NATS National Committee Assignments and Appointments
STANDING COMMITTEES
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Randall Umstead, President
Alexis Davis-Hazell, Past President
Nicholas Perna, President-Elect
Casey Carter, Vice President for Auditions
Liliana Guerrero, Vice President for Membership
André Chiang, Vice President for Outreach
Kevin Wilson, Vice President for Workshops
Holly Bewlay, Secretary/Treasurer
Melissa Greenblatt, Executive Director (ex-officio)
The Executive Committee consists of all nationally elected officers of NATS. This committee serves in an advisory capacity to the Board and shall assume powers and duties as deemed necessary and delegated to it by the Board, to which it shall be responsible. In particular, the committee conducts performance evaluations of the executive director, administers the awards program, and reviews progress on board goals and objectives. A sub-committee makes recommendations for budget planning, reviews recommendations regarding organizational structure and staff, and approves the agenda for board meetings.
NOMINATING COMMITTEE
Alexis Davis-Hazell, Past President, Chair
Lisa Cosens Brillon, Canadian Region Co-Interim Governor
Ruth Ellis
Serena Hill LaRoche, Mid-Atlantic Region Governor
Rebecca Salter
Katie Tupper
Michael Walsh
Richard Wiedlich
The Nominating Committee is responsible for the nomination of persons to fill the offices of President–Elect, Vice Presidents, and Secretary/Treasurer. The committee will review key qualifications for the duties of offices, and conduct interviews.
MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE
Liliana Guerrero, Vice President for Membership, Chair
Sarah Holman
Christian Morren
Ayumi Nakamae
Sandra Oberoi
Kathy Price
Ellie Seligmann, NSA Commercial Music Coordinator
Caroline Schiller
Nicholas Shaneyfelt
Michael Walsh
Georgeanne Yehling
André Chiang, Vice President for Outreach (ex-officio)
Randall Umstead, President (ex-officio)
Nicholas Perna, President-Elect (ex-officio)
The Membership Committee will work to promote, recruit, and retain members, by evaluating current practice, exploring new ideas, and recommending future goals. In particular, they will work with chapter officers, encouraging them to sponsor activities that attract new members, and gather information at the “grass roots” level to address successes and issues related to membership.
INVESTMENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Samuel Handley, Chair
Jeffrey Carter
Josh Krugman
Gale Odom
Randall Umstead, President (ex-officio)
Holly Bewlay, Secretary/Treasurer (ex-officio)
Melissa Greenblatt, Executive Director (ex-officio)
Jen Jimenez, Director of Development (ex-officio)
The Investment Advisory Committee is responsible for studying and recommending the investment of surplus funds and advising on the condition of funds in trust.
JOURNAL OF SINGING EDITORIAL REVIEW BOARD
Matthew Hoch, Editor-in-Chief
DEPARTMENTS
Care of the Professional Voice
Robert T. Sataloff
Collaborations
Alison d’Amato
Elvia Puccinelli
Diverse Voices
Paul M. Patinka
Zipporah Peddle
From the President
Randall Umstead
The Independent Teacher
Brian Manternach
Mindful Voice
Linda Lister
Elisa Monti
The Vocal Point
Melissa Treinkman
Practical Voice Science
Christian T. Herbst
David Meyer
The Versatile Voice
Justin John Moniz
Voice Pedagogy
Jeanne Goffi-Fynn
John Nix
REVIEWS
Recent Research in Singing
Anna Hersey
Donald Simonson (through June 2027)
Book Reviews
Debra Greschner
Music Reviews
Kathleen Roland-Silverstein
The Media Gallery
Gregory Berg
Casey Joiner-Isaacs
Pedagogy, Repertoire, and Performance Practice
Kenneth Bozeman
Kimberly Broadwater
Debra Greschner
Anna Hersey
John Nix
Tish Oney
Elvia Puccinelli
Trineice Robinson-Martin
Lori Şen
Darryl Taylor
Kevin Wilson
Medical & Health
Rachel Goldenberg
Michael M. Johns III
Margaret Kennedy-Dygas
Wendy D. LeBorgne
Deirdre D. Michael
Robert Sataloff
Psychology/Cognitive Science
Lynn Maxfield
Elisa Monti
Marci Rosenberg
Voice Science
Kenneth Bozeman
Joshua D. Glasner
Christian T. Herbst
Ian Howell
David Meyer
David Okerlund
Editor-in-Chief Emeritus
Richard Sjoerdsma
The Editorial Review Board conducts peer review and assists the editor in all matters pertinent to the publication of the journal.
ETHICS COMMITTEE
Patricia Toledo-Seiser, Chair
Sonya Baker
Conroy Cupido
Jill Terhaar Lewis
Charles Moore
Rebecca Pieper, Eastern Region Governor
Randall Umstead, President (ex-officio)
Alexis Davis-Hazell, Past President (ex-officio)
The responsibilities of the Ethics Committee shall be the resolution of alleged violations of the Code of Ethics, and resolution of cases involving a Member’s conduct alleged to be detrimental to the welfare and best interests of the Association.
STRATEGIC PLAN STEERING COMMITTEE
Randall Umstead, President-Elect, Chair
Nicholas Perna, President-Elect, Chair
Lisa Cosens Brillon, Canadian Region Governor
Jennifer Erickson, Cal-West Region Governor
Daniel Hunter-Holly, Texoma Region Governor
STAFF, NATS Director of Events and Auditions
Jen Jimenez, NATS Development Director
The Strategic Plan Steering Committee shall be appointed by the President. Its purpose shall be to assist the board in implementation and monitoring of the Association Strategic Plan. The committee shall include representation from relevant stakeholders including board members, standing and other committee members, and NATS staff.
OTHER COMMITTEES and APPOINTMENTS
National Student Auditions Regulations Committee — NSA
Casey Carter, Vice President for Auditions, NSA Coordinator, Chair
Staff, Director of Events and Auditions
Ellie Seligmann, NSA Commercial Music Coordinator
Emily Sinclair, NSA Classical/HJ/AS Coordinator
Autumn West, NSA MT Coordinator
Melissa Greenblatt, Executive Director
Randall Umstead, President
Alexis Davis-Hazell, Past President
Dana Lentini, Children and Youth Advisory Panel Chair
Marcía Porter, AS Advisory Panel Chair
Diana Allan
Allison Houston
Katherine Jolly
Sandra Oberoi
Dan Johnson-Wilmot
NSA ADVISORY PANELS
Musical Theatre PanelAutumn West, MT Coordinator, Chair |
American Negro Spirituals PanelMarcìa Porter, Chair |
Commercial Music PanelEllie Seligmann, NSA Commercial Music Coordinator, Chair |
Children & Youth PanelDana Lentini, Chair |
NATS ART SONG COMPOSITION AWARD — ASCA
Carol Mikkelsen, Chair
Lori Laitman, Advisor
STAFF, Director of Events and Auditions
The Auditions and Competitions Committees will oversee each of the programs above. Liaisons may assemble working groups of members to help carry out related projects, or the duties of the particular audition or competition.
VOICE SCIENCE ADVISORY COMMITTEE
David Meyer, Co-Chair
Joshua Glasner, Co-Chair
Noélia Luna Archambault Hernández, ACDA Representative
Randall Umstead, President (ex-officio)
Nicholas Perna, President-elect (ex-officio)
Lynn Helding, Pedagogy Subcommittee Chair
Tiago Cruz
Molly Erickson
Matthew Hoch
Ian Howell
Aaron Johnson, Vocapedia Monitor
Filipa M.B. Lã
Wendy LeBorgne
Deirdre D. Michael
John Nix
David Okerlund
Nandhu Radhakrishnan
Mary Sandage
Robert Sataloff
Leda Scearce
Ron Scherer
Katherine Verdolini Abbott
Recognizing that the science of voice production underlies historical and modern singing instruction, encouraging healthy vocalism and free artistic expression, the charge of the NATS Voice Science Advisory Committee (VSAC) is to promote and disseminate voice science and related information through NATS resources to the membership of NATS. The committee purview will include but not be limited to:
PEER REVIEW
- Reviewing voice science and medical submissions, at the discretion of the Journal of Singing Editor-in-Chief, submitted to the JOS editorial review board.
- Reviewing select articles in the renamed “Science and Technology” Journal of Singing column at the discretion of the Editor-in-Chief and VSAC co-chairs who manage the column as associate editors.
- Reviewing all NATS conference proposals identified as voice science, voice health, and science-informed voice pedagogy for NATS biennial national conferences.
EDUCATION
- Providing and managing vetted educational and historical materials on the science of voice production and vocal health through the NATS online repository, Vocapedia.
RESEARCH
- Encouraging and facilitating research on the singing voice through referral to experts and information on research design, funding, and publication.
RECOGNITION
- Recommending awards related to voice science and vocal health to individuals and organizations, including collaborative recognition with other voice associations (e.g., The Voice Foundation, ASHA, PAVA, VASTA).
Liaisons may assemble working groups of members to help carry out related projects, or the duties of the particular audition or competition. See additional volunteers here:
ADVANCEMENT COMMITTEE
Felicia Betts, Chair
Carole Blankenship
Karen Brunssen
Dan Johnson-Wilmot
Nick Klein
Jill Terhar Lewis
Catherine McDaniel
Wendy Mullen
Frank Ragsdale
Linda Snyder
Heidi Wylie
Jen Jimenez, Director of Development
Melissa Greenblatt, Executive Director
André Chiang, Vice President for Outreach
Holly Bewlay, Secretary/Treasurer
Casey Carter, VP for Auditions
Nicholas Perna, President-Elect
Alexis Davis-Hazell, Past President
Randall Umstead, President
| Region Development Liaisons Sarah Wigley, Central Region Barbara Hill Moore, Texoma Region Wendy Mullen, Mid-South Region Indra Thomas, Southeastern Region John DeHaan, North Central Region Melissa Schiel, Intermountain Region Vacant, Cal-Western Region Andrea Wells, Great Lakes Region |
Christina Haldane, New England Region Shelby VanNordstrand, West Central Region Jaclyn Surso, Mid-Atlantic Region Angy McGann, Northwestern Region Felicia Betts, Eastern Region Candice Aipperspach, Southern Region Vacant, International Region |
The Advancement Committee will be guided by the NATS Strategic Plan as they advance the goals of the National Association of Teachers of Singing to “increase contributed income by broadening the NATS culture of philanthropy and refining the advancement and development function throughout the organization.” The committee will work with the Development Director, the Executive Director, and the President to a) identify funding sources, and b) develop leadership roles, protocols, and processes to increasing member engagement in contributing to the continued success and impact of NATS for its members and the broader arts community.
ARTS ADVOCACY COMMITTEE
Alexis Davis-Hazell, Past President
Jen Jimenez, Development Director
Brian Leeper
Chair to be determined. Seeking Members-at-large through a national call for nominations
The Arts Advocacy Committee will support the Association’s mission of advancing excellence in singing through teaching, performance, scholarship, and research by educating government officials, business leaders, educators, and philanthropists on the importance of funding programs which support singing and its positive impacts on education, economics, and cross-cultural relations. Through partnerships with state and national arts affiliates, the Arts Advocacy Committee will strive to strengthen the important work which NATS members accomplish every day in classrooms, onstage, and in studios by advocating for public and private-sector resources on the local, state, and national levels.
EQUITABLE ACTION AND BELONGING COMMITTEE
Katie Tupper, Chair
André Chiang
Holly Bewlay
Lily Guerrero
Paul Patinka
Anna Diemer
The Equitable Action and Belonging Committee is responsible for leading NATS efforts to achieve the commitments of the Association as delineated in the NATS Diversity and Inclusion Statement. This committee is charged with facilitating organizational movement and culture change toward belongingness in the form of concrete content, policy, and procedure change. Seeking additional Members-at-large representing remaining regions through a national call for nominations.
OUTREACH COMMITTEE
André Chiang, Vice President for Outreach, Chair
Troy Castle (Milliken University)
Zoe Lipkin (Boston Conservatory at Berklee)
Aleah Lemons (Shenandoah University)
Lenora Green (University of Arkansas)
Amelia Rollings Bigler – as per text from RU 7-13-26
Melissa Chavez
Elizabeth Benson
Katherine Ciesinski
Kayla Jane Gautereaux
Claire Vangelisti, Southern Region Governor
The Outreach Committee will promote and support SNATS, Affinity Groups, NATS National Mentoring Collaborative (NNMC), Conference Connections and NATS Mentored Teaching Experience at National Workshops.
HISTORIAN
Jeffery Carter
The historian provides a narrative of conferences, and assists the Executive Office in collecting, describing, updating, and preserving documentary sources significant to NATS. The historian shall have access to documents and other records pertinent to the history of the Association.
INTERN SELECTION COMMITTEE
Alexis Davis-Hazell, Past President
Nicholas Perna, President-Elect
Kevin Wilson, Vice President for Professional Development
Randall Umstead, President
Katherine Jolly
Amelia Rollings-Bigler
