Speakers & Instructors

Mariam Naficy

Founder & Executive Chairman, Minted

Mariam Naficy is a serial entrepreneur who founded Minted in 2007 with the goal of creating a brand that would stay fresh forever. As a pioneer of the creator economy, Mariam created a community of independent artists and designers and a ‘crowdsourcing’ process that includes design competitions to consistently discover the best designers and the hottest trends. Mariam has immersed herself in Minted’s talented community of independent artists, who inspire her every day. She has pioneered consumer Internet models since 1998, when she co-founded the first online cosmetics retailer, Eve.com, which was sold for over $100 million. Mariam is also the Founder and Managing Partner of Heretic Ventures. She sits on the Board of Every Mother Counts, Medium, Victoria’s Secret, and Minted, and is a member of the Stanford Graduate School of Business Advisory Council.

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Patrick Priore

VP, Merchandising, Minted

As Vice President, Merchandising, Patrick oversees all aspects of the merchandising process including product development, merchandise operations, product design and merchandising assortments sourced from our amazing community of artists. Patrick has spent his career as a merchandising leader with leading brands including Gap, Inc., West Elm, Anthropologie, and Calvin Klein. Most recently, as head of product and design at Paper Source, he was responsible for evolving the brand to new heights of success. Patrick received a BA in English from the University of Illinois.

Collin Samples

Senior Director, Brand Marketing, Minted

As Senior Director of Brand Marketing, Collin leads brand positioning, content strategy, and campaign marketing, shaping end-to-end consumer experiences across the business. Prior to this role, Collin spent his career at Nike and in the creative agency world, working across brand strategy, editorial, creative, experiential, and digital. His experience includes leading global brand launches, retail activations, and large-scale content initiatives across film, photography, and audio. He received a BS from the University of Oregon.

Brian Farchione

Director, Business Operations (Seasonal Moments), Minted

Brian leads the seasonal categories at Minted including Holiday, Graduation, and Valentine's Day. Prior to that, he worked on the Art category. He focuses his efforts on driving sales growth, improving product quality, and maximizing customer satisfaction. Prior to joining Minted, Brian worked at Anheuser-Busch InBev in various roles including developing the sales strategy for their portfolio of hard seltzers, ready-to-drink cocktails, and other non-beer beverages. Brian received a BS in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania.

Christine Morford

General Manager, Minted

Agnes Pierscieniak | Crave Workshops

Artist, Designer, & Educator

Agnes is an artist, educator, and creative wellness facilitator based in Napa, California, who focuses on process-based, meditative acts of making.

Agnes holds an MFA from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) and has taught art and design at USC, RISD, and Otis College. She brings over 20 years of experience as a Creative Director leading brand, environmental design, and strategic creative initiatives across a wide range of industries.

In 2017, Agnes founded Crave Workshops to help people slow down, reconnect, and rediscover creativity as a tool for mindfulness and human connection. Since then, she has led over 350 transformative experiences for more than 6,000 participants across all 50 states and 31+ countries. Agnes creates art experiences designed to foster well-being.

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Kristen Smith

Artist, Graphic Designer, & Letterer

Kristen Smith is a graphic designer and hand lettering artist residing in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband Jon-Michael, and 2 adorable kiddos, Sebastian (4) and Juniper (1). After receiving a BFA in Graphic Design from the University of Georgia, she worked hard to establish a freelance career and officially launched her own company in 2010.

She has a passion for fresh, beautiful design, often incorporating organic elements like watercolor textures and calligraphy into her work. When she is not designing or sketching, you can find her in the garden or snuggling a cat!

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Paula Pecevich | La Bella Rue

Graphic Designer & Illustrator

Her love of art began at an early age, from creating handmade cards as a child to studying Design and Illustration at the Massachusetts College of Art. She earned a BFA in Graphic Design in 1997 and went on to work across the graphic design field before launching La Bella Rue in 2006 to reconnect with her fine art roots. Since then, her work has expanded through platforms like Minted, Creative Market, and Zazzle, where she became part of the design community after winning her first challenge. La Bella Rue reflects her passion for typography, paper, color, and the joy of creating every day.

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Destinee Roschli | Corduroy Effect

Minted Marketplace Artist, Yoga Instructor, & Entrepreneur

Destinee Roschli is a registered yoga teacher who loves guiding slower-paced classes that weave gentle flows with grounding moments of stillness. Destinee began her yoga journey in 2011 and currently leads studio classes and private sessions. Destinee loves that yoga feels like her mental reset button, keeping her grounded and helping improve her mental clarity while strengthening her body. An avid traveler, Destinee loves attending and teaching yoga classes in new locations, but she is partial to an ocean view while she flows! Off the mat, you’ll find her working on her creative businesses or listening to a podcast or audiobook while working on her latest DIY project.

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Melissa Kim

Co-Founder & CEO, Minted

As a co-founder, Melissa has played a range of roles (including box packer during the holiday rush). Before assuming the CEO role, Melissa was responsible for go-to-market functions, including marketing, merchandising, product management, engineering, and category management. She has also led our supporting infrastructure, including finance, strategy, operations, people, and legal. Melissa previously worked in eBay's Corporate Strategy group and at The Boston Consulting Group. She received her BBA from the University of Michigan and her MBA from Stanford, where she graduated as an Arjay Miller Scholar.

Website

Brady Wood

Chief Partner & People Officer, Minted

Brady leads Artist Relations, wholesale, licensing, and our people team, working to develop talent inside and outside of the company and build distribution for our artists’ work. Brady built his first online community in 1996 and taught a course about online communities at Duke University. Prior to Minted, he co-founded Shmoop, an educational website used by tens of millions of teachers and students. Previously, he worked in marketing at Yahoo and founded its LGBTQ employees group. Brady earned a BA, cum laude, from Duke and an MBA from Stanford.

Sarah DeThomasis

Senior Director, Social Media & Mktg Partners, Minted

Jayne Stein

Director, Merchandising Operations, Minted

Jayne is the Director of Merchandising Operations at Minted, which means her team is responsible for turning artists’ beautiful designs into shoppable products on site. Jayne has over a decade of experience managing people, logistics, and operations, but in a past life was a nonprofit storyteller and received bachelor’s degree in English Literature.

Natalie Yates

Senior Manager, Merchandising, Minted

Natalie Yates joined Minted in 2021 and leads merchandising for the Holiday category. Natalie was born and raised in the Bay Area and received her BA in Rhetoric from the University of California, Berkeley.

Emily Mikaere | Inkblot Design

Illustrator & Graphic Designer

Emily Mikaere is the graphic designer and illustrator behind Inkblot Design. A large part of her creative process is exploration and experimentation resulting in artwork that is clever, bold and always playful.

With a design education background rooted in typography, Emily also loves to incorporate her unique hand lettering style into her pieces. Emily is originally from Wisconsin but now lives in Coromandel, New Zealand with her husband and 3 kids.

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Clàudia Orengo | Heartmade

Graphic Designer & Watercolor Artist

Clàudia Orengo is a watercolor artist, graphic designer, and entrepreneur from Barcelona, Spain. She runs Heartmade.es, where she teaches creatives how to monetize their art, often through digital products. Claudia’s own designs - known for their colorful, hand-drawn botanical and floral watercolor style - are sold on platforms including Creative Market, Amazon, Zazzle, Spoonflower, and Minted, where her wedding invitations and stationery have been featured in collections for major retailers like Target. 

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Alicia Schultz | Vine & Thistle

Hand letterer, Illustrator, Designer, & Muralist

Alicia Schultz is an artist and the creator of Vine & Thistle, specializing in hand lettering, illustration, stationery design, and murals. Based in Portland, Oregon, her work spans botanical art, patterns, and illustrations for murals, stationery, home decor, and art prints. Alicia has partnered with brands including Minted, Mpix, Google, Hallmark, Postable, Allport Editions, Felt, Roost Books, and the Portland Street Art Alliance to bring her art into everyday spaces.

Her work is rooted in capturing the joy found in small, everyday moments, often featuring unique color combinations and embracing the beauty of hand-drawn imperfections. Inspired by botanicals and the life cycle of flowers and plants, Alicia brings warmth and thoughtfulness to everything she creates. A self-taught artist, she has spent years building a career around her craft and values connection deeply - sharing her work through stationery, murals, learning alongside other artists, and participating in creative communities both locally and globally.

When she’s not making art, she enjoys spontaneous adventures with her husband, two daughters, and pup, Lazo.

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Jayne Alfieri

Graphic Designer & Illustrator

Jayne Alfieri is a Minted artist, graphic designer, and art director. She holds a BFA in Graphic Design from Ringling College of Art and Design and has worked on national and international accounts including Coca-Cola, Nokia, Publix, Carrabba’s, The Dalí Museum, and The Florida Aquarium.

Inspired by her personal connection to adoption, Jayne co-created and illustrated the first greeting card line dedicated to the adoption journey. The collection’s impact reached a national audience, leading to features on Good Morning America, Today.com, and Brit + Co. In 2022, the card How To Wait was named a Louie Award Finalist. Her work has also been recognized by the American Advertising Federation, published in Graphis International, and featured in Adweek.

Jayne began creating art for Minted in 2021 and is proud to license her meditative artwork, designed to bring a sense of calm, with Minted, West Elm, and Pottery Barn Kids. Her art titled Rolling Waves is one of her best-selling prints. She is delighted her art can bring a sense of calm and connection to people around the world. When not creating, Jayne can be found with her husband and two children, gathering inspiration from the sun and sea in Tampa, Florida.

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KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Dana Tanamachi

Graphic Designer, Illustrator, & Muralist

Dana Tanamachi is a graphic designer, illustrator, and muralist in New York City. Her vibrant, lush, and symbolically rich artwork brings life and energy to any surface—from pint-sized postage stamps to immersive murals.

After working under design legend Louise Fili, Dana founded her eponymous design practice, Tanamachi Studio, where she has created custom typography, illustrations, and large-scale installations for brands such as Target, Nike, Starbucks, USPS, Penguin Books, Uniqlo, Instagram, the Obama Foundation, and West Elm. Her work has been featured on the covers of TIME and O, The Oprah Magazine.

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Sarah Veit Wallis

Chief Operations Officer, Minted

Sarah leads Supply Chain, Customer Operations, IT, Legal, and large strategic projects at Minted. Prior to joining Minted, Sarah has spent her career at well known brands and retailers from very small to very large, including Gymboree, Bare Escentuals, lululemon, Indochino, Walmart, and Athleta. Most recently, she led ecommerce for the Gap brand Old Navy. Throughout her career, she has been particularly focused on driving growth and delivering P&L improvements in ecommerce businesses. Sarah received a BA in Quantitative Economics from Stanford University and a MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Becca Wolinsky

Senior Director, Merchandising, Minted

As the Senior Director of Merchandising, Becca leads the merchandising team at Minted. Becca joined Minted in 2020 after earning her MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business, and currently leads the Merchandising team, focusing her time on long term merchandising strategy, day to day operations of the team, and the Wedding category.

Erica Meehan

Director, Marketplace Business Operations, Minted

ADOBE SPEAKER: Kerensa Hogan

Principal Manager, Product Marketing, Adobe

ADOBE SPEAKER: Chantel benson

Director, Product Management, Adobe

Erika Firm

Artist, Designer, & Brand Builder

Erika is an artist, designer, brand builder, magazine hoarder and kitty squisher. She prefers messy analog media over digital and more often than not has paint in her hair. She loves the color green, perfectly imperfect stripes, and chocolate sandwiches. Erika lives in a 4-generation bilingual household on Johns Island, South Carolina, where oak trees dripping with Spanish Moss, Lowcountry salt marshes, and every shade of green Mama Nature has to offer inspire her work. Moving more than ten times before graduating high school taught her the power of snail mail, and she has been designing stationery with an “e” since her first move back in the 1980s.

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Julia Starr | Starr Art Co

Illustrator & Writer

Julia Starr is an illustrator, Minted artist, and writer based in Evansville, Indiana. Her work is rooted in a deep love of storytelling and visual narrative—an interest sparked early by her favorite childhood book, Linnea in Monet’s Garden. Its gentle storytelling and luminous watercolor illustrations shaped her lifelong belief that the right story at the right moment can plant seeds that bloom throughout a reader’s life.

Raised in a home filled with art supplies thanks to her art teacher mother, Julia naturally gravitated toward illustration and visual storytelling. She refined her craft at Indiana University Bloomington, where she earned a B.S. in Studio Art with a minor in Art History. Today, Julia remains actively engaged in her creative community and is a member of the Arts Council of Southwestern Indiana and the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.

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Maja cunningham

Artist & Designer

Art has always been a part of Maja's life’s journey. As a child running alongside a crafty grandmother, later as a double major in art and architecture, and then spilling into motherhood. Minted became a catalyst in her life that transformed a hobby into a passion and a career.

Print making, whether it’s linocuts, wood block, or potato stamps, has been a constant source of artistic expression. Print making lends itself to capturing the essence of the moment or an object in most minimal form, whereas painting allows her to be more bold and gestural. Her surroundings, nature, travels, and objects that she holds dear have always been her primary inspiration sources.

Texas has been her home for 24 years. After many tumultuous years of refugee life, coming here was like coming home. She has felt welcome from the moment she arrived and she still feels that way.

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Jen Pace Duran | Pace Creative Studio

Designer, Illustrator, & Artist

Jen Pace Duran is the multi-passionate creative—aka the designer, illustrator, and artist behind Pace Creative Design Studio. With 17 years of experience, she specializes in brand design and illustration, creating thoughtfully hand-crafted logos, whimsical florals, charming children’s illustrations, and bold graphic patterns. She collaborates with passion-driven and purpose-led brands, including creatives, interior designers, dentists, non-profits, entrepreneurs, and small businesses, to bring their visions to life through intentional, impactful design.

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