°µTV

Fashion Design Program Director

Char Brandom is Residential Faculty and Fashion Design Program Director at °µTV after serving as an Adjunct Faculty member for 30 years for the Maricopa Community College District. During her part-time work as Adjunct Faculty, she had her own Fashion Design Studio—Char Designs, Ltd—in the Camelback/Biltmore Area of Phoenix where she designed unique collections of ladies' suits in colors and styles to complement Native American jewelry, and partnered with Gilbert Ortega Jewelers of Scottsdale when recognized and honored as one of three featured designers for a Community Fundraising event. She also designed and constructed bridal gowns, bridesmaid dresses, and "classy" Country Western wear for rodeo queens under her "CHARIZONA" label. She has produced and directed numerous fashion shows for her previous business as well as for °µTV.

Courses Taught: Fashion Illustration including ladies’ couture, menswear, children’s wear, and croquis illustration; Draping, Pattern-Making, Pattern-Grading, Design Studio, Vintage Fashion Design, Couture Sewing, Beginning through Advanced Construction, Stitchery & Embellishment

Education: BFA (Fashion Design), Stephens College; MS (Business, Textiles/Clothing), Arizona State University; Pursuing PhD in Curriculum & Instruction, Northern Arizona University

Custom Threads Sole Proprietor/Owner, from 1975-2010 with more than 40 years professional sewing and design in the garment industry; including clothing construction and contract embroidery operations. Patti Brinnon hired and trained personnel in all facets of the business. From 1988-1990, she also managed the Sewing Machine Department. of the House of Fabrics/Jo-Ann Fabrics and Crafts. She was one of the original founders of the Phoenix Chapter of the Association of Sewing & Design Professionals (formerly Professional Association of Custom Clothiers). She has taught sewing courses and developed instructional materials at °µTV since 2018 as Adjunct Faculty & Student Facilitator.

Courses Taught: Beginning, Intermediate, Advanced, & Specialty Apparel Construction, Sewing with Knits, Sewing with a Serger (Beg. & Adv.), Costume Construction, Alteration of Ready-Made Garments

Education: Certificate, The Sewing and Craft Alliance (formerly Home Sewing Assoc.); AA (Fashion Program Concentration), °µTV; Certificates in Fashion Design I, Pattern Design I & II; Certificate in Apparel Design & Construction, °µTV

Rali Burleson has served as the AZ Wool Producer’s Auxiliary State Director for the Make It With Wool Contest and is a specialist in producing tailored garments. She has instructed needle-art classes for Sew from the Heart and also taught youth sewing for St. John XXIII. She has been an adjunct faculty member at ASU for in-person and online fashion classes and now brings her precision and tailoring skills to °µTV as Adjunct Faculty.

Courses Taught: Tailoring

Education: AAS (Fashion Design), °µTV, Certifications in Couture Dressmaking, Tailoring, CHANEL, and That Suit from Claire Shaeffer’s Workshops in Palm Springs, CA; BA (Sociology) and MA  (Sociology) Arizona State University

Naomi Ellis is a fashion educator with more than a decade of teaching experience and a strong background in the fashion industry. Professionally, she worked on the Production Teams at Tommy Hilfiger and Polo Ralph Lauren, specializing in materials management and gaining insight into the fashion supply chain. Since 2011, she has taught fashion courses at °µTV and joined ASU FIDM instruction in 2017 where she developed AI in Fashion, a course introducing generative AI tools and their applications in fashion problem-solving.

Courses Taught: Fashion Construction, Textiles, Business Development, Introduction to Fashion Design

Education: BS (Psychology), Arizona State University; MA (Organizational Management), University of Phoenix; MA (Fashion Production), Philadelphia University

Tina Hahn has experience teaching Career and Technical Education with a focus on Fashion classes for Phoenix Union H.S. District. Her sewing experience includes custom garments, costumes, and garment repair, with proficiencies in machine sewing, hand stitching, draping, and pattern-making. 

Courses Taught: Beginning, Intermediate, and Specialty Apparel Construction

Education: BFA (Education), University of Arizona, ME (School Counseling) & ME (Educational Administration), Grand Canyon University

Amanda Jacobs is a dedicated sewing educator and sustainable fashion advocate with more than a decade of experience inspiring students to create, design, and innovate through the use and application of textiles fabrics. Her classroom and studio spaces empower students of all ages to explore sewing, design, and the business of fashion. In addition to her instruction for °µTV as an Adjunct Faculty member, she also teaches fashion classes at Maryvale High School.

Courses Taught: Beginning, Intermediate, Specialty Apparel Construction, Cultural Aspects of Clothing, Color in Fashion, and Display & Visual Merchandising

Education: BS (Textiles, Apparel, and Merchandising), West Virginia University

Melissa Montoya has experience as a Lingerie Designer for Shadowline Inc.; an Industrial Patternmaker for Bluebell Inc. (Wrangler and Marithe Francois Girbaud) and a Cutter/Draper/Shop Manager for the ASU Herberger Institute School of Film, Dance & Theatre. Pattern making is her specialization, with thirty-six years of experience specific to costume sourcing, pattern development & construction.She continues to serve as Adjunct Fashion Faculty for °µTV & Mesa Community College and is a Faculty Associate, with ASU-FIDM.

Courses Taught: Beginning, Intermediate, Specialty Apparel Construction, Pattern Alteration & Fit, Pattern Drafting 

Education: BS (Clothing & Textiles), University of North Carolina - Greensboro

Many topics describe Joy Sprink’s background and experience—Retail, Fashion, Visual Design Business Strategist & Consultant, Mentor, and Keynote Speaker. She has been an Adjunct Faculty Member for Fashion since 2018 and serves on the Executive Board of Directors at the Arizona Costume Institute 2025-2027, with Phoenix Art Museum. Previously, she served as the Arizona Costume Institute Immediate Past President 2023-2025, Phoenix Art Museum, Phoenix, Arizona.

Courses Taught: Cultural Aspects of Clothing, History of Fashion, Textiles, Sustainable Fashion Design

Education: BS, San Diego State University School of Business Marketing

Amelia Walsh brings a background in fashion, design, sewing, brand work, event production, and costume development to her Adjunct Faculty position at °µTV. She has experience working with fashion shows, photo shoots, developing tech-packs, and handling promotions for retail fashion. 

Courses Taught: Beginning, Intermediate, and Specialty Apparel Construction, Fashion Design, Industrial Sewing I & II, Custom Jeans, and Sustainable Fashion Design

Education: AAS (Fashion Design), °µTV; BS (Design and Business), Arizona State University