Meet the Team

Meet the TeamMeet the TeamMeet the TeamMeet the TeamMeet the TeamMeet the TeamMeet the Team




Priscilla Chapo

Priscilla is one of the strongest and hardest working humans we know. With Etkie from the very beginning, she’s taken on an enormous amount of responsibility. Her determination and dedication have been the single most important factor in helping Etkie blossom and grow. As the lead beader, Priscilla crafts her bracelets with such meticulous detail that each piece reflects the passion and commitment she has for her art. Her favorite thing to do is be at home with her animals. She is an avid Broncos fan and even beaded a Broncos watch strap!


Calvert Chapo

Cal joined Etkie in 2015 and has done beadwork for over ten years. He keeps everyone organized and has played a pivotal role in developing the framework for our artisan network.


Meet the Team

Dru was our very first artisan at Etkie. She's stood by us through the ups and downs of starting a business and we're so grateful for her positive energy and spirit. She's a mom to two wonderful children and the best looking grandma we've ever seen. Her favorite past time is being outside and eating pineapple upside down cake.


Meet the Team

As a mother of six, Tanya’s ability to bead at home enables her to spend more quality time raising her family. All of her children are in school and she often looks after or fosters children in her extended family. Learning how to bead from her mother and grandmother, she has a passion for experimenting with colors and patterns. Tanya is committed to using her talent to empower youth and teach them how to create sustainable livelihoods within the creative economy.


Meet the Team

Val likes working with Etkie because it enables her to work from home with her two boys. She just had a little one and her oldest son is now in 1st grade! She is a strong role model for her family, community and her beading team at Etkie.


Meet the Team

Paloma is our Operations Manager. She grew up in Albuquerque and in addition to being an awesome human, she is an avid painter and illustrator. She runs the ship and keeps everyone organized and on-time. We couldn’t do it without her!


Meet the Team

Chelsea is the Artisan Relations Manager for Etkie. She hails from Cedar Springs, AZ on the southwestern part of the Navajo Nation. She attended the University of New Mexico and has a Masters Degree in community planning.The element she likes most about working with Etkie is being surrounded by beautiful handmade jewelry and the people who make them. She is proud to be working with a team that creates jobs for Native people, especially in a state where with the lowest median individual and household income in the country. Her favorite past time is spending time with family.


Meet the Team

Sydney Alfonso, founder and CEO of Etkie, grew up in rural New Mexico. Inspired by the rich culture and diversity of the Southwest, Sydney brought the women’s cooperative design work she was doing in Istanbul, back home to her community. The essence of Etkie is giving people a platform to succeed, and over the past two years she’s amassed a dedicated team to do so. Sydney splits her time between Albuquerque and San Francisco.