Board of Directors

One of Chorus America's greatest strengths is a diverse governing board of accomplished arts leaders from communities across the U.S. and Canada.

Learn more about the current members of our Board of Directors below. Our Director Laureate honorary title recognizes past board members who demonstrated extraordinary leadership during their service.

Officers

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Mark Lawson headshot
Chair
Mark W. Lawson is CEO of ECS Publishing Group, parent company for E.C. Schirmer, Galaxy Music Corporation, MorningStar Music Publishers and the ARSIS Audio recording label. Mr. Lawson has been active...
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Steven Neiffer headshot
Treasurer
Steven is a senior-level finance executive with more than 35 years of experience managing financial and administrative functions for highly respected financial services companies, ranging from start...
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Diana Saez
Secretary
Diana V. Sáez, DMA, is a leading specialist in the field of Latin American music and an accomplished choral conductor. She is frequently invited as guest conductor, adjudicator and lecturer in the...
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Dr. Anton Armstrong wearing a tuxedo
Past Chair
Dr. Anton Armstrong served on Chorus America’s Board from 2008 – 2017. He is the Tosdal Professor of Music at St. Olaf College, and became the fourth conductor of the St. Olaf Choir in 1990 after ten...

Members of the Board

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Laura Adlers is an experienced arts and non-profit leader who has successfully directed organizations and projects in the cultural and public sectors for more than 25 years. She recently relaunched...
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Photo of Ahmed Anzaldúa
Ahmed Fernando Anzaldúa El Samkary is a Mexican conductor and pianist of Egyptian descent and the founder and artistic director of Border CrosSing. He is an active musician, performing in Mexico and...
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Jeff Barnett has been Chief Financial Officer and Partner of Dorsal Capital since the firm’s founding in June 2009. He directs all aspects of the firm’s operations including trading, systems, human...
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Gregory Cheng headshot
Gregory Cheng brings over two decades of financial services leadership experience to his role as founding partner, co-CEO and president of Cantata Wealth. His career includes key positions at Morgan...
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Thomas Cooke headshot
Thomas Cooke (Tommy) started singing as a treble in the boys choir at Trinity Church On-the-Green in New Haven, Connecticut when he was seven years old, and hasn’t stopped since. He co-founded the...
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Iris Derke headshot
Iris Derke is Co-Founder and General Director for DCINY, a major INC 5000 concert production company responsible for large-scale concerts at numerous prestigious concert venues. DCINY has brought...
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Rollo Dilworth headshot
Rollo Dilworth: Dilworth served 10 years on Chorus America’s Board and is being invited back for a new term, after a year’s hiatus. He served as Board chair from 2014 – 2016. More than 150 of Dilworth...
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Brandon Elliott headshot
Brandon Elliott is a conductor, educator, and organizational strategist and the founder and artistic director of Choral Arts Initiative, an award-winning new music ensemble. He is an active leader...
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Photo of Maria Ellis
Maria A. Ellis is a passionate educator and conductor. She is the owner of Girl Conductor LLC, a company that creates diverse music education resources and currently serves as the director of the...
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Robert Istad Headshot
Robert Istad is Artistic Director of Pacific Chorale and Director of Choral Studies at California State University, Fullerton. Mr. Istad regularly conducts and collaborates with Pacific Chorale...
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Image of Craig Hella Johnson
Craig Hella Johnson is the founding artistic director and conductor of the Austin-based, internationally-renowned, Grammy-winning choir Conspirare. Johnson is also music director of the Cincinnati...
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Anne Keiser headshot
Anne Keiser has sung with The Choral Arts Society since 1975 and has served on its Board of Directors since 1988, twice serving as the Board Chair. For twenty-seven years she was a member of the...
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Mary Tuuk Kuras
Drawing on 34 years of executive experience across a wide range of industries, Mary Tuuk Kuras serves as CEO of MTK Practical Leadership and empowers professional leaders through a common-sense...
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Josephine Lee headshot
Josephine Lee is an Emmy Award-winning and GRAMMY nominated conductor, pianist, singer, producer, and cultural leader and the president and artistic director of Uniting Voices Chicago, a nationally...
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Marcela Molina headshot
Dr. Molina has been leading the Tucson Girls Chorus since 2006, first serving as Artistic Director and taking the helm as Executive Director in 2011. Under Dr. Molina’s guidance, the Tucson Girls...
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David Morrow
David Morrow is a native of Rochester, New York. He earned the Bachelor of Arts degree from Morehouse College in 1980. While at Morehouse, he became a member of Phi Beta Kappa, was awarded the Kemper...
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Alex Nelson headshot
Alex Nelson is an arts administrator and producer and the vice president of artistic production and operations of the 220-voice GRAMMY Award-winning Pacific Chorale in Orange County, California. He is...
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Brian Newhouse headshot
Brian Newhouse is the former managing director of Minnesota Public Radio/American Public Media’s classical programming, reaching a national audience of five million listeners each week. He holds...
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John Nuechterlein headshot
John Nuechterlein recently retired as President and CEO of the American Composers Forum, a leading national service organization based in St. Paul, Minnesota. Founded in 1975 as the Minnesota...
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Elizabeth Nunez headshot
Elizabeth Núñez is the Associate Artistic Director of the award-winning Young People’s Chorus of New York City, founded by YPC Artistic Director Francisco J. Núñez in 1988. She is also a conductor...
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Eric V. Oliver recently retired as Regional Attorney for the National Labor Relations Board’s Cincinnati Office (NLRB). Mr. Oliver began his career with the Agency in 1984 as a Field Attorney in the...
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Dianne Peterson headshot
Dianne was honored with the title of Executive Director Emerita of The Washington Chorus (DC) when she retired in June of 2016 after leading the organization for over 30 years. Ms. Peterson has an...
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Steve Smith
Steven F. Smith leads transformative change for performing arts organizations. As President of Berkshire Choral International, he is overseeing a strategic revitalization of the organization with...
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Carrie Tennant headshot
Carrie Tennant is the founder and artistic director of the Vancouver Youth Choir. For the past 20 years, she has worked primarily with youth, developing leadership and artistry with young singers...
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Dr. Anthony Trecek-King is a highly acclaimed choral conductor, scholar, pedagogue, and media personality with a career spanning over 20 years. He is an active guest conductor, serves as a resident...
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Jean-Sébastién Vallée
Jean-Sébastien Vallée is a renowned Canadian-American conductor, scholar, and pedagogue known for his expertise in vocal, choral, and orchestral repertoires. With an illustrious career spanning over...
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Chris Verdugo headshot
Chris Verdugo (he/him) is privileged to serve as the first CEO of the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus. His journey in the gay choral movement began at the age of 18 when he joined the Gay Men’s Chorus...