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ABOUT US: BOARD & STAFF MEMBERS
Board Members
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Tom Pearson, Ed.D.,
President
K-12 Arts Education Administrator, Palm Beach
County Schools
West Palm Beach, FL
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Dr. Tom Pearson is the Arts
Education Administrator for the School
District of Palm Beach County, and a thirty-two-year
veteran in the field of education. For twenty
of those years, he taught band at the elementary,
middle, and high
school levels, and conducted two community
bands. Dr. Pearson is a Past President
of the Mississippi Bandmasters Association, where
he taught band for 12 years before moving to Florida.
Since moving to Florida, he has served as District
Chairman for FBA District 14 and Chairman of the
FBA Ethics Committee for two terms.
He has served as the Vice President for Governmental
Relations on the Florida Alliance for Arts Education/Arts
for a Complete Education Board of Directors and
the Governmental and Community Relations Chair
for the Florida
Music Educators’ Association. He
is past president of the Florida Music Supervisors
Association and a past board member on the Florida
School Music Association. Dr. Pearson also serves
on the education boards of the Raymond F. Kravis
Center for the Performing Arts and the Norton
Museum of Art. He is currently serving
as the president of the Palm Beach County Administrative
Staff Association.
Dr. Pearson was the Magnet/Choice Program Specialist
and Acting Director for the School District of
Palm Beach County. Dr. Pearson is a frequent conference
presenter for student recruitment/assignment,
and partnership and funding at the international
level. He has been an adjunct
professor for Palm
Beach Community College and currently an
adjunct professor in the Interdisciplinary Arts
graduate program at Nova
Southeastern University. Dr. Pearson
has adjudicated for the Florida Bandmasters Association,
Bands of America, Heritage
Festivals, and Drum Corps International
throughout the United States. Dr. Pearson
was the recipient of the 2009 FAAE Administration
and Leadership Award for the State of Florida. |
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Jennifer Coolidge,Immediate Past-President
Executive Director, Museum of Florida Art
Deland, FL
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Jennifer Coolidge has over 23 years of
experience as an arts administrator. Coolidge
has served as the Executive Director for the Museum
of Florida Art since 2001; Executive Director
for Florida Alliance for Art Education, FAAE (1995-2001);
Education Coordinator for the Atlantic Center
for the Arts in New Smyrna Beach, FL and served
in education positions for the Southeastern Center
for Contemporary Art, Winston Salem-Forsyth County
Arts Council, Sawtooth Center for Visual Art in
Winston Salem, NC and others in North Carolina.
She has also served as a consultant, presenter
and grant panelist for such organizations as The
Center for Human Rights and Civil Liberties at
The University of Southern Mississippi; Arts Extension
Service, University of Massachusetts; ICARE, Initiative
for Cultural Arts and Education in Cleveland,
Ohio; United Arts of Central Florida, Florida
Division of Cultural Affairs, and Rochester Contemporary
Art Center in Rochester, NY and the Arts Council
of Asheville, NC. Coolidge graduated with a B.A.
in Fine Art from Guilford College in Greensboro,
NC and completed a fellowship with the Denali
Initiative on Social Enterprise in 2000 through
The Kauffman Center on Entrepreneurial Leadership.
Coolidge has received such awards as an Ambassador
of the Arts Award from Florida First Lady, Columba
Bush, in 2005; Distinguished Service Award from
the Florida Music Educators Association in 2002,
and the ACE of Hearts Award from FAAE in 2001.
Coolidge serves as Past President of the Volusia
County Cultural Alliance, and serves on the Board
of Trustees for the Florida House in Washington,
DC.
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Sibille Pritchard, Past-President
Senior Vice President, Brooksville Development
Corporation
Oviedo, FL
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| Sibille
Hart Pritchard is Senior Vice President of the
Brooksville Development Corporation. She is Past
President of the Association to Preserve the Eatonville
Community, Inc., the Zora Neale Hurston Festival,
and the Board of Directors of the Orlando Ballet.
As President of Global Connections of Central
Florida at the University of Central Florida as
well as Chair of the Florida/Southeast U.S. -
Japan Association, Sibille provides an international
perspective. Sibille also serves as a Commissioner
for the Seminole County Housing Authority, and
is a board member of the Florida Chamber of Commerce,
Florida State University’s Medical School
Community Board, and the Dr. Phillips Performing
Arts Center in Orlando. She is former Chair of
the Florida Arts Council, a past board member
of the Florida Executive Women organization, and
the Governor's Council of Libraries. |
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Jayne Ellsperman, Past President
Florida Association of School Administrators |
| Jayne Ellspermann is the Principal of
West Port High School in Ocala, Florida. West
Port High School is the home for Marion County Center
for the Arts magnet program in visual and performing
arts. West Port High School was recently identified
as a FAAE Arts Achieve Model School. She represents
the Florida Association of School Administrators on the
FAAE board. Jayne is also on the Florida Association
for Secondary School Administrators Board of Directors.
She has served as President of the Ocala Civic Theatre
Board of Directors and President of the Marion Performing
Ballet Board of Directors. She holds a B.A. in Psychology
from the University of Georgia and a M.Ed. in Educational
Administration and Supervision from the University of
Florida. |
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Sherron Long, Co-chair, Advocacy
and Awareness
Florida Cultural Alliance
West Palm Beach, FL
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| Sherron is president and founder of Creating
Executive Options Inc., a management and planning consulting
business. She manages three statewide service organizations:
the Florida Professional Theatres Association, which
she created in 1981; the Florida Cultural Alliance, which
she co-founded in 1983; and the Florida Association of
Local Arts Agencies. Prior to Creating Executive Options
in 1985, she developed the grants program for the Palm
Beach County Cultural Council’s Tourist Development
Cultural Activities Program and co-hosted and co-produced
a weekly television show about the arts. She worked at
the Florida Department of State Division of Cultural
Affairs and Florida Arts Council from 1978 to 1983 as
an arts administrator, where she created and managed
the State Touring Program; initiated the first statewide
Florida Dance Association summer dance festival and the
first statewide conferences for local arts agencies and
sponsors and presenters. Sherron has been an on-site
evaluator for the National Endowment for the Arts' Dance
Program and has served as president of the State Arts
Advocacy League of America, the former national organization
for state arts advocacy organizations. Sherron has received
many honors including the Florida ArtsPAC Cultural Advocacy
Award; the Florida Department of State Arts Recognition
Award; Arts & Business Council of Miami Arts Advocate
of the Year Award, the Art Serve Individual Leadership
Encore Award. Sherron taught theatre, speech, dance,
and humanities at the high school and university levels
and has directed and choreographed a number of productions
in educational and professional settings. She has a B.A.
in Speech and Drama from Valdosta State University and
an M.F.A. in Directing from Florida State University's
School of Theatre. |
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Scott Evans
Fine Arts Coordinator, Orange
County Public Schools
Orlando,
FL
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| Scott Evans Fine Arts Coordinator for the Orange County Public Schools, headquartered in Orlando, Florida. Previously, Scott was the first Director of the Orange
County Arts Education Center in Orlando Florida. The
Arts Education Center is working to ensure equal access
for all to high-quality arts education experiences. Scott
also serves on the advisory board for A Gift for Music,
the Florida Festival Singers and the Florida Alliance
for Arts Education. Scott received his Masters Degree
from the University of Central Florida and is a recipient
of the National Board Teachers Certificate. His teaching
experiences included; elementary, middle and high school
and he has served as a guest clinician and conductor
at honor choruses throughout the state of Florida. Scott
is thrilled to be leading the Orange County Arts Education
Center towards building connectivity, collaboration and
support among Orange County’s Leaders, citizens,
nonprofit organizations, educational institutions and
businesses to make high-quality arts education accessible
and a source of pride to all.
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Bob Radock, Chair, Recognition Programs
Walt Disney World Resorts
Lake Buena Vista, FL
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Bob Radock has been passionate about
the arts for more than forty years. Receiving his BM,
MM at the University of Michigan, Bob has worked with
and served as an advocate for arts and music education
initiatives in Florida and through the country. Bob
has served in a leadership capacity with Walt Disney
Entertainment for thirty years producing shows, special
events, festivals, concert series, press events and
casting and hiring performers, international shows
and celebrities.
Bob has been a Past President of FAAE and served on
the Board since 2003. He is active in the community,
serving local and national organizations including
Board of Trustees-Interlochen Center for the Arts,
Grammy Board of Governors, Florida Youth Symphony,
Florida PTA, United Arts of Central Florida, WMFE and
Stetson University. His professional memberships include
FMEA, FBA, MENC, ABA, ACDA and The Recording Academy.
Radock has been honored receiving The Disney Dream
Spinner Award of Excellence, Distinguished Service
Award and installation into the MENC Walk of Fame.
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Mary Palmer, ex officio
Founder, ACE & FAAE
Orlando, FL
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Dr. Mary Palmer is President of Mary Palmer & Associates, LLC, a consulting firm specializing in the arts and education. She holds Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral Degrees from the University of Illinois. Recently named Professor Emerita at the University of Central Florida, Dr. Palmer was Professor and Coordinator of Graduate Studies in Music Education at the University of Central Florida, Orlando; she also served as Dean of the UCF College of Education.  Dr. Palmer is senior author of Pre-Kindergarten through grade 8 music textbook series published by Silver Burdett Ginn and has authored over 40 textbooks which are used worldwide.
Drawing on her four decades in public education and community leadership, Dr. Palmer currently works with schools throughout the country to assist them in developing and implementing arts integration programs to maximize student success and enliven schools. Her client schools have received esteemed awards including recognition in the Kennedy Center Arts Education National Schools of Distinction, the Florida Department of Education Music Demonstration Schools, and the Magnet Schools of America School of Distinction programs. She has led workshops for and collaborated with these groups in 48 states and many foreign countries.  She also works with community arts organizations to enhance their programs in arts education.
Dr. Palmer is the Founder of Arts for a Complete Education/Florida Alliance for Arts Education, Florida's program to enhance arts education and to influence related public policy. Dr. Palmer has garnered support for numerous projects through agencies e.g. the US Department of Education, Florida Department of Education, Florida Department of State, National Endowment for the Arts, and others. She currently directors various FAAE programs, including the Arts Integration Symposia Series, School Improvement through Arts Integration, Teaching Artist Professional Development, and Arts and Technology. Dr. Palmer’s dedication to the arts also has motivated her extensive involvement in groups that provide, promote, and proclaim the arts in schools and communities. She has served as President of professional organizations including MENC National Association for Music Education Southern Division; VSA Arts of Florida; Florida Music Educators Association; and the Florida Alliance for Arts Education. In addition, she serves on various community boards of directors including A Gift for Teaching, A Gift for Music, the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, Orlando Shakespeare Theatre, Florida Theatrical Association, and UCF College of Education Advisory Committee.
She has established award-winning collaborative programs with Walt Disney World, Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, Junior Achievement, and others. For her work in Arts Education she has received numerous awards, including a special commendation from three of Florida’s Governors; the prestigious Arts Recognition Award from the Florida Department of State; ACE of Hearts; and Pi Delta Kappa Educator of the Year.
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Laura Lewis Blischke, Ex officio
Program Manager for Arts in Education
Florida Department of State/Div. of Cultural Affairs
Tallahassee , FL
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Laura joined the staff in the summer
of 2006. Passionate about the arts, she enjoyed
a ten-year career with the Walt Disney Company.
Ms. Blischke worked as a professional dancer who
performed stage shows at the Magic Kingdom and EPCOT
Center, and later as a Staging Specialist teaching
on-property shows at the Magic Kingdom. She assisted
on many Disney special events, and choreographed
for seasonal parades. Laura holds a Bachelor of
Arts Degree in Dance with an emphasis on teaching
from Virginia Intermont College. She has also choreographed
for USFSA figure skaters, with former students competing
at the local, regional and national level.
At the Division, she oversees the Underserved Cultural
Community Development and Arts in Education initiatives
as well as all REDI (Rural Economic Development
Initiative) issues.
Laura lives in Tallahassee with her husband Karl
and two beautiful daughters Olivia and Kate. In
her spare time she enjoys photography, reading,
working in her yard, and going to the beach. She
also writes poetry and several of her pieces have
been published through online reviews. |
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Kay Allen, Ph.D., Ex officio
Principal
Investigator, ACE Grant
Professor, University of
Central Florida, College of Education
Orlando,
FL
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Martha
Gutierrez- Steinkamp,
Member at Large, FAAE
Smithsonian Fellow
USDOE Consultant
2001-2002 Deputy Chairman NEA - Presidential Appointment
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Ms. Gutiérrez-Steinkamp is a Smithsonian Fellow and former Deputy Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts and later the Commission for the Preservation of the White House both by Presidential appointment. She serves on the U. S. Senate Task Force for Hispanic Affairs, is liaison member of the Civil Society of the Organization of American States (OAS), and Director of the National Council of Hispanic Women. Presently a Consultant for DOE Washington DC, Museum of Florida History, Archdiocese of Miami, .
Ms. Steinkamp has accompanied Florida Secretary of State in cultural missions and is an international bilingual consultant (Mexico,Spain & France); she is a graduate of Havana Conservatory of Music, studied ballet with Michael Fokine at Carnegie Hall; attended Villanova University School of International Law, continuing advanced studies in Cultural Management, Museum Studies and Cultural Conservation at the University of Victoria; she has developed national model curricula and is certified to teach K-12 Humanities and Professional Education in Florida. |
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Nancy
Roucher, Co-chair, Network Partners
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| Coming soon.
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Deanna
Costa
Director of Education & Community Engagement, National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts
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| Coming soon.
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Jennifer
Jones,
Co-chair, Network Partners, Advocacy
and Awareness
Executive Director, Bay Arts Alliance
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| Jennifer N. Jones has been with Bay
Arts Alliance since 2000 and has been the Executive
Director since 2002. After graduating Florida State
University School of Music, she held positions
in accounting and marketing which eventually led
her to a marketing position with Bay Arts Alliance,
Bay County Florida’s Local Arts Agency. Since
then, she has acquired the responsibilities of
programming and marketing for the organization’s
performance series, arts in education activities,
promoting the efforts of the county’s artists
and arts organization and advocating for both the
Arts as an industry and in Florida schools. She
also serves on the board of Bay Regional Juvenile
Detention Center in Panama City, FL. She is married
to Bill and they have one daughter, Maggie, who
just began fifth grade band at Bay Haven Charter
Academy.
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Dr. Russell L. Robinson
Professor of Music,
University of Florida
Gainesville, Florida
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Dr. Russell L. Robinson has been on the faculty at the University of Florida since 1984, where he is Professor of Music, Area Head of Music Education, and Education Liaison for the College of Fine Arts. Highly in demand, Dr. Robinson has made over 300 appearances as a conductor and presenter at festivals, workshops, honor choirs, all-state choirs and state, regional, national and international conferences in the US, Europe, China, Singapore, Japan, Africa, and Australia as well as conducting venues, which include: Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, Boston’s Symphony Hall, the White House and the National Cathedral. He is a past President of the Florida Music Educators Association, Interim Associate Dean of the UF College of Fine Arts, National Collegiate Chair for the Music Educators National Conference (MENC) and is the current MENC Choral Adviser in the national publication Teaching Music. Dr. Robinson is a published author, composer and arranger with over 200 publications in print, including choral compositions, arrangements, articles, books, instructional videos and DVD’s. |
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Shigeko
Honda,
Member at Large, FAAE
Director, Japan Center at the University
of West Florida
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Ms. Honda is director of the Japan
Center at the University of West Florida Japan
House, the Jikei-American Center and the Florida-Japan
Linkage Institute. She has organized numerous exhibitions,
performing arts, lectures, symposiums and Japanese
cultural events, and has lectured on Japan for
various organizations. Ms. Honda has managed the
exchange of thousands of students between the U.S.
and Japan and initiated the involvement of hundreds
of local host families who support the exchange
programs.
Ms. Shigeko Honda was educated in both America and Japan. She received an Associate
Degree in English Literature from the Komazawa Junior College in Tokyo, Japan
and earned both her Bachelor's Degree and Master's Degree from the University
of West Florida (UWF) in Pensacola in Interdisciplinary Humanities with a concentration
in Art History, Religion and Philosophy.
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Chip Weston
Internet Marketing Course Director
Full Sail University
Winter Park, FL
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Chip Weston is an Internet Marketing Course Director at Full Sail University, a government relations consultant for United Arts of Central Florida and has developed programs in New Media Distribution and Social Media Optimization. He is a Behavioral Science graduate of Rollins College, served in the Peace Corps, and played rhythm guitar in a number of rock and bluegrass bands. Weston opened an advertising studio in 1975 and has had an eclectic career in marketing, illustration, photography, theme park design, urban design, patents, packaging, motion pictures, television, and radio. Besides fine arts and illustration, he developed expertise in business, communications and negotiations and was an early adaptor of state-of-the-art technology for illustration and advertising and has beta tested many of the products that have become standard in the field today. Weston was adjunct professor of Leadership at Rollins College and Director of Economic and Cultural Development for the City of Winter Park. He has been a member of the McRae Artist studios for over 20 years and has been co chair of the Disney Festival of the Masters and serves on a number of advisory boards including Enzian Theater and the Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival. His interests include music, painting, photography, yoga, and he continues to do research in Internet psychographics, 3D user interfaces, and the future of education. |
STAFF MEMBERS
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Susan Burke, Executive
Director
Sarasota, FL
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Susan Burke brings a wide range of experience
to her role of Executive Director at the Florida Alliance
for Arts Education. She was Director
of Education at the Sarasota
County Arts Council from 2002 - 2005 where she
coordinated the Artists in Schools program which brought
professional artists into Sarasota
Public Schools classrooms to teach reading, math,
science, and social
studies curriculum. Since 2002, she has served
on the Community/Schools Partnership for
the Arts, an Advisory
Committee to the District Superintendent and on
the Arts Education Task Force, a community coalition
that supports arts education in Sarasota
County. Susan played a pivotal role last year
in developing and advancing a strategy to integrate
Career, Technical Education and Arts courses in high
school Small Learning Communities in the Sarasota Schools
so that graduating seniors have been taught to the
professional standards required in a number of careers
in the arts. Since
1996, she has administered Encore! Ensemble
Theatre Workshop, a summer program that brings
together teens from around the world to study and create
theatre.
In
addition to her work in arts education,
Burke, who has an MBA in Integrative Management
from Michigan State University and a B.S. in Civil
Engineering from the University
of Toledo, has extensive experience
in the private sector in project management,
information management, new media and marketing,
and nuclear power plant licensing. |
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Rebekah Pearson
Program Assistant
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Rebekah Pearson is a South
Florida native who moved to Orlando to continue her
college education. IN 2008, she received her Associate
of Arts degree at Valencia Community College. At
V.C.C., Rebekah was on the Dean’s list and
was a member of Phi Theta Kappa National Honor Society.
She is currently working on her Bachelor’s
degree in Elementary Education at the University
of Central Florida. Rebekah values arts education
and is excited about her work with FAAE.
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Jessica Schweitzer
Program Assistant
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Jessica Schweitzer is the product of the Florida school system and the arts programs cultivated in Pinellas County. She attended Florida State University, where she participated in multiple theatre performances and also studied acting in London. Jessica graduated with her B.A. in Theatre, in May, 2010 and is currently pursuing her M.A. in Teaching English Language Arts at the University of Central Florida.
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