Geraldine Plato
Executive Director • HandMade in America
As Executive Director for HandMade in America, Geraldine oversees operations and programs that involve our 3,000 citizens and 20 regional partnerships and serves as a consultant for cultural and economic development projects related to crafts.

Jenny Moore
Associate Director • HandMade in America
As Associate Director, Jenny is working with the Development Committee to implement a five-year plan to diversify HandMade’s contributed income. She is also the project manager for the Craft in the Building Industry Initiative.

Prior to HandMade Jenny was the Executive Director of Green Hill Center for North Carolina Art for 13 years, where she managed a budget of $750,000, a full-time staff of six and a part-time staff of nine. Jenny was responsible for fundraising, grants management, cultivation of corporate and individual donors and strategic direction of the organization.

MA Art History, UNC Chapel Hill
BA Art Education, UNC Chapel Hill

Norma Bradley
Director of Education • HandMade in America
As Director of Education Norma oversees and coordinates the Craft Across The Curriculum initiative to integrate the arts into school curriculum, utilizing craft and art as a means of learning. She oversees and coordinates the exhibit at the North Carolina I-26 Visitors Center.

Prior to Handmade, Norma traveled throughout the Southeast as an artist educator for over twenty-five years doing art residencies at schools, hospitals and rehabilitation centers. Her Earth Quilt Project has been nationally and internationally recognized. Norma was selected to be on the North Carolina Visiting Artist Program with a two-year residency at Pamilico Community College. She taught creativity workshops and Interior Design at Asheville Buncombe Community College, Blue Ridge College and UNC Asheville and led educational tours at galleries and museums in NYC.

B.A. Empire State College, N.Y.C
M.A. Expressive Arts/Psychology, Vermont College
Graduate Studies in American Art History and Sculpture, Hunter College, NYC

Betty Hurst
Director of Rural Entrepreneruship • HandMade in America
More than twenty-five years experience in a variety of nonprofit organizations involved in grassroots economic development.

As Director of Development for HandMade in America, Inc., secures funds for operations and programs through grant writing, donor campaigns, research, and earned income projects.

Prior to HandMade, she was most recently the founder and coordinator of Applemade, a nationally recognized access-to-market program of People Inc. of Southwest Virginia, a community action agency. She helped develop and manage Omni Visions Inc. in the Tri-Cities, Mountain Seams in Erwin, TN, Dunn Diversified Industries in Kingston, TN, and Rainbow Homes in Johnson City, TN.

B.A. UT- Knoxville, TN
Graduate work in sociology at UNC-Chapel Hill, NC

Donna Abranches
Director of Operations • HandMade in America
As Director of Operations for HandMade in America, Inc. Donna's responsibilities include overall office management, personnel, payroll, budget, financials, grant packaging and financial reporting, project and database management, web site maintenance, etc.

Prior to HandMade Donna worked as Sales Support Manager for Union Butterfield Corporation.

BS in Business Administration, Montreat College, Montreat, NC

Megan Williams
Administrative Assistant • HandMade in America
As Administrative Assistant for HandMade in America, Inc., Megan oversees the online Craft Registry and Craft Across Curriculum Lesson Plans, and coordinates various newsletters and databases.

Prior to HandMade, Megan worked with Appalachian Sustainable Development in Abingdon, Virginia where she promoted sustainable forestry and local, organic farming. In Asheville, Megan worked with the founding team of the local green building store, Build It Naturally, where she promoted sustainability within architectural and building fields. Megan is an active volunteer with the Asheville Design Center and is also working on a graduate program in Sustainable Design through Boston Architectural College.

David Quinn
Small Towns Program Coordinator • HandMade in America
As Small Towns Program Coordinator, Quinn manages the operations of the 12 towns participating in the program. He assists the communities with work planning, grant management and technical assistance with organization, design, promotion and economic development.

Prior to HandMade, Quinn was a Senior Planner with the NC Department of Commerce, Division of Community Assistance for 30 years, working with small towns and counties throughout western North Carolina. Working as an urban planner, he focused on ordinance development and downtown revitalization throughout the region.

BA degree in Geography, UNC-Chapel Hill
Graduate work in City Planning, Georgia Tech

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Janiece Meek
Development Director • HandMade in America
As Janiece attended Agnes Scott College, a liberal arts women’s college in Decatur, Georgia, which encourages women to “think deeply, live honorably and engage the intellectual and social challenges of their times.” That’s where she earned a degree in art, and it’s where she began to thinking about her life in terms of creative opportunities and challenges.

Her relationship with HandMade in America began when she wrote the introduction for HandMade’s Architectural Elements Sourcebook. She subsequently became Communications Director, and is now Development Director for HandMade. ;