Page 5 - CJOct25

From the NATIONAL OFFICERS

President PRESIDENT

EDITH COPLEY
ecopley@acda.org

One of the articles in this issue is about the amaz- VICE PRESIDENT
ing composer, arranger, conductor, and actor Jester PEARL SHANGKUAN
Hairston (1901-2000). I was fortunate to attend ses- pshangkuan@acda.org
sions with this inspiring man in the early 1980s. He PRESIDENT-ELECT
shared his personal story, the history of each spiritu- JESSICA NÁPOLES
Edith Copley al, and enthusiastically led us in the singing of his ar- jnapoles@acda.org
rangements. Hairston was a dynamic educator and a
shining star in our profession. SECRETARY/TREASURER
Since beginning my term as national president, several people have ROBERT NATTER
asked me: “What is your vision for ACDA?” After thinking about this ques- rnatter@gettysburg.edu
tion, I realized I have a shared vision. Everyone in ACDA leadership is work-
ing together to forge a path into the future, create new resources for our PAST PRESIDENT
membership, and provide materials to help us to be strong advocates for DAVID FRYLING
dfryling@acda.org
our art.
The revision of ACDA’s Bylaws and Constitution was completed in EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
2023. Our organization’s next step is to develop a Strategic Plan. National ROBYN HILGER
ACDA President-elect Jessica Napoles will chair this important commit- executivedirector@acda.org
tee, which will guide ACDA into the future. NATIONAL R&R CHAIR
Statistics show that the majority of our members are unable to attend
a region or national conference. It’s disappointing that so few can attend GRETCHEN HARRISON
nationalrr@acda.org
these professional development events. I’m well aware that many mem-
bers have limited financial resources and often have great difficulty taking EASTERN REGION PRESIDENT
time away to attend a conference. Every regional and national conference AMANDA HANZLIK
team is working diligently to control costs and make conferencing more amanda.hanzlik@acdaeast.org
accessible. Recently, ACDA has made 2023 and 2025 National Confer- MIDWESTERN REGION PRESIDENT
ence reading sessions and videos of selected interest sessions available to DERRICK FOX
all of our members, regardless of whether they attended a conference. In foxderri@msu.edu
addition, R&R leadership and steering committees are working to offer
members more non-conference resources such as new webinars, podcasts, NORTHWESTERN REGION PRESIDENT
and genre-specific reading sessions throughout the year. WILLIAM CAMPBELL
With recent severe cuts to arts funding and the continual loss of school billcampbell@nwacda.org
music programs, the Advocacy & Collaboration Standing Committee
plans to review and compile advocacy resources from various arts coali- SOUTHERN REGION PRESIDENT
tions and make this valuable information available on ACDA’s website to JEFFERY AMES
jefferyacdasouthern@gmail.com
help us become stronger advocates for music in our communities.
Our shared vision for the future involves strategic planning, more practi- SOUTHWESTERN REGION PRESIDENT
cal resources throughout the year, and accessible materials to help us ad- JONATHAN D. OWEN
vocate for the choral art. It is my hope that these initiatives will benefit our Jonathano@swacda.org
current membership and draw more choral musicians to our organization WESTERN REGION PRESIDENT
in the days and years ahead.
JULIE DANA
jdana@acdawestern.org

INDUSTRY ASSOCIATE REPRESENTATIVE
OLIVER SCOFIELD
KI Concerts
CHORAL JOURNAL October 2025 Volume 66 Number 3 3 oliver@kiconcerts.com