
Carol is one of our newest Maker Experience team members. She loves to laugh and genuinely enjoys helping people. Scrapbooking was the beginning of her crafting journey but now it also includes Cricut crafts, painting, sign making, and creating t-shirts. Her hobbies include crafting, baking, reading, watching movies, and traveling with her husband to the Smoky Mountains where it is so peaceful and beautiful. Carol honestly believes laughter is the best medicine.
Lori Sexton – Maker Experience Expert
Lori is a self proclaimed DIYer and loves to fine tune her craft by making homemade gifts for friends and family. When she is not crafting, Lori enjoys spending time with her husband and son, cooking , yoga, and also loves walking and cuddling with her two furry kids. Her guilty pleasures include a good Netflix series and a buttery bowl of popcorn.
JenniferMaker Creative Design Team
Debbie Bechtel – Design Manager
Debbie is passionate about creating. She believes the best gifts are homemade and come from the heart! Her background is in television news. She was a successful TV news producer before starting a family. These days when she’s not making something in her craft room or volunteering at school, you can find her cheering on her two awesome kids from the sidelines. She also loves baking, Dunkin Donuts coffee, listening to podcasts, watching college football (Go Gators!) and going to the movies.
Madyson Grace – Creative Project Coordinator (Design Pixie)
Madyson has always been interested in everything DIY! She began her interest in crafts at a young age. Following her mom’s lead she learned how to sew at 8 years old and it all started from there! With juggling dance and college she spends her free time making things for her friends and family! Madyson loves spending her free time watching Greys Anatomy and Christmas movies no matter what time of the year!
Jen Brown – Design Elf
Jen is part of our Communications Hero team. She loves crafting and helping others with their beautiful creations. She loves traveling with her husband and son, especially cruising. Her favorite things are her family, fur babies, adventures, belly laughs , crafting and sunshine. Jen is a true believer that a little glitter makes everything a little more fabulous!
Design Elf (local to Ann Arbor, Michigan) – coming soon!
Kelly Bakos – Design Fairy
Kelly is a creative soul and enjoys Cricut crafting, multimedia painting and home decor projects. Her professional background is diverse and includes greeting card and gift design, photography and documentary film-making. She loves the outdoors, traveling and all critters big and small.
Caitlin Campbell – Design Fairy
Caitlin has been crafting since she could pick up a pair of scissors. She suffers from OCD (Obsessive Crafting Disorder) and has had her hands in nearly every medium. These days she spends most of her time on Cricut-made crafts, hand lettering, drawing, and sewing. She has a background in design, photography, and marketing. The love of her life is her Papillon Zeppelin.
Stephanie Hall – Design Fairy
Stephanie loves to create personalized crafts! She has always loved crafts and her passion for creating beautiful things began with scrapbooking many years ago. She loves making a variety of things with her Cricut from crafting with her kids to making meaningful gifts. She is a mom of two and loves spending time with her family, baking, and reading.
Design Fairy -Coming Soon!
Design Fairy (local to Ann Arbor, Michigan) – coming soon!
Julia Gavin – Craft Education Writer
Julia is an avid crafter always ready to try a new project! She learned to knit, crochet, sew, machine embroider, and use a Cricut from websites such as JenniferMaker and is thrilled to now help others build their crafting confidence. When she’s not crafting, Julia is likely in her garden or spending time with her partner and their two wonderful cats.
JenniferMaker Video Team
Sarah Bakshis – Video Team Manager
Sarah began her journey of video editing at just 12 and decided to turn her passion into a career! She is obsessed with all things Bob’s Burgers and The Office. She will also rarely be found without a Dunkin’ iced coffee or Diet Coke in her hand. When not editing, she loves to attend music festivals, try new vegan baking recipes, and spend time with her family.
Nick Quarino- Video Genie (Video Editor)
Nick is one of our Video Genies. After falling in love with video editing back in high school, he has pursued his dream and turned it into a career. He is meticulous and likes to have his belongings neat and organized. When he’s not editing, he loves listening to music, exploring different foods, and having game nights with his friends and family.
Frank Alvarez – Video Genie
After spending most of his working life in many different fields, Frank parlayed his love of film and photography into a career in video editing. In his spare time, he tries his hand at bowling, stand-up comedy, and exciting new recipes in the kitchen.
Alexa Marx – Video Genie
Alexa is our video consultant. As a member of the YouTube generation, she’s keenly aware of what does and does not work on this platform. I’ve consulted her since the start of my YouTube adventures and on nearly every video since then. I firmly believe that her advice and guidance is one of the reasons why my YouTube channel is successful. Alexa is a game designer, coder, and my teen daughter.
Video Genie (local to Ann Arbor, Michigan) – coming soon!
JenniferMaker is an Equal Opportunity Employer and Prohibits Discrimination and Harassment of Any Kind: JenniferMaker is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all employees and to providing employees with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment. All employment decisions at JenniferMaker are based on business needs, job requirements and individual qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion or belief, national, social or ethnic origin, sex (including pregnancy), age, physical, mental or sensory disability, HIV Status, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, marital, civil union or domestic partnership status, past or present military service, family medical history or genetic information, family or parental status, or any other status protected by the laws or regulations in the locations where we operate. JenniferMaker will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics.
