With the woods of New Hampshire as her childhood stomping grounds, Kellie developed an appreciation for the natural world and our connection to it. She spent the first decade of her career working in environmental consulting and now seeks to change the world on a much more local level - by building community, connecting over passions, and sharing skills. Kellie founded The Works in 2018 as a place to do just that. Growing from a one-woman pop-up into a brick and mortar location in the Pioneer Square neighborhood of Seattle, Kellie’s role now includes supporting our amazing team with operations, developing new curriculum, and sales and marketing. You can still catch her on the class schedule teaching once in a while too!

Born and raised right here in the PNW and, growing up with a lively battle between her left and right brain, Kia developed a deep curiosity for the why and how stories of the world around her. She has spent most of her career in HR and Ops roles across various industries and companies, both large and small. Never content to just follow the pack, she loves infusing unconventional creativity into traditionally unimaginative situations. Having a deep appreciation for the maker community, Kia feels right at home at The Works. Her role is to partner with Kellie and the team to ideate and activate innovation, growth, and strategic goals, oversee day-to-day operations and business activities, and most importantly support our team and community along their journey of learning and self-discovery.

Ashley was born and raised in Northern California, in the small-ish town of Salinas. After college she decided to make a move up north to Seattle and hasn’t looked back. Ashley grew-up in a crafty, do-it-yourself household and learned at a young age the joy of making and creating. Sewing, knitting, painting and creating handmade items have been consistent in her life; mostly done after work and on the weekend before she quit her boring insurance job and joined The Works in 2022. At The Works, she wears a lot of different hats, serving as a teacher and kit production extraordinaire! Ashley teaches a wide range of class topics from plant care, mending, painting and much more! When she is not in the classroom, you can find her in the backroom packing and building all The Work’s DIY kits. At home you can find her and her rescue dog Josie chilling on the couch as she works on her next craft project!

Born, raised, and now raising her own family in Seattle, Brynne is a native PNWer through and through! As a professional clinical social worker for a couple decades, it was necessary to find outlets for self-care and stress reduction—enter all things crafty! Brynne began finding ways to play creatively that not only provided a release, but it fed her soul. Overtime she became even more passionate about bringing people together around crafts and gift making—especially food gifts!  Hospitality and community building are foundational pillars in Brynne’s life, and she is so happy to share these values with others through The Works. She is excited to be teaching and hosting folks in classes to help them realize that art and creativity is for everyone! At home, Brynne is shepherding her three high school teens into the next stages of their lives…a reason to keep creating and crafting for sure!

Born and raised in Seattle, Emma has acquired various crafty skills through her self-taught process of Googling and a desire to learn something new and cool! She loves to empower people to let loose and explore their creativity with friends and strangers. When not fundraising (her day job) or making/learning things, Emma plays rugby, coaches high school sports/clubs, and watches a shocking amount of Real Housewives with her cat, Minushka.

Jennifer is a Minnesota native, and after sampling life on both coasts she and her husband decided on Seattle as their home in 2009. She’s an accomplished home cook and and a frustrated baker. Her creative outlets are cooking, menu planning, entertaining, decorating cakes, and just about any crafty endeavor that doesn’t require a lot of precision. (Please don’t look at the backside of her embroidery project.) As a host and teacher at The Works, she loves connecting with new people and helping create fun and memorable experiences.

A Seattle local, Marisha is a lifelong creative with a love of nature, color, and making things. Working in childcare and education, she found a passion for helping others learn and grow, and joy in building community through sharing art. After a lifetime of crafting as a hobby, Marisha is thrilled to join The Works as a teacher where she can combine her passions and nurture her creativity!