Steph Salvia

About Steph Salvia

Steph Salvia is the Executive Director of Joy Engine, a nonprofit that activates creative space through art. She has led the organization since 2022 and has extensive experience in nonprofit leadership. Since 2014, she has also owned and operated her own outdoor event production company. She began her career leading business improvement districts, where she spent 14 years building community-driven programming and events. In addition to producing Joy Engine’s ArtBlaze events, she has produced others you may have heard of, including Lakefront Festival of Art, Bastille Days, and Tosa Fest, with events ranging from a few hundred attendees to more than 50,000.

She’s passionate about activating public spaces and creating vibrant, inclusive experiences that support local artists and connect communities.

When she’s not in full-on event production mode, Steph can usually be found playing tourist in her own city, checking out local events, walking along the lake, or relaxing with her cat and a good book. She and her husband are recent empty nesters who currently live in Bay View; and she has a serious case of wanderlust, often dragging her family along on adventures around the world.