May 1, Ulta Beauty proudly announced the formation of the Ulta Beauty Pro Team, an epic grouping of hairdressing talent with more than 100 years of combined experience.

From award-winning colorists, salon owners, top educators and internationally published artists, these artists—led by Nick Stenson, Ulta Beauty’s chief artistic director—will help educate and inspire Ulta Beauty’s nearly 7,000 stylists across the county to achieve their ultimate artistic potential.

The Pro Team includes:

• Nick Stenson, Ulta Beauty’s chief artistic director

• Ammon Carver, creative director for L’anza Healing Haircare

• Sonya Dove, global ambassador for Wella Professionals

• Sean Godard, Redken artist

• Carmody Homan, Redken artist

• Danielle Keasling, Matrix artistic director

“Each member of the Pro Team is widely respected within the industry,” says Shiv Dutt, vice president and general manager of salon services at Ulta Beauty. “In many ways our salons are one of our best-kept secrets. The Pro Team’s diverse backgrounds and experience will help to elevate the profile of The Salon at Ulta Beauty.”

Ulta Beauty has created an education program that ensures stylists are set up for success to deliver quality services to each and every guest. The Pro Team will work to enhance this programming by building trend collections and providing training for Ulta Beauty stylists across the country.

“In addition to our national Pro Team, we also have our Design Team of lead educators and platform artists,” Stenson says. “They’ll be working in tandem to go out and educate Ulta Beauty’s 88 educators who will teach workshops in our nearly 1,000 salons across the country.”

MODERN SALON is currently on site with Ulta Beauty and the new Pro Team at the 2017 General Managers Conference in Orlando as the news broke.

MEET THE TEAM:

NICK STENSON: ULTA BEAUTY’S CHIEF ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

As the Chief Artistic Director for Ulta Beauty, Nick Stenson sets the course for salon and services direction through trend development, and for training and advising stylists across the country. Together with this hand-selected Ulta Beauty Pro Team, he pioneers the trends for Ulta Beauty and translates the trends into salons offerings and technical training. Stenson is also an Artistic Director and celebrity stylist for Matrix, and his work has appeared on multiple covers of MODERN SALON, and in issues of Vogue, InStyle, People and more.

AMMON CARVER: CREATIVE DIRECTOR FOR L’ANZA HEALING HAIRCARE

Ammon Carver began his show career in Utah by training show horses. Now the Global Creative Director for L’anza Healing Haircare, Carver’s work has appeared in Vogue and Marie Claire, and on covers of MODERN SALON. His celebrity client list includes Leighton Meester, Kate Beckinsale and Molly Sims, and he has won multiple North American Hairstyling Awards. When not traveling the globe, Carver is working with clients at the Ammon Carver Studio, a L’anza Healing Center in NYC.

SONYA DOVE: GLOBAL AMBASSADOR FOR WELLA PROFESSIONALS

Sonya Dove is a global ambassador for Wella Professionals, owner of The Doves Studio in Los Angeles, and Hair Color Council creative director of Intercoiffure America/Canada. She is widely recognized as one of the salon industry’s most sought-after educators and colorists. Dove is fueled by her passion for the whole of it: working in the salon with her clients, on stage, at photoshoots, teaching workshops, backstage at Fashion Week and on the elaborate wigs in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.

SEAN GODARD: REDKEN ARTIST

Sean Godard’s work has appeared in editorial spreads, ad campaigns, TV makeover segments Fashion Week and on Redken Stages across the world. If he’s not on set for session work, he spends his time working with top artists at Redken events educating stylists to earn better, learn better and live better. “Redken is a huge color partner of ours, so we really wanted someone on the team who could really speak to Redken color in a big way to provide the best education possible,” Stenson says.

CARMODY HOMAN: REDKEN ARTIST 

Growing up in New Zealand, Carmody Homan’s childhood wasn’t exactly the norm. “Three generations of fashion—it’s what I’ve always known,” he says. “Models lined our living room walls like magazine covers waiting for their turn to be fitted for my dad’s upcoming fashion shows.” His love for fashion and beauty started with his grandmother, who designed and made her own clothes, and his father followed in her footsteps giving birth to Peter Homan Fashions. “My sister soon followed designing for my dad and there I was at the age of 15 styling the model's hair for my dad's first fashion show. I never stopped, I never looked back. Hair became my needle and thread as fashion remained my point of view, it's just in me.”

“Carmody has previously facilitated education with Ulta Beauty and he built a really great relationship with all our stylists,” Stenson says. “When I came on board it was very obvious he would be a perfect addition to the strength of our team’s editorial styling.”

DANIELLE KEASLING, MATRIX ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Matrix Artistic Director Danielle Keasling has worked in the salon industry for almost 20 years. Owner of Salon Karma in Bluffton, South Carolina, Keasling has perfected her session skills (she has attended MODERN’s Artist Session photoshoot workshop three times). Her silhouettes have made it to the finals of the North American Hairstylist Awards (NAHA) in 2014 (Texture) and 2015 (Editorial) and her finishes have graced the covers of several magazines—including MODERN three times.

“The creation of Ulta Beauty’s Pro Team represents an investment in our business and demonstrates our on-going commitment to our salon and stylists,” said Kecia Steelman, chief store operations officer for Ulta Beauty. “We are thrilled to bring together this talented team of creative ambassadors to help us deliver the best education to our stylists so they can continue to delight our guests.”

Drawing from their extensive industry expertise, the Pro Team will work together to bring The Salon at Ulta Beauty’s vision to life in photoshoots and support the company’s team of stylists with education and trend development.  As well, they will collaborate on editorial collections used to position the strength and talent of the team’s artistry.

“In assembling the Pro Team, Ulta Beauty is bringing together the top talent in the industry who are affiliated with some of the best haircare brands,” Stenson says. “These artists have a passion for passing along their talent and expertise to other stylists and they share our key mission of artists supporting artists.”

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