A Special Acknowledgement of our Incoming & Outgoing Board Members!
As the 41st season of MUSE nears its conclusion, I want to acknowledge those who will join the board this July and thank our outgoing board members.
First, I am excited to present the newly elected Directors of the Board whose terms begin in July:
Choir Members: Samara Carpenter, Maria Cordes, Charmaine Kitsinis and Kelly Stone
At-Large/Community Members: Jess Aurand, Mary Ann East, Bri Ledsome, Dyah Miller, Elizabeth Phillips, Estelle Riley and Vicki Seligman
These incoming directors will join continuing Board Directors Barbara Besendorfer, Julie Brock, and Jadyn Riggs, as well as our re-elected Heart Liaison Rachel Gaspar’raj.
Those whose terms are ending in July are Adesina Perez, Brittany Brown (Secretary), and Amy Arnold (President).
Under Amy’s leadership, the Board has maintained a strong budget, bolstered by our annual fundraising efforts and grant funding, and hired and supported our contractors who are responsible for vital work of the organization.
Amy joined the Board in July 2022 with the intention to serve in the role of President of the MUSE Board of Directors, a role she had successfully fulfilled just a few years prior. She is the only individual to ever serve as President twice. Rejoining the board in 2022 was a decision Amy did not make lightly, and knowing her, she did so as a labor of love for MUSE, which she has been a part of for more than a decade.
Having previously served in the role, Amy was able to jump right in as President to keep the financial and contractual obligations on track. The 2022-2024 seasons of MUSE had many changes, challenges, and successes. In the first year of Amy’s term, MUSE bid a fond farewell to both our long-time Business Manager, Angela Pontious and our six-year Music Director, Dr. Jillian Harrison-Jones. Amy also led the effort to hire new contractors Ioanna Paraskevopoulos as Grants Manager in November 2022 and Shea Haney as Business Manager in summer 2023. And as you read earlier in this newsletter, our Interim Music Director, Dr. Reina Dickey, will now serve as our Artistic Director!
These organizational changes were all successfully accomplished thanks in part to Amy’s strength, knowledge and wisdom. If you know Amy, above all, it is clear that she leads from the heart. Amy is compassionate and thoughtful about every phrase she speaks and action she takes. She is genuine, generous, and makes sure others feel heard and appreciated. She strives to build community wherever she is.
“I was feeling short on time in preparation for a Board meeting,” said Rachel Gaspar’raj, Heart Liaison to the Board. “We were assembling and ready for a productive night. Amy opened the meeting with a quote she had been reflecting on to help center us. I was ready, had my main points to report, and was listening with a critical ear. Then Amy suggested we each share a concern or celebration that is going on in our lives. I couldn’t even take it! I may have even rolled my eyes. But as each person added their difficulty or joy to the circle, we all got a little lighter while we focused on each other. We really saw each other and really made space for those life items. No solutions were offered. Some connections and affirmations were made. We proceeded with the business of the choir with extra intent and extra listening. Amy did that for us. She provided space so that we could get on with the business of the day for an organization we care for. At the close of that meeting, we agreed that the amount of work accomplished was far more than expected. I was glad I had kept my uncertainty to myself. I was also glad Amy had said ‘yes’ to serving as President at an uncertain time.”
Thank you, Amy, for all the energy, attention and love you’ve given to the MUSE community over the past two years as President of the Board.
I personally am grateful for your service and glad to call you my friend.
Much love,
Julie Brock
Vice President, MUSE Board of Directors
