Staff

Robyn Hollingshead

Co-Executive Director

Robyn Hollingshead, former Managing Program Director for the Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies, joined Craft in America after a career in nonprofit management and philanthropy. She brings a wealth of knowledge about traditional and folk arts to our organization, as well as an understanding of the workings of nonprofits, specifically in the arts and media. She has also served on the staffs of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Friends of Hospital Albert Schweitzer, Haiti (a Mellon family project), and the Joseph Drown Foundation. Her personal artistic interest is in painting, and she will continue her lifelong involvement in pursuing this medium. Robyn’s background in the arts, experience in philanthropy, and strong administrative skills will ensure that Craft in America’s mission is supported and carried out.

Ann Ruhr Pifer

Co-Executive Director

Ann Pifer came to Craft in America, where she has been the treasurer of the board for many years, from her position as Executive Director of AdoptAClassroom.org. There, she led a successful turnaround of the organization, more than tripling its revenues and its impact for teachers and students. Prior to her position at AdoptAClassroom.org, Ann had a 15-year career in corporate banking and then owned and operated The Grand Hand Gallery in St. Paul, Minnesota, representing craft artists from across the country. She has served on the boards of Craft Retailers and Artists for Tomorrow (CRAFT) and the Minnesota Museum of American Art.

Patricia Bischetti

Executive Producer & Director

Patricia Bischetti is Director and Executive Producer of Craft in America on PBS. She has been with the series since its inception in 2006 and supervised documentaries and feature films for PBS, Netflix, Prime, Discovery, TBS, TNT, TCM, CNN, American Experience, American Masters, Lifetime, Starz Encore and Showtime. Patricia has produced documentary films by Rory Kennedy including Oscar nominated Last Days in Vietnam, and Take Every Wave: The Life of Laird Hamilton featured at the Sundance Film Festival. PBS American Masters projects include Gene Kelly, Bob Newhart and George Cukor, Emmy Award winning Mel Brooks and Emmy nominated Cary Grant. Other documentary projects include Peabody Award winning Black Sky: The Race for Space, The World According to Sesame Street featured at the Sundance Film Festival, emmy nominated Dying to Tell the Story, The Warner Bros. Story, Extraordinary Moms with Julia Roberts, Tavis Smiley Reports and Code Black winner of the LA Film Festival. As Executive Producer at Big Buddha Baba Productions, Patricia produced interactive media and experience design projects and brought those skills to the design of the Craft in America website.

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.

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.

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. 

Magdalena Latorre

Education Coordinator

Magdalena Latorre is the Education Coordinator for Craft in America. She earned an Art History and Studio Art degree from Florida International University. With over 18 years as an art educator working across K-12 classrooms, museums, and community art programs, her pedagogical approach bridges traditional standards-based visual arts instruction with experiential, object-based learning, creating meaningful and accessible art experiences for diverse learners. Alongside her extensive background in curriculum design, community-based programming, and interdisciplinary projects, Magdalena is passionate about using art as a tool for self-expression, cultural connection, and social awareness. Magdalena’s teaching practice draws upon her own studio art practice, emphasizing creativity, reflection, and student voice, encouraging participants to see themselves as artists and storytellers within their communities.

Lauren Over

Communications Coordinator

Lauren Over joined Craft in America 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. She loves to create books, drawings & paintings, prints, and calligraphy.

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.

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.

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 possesses over two decades of experience in the Arts, Crafts, and Design industry. He holds a degree in Industrial Design from the University of Technology Sydney, where he subsequently taught Interactive Product and Furniture Design. In 2016, he relocated to Los Angeles CA. With a robust background in design and technology, he assumes a pivotal role in overseeing Craft in America’s digital presence and IT infrastructure in support of the organization’s mission.