For over 20 years, Carol has been a national presenter, lecturer, and author. She has conducted hundreds of workshops and training events about the power of storytelling. She has been living the power of story her entire life; as the daughter of an avid genealogist Carol learned first-hand the importance of bringing our heritage to life through storytelling. Carol is the founder and CEO of Story@Home. She currently serves as President of a storytelling and family history publisher, Cherish|Bound. She has served as Outreach Executive Director for Timpanogos Storytelling Institute and Finance Chair of the National Storytelling Network. Everyone has a story—Carol’s mission is to help you tell yours. Find her on facebook, follow her on Twitter: @carolrice or email: carol@cherishbound.com
Steve Anderson
Steve works FamilySearch is the largest genealogy organization in the world and is sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Steve interacts with people around the world and enjoys the opportunity to help others connect with their family. His professional experience includes 20 years of strategic business development. Steve and his wife Marisa live in Highland, Utah and are the parents of two wonderful children.
Karen Ashton
Karen worked as a full-time homemaker, and as her children grew, she developed a tremendous love for gardens and children’s education. Karen shared her love of gardens in a major way when she and her husband founded Thanksgiving Point in Lehi, Utah, a 52-acre garden for families. Karen serves as a Young Women general board member and has served as a mission president’s wife in the Toronto Canada Mission and on the Primary general board for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Karen is a lover of the arts and a good story is the founder of the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival.
Kim Weitkamp
Kim’s stories and songs are the life fruit of growing up free range. In her work as a humorist, storyteller, singer and songwriter, she has taken home many awards. She also worked on and created successful peace projects including the Peace by Piece Project which was collaboration with the Taubman Museum of Fine Arts. She is the founder of The Wrinkles Project and has a book in the Back to the Front Porch Series by Cherish Bound. Her material has been played on NPR affiliate stations as well as Sirius Radio. She has made numerous television appearances, co-hosted a successful morning show for the PAR Radio Network, and has keynoted for some of Forbes most recognized companies.
Syd Lieberman
Syd is an internationally acclaimed storyteller, an award-winning teacher, and an author. He has appeared at major storytelling festivals across the country, including eight featured appearances at the National Festival in Jonesborough, TN; at the Glistening Waters Storytelling Festival in New Zealand; and on American Public Radio’s “Good Evening” as a guest storyteller and host. The Kennedy Center has invited him to Washington to teach in its professional development program for educators He also co-directed an annual institute at the Chicago History Museum, helping teachers use storytelling to teach Mexican history and culture. Syd was one of eight storytellers sent by the National Storytelling Network to work with Disney World’s writers and directors.
Kristine McKay
Kristine is the founder, spokesperson and director of the wildly successful My Craft Channel website, where her videos with the top manufacturers, retailers, designers and bloggers of the craft world share their expertise and inspiration. Crafting has been an important part of her life for many years and is how she shares her story. Always creative, yet Kristine never considered herself “crafty” until one day (many years ago), when her husband was in law school, a one year old, and another baby on the way. With no time or money, she remembers feeling trapped within the four walls of her home. One day she discovered an old shelf. She decided to try and paint it to match her living room. When it was completed she found herself smiling every single time she looked at the wall. Suddenly it dawned on her . . . “I did NOT live in a prison with four walls. I was surrounded by a blank canvas just waiting to be discovered. My life changed that day. Crafting is a personal expression of creativity. It has filled my life with so much joy, it’s my mission to share that with others.”
Jyl Pattee
Jyl is the founder of Mom It Forward, an influential online community of women. She is also the co-founder of the popular Girls Night Out (#gno) Twitter parties and co-founder and organizer of the EVO conferences. Through her Mom It Forward company, Jyl provides unique media opportunities to companies and organizations that want to reach influential moms online. She also consults regularly about using social media to extend brand reach to moms and women. Offline, Jyl is married to @TroyPattee; a mom to two boys; loves large amounts of cheese, dancing, and traveling.
Hunter Sebresos
Hunter is the Marketing Creative Director at Deseret Book Publishing, where he has been engaged in storytelling with everything from TV commercials to transmedia web series. As an Art Director at advertising agencies, he has produced several award–winning campaigns on the regional and national level. Hunter is an MFA graduate from the Media Design program at Art Center College of Design—one of the nation’s top programs emphasizing design within new media.
Nicole Carpenter
Nicole is the founder of MOMenity.com, an online community for mothers who embrace their dreams and cherish their family. She is a communication consultant, blogger and columnist for Motherhood Matters at KSL.com and Mia Magazine. Her book “Everything Cherished: Appreciating Everyday Parenting Moments” will be released in the fall of 2012. Nicole and her husband are raising 4 wonderful children, all of whom fill her life full of stories.
Ken and Katie Craig
Ken and Katie met and married while in a comedy performing group in college, they are adept at approaching all aspects of life with a keen sense of humor. They are popular speakers at church and community events, as well as comedic and technical writers. They have recently relocated from Las Vegas to Utah Valley. Katie teaches their children at home, has taught Shakespeare and other topics in the community and church, and is a doula. Ken is a former bishop, an international salesman, and was a 2012 Story@Home presenter. He is a contributor to the book, “Tell Me Who I Am”, a collection of essays by LDS writers, and currently writes for the blog Part-Time Authors. His personal blog is thecraigreport.blogspot.com.
Taralyn Clark
Taralyn has spent most of her professional life working with at-risk children, teens, and families. She was reared in a home where story was used to help the family adapt to new and trying situations in family life. Taralyn has dedicated her life to strengthening homes and families by helping others to create powerful healing memories and remember the power of their own stories. She is a teacher, published author, blogger and website editor (strongerfamiliesnow.org).
Teresa Clark
Teresa Clark is a national award-winning storyteller, historian, and author. She is best known for her original works and recollections of life’s experiences blended with history. Teresa has presented and performed throughout the United States. Of her it has been said, “Charming, witty, soulful, and wise, her performances are filled with a compelling sense of wonder and an irresistible zest for life.” Her story work involves performance, education, production, and advocacy. From the main stage to individual consultations in living rooms across America, she delights in the excavation and sharing of family story. You can find Teresa on the web at teresaclark.blogspot.com.
Jean-François de Buren
Designer, writer, historian, and aspiring filmmaker, Jean-François has been passionate about his family history for as long as he can remember. Over the past 10 years he has actively worked on the story of his Swiss, Argentine & American roots. He is an Associate Director of Market Development for KPMG, on the Executive Board of the Swiss Center of North America in New Glarus, Wisconsin as well as on the advisory board for the Museum of the Swiss Abroad, in Geneva. Jean-François grew up in Northern California and is the father of two amazing girls.
Jenny Eckton
Jenny Eckton was born and raised in New York, and at age 19 moved to Utah to be in a band with some friends. She’s been blogging since 2005 at formerlyphread.com, and has enjoyed guest-blogging on other sites, as well as presenting at conferences, including BlogHer (2011), Story@Home (2012), and evo (2012). Jenny is honored to have been one of 31 bloggers chosen to participate in the United Nations Foundation’s Shot@Life Campaign’s blog relay (#Blogust) which was able to raise over $200,000 for life-saving vaccines for over 10,000 children all over the world. In October, 2012, Jenny traveled to Uganda as a Shot@Life Delegate and was able to see the results of those fundraising efforts as children and families received the vaccines and health care they so desperately need. Jenny and her husband Darin have been married for over 15 years, live in Provo, Utah, and have six children (5 Alive, 1 in Heaven). Jenny enjoys music, triathlons, Zumba, and traveling. You can follow Jenny on Twitter and Instagram @formerlyphread.
Valerie Elkins
Valerie is the CEO and founder of Advantage Genealogy and serves on the Board of Directors for both Story@Home and for the Utah Genealogical Association. She utilizes her experience to blend research and technology with the art of storytelling, to help make the past come alive. Valerie believes that every family has an amazing family history, full of stories of love and loss, guts and glory, victory and defeat…along with a few skeletons in the closet. Finding those stories and learning to dance with them is her passion. Valerie is a Pinterest “pinja” and a blogger at Family Cherished. You can find Valerie on Twitter @elkinsvalerie.
Tauni Everett
Tauni is a former public relations executive, and has spent the last 12 years handling communications and events for an array of clients from the NBA and Olympics to corporate clients and politicians. Today she handles social media for a local agency and speaks to corporate groups on integrating social media into their traditional messaging and spending time with her family. She blogs at SNAP and organizes an annual conference for professional bloggers.
FamilySearch – Chris McAfee
Christopher McAfee received a BFA in printmaking in 1993 from Brigham Young University where he began learning to bind books. He went on in 1995 to receive an MFA in bookbinding from the University of Alabama where he began learning book conservation. He has since worked for both Brigham Young University and the LDS Church History Department conserving and preserving books, documents, photos, etc. Christopher is currently the Senior Conservator for the Church History Department.
Shantel Bancroft Gardner
Shantel lives in Minnesota with her husband Joel and their five children. After her first priority as wife and mother, Shantel is a senior in the honors program at the University of Minnesota-majoring in US History and Religious Studies, with a minor in Jewish Studies. She works as a research historian for the University of Minnesota and also for the Minnesota Historical Society. She serves on the Board for the Joseph Smith Jr. and Emma Hale Smith Historical Society, and travels to Universities and Historical sites all over the United States to speak about Emma, and the personal Life of Joseph Smith. She also considers chocolate necessary to her salvation, and partakes as often as she can.
Mike Hall
Mike has worked in the Family History Department for the past twenty-five years and is currently the Deputy Chief Genealogical Officer working with Libraries and Genealogical Societies worldwide. He chaired and serves on various genealogical and library association committees. Mike has written various genealogical guides for the Family History Library (FHL). He and his wife have four married children, and several grandchildren. Mike is a United States Marine (Once a Marine, always a Marine!).
DeNae Handy
DeNae Handy is an avid writer, blogger, storyteller, and editor, and is a columnist for Meridian Magazine. Her most recent book, “Tell Me Who I Am,” is a collection of essays and poems by sixteen LDS writers, each with a different story to tell. She is a popular speaker at conferences throughout the country, where she enjoys helping participants become better, more effective writers. DeNae passionately believes that everyone has a story to tell, and she teaches her audiences about the Hero’s Journey, writer’s voice, and the joy of bringing even the simplest stories to life. Her own stories, told with unflinching honesty and off-beat humor, can be found on her blog, My Real Life Was Backordered.
Stephanie left the corporate world to focus on her true love, chauffeuring (also known as raising two teenagers). Currently she is the Online Community Manger for two national magazines and handles social media for a DIY/craft conference…not to mention committing egregious grammar and spelling errors for the world to see on www.TheDailyBlarg.com. Her spare time is spent reading, cooking, eating, blogging, tweeting, watching trashy reality TV, and cuddling up in her Snuggie while riding her unicorn. She does all this while raising two growing teenagers, a Papillon, and a chinchilla with her husband Brian.
Emily Hill
Emily is a wife, mother, entrepreneur and writer. When she’s not driving carpool, cleaning crayon off the walls, scraping dried macaroni off the floor or hiding in her closet, she enjoys entertaining readers with her random ramblings on her blog isthisREALLYmylife.com. She is the co-owner and managing editor of SassyScoops.com. In her spare time she is a freelance copywriter and copyeditor composing press releases, copyediting email campaigns and writing articles for. Diet Coke and chocolate make it all possible.
Veronica Johnson
At Veronica’s house she is the wife, mom, Virtual Assistant and blogger. Behind closed doors she is a container-aholic and has a severe office supply addiction. Most wives love to receive flowers, but her husband knows the way to her heart is with paperclips and file folders. Married to an insightful, hilarious, hardworking man, she is the mom of 5 great kids. Veronica spends any and all free time nagging said children – and sometimes the husband – and chauffeuring kids. She recently joined the KSL, Studio 5 team as a contributor. Her segments focus on family friendly activities in Utah. As parents she believes we can wait for great memories to happen, or we can go out and create them with our kids! She blogs at welcometomychaos.com & localcommunityhotspots.com.
Carrie Keele
Carrie is the author of the popular blog, Not Your Mother’s Genealogy. Despite being the daughter of the legendary genealogist blogger “DearMyrtle“, Carrie swore she would never do genealogy…well, never say never. Carrie’s background informs her interest of all things technical – whether it is blogging, photography, webinars or social media. With 2 children of her own now, Carrie feels the desire to continue the legacy and seeks to bridge the generation gap to preserve her family heritage.
Shantel Park
Shantel’s love of story began in her childhood with fairy tales. As a wife of 13 years and mother of 4, she gets a daily sampling of the many genre’s of story, including (but not at all limited to) – humor, alternate history, dramatic interpretations, tall tales, tragedy, and a smattering of anecdotes based on true stories. A sometimes blogger, a frequent do-it-yourselfer, and always fond of Cadbury Mini Eggs, Shantel can be found, most days, going 5 different directions, but usually ending up in her favorite place – at home.
Clay Rice
Storyteller and songwriter and heralded as one of the finest silhouette artists in the country, Clay Rice has applied his craft to his two picture books, the award-winning “The Lonely Shadow” and “Mama, Let’s Make a Moon”. Each year, Rice cuts more than 10,000 silhouettes from live sittings and in his studio in Charleston, South Carolina, and estimates that over his thirty-year career has cut close to one million silhouettes. Pat Conroy refers to Rice as a “great talent with soul and passion”.
Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins is the founder and president of Familius, a publishing company focused on helping families be happy. He has lectured throughout the country on book publishing and sits on the board of directors of the Independent Book Publishers Association. He is married and is the father of nine children and is the author of “Living in the Trenches: Successful Family Strategies from a Father of Nine (yes, nine!)”.
Stephanie Sorensen
Stephanie is a mom who likes to play with her family and study and write about her faith. She writes a blog on motherhood called Diapers and Divinity, and recently published her first book, “Covenant Motherhood”. She is a part-time faculty member at BYU in the department of Church History and Doctrine, and teaches classes at EFY- Especially for Youth. She loves naps and restaurants equally, spends more time than she would like to admit on Facebook, and plans to read her children stories until they are adults.
Leigh Anne Wilkes
Leigh Anne is the mother of four young adults and is a wife of 30 years. She and her husband Jim are still figuring out life as empty-nesters. Leigh Anne believes life is in the details and it is in those details that really tell the story. She loves sharing those details and telling stories daily on her blog, as well as providing inspiration and motivation to her blog readers. Through her blog at Your Homebased Mom, she shares the pretty and the delicious of life.
Clive Romney
Clive is a Pearl Award winning recording producer, composer, songwriter, arranger, teacher and performer and a 40 year veteran in the music business. While many recognize the lyrics that he wrote for the films Swan Princess II, III and IV, he counts Scripture Power, an LDS Primary children’s favorite, as his greatest musical achievement. Clive founded and directs Enoch Train as well as preforms with other musical groups. Clive has taught Into the Music Business at BYU and is producer of Histories of the Hymns and Music With a Message for The Mormon Channel.
Ginger Parkinson
Ginger’s storytelling whisks the imagination where it can romp around like a loose puppy. Her tales ignite with spunky energy that takes unexpected turns with audience members laughing along the way. She has spun her magic across Utah in libraries, Schools & Festivals. Weekly she spins curriculum based stories as the resident storyteller at Freedom Academy Elementary School. Ginger lives in Springville with her husband and four children.
Jan C. Smith
Jan is a teacher, an actress and a storyteller – often all three at the same time and currently works as an elementary school literary specialist. Jan invites listeners into her stories and sends them off with a new look at life that provides some sanity in a crazy world. With a dash of laughter and a twinkle in her eye, Jan’s gifts of tall tales, folk tales and personal stories will keep you smiling and hopeful when the clouds roll in, and appreciative when the sun shines.
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