Faculty

Alex Anderson's love of quilting all began in 1978 when she completed her Grandmother's Flower Garden Quilt as a part of her work towards her degree in Art from San Francisco State University. Alex is the author of thirty books in four languages selling over a million copies worldwide. She is a Co- Creator, with RNK Distributing's Ricky and Kay Brooks, of the Quilters Select brand.

Ricky Brooks is Innovator, Educator, Mentor, Motivator, and Co-Founder (with wife, Kay) of RNK Distributing.

Teresa Coenen has designed quilts and owned Stitchin' Tree since 2006. Known within the industry for reproducible patterns that tell a story, both Christian and fictional, Teresa has developed a strength in email/social media marketing that has successfully led to online classes and sales.

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Jacob Curtis is the Quilt Shop's Accountant and knows that companies thrive when they manage their cash effectively. Jacob is a Certified Public Accountant and a Certified Profit First Professional. He is the co-owner of Utah Valley Quilting and the founder of Curtis Accounting Solutions with nearly a decade of experience in the quilting industry. Jacob is passionate about educating quilt shop owners about business and personal finances. In his free time, Jacob loves the outdoors and a good book.

Paul Erickson presently serves as Director of Sales with Management One Inc. Based out of Minneapolis, Minnesota, he has served retail clients throughout the United States, Canada, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Widely recognized for his talents as a retail educator, Paul has conducted seminars and workshops to retail trade shows and conferences throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. He has been featured in Fortune Magazine, Women's Wear Daily, MR Magazine, and on the CBS Evening News. Paul received a BS in Marketing from the University of Wisconsin and has completed a number of graduate level courses in Data Analysis and Statistical Theory and Probability.

Judy is a professional educator for sewing, embroidery, quilting, and crafting. Judy’s teaching style takes new technologies and inspires students of all levels to find unique creativity. Judy has more than 30 years of experience. As a former corporate educator, event coordinator, retail store manager, and a small business owner, Judy has a well-rounded understanding of the sewing industry. Judy’s passion for all things sewing started in southern California in 1961 when her Grandmother gave Judy her first sewing machine. More than 50 years later, Judy thrives on sharing the sewing bug at locations across the U.S.! Judy brings inspiration, passion, and an absorbable teaching style to her students.

Rachel Goodlad is an e-commerce speaker, consultant, and coach who focuses primarily on the Amazon marketplace. She started her Amazon business with $100 and now sells over seven figures annually on that platform alone. She is also a Postmark consultant and Facebook expert. Rachel owns a retail store just outside Houston and also manages the e-commerce site Velvet Tomato with her mom.

RaNae Merrill is an award-winning quilter, author, and teacher. She is known for the unique spiral quilt technique in her books Simply Amazing Spiral Quilts and Magnificent Spiral Mandala Quilts. RaNae believes that anyone can learn how to free-motion quilt and her newest book, Free-Motion Mastery in a Month applies her skills as a concert pianist to the process of learning free-motion quilting through body mechanics (learning how to move). RaNae Merrill lives in New York City (when she’s not on the road teaching quilting).

With a creative mind and a background in sales and marketing, Carolina Moore loves finding fun ways to capture a quilter's attention and turn them into lifelong customers. She has experience working in quilt shops and is a blogger, YouTuber, pattern writer, and notion inventor. She is an admin for the "Quilt Pattern Designers" Facebook group, as well as her own consumer-facing group. After nearly a decade in the industry, Carolina went back to school for her MBA and combines traditional business logic, industry experience, and her love for the quilting consumer.

Bob Negen founded the Mackinaw Kite Co., a small chain of specialty toy and kite stores, when he was only 23 years old. He spent twenty years learning how to be a successful merchant and in 1999 he and his wife Susan founded WhizBang! Retail Training to help independent retailers thrive in today's super-competitive market. He is known for not only his innovative, retail specific marketing strategies, but for being a dynamic, enthusiastic, and engaging speaker. He has helped thousands of independent store owners have more fun, run better businesses, and make more money.

Sean Roylance is the CEO of Rain Retail Software. Previously, he was the VP of Marketing at Infiniti Corporation after working as the VP of Development at Podango. Sean has a degree in Computer Science from BYU, 20 years of internet development experience, and over 15 years of internet marketing experience. To date, Sean has worked with over 2,600 businesses to help them improve their online presence and performance. Rain Retail Software specializes in providing a seamless marketing, point of sale, and website system for specialty retailers.

Terri Sontra is the Head Moose at Purple Moose Designs. She has been a quilting professional for over 20 years. Pattern designer, instructor, retreat hostess, retail sales and fabric sales rep. She's done and seen a lot. Terri loves to share her experiences with other Quilt Pro's with the hopes that they can learn from her mistakes and emulate her successes. Her specialty is sharing with humor..." Just 'cause we're learning doesn't mean we can't have some fun!"