THE BOARD

BOARD OF DIRECTORS NOMINATIONS ARE NOW OPEN!

the Executive committee

LONNIE DAVIS

PRESIDENT

trineice
robinson-martin

VICE PRESIDENT

Sean
Jones

IMMEDIATE PAST president

josé
diaz

PRESIDENT ELECT

laura
gentry

TREASURER

DAVID
KAUFFMAN

SECRETARY
the directors

roxy
coss

ASHLEY SHABANKAREH

doug
duboff

tim
fellow

tia
fuller

ayn
inserto

mary jo
papich

DUSTIN
ROHRER

TODD
STOLL

pharez
whitted

BETHANY ROBINSON

NAFME LIAISON

dan
flores

legal counsel

LONNIE DAVIS

Born in Landstuhl, Germany, Davis has proud 300-year-old Louisiana Creole roots in her home of New Orleans. Following Hurricane Katrina, Davis and her family relocated to Charlotte, NC, where she became President/CEO and Co-founder of the 501(c)3 education and presenting organization, JazzArts Charlotte (JazzArts).
Davis has a B.A. in Psychology with a minor in music and additional graduate work in Urban and Regional Planning. She is a flutist, arts advocate, and community leader, currently serving on numerous committees and Boards. These positions include volunteer leadership roles with both Arts NC and the National Association for Music Educators (NAfME), as well as Jazz Education Network (JEN) where she serves as current Board President.
Davis has led the development of a thriving jazz audience in Charlotte, NC, cultivating enrichment in the lives of many and the transformation of the city’s culture through her vision and work at JazzArts, now recognized as having the region’s “most diverse arts audience” in a recent research study.
Under her leadership, JazzArts now operates with budget of over $1 million annually and serves thousands of students of all ages and audience members each year through various educational and performance-based programs and partnerships. Davis has been recognized with the receipt of numerous awards over the past decade, including the recent Jazz Journalists Association “Jazz Heroes Award” and the 2022 Charlotte Center City Partners Vision Award.

DR. TRINEICE ROBINSON-MARTIN

Dr. Trineice Robinson-Martin has dedicated her career to performing and developing resources for teaching jazz, gospel/Christian, R&B, rock, country, and pop singing styles in an applied/private voice lesson setting. In addition to releasing her debut album, All Or Nothing, she maintains a busy schedule as a singer in a variety of styles while holding a faculty position at Princeton University as the jazz voice instructor, lecturer, and director of the
Jazz Vocal Collective Ensemble. She serves on the National Faculty in the academic division of Gospel Music Workshop of America, serves as the Executive Director of the African American Jazz Caucus, Inc., serves as a Board of Director for the Jazz Education Network, serves on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Singing, and is a member of the distinguished American Academy of Teachers of Singing. Dr. Trineice created Soul Ingredients®, a teaching methodology for developing a singer’s musical style/interpretation in African American folk-based music styles (i.e., jazz, gospel, R&B, blues, etc.). This methodology shows students how to take their personal experiences, musical influences and models, and execute the different components in a manner that is personal to the singer/performer’s own personal expression.

SEAN JONES

Music and spirituality have always been fully intertwined in the artistic vision of trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and activist Sean Jones. Singing and performing as a child with the church choir in his hometown of Warren, Ohio, Sean switched from the drums to the trumpet at the age of 10.

 

Sean is a musical chameleon and is comfortable in any musical setting no matter what the role or the genre. He is equally adept in being a member of an ensemble as he is at being a bandleader. Sean turned a 6-month stint with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra into an offer from Wynton Marsalis for a permanent position as lead trumpeter, a post he held from 2004 until 2010. In 2015 Jones was tapped to become a member of the SFJAZZ Collective where he was a member until 2018. During this time, Sean has managed to keep a core group of talented musicians together under his leadership forming the foundation for his groups that have produced and released eight recordings on the Mack Avenue Records, the latest is his 2017 release Sean Jones: Live from the Jazz Bistro.

 

Sean has been prominently featured with a number of artists, recording and/or performing with many major figures in jazz, including Illinois Jacquet, Jimmy Heath, Frank Foster, Nancy Wilson, Dianne Reeves, Gerald Wilson and Marcus Miller. Sean was selected by Miller, Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter for their Tribute to Miles tour in 2011.

He has also performed with the Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Youngstown Symphony Orchestras as well as Soulful Symphony in Baltimore and in a chamber group at the Salt Bay Chamber Festival.

 

Sean is also an internationally recognized educator. He was recently named the Richard and Elizabeth Case Chair of Jazz at John Hopkins University’s Peabody Institute in Baltimore. Before coming to Peabody, Sean served as the Chair of the Brass Department at the Berklee College of Music in Boston.

JOSÉ DIAZ

José Antonio Díaz, founder and artistic director of Díaz Music Institute (DMI), is a Grammy Nominated Top 10 Finalist for the Music Educator, winner of Berklee College of Music’s John LaPorta Jazz Educator of the Year Award and a recipient of the Mayor’s Hispanic Heritage Award. Recently Inducted into Down Beat Magazine’s Jazz Education Hall of Fame, Díaz’s has groups have performed with such Candido, Pete Escovedo, Jon Faddis, Eddie Palmieri, Danilo Perez, Poncho Sánchez, and Arturo Sandoval to name just a few.


Jose is also co-author of Middle School Music Expressions™ (Alfred Music Publication) and composed the music forFreddie the Frog and the Invisible Coquí(Mystic Publishing, Inc.), which was selected as Creative Child’s Magazine’s 2016 book of the year. Currently Diaz is developing a new jazz curriculum entitled “About That Jazz.”

LAURA GENTRY

Since 1999, Laura’s production company LAG Productions, LLC has produced and promoted jazz events at venues in the greater Cincinnati, Ohio, northern Kentucky, and southeast Indiana area.
As president of the non-profit organization Jazz Alive, Inc., Laura has coordinated educational outreach focused on the preservation and advancement of jazz with non-profit arts organizations and educational institutions. 
Laura is a board member serving in various roles on several arts organizations, such as the Jazz Initiative for Cincinnati /Nancy, France Sister City Association, We Create Jazz (a 4-week women-in-jazz festival with University of Cincinnati-College Conservatory of Music Jazz Studies department), the UC-CCM Power board, and the Cincinnati Memorial Hall Society.
She founded Sistahs Who Swing™, a concept focusing on African-American women in jazz.

DAVID KAUFFMAN

Chair of the National Association for Music Education’s Council for Jazz Education, Kauffman is the NAfME Liaison to JEN and serves on the JEN Board of Directors as Secretary and Chair of the Education Committee. In addition, he is currently the Senior Manager of the Performing and Visual Arts Magnet program in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. Kauffman has served in various roles as an educator, clinician, adjudicator, guest conductor, performer, promoter, businessman, and elected official for over thirty years.  Performance credits as a saxophonist include Aretha Franklin, Louie Bellson, and The Dells. He was the founder of the Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Jazz Orchestra, a collegiate honors band whose performance credits include Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola at Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, and the Jazz Education Network National Conference in New Orleans. For eight years, he hosted a weekly jazz radio program, “Searching for Birdland” on NPR Affiliate WFWM.

ROXY COSS

Roxy Coss is the founder of Women In Jazz Organization, a multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger, recording artist, bandleader, producer, educator and activist. Roxy has performed extensively around the world, headlining at the Newport Jazz Festival, Melbourne Big Band Festival, Earshot Jazz Festival, San Jose Jazz Summerfest, The Jazz Standard, and Jazz Showcase. Coss has performed as a side musician with Jazz greats including Clark Terry, Louis Hayes, Rufus Reid, Billy Kaye and Claudio Roditi. She has been a member of The Diva Jazz Orchestra since 2010.

ASHLEY SHABANKAREH

Ashley Shabankareh (she/they) is a musician, music educator, and arts administrator. Ashley supports music education and nonprofits in New Orleans and currently works with Trombone Shorty Foundation, New Orleans Jazz Museum, Artist Corps New Orleans, and Upbeat Academy. She previously served as the Director of Programs for Preservation Hall Foundation for 13 years. Ashley is a proud board member of the Jazz Education Network, and also serves on the board for Folk Alliance International, Music and Culture Coalition of New Orleans. 

DOUG DUBOFF

Doug DuBoff, together with his brother, Rob, own and operate ejazzlines.com. This company is both a music publisher for classic jazz repertoire, as well as a retail outlet for many other music publishing companies. He deals with jazz educators ranging from grammar schools in Australia to high schools in Germany to colleges and universities all over the US and the world, as well as private instructors and bands everywhere. In Doug’s words, “Jazz education is THE nexus of jazz’s popularity and its future.” Doug has a passion for furthering jazz education, the future of jazz, and jazz in general.

TIM FELLOW

Tim is managing member and principal of Easton Walker, LLC, a financial consulting and wealth management firm he founded in 2012. He previously served as a financial advisor with Smith Barney, Wells Fargo Private Bank, Wells Fargo Advisors and Wells Fargo Investments. Tim has focused his career as a financial consultant on fulfilling the unique needs of arts and entertainment professionals. Artist clients advised by Timothy have collectively won ten Grammys, two Emmys and two Academy Awards.

TIA FULLER

Grammy-nominated artist, Tia Fuller works hard to balance both worlds of performance and education. She is a full-time professor at the Berklee College of Music, has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music from Spelman College in Atlanta, GA, (Magna Cum Laude) and a Master’s degree in Jazz Pedagogy and Performance from the University of Colorado at Boulder (Summa Cum Laude). Tia was selected to be a member of the all-female band touring with R&B star, Beyoncé.

 

As a Professor at Berklee College of Music, she also shares her expertise teaching over 70 students per week; directing the Rainbow Big Band and All Stars, the Esperanza Ensemble, repertoire class, jazz improvisation, two jazz combos, and the Christian Mcbride Ensemble. In addition, she produces and directs large production ground-breaking ensembles such as the Beyonce, Bruno Mars and Ariana Grande Ensembles. Between balancing her teaching and tour life, Tia feels that she is fulfilling her purpose here on this earth, that is to “serve as a light for others.”

AYN INSERTO

Ayn Inserto is a groundbreaking composer who is emerging as one of the preeminent voices of her generation. She received her Master of Music degree in Jazz Composition from the New England Conservatory and is a winner of the IAJE/ASCAP Emerging Composer Commission honoring Frank Foster and the ASCAP Young Jazz Composers’ Awards. She was picked by Bob Brookmeyer to study jazz composition as his protege.

Her music has been performed at Carnegie Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center Shanghai, Dizzy’s Club (Jazz at Lincoln Center, NYC), the Berklee Performance Center, JEN Conferences, Reno Jazz Festival, Billy Higgins Jazz Festival, New England Conservatory of Music, Brown University, Montreux Jazz Festival, the Umbria Jazz Festival, McGill University, Senigallia, Italy, Terni Jazz Festival, the Sant’ Elpidio Jazz Festival, and the Fano Jazz Festival.

Inserto has been commissioned by Carnegie Hall for the NYO Jazz Ensemble, The Jazz Education Network, ASCAP/IAJE, the Commission Project for JazzMN, Madison Technical College, Amherst College, Cal State University East Bay, Los Medanos College, Foxboro High School, Harvard Jazz Band, Marin Catholic High School, Fairfield High School, and Jennifer Wharton. She has given masterclasses and clinics at the Panama Jazz Festival, Brown University, IMEP Paris College of Music, International College of Music in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Seoul Jazz Academy, Tokyo School of Music, Singapore Polytechnic, Arcevia Jazz Seminar, Rossini Conservatory of Music, and the Sydney Conservatorium.

 

Inserto has served as a panelist for the Jazz Improv Convention with Dr. Billy Taylor, the Tribute to Bob Brookmeyer at New England Conservatory and the International Society of Jazz Composers.  She also has been a clinician for the JENerations Jazz Festival, an adjudicator for the Berklee High School Jazz Festival, the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts Fellowship, the Massachusetts Council for the Arts Composition Fellowship, JEN Young Composers’ Showcase and the International Alliance for Women in Music Jazz Composition Contest. She also has been a mentor for the Women in Jazz Organization.

 

Her big band, the Ayn Inserto Jazz Orchestra, has recorded three albums with special guests Bob Brookmeyer, John Fedchock, George Garzone and Sean Jones.  The ensemble has garnered many positive reviews such as Downbeat Editor’s Pick, The Boston Globe 2018 Best Jazz Albums, Top Ten Recordings of 2018 (Cadence Magazine) and the Jazz Journalists Association Best of 2018 (Large Ensemble) List. She currently resides in Boston where she is a Professor of Jazz Composition at Berklee College of Music.

MARY JO PAPICH

Mary Jo Papich, the first president of JEN, is known for her avid support and leadership in arts education that led to the co-founding of the Jazz Education Network. After serving public school education for 35+ years, she continues her work in JEN and serves as the artistic director for Jazz Festivals for students in New Orleans and Puerto Vallarta. Mary Jo’s recent honors include receiving a Lifetime Jazz Education Achievement Award from DownBeat magazine, the Arts Inspiration Award from The Art Center, Superintendent’s Recognition Award, Character Counts Award, Huespid Distinguido from the Mayor in Puerto Vallarta and the Prestigious Women in Jazz Award from the Chicago Jazz Ensemble, and most recently the 2021 Chicago Jazz Philharmonic Jazz Education Award.

 

Mary Jo’s efforts have reached people all around the world. As a former student stated, “Mary Jo Papich continues to inspire those around her to pursue the arts and arts education with passion, making a positive difference today and in the generations beyond.”

DUSTIN ROHRER

Dustin Rohrer’s diverse background in music, business and current position at Bain & Company, provides JEN with a wealth of skills and counsel to guide JEN to the next level. His journey began with a masters of music from the Manhattan School of Music as a drummer/musician, graduating to play live concert events all over world. Dustin returned to academia to earn a M.B.A., Finance and Strategy, while operating a recording studio in Nashville. He transitioned from the music industry to digital marketing, S.E.O., research and analytics, and then worked for a non-profit, managing the volunteer training, logistics and presentation training, achieving 5,300 new sponsorships, for a combined total of over $13 million in revenue. With his collective skills and expertise, Dustin currently works as a Bain & Company consultant. Bain & Company is one of the world’s leading business consulting firms.

TODD STOLL

Todd Stoll has spent nearly thirty years as an educator, performer and leading advocate for jazz. He currently serves as Vice President of Education for Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City where he oversees programs that reach more than 200,000 people each year. His leadership at JALC has revived the institutions commitment to the underserved while embracing 21st century technology as a means for greater access to the music. Since his tenure began in 2011, the education department at JALC produced nearly 20,000 individual events both in its home at Fredrick P Rose Hall, throughout the US, and abroad.

PHAREZ WHITTED

Pharez Whitted is a performer, educator, composer, producer, clinician and was nominated for Independent Jazz Artist of the year in 2011. Pharez was named Chicagoan of the Year in Jazz for 2016 and inducted into the Shortridge High School Hall of Fame 2017. He is the coordinator of the Chicago division of the JALC Jazz in Schools program. He has taught at prestigious colleges and universities such as Wabash College, The Ohio State University and most recently Chicago State University. He is currently the Director of the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras (CYSO)Jazz Orchestra. Whitted has performed with such notable musicians such as Branford Marsalis, George Duke, Elvin Jones, Kirk Whalum, John Mellencamp, Nancy Wilson, Meshell Ndegeocello, Chaka Khan and Slide Hampton.

BETHANY ROBINSON

2022 GRAMMY Music Educator Award Finalist and Yamaha Performing Artist Bethany Robinson is currently the Jazz Band Director at Noblesville High School. She directs five high school big bands, and the top band has made four appearances at the ISSMA Indiana Jazz State Finals, placed 2nd at the 2021 National Jazz Fest Large School Jazz Ensemble Category, and is a 2-time finalist for the Jazz at Lincoln Center Essentially Ellington Festival and Competition.

In 2014, Bethany was named “Indiana Jazz Educator of the Year” by the Indianapolis Jazz Foundation. In 2015, she was named “Teacher of the Year” for Noblesville Schools. She is a 2022 Grammy Music Educator Award Finalist, and was named one of the 2022 Jazz Heroes by the Jazz Journalists Association, which honors advocates who have had a significant impact in their local communities. 

 
Bethany currently serves as Chair of the National Association for Music Education Jazz Council (NAfME), and President of the Indiana Jazz Educators Association.

In 2018, Bethany was a part of the inaugural Indiana Jazz Girls Day, traveling around the state playing bass at concerts and workshops with New York City Musicians Leni Stern, Jamie Baum, and Indiana-based Monika Herzig. She continues to travel with this group annually in the spring, playing bass and serving as a clinician at workshops around the state of Indiana, inspiring young jazz musicians to be leaders on the bandstand.

 

Bethany has been a featured presenter for music education students at Ball State University, Butler University, the Center for Performing Arts/Palladium, and has adjudicated several jazz events. In September 2021, Bethany was a keynote speaker for the Australia National Band and Orchestra Conference,
 

Bethany spends her time outside the classroom playing bass in several groups in central Indiana including legendary vocalist Everett Greene, Irish singer-songwriter Katherine Nagy, Indianapolis singer-songwriter Sarah Scharbrough, who’s album they just recorded and released in 2019. She also plays in event bands and big bands, enjoying a wide-variety of musical genres. 

DAN FLORES

Dan is an Executive Vice President and head of litigation at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., a leading entertainment company focused on the production and distribution of film and television content.  Prior to joining MGM, he practiced law at Gibson Dunn where his clients included major record labels, motion picture studios, television networks, literary publishers, video game developers, and other intellectual property rights holders. Dan received his J.D. from Columbia Law School and a B.A. in Music from the University of Nevada–Las Vegas.

charlotte lang

Swiss/Dutch saxophonist Charlotte Lang was born in 1996 in Basel and studied the bachelor and master program at the JAZZCAMPUS Basel under the guidance of Domenic Landolf and Daniel Blanc. She is currently studying the Master of Music in Global Jazz at the Berklee College of Music in Boston under the artistic direction of Danilo Pérez. In addition she is part of Terri Lyne Carrington’s Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice.

 

From 2015 to 2018, Charlotte she was a member of the Swiss National Youth Jazz Orchestra under the direction of Christian Muthspiel. Since 2020, she became a member of the German National Youth Jazz Orchestra (Bundesjazzorchester Deutschland), under the direction of Niels Klein and Ansgar Striepens. She also plays is the Austrian FJO (Frauen Jazz Orchester→Women Jazz Orchestra of Austria).

 

In 2021, Charlotte founded her own Quintet the „Charlotte Lang Group“, for what she is composing, arranging and booking. In the fall 2023, her first album will be recorded and hopefully released by a renowned label.

 

Charlotte plays in the “Swiss Jazz Orchestra” and the “Zurich Jazz Orchestra”, the two professional Big Bands of Switzerland.

Charlotte recently got the unique opportunity to write a monthly blog for the Swiss Jazz & Blues Magazine called JAZZTIME, to tell readers about her time at abroad and specifically her time at Berklee. Her graduate program lasts only until the summer of 2023. She hopes to stay in the United States to enlarge her network and build her musical career.