Staff

Carol Sauvion

Executive Director

Carol Sauvion is the creator of the Peabody Award winning PBS series Craft in America. The documentary series celebrates American craft and the artists who bring it to life. She is also the Executive Director of the Craft in America non-profit organization which has the mission is to promote and advance original handcrafted work through educational programs in all media. Craft is Sauvion’s lifelong passion. For over 40 years she has been the director of Freehand, her Los Angeles gallery specializing in functional craft. Prior to opening Freehand, Sauvion was a professional potter for ten years. Sauvion has her degree in Art History from Manhattanville College in Purchase, New York. She has served on the boards of the Craft Emergency Relief Fund and the American Craft Council.

Patricia Bischetti

Executive Producer & Director

Patricia Bischetti has produced the Craft in America series since its beginning in 2007. She has done feature and series documentaries for PBS, American Masters, American Experience, Netflix, Prime Video, Discovery, National Geographic, TBS, TNT, TCM, CNN, Lifetime, Starz, and Showtime. Her projects include Oscar nominated Last Days in Vietnam by Rory Kennedy featured at the Sundance Film Festival, Take Every Wave by Rory Kennedy featured at Sundance, Robert Trachtenberg’s Emmy Award-winning Mel Brooks Make a Noise, Peabody Award-winning Black Sky: The Race for Space and Code Black winner of the LA Film Festival by Linda Goldstein Knowlton, and the PBS primetime series Tavis Smiley Reports. As Executive Producer at Big Buddha Baba Productions, she produced interactive media and experience design projects for Walt Disney Imagineering and other organizations.

Emily Zaiden

Craft in America Center Director & Curator

Emily Zaiden is Director and lead curator of the Craft in America Center, where she has curated over eighty exhibitions for the Center and partner venues since 2010. In addition to overseeing public and educational programming, she developed the Craft Video Dictionary. Zaiden publishes catalogues and writes for various journals, serves as juror, and lectures widely. Zaiden has an M.A. from the Winterthur Program in American Material Culture and a B.A. in American Studies from University of California Berkeley. She was a Research Associate to the Decorative Arts department at LACMA and research editor for Architectural Digest prior to joining the organization.

Denise Kang

Producer

Denise Kang has worked on every aspect of the Craft in America project since joining the organization in 2006. Kang works on pre-production shoot planning, assists the crew and director at on-location shoots, and post production including archival research and licensing, image retouching, on-screen text, and digital deliverables. In addition, Kang also works on in-house graphic design and branding, and manages website and social media content. Kang also produces the filming of the Craft in America Center talks as well as the digital content. Kang graduated from the University of Southern California with a BFA in ceramics, printmaking, and graphic design, and continues to make pottery today.

Erin Cooney

Associate Producer

Erin Cooney joined Craft in America as the Production Manager/Coordinator in 2022. They graduated from USC with a B.A. in Creative Writing and an M.A. in Literary Editing and Publishing. They are originally from Lincoln, Nebraska, and in their free time, they also write and illustrate comics.

Theo Rasmussen

Post Production Supervisor

Theo Rasmussen began working as Craft in America’s Post Production Supervisor in 2022. He has been involved with the post production of art related documentary programming for many years. Graduating with a B.A. in Film and Digital Media from UCSC, he then became the principal editor at Santa Monica’s CityTV; as well as an associate producer on their documentary series “Wave”.  He is a multidisciplinary artist that specializes in film and digital media.

Michelle Starks

Production Controller

Michelle Starks has worked as the Production Controller for Craft in America since 2019. Having studied Art, Design and Architecture, she graduated from California State University, Northridge with a B.A. in Art and also holds a Certificate in Set Design. Having worked with designers and an art-handling service throughout the years, she is passionate about all forms of creativity. She persists in her oil painting and restoring antiques and furniture.

Jaimianne Jacobin

Development Director

Jaimianne Jacobin became Craft in America’s Development Director in 2024, bringing over a decade of nonprofit management experience and a deep commitment to the craft field. Previously, she served as the Executive Director of the James Renwick Alliance for Craft. Before that, she was the Executive Director of the Shenandoah Arts Council and the Executive Officer of the Creative Crafts Council. Jaimianne holds a Bachelor’s degree in Ceramics from Finlandia University and a Master’s degree in Curatorial Practice from the Maryland Institute College of Art.

Jen Ruppmann

Senior Project Manager of Handwork 2026

Jen Ruppmann is a television executive with extensive editorial oversight of award-winning primetime series and specials for PBS, including Mercy Street, Downton Abbey, Sherlock, Call the Midwife, the PBS Arts Fall Festivals, American Masters, I’ll Have What Phil’s Having, The Mind of a Chef, various BBC co-productions and many others. She has led cross-functional teams for large-scale projects from concept development through launch, was responsible for PBS’s first international drama acquisition, launched PBS’s first SVOD channel, and oversaw PBS’s portfolio of scripted programming. Ruppmann served as the Executive in Charge for two seasons of Craft in America, reigniting her passion for craft art.

Terry de Castro

Executive Assistant

Terry de Castro became involved with Craft in America in 2011 while working at Freehand Gallery, a retail store specializing in fine American craft. In 2012, she started curating a series of concerts at the Craft in America Center, which has hosted more than 60 concerts. A musician herself, she performed in and co-coordinated Craft in America’s 10th anniversary music festival at Olvera Street in Downtown LA in 2018. She has been with the organization since 2012 and took over the role of Executive Assistant in 2023.

Lauren Over

Office & Communications Coordinator

Lauren Over joined Craft in America as Office & Communications Coordinator in 2023. Originally from Pennsylvania, Lauren holds a BFA in Drawing & Painting from Tyler School of Art (Philadelphia, PA) and an MFA in Studio Art from CSU- Los Angeles. She also studied Art Education at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Over the years, she’s worked with several children’s libraries, schools and arts-focused nonprofits. In her free time, she continues to enjoy and create books, drawings & paintings, prints and calligraphy.

Victoria May

Center Coordinator

Victoria May has been the Craft in America Center Coordinator since mid 2022. Prior to that she was the Program Coordinator for the Cabrillo Gallery of Cabrillo College in Santa Cruz, where she also taught a wide range of studio art classes. She is also an exhibiting artist. She received a BA in Design from the University of California, Los Angeles and a MFA from San José State University. 

Sam Sermeno

Center Education & Library Coordinator

Sam Sermeno joined Craft In America in 2022 to lead its Education Programs. Shaped by a creative punk/grassroots background, they bring 10+ years in teaching, an MA in Libraries/Archives from the University of Washington (2017), programming-outreach, ceramics, and painting skills. In years past, Sam worked with youth and families across public libraries, schools/colleges, museums, and LGBTQIA+ youth music camps. In her free time, Sam likes to paint, read, learn new media/art skills, and nature walk.

Alejandro Nam

Web Manager

Alejandro Nam joined Craft in America in 2019 as the Web Manager/Developer and IT specialist. Originally from Sydney, Australia, he has over 20 years of experience in the Arts, Crafts, and Design industry. He earned his Industrial Design degree from the University of Technology Sydney, where he later taught Interactive Product and Furniture Design before moving to Los Angeles in 2016. With a strong background in design and technology, he plays a key role in managing Craft in America’s digital presence and IT infrastructure, supporting the organization’s mission.