Meet the Team

We are The Works, and we believe that learning should be a fun, inspiring, and enriching experience! Our small business offers a wide range of classes in crafting, food, and botanicals for adults to unwind, connect with others, and explore their creativity.

Whether you come alone or with friends, you'll find a welcoming and inclusive community of learners who are all excited to explore their passions.

Kellie Phelan (she/her)

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!

Kia Zuend (she/her)

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 Rodgers (she/her)

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!

BRYNNE BURKHALTER (She/Her)

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!

Daniela Bragato (She/her)

Born and bred in Milan, Italy, Daniela left her hometown to get a degree in Creative and Professional Writing in London. She worked in the communications and digital marketing world for seven years before hitting burnout and changing career direction. She then became a trauma-informed mindfulness teacher and hypnotherapist and set up her own business. After living in London for 12 years, she moved to Seattle with her husband and her cat Coconut and landed a job at The Works. At the Works Daniela helps cultivate a friendly and non-judgemental space where people can come together to create, express themselves, have fun and be inspired. In her free time, she loves going for runs, drinking matcha and spending time by the sea. Her biggest dream is to publish the novel she's written.

Jennifer Bowker She/her

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.

Marisha Medrano (she/they)

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!

Melanie McGuire (she/they)

Creative, crafty and curious have been constants in Melanie’s world. Despite the many stops on their journey, the PNW is where Melanie feels most at home. Melanie has “collected” many arts and craft skills along her path and loves to teach and share them with others. They spent a lifetime in a corporate career teaching others until the time came to realign priorities and begin again on a new path. As a child Melanie was always confused by the limited representation of beauty reflected in the mainstream world around them, so she began filling the void with their art. You can find some of their art out in the world, often depicting the joy of diverse bodies without shame or desire to be anything but themselves…beautiful! Melanie believes art and community have power to connect and inspire in ways words can’t. Melanie is delighted to be able to teach and share craft with others at the works and hopes that they will be able to meet you in class!