Executive Board

Angela H. Brown

Angela H. Brown is the Executive Director and founder of Craft Lake City, a 501-(c)3 nonprofit charitable organization. Craft Lake City’s mission is to elevate Utah’s creative culture through science, technology and art. The organization does this through educational programming, such as monthly workshops, program and exhibition curation and by hosting The Annual Craft Lake City DIY® (Do-It-Yourself) Festival®, a three-day handmade faire inspired by Utah’s own rich crafting history and cultural background. The Annual Craft Lake City DIY Festival spans three days and includes over 250 artisans, a STEM (Science Technology, Engineering, Math) building, workshops, local performers and more. The annual event attracts more than 20,000 attendees. In her spare time, Brown loves to print silver gelatin images in her photographic darkroom, run outdoors and volunteer for various local committees and advisory boards. Brown is the current Chair of the SLC Corporation Business Advisory Board for the City Council and Mayor. In 2018, Brown was honored as a Distinguished Alum from the Salt Lake Community College. In 2019, Brown was honored by Utah Business Magazine as one of 30 “Women To Watch.”

Brandy Oliver

Brandy Oliver spends her days working with students and encourages them to pursue their creative dreams and make lifelong plans. In her free time, Brandy Oliver enjoys travel especially when it pertains to visiting craft festivals, farmers markets, and craft markets across Utah and the United States. She loves meeting people and talking to them about their craft.

John Carlisle

When he’s not zip-tying banners to DIY Fest fences, Craft Lake City
Board Chair John Carlisle teaches journalism, yearbook, and
photography at Granger High School. He’s also a UBI-certified bike
mechanic and a ULC-ordained wedding officiant. In his spare time, he
sews for his secret brand, Blacktag Bags. He also shoots for a local
punk rock ‘zine almost every month, and his photos are attributed to
his T9 pseudonym.

Advisory Board

Amanda Stewart

Amanda is the founder and designer of the modern unisex clothing brand and storefront, Mochi Kids. She loves traveling, eating, and has dabbled in almost every art & craft.  She has been a participant in Craft Lake City’s DIY festival for the last four years and is excited to bring her experience to the Craft Lake City board.

Chad Dorton

Chad encountered his first computer at age 6, and has been hooked ever since. His love for all things computing has translated into a passion for making technology accessible to people of all ages. Over his 20 year IT career, Chad has developed predictive analytics for discovering cancer drugs, wrangled databases for the Sundance Film Festival, and designed computer networks for Salt Lake’s award winning Library. Currently, Chad is a Staff Service Reliability Engineer at Proofpoint. Chad has a BS in Computer Science and an MBA from Westminster College. He also makes pretty good beer.

Cheyenne Smith

Cheyenne has nearly a decade of media experience working with clients of all size but her true love is local media. She found a way to merge her love of digital media and the love she has for her community on her own terms and started BLK HIVE MEDIA. She also recently launched a kid’s shoe company called Dakota Ridge, which specializes in rainboots with a western twist.
Cheyenne truly believes Salt Lake is one of the most unique cities in the U.S. and she loves supporting those that help make it the city she calls home.

Annie Quan

As a strategic advisor, Annie has lead marketing and design teams in the creation and execution of successful event and branding campaigns for several Fortune 500 companies. Most recently, she has overseen the design and development of innovative software products and solutions created to streamline operations and increase stability and growth for her partners and clients as the Deputy COO of a strategic consulting firm. She is extremely active in her community and believes in community stewardship and supports efforts to educate our young people in the areas of arts and sciences.

Jacqueline Whitmore

Jacqueline is the owner of local vintage clothing shop Copperhive Vintage. She has participated as an artisan in the DIY Festival for many years, and is excited to bring her experience to the board. When she’s not at the shop, you can find Jacqueline advocating for body positivity and fat positive spaces.

Jill Angus

Jill has worked in business lending for the last seven years and enjoys helping businesses with their financial goals.  When she’s not working she likes paddle boarding, hiking and creating with fused glass.  She frequently dabbles in other craft classes and loves supporting local artisans and creators.

John Carpenter

John is a private attorney with Ray, Quinney & Nebeker specializing in Intellectual Property matters including patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secret. Mr. Carpenter is a Registered Patent Attorney focusing on patent drafting and prosecution, with experience providing guidance on complete intellectual property portfolio strategy and directed prosecution of patent applications.

Working in the material analysis industry for five years prior to attending law school, Mr. Carpenter has experience in optics (photon, x-ray, and electron), semiconductors, metal alloys, thin films (such as photovoltaics and coatings), ultrahard materials, and ceramics.

Matthew Stevens

Matthew originally moved to Salt Lake City from his hometown of Kaysville in 2002 to work as the Director of Graphics of Black Chandelier and Jared Gold Couture. In 2011 he graduated from the University of Utah with a double major in Japanese Language and Literature and Asian Studies with a focus on Japanese performance art traditions. Matthew has been a volunteer member and teacher of the Salt Lake City Kenshin Taiko Ensemble since 2004 and has trained on the Japanese transverse bamboo flute in Kyoto for the last 12 years. He also has training in Japanese pottery, calligraphy, Noh theatre, and Japanese and Tibetan meditation techniques. For most of the last decade, Matthew worked in Japan for local government and non-profit public interest organizations. Matthew is currently the Coordinator for Administrative Programs in the University of Utah’s Center for Business, Health, and Prosperity and is excited to be back in Salt Lake City and involved in Utah’s community of artisans.

Nick Hoffman

Nick Hoffmann grew up in North Carolina and spent years working in science education for the University of North Carolina. After moving to Salt Lake City in 2015, Craft Lake City’s annual DIY Festival became his favorite summer fest. Nick currently works for Clark Planetarium and enjoys splitting his time between Salt Lake City and Utah’s outdoors.

Pamela Martinson Olson

Pamela M. Olson is a professional florist, floral educator and freelance writer. Owner of Native Flower Company, she was a founder of TriFecTa Design, Inc. and has worked in the floral industry for more than 30 years. One of the little known skills of a florist is the ability to innovate, design and create on the fly – building something from nothing and to, in the words of Tim Gunn, “Make it Work!” These are the skills Olson admires in those who bring their talents and products to Craft Lake City.

Sarah Nelson

Guests often comment on the  “You get fork stabbed” cross-stitch that hangs on the wall in Sarah’s kitchen. She loves to boast that she scored it at the very first Craft Lake City in 2008. Since then, Sarah has moved around a lot–from SLC, to the Bay Area to Los Angeles. She has led large teams to develop software products that seek to improve the work and life of her fellow humans. These experiences run the gamut from beloved video game franchise, The Sims, to a Jurassic Park Virtual Reality set for the kids, to local newsrooms discovering and airing stories that break on social media, to a digital education platform. Sarah consistently seeks innovation at the intersection of art and technology. She is happy to be back in Salt Lake, amongst a vibrant community that inspires these passions. And, to opt outside with her herder rescue mutt, Sly Fox.

Become an Advisory Board Member

Craft Lake City is looking for individuals who are passionate about craft and the local community to serve on our advisory board. If you are interested, apply below. We’d love to meet you!

Apply