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College of Music Advancement Board 2023-2024
College of Music Advancement Board 2022-2023

The purpose of the Advancement Board is to support UNT College of Music in achieving its mission to serve our diverse musical culture with excellence, integrity, and imagination. Members advance the mission by identifying enhancement opportunities and connecting UNT College of Music with resources that will ensure its future success.

The Board meets three times each year to partner with the COM Dean and Development team, working to accomplish strategic priorities: philanthropy, partnership, and advocacy. Members increase public and private financial support for the college by making annual contributions, and by taking leadership roles in the solicitation of major gifts. The Board leverages professional networks to establish new applied learning experiences for students, including internships, music industry projects, and corporate partnerships. Advancement Board members serve as ambassadors for the college within communities of influence, increasing UNT College of Music’s visibility as America’s largest public university music program and educator of internationally-celebrated musicians.

You can make a direct impact and join the Advancement Board’s philanthropic efforts to support College of Music programs, students, and faculty by making a donation online here, or by contacting Sr. Director of Development Cherese Bassett-Sowell at cherese.bassett@unt.edu.

 

Deborah S. Brooks
Board Chair
Board Chair

Debbie is an alumna of UNT College of Music, where she earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Cello Performance with a focus in Musicology. Ms. Brooks is the founding director of DFW Musicians Services LLC, a full-service contracting company which has established a national reputation for excellence. For 20 years, Debbie has connected clients with first-rate musical talent for performances in numerous cities across Texas, Arizona, Florida, and Oklahoma, as well as in Nashville, Atlanta, Denver, Las Vegas, and New Orleans.

Debbie’s successful contracting enterprise has been significantly informed by her own career as a versatile performer. As a freelance cellist, she has performed across genres which have included classical, pops, and musical theater repertoire. For over 35 years, Debbie has performed with Casa Mañana Musicals and Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, where she served as Associate Principal Cellist for sixteen years. As a featured soloist for the FWSO, she has performed with Bobby McFerrin, Bernadette Peters, and Mark O’Connor—to name a few.

Her heart for the developing student has inspired her to maintain a private teaching studio for more than 45 years. Prior to joining the Advancement Board, Debbie taught as a UNT College of Music faculty member, offering instruction in Orchestral Cello Excerpt Performance and Music Career Development. She has offered professional consultation and guidance to UNT Music Entrepreneurship students as both a guest speaker and judge for the program’s annual competition. The quality she values most about UNT College of Music is its environment of preparation for professional success.

Debbie supports the college because she is passionate about helping students, and she welcomes opportunities to share with others about UNT College of Music’s premier programs and excellent faculty.

William Smialek
Vice-Chair
Vice-Chair

Bill is a UNT College of Music alumnus with a master’s degree and Ph.D. in Musicology; he completed his doctoral research in Poland as a Fulbright Scholar. Additionally, Dr. Smialek holds a bachelor’s degree in Music Education from University of Rhode Island. Bill is a retired college professor and administrator whose 35 years in higher education have included executive positions in academic affairs, institutional advancement and development, and institutional effectiveness.

Bill currently works as a part-time consultant for non-profit and higher education institutions with a special interest in assisting HBCUs. Prior to joining the UNT College of Music Advancement Board, he assumed the role of Director of Development for the East Texas Youth Orchestra. As a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE), Bill employees his expertise in building relationships, data management, and grant writing to seek community support for the music education and performance experiences of young musicians in the East Texas region.

A dedicated music scholar, Bill has published books and papers on Polish and East European music of the 19th and 20th centuries. Inspired by his own research experiences in Europe, Bill established the History, Theory and Ethnomusicology Endowed Travel Fund to provide support for research-related travel expenses incurred by doctoral students at UNT. A resource of UNT that he greatly values is the music library, and he welcomes opportunities to share with others about the College of Music’s enriching learning environment.

Bill has proficiencies in 6 languages, including Czech, Polish, Russian, German, French, and English. He and wife of 42 years, Molly McCoy, met in an opera literature class at UNT College of Music. They have two accomplished children, one of whom is a graduate of the UNT Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science.

Michael M. Archer
Managing Partner, Manhattan Innovation Lab

Michael is a UNT College of Business alumnus with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing; additionally, Mr. Archer holds an MBA from Oklahoma City University. As Managing Partner of Manhattan Innovation Lab, Michael refines, reshapes, and reengineers his clients’ entrepreneurial ventures. He applies multi-national and cross industry experience to build successful, high potential early-stage companies and the business accelerators helping them to grow.  His company pairs investment capital with best-in-class operating practices to turn bright ideas into successful businesses.

In addition to his membership on the UNT College of Music Advancement Board, Michael serves on the Board of Directors for The Resource Foundation. TRF, a New York City-based nonprofit organization cultivating relationships between sustainable development organizations in Latin America and donors worldwide.  For more than 17 years Michael has utilized his professional expertise to help TRF grow their philanthropic activities and empower disadvantaged communities.

As a skilled and spirited drummer, Michael considered himself a “wannabe music major” during his studies at UNT and joined the rhythm section of the university’s Basketball Band. As a proud alumnus and jazz enthusiast, Michael has provided financial support for UNT’s Grammy-nominated premiere ensemble, the One O’Clock Lab Band.  Additionally, he has offered professional consultation and guidance to UNT Music Entrepreneurship students as a guest judge for the program’s annual competition. Michael supports UNT College of Music because he sincerely values the power and impact music has on the listener, the educator, and the performer, and he welcomes opportunities to share with others about the college’s breadth and depth of world class musical talent.

Michael and wife of 20 years, Elizabeth Nieto, currently reside in Manhattan. Together, they appreciate the boundless culture and entertainment the City affords them and are particularly fond of the New York Jazz scene. In his leisure time, Michael is an avid skydiver, enjoys cycling, skiing, and every minute he gets to spend with his daughter and son.

Bob Brown
Bob Brown
Officers

Bob Brown is retired Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration of the University of North Texas where he led UNT’s budget, finance and administrative operations. He is a Certified Public Accountant. He is a UNT alumnus and has more than 35 years of experience as the chief business officer in various higher education institutions. He received the Nation’s Outstanding Chief Business Officer award from the Community College Business Officers organization in 1996; the Distinguished Service Award from the Southern Association of College and University Business Officers in 2008; and was named an Innovator of the Year in 1990 and in 2003 by the League for Innovation in the Community College. He served as President for Business and Administration at Texas A&M-Commerce and served at Dallas County Community College District, North Harris Montgomery Community College District in Houston and Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte, North Carolina.
 

He holds the degrees MBA, and BBA from UNT and he completed the College Business Management Institute at the University of Kentucky and the Governor’s Executive Development Program at the University of Texas at Austin

A. Baron Cass, III
Co-Founder & Partner, C3 Capital LLC

Baron is a native of Dallas, TX with a BBA in Finance from Southern Methodist University. Additionally, Mr. Cass holds an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Throughout Baron’s 45-year-long career in finance, he has worked as a CPA, an investment banker for Goldman Sachs, and has successfully managed investment portfolios with emphases on auto dealership, real estate, and oil & gas. Today, Baron manages personal investment portfolios on behalf of private equity companies C3 Holdings and C3 Capital LLC.

During his formative years, Baron attended St. Mark’s, the Dallas all-boys school. As a teenager at St. Mark’s, he started a band called The Marksmen Combo along with classmates Boz Scaggs and Steve Miller (Rock and Roll Hall of Fame). Baron’s years of music performance experiences sparked his strongly-held conviction that music and the performing arts are essential for building a well-rounded education.

For nearly 28 years, the Baron and Darlene Cass Family Foundation has offered philanthropic support to nonproft organizations sharing Mr. and Mrs. Cass’s core values. Their dedication to music in higher education has repeatedly inspired the Cass Family Foundation to invest in the programming, travel, and recording needs of UNT College of Music students. Additionally in 2013, Baron and Darlene created The A. Baron III and Darlene G. Cass Jazz Percussion Scholarship Fund to provide annual funding awards for full-time jazz percussion students at the University of North Texas.

Baron and wife of 42 years, Darlene, currently reside in Dallas. They enjoy golfing and visits with their three children and three grandchildren.

M. Jean Greenlaw
Regents Professor Emeritus at the University of North Texas

M. Jean Greenlaw is Regents Professor Emeritus at the University of North Texas, where she taught for 27 years. Prior to that she taught at the University of Georgia. She received her undergraduate and masters degrees at Stetson University in DeLand, Florida, and her PhD at Michigan State University.

Jean writes a monthly column for the Denton Record-Chronicle, Book Talk. She is also the co-founder of Club Book Talk, a book club that meets on-line.

Dr. Greenlaw has been very active professionally, both as a writer and a speaker. Her numerous publications include the books Ranch Dressing: The Story of Western Wear and Welcome to the Stock Show. Involvement in professional organizations includes serving on the prestigious Newbery Committee, and receiving the Arbuthnot Award from the International Reading Association, given to the most outstanding professor of children’s literature in the U.S.

She has won numerous awards for her teaching and service. When she retired in 2005, the University of North Texas created the Jean Greenlaw Literacy Award, as recognition of her lifetime’s work. The award will be given each year at the annual Texas Association of Improvement of Reading conference.

Dr. Greenlaw also participates in her community. She serves on the board of UNTRA, was active in The Arts Guild, on the Boards of the city Library Board, and Keep Denton Beautiful, was on the Citizen Bond Committee and is a Denton Ambassador. She was on the board of UNT’s Emeritus College, now known as OLLI at UNT. She has served on the board of the Greater Denton Arts Council, Denton County Historical Commission, and the Friends of the Denton Public Libraries. She has also been a docent at the Cowgirl Hall of Fame in Fort Worth. She served on the Advisory Board of the College of Arts and Sciences at Stetson University, the Editorial Board of The Denton Record-Chronicle and is currently serving on the College of Music Advancement Board.

David B. Hooten
Multi-Grammy and Emmy nominated musician; Oklahoma County Clerk

Multi-Grammy and Emmy nominated musician, David B. Hooten is known as the “Musician’s Musician” and the “Maker of Memories.” Born in Frascati, Italy into an Air Force family, Hooten lived in various cities through the U.S. and Europe. Hooten received his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music Education from North Texas State University and a Master’s Degree in Trumpet Performance from the University of Oklahoma. Hooten, and Pat Boone, were awarded UNT Presidential Medals of Honor in April 2022 in celebration of their musical talents and undeniable impact on the entertainment industry. The UNT Presidential Medal of Honor is the highest presidential honor given at UNT, awarded to individuals who have made significant contributions to UNT and have elevated the university.

Hooten has released over 20 albums and has performed on and produced over 100 albums through his own label, D.B.H. Productions. In 2020, Hooten released the inspirational “Footprints of God,” a series of religious poems and readings set to music, read by singer-actor-author Pat Boone. In addition to recording, Hooten's busy schedule includes appearances worldwide as a guest trumpet soloist in recitals and with symphony orchestras. He has been soloist with The Kiev Symphony Orchestra, The Oklahoma City Philharmonic, The Thailand National Symphony Orchestra, for Thailand's gala event of the year, and for the 60th Birthday of the late Queen Elizabeth II.

Hooten has raised millions of dollars for charities over the years. Hooten established The Children's Music Education Foundation.  With this foundation he has gifted 100's of musical instruments to aspiring artists. He and his wife established the David and Whitney Hooten Foundation through the Oklahoma City Community Foundation in 2001. The self-directed foundation helps provide music opportunities for children. Hooten was the title sponsor for the 2003 David B. Hooten Invitational Golf Tournament, a part of the Hooter’s Pro Tour and has chaired Red-Tie Night, Oklahoma’s single largest fundraising event which benefits the Oklahoma AIDS Care Fund.

In Nov. 2016 Mr. Hooten won the election for Oklahoma County Clerk. Hooten unseated a 20-year incumbent and has saved taxpayers millions of dollars by modernizing the Oklahoma County Clerk's Office. David and his wife, Whitney, have three beautiful children, Henry David, Ava Elizabeth, and David Benjamin Hooten Jr. For additional information go to www.DavidHooten.Com.

Stanley R. Levenson, APR
Stanley R. Levenson, APR
CEO, Levenson Strategic Communication Advisors, LLC

For over 50 years, Stan has been a widely-recognized, Accredited Public Relations and Strategic Communications professional. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Journalism from the University of Michigan and served in the United States Army for two years. While stationed at Ft. Belvoir, VA, Stan pursued a master's degree in journalism and marketing communications, attending night classes at the American University in Washington D.C. Following his military service, Stan worked as a Dallas regional sales and promotion manager for DOT Records of Hollywood, California.
During the pinnacle of American soul-pop music production in the mid-60s, Stan represented and promoted Motown Records and marketed record albums for Pickwick International.

Prior to joining the UNT College of Music Advancement Board, Stan dedicated several decades to community service, diversity, inclusion, cultural arts, and support for higher education and jazz music appreciation. As an enthusiast of modern jazz of the late 1940s and 1950s, Stan welcomes opportunities to share with others about how publicizing and promoting UNT's One O'Clock Lab Band over decades has enriched his professional life. The quality Stan values most about UNT College of Music is its commitment to provide inspiration and encouragement to its students, so that they may optimize their gifted talents and artistic desires.

Stan has served and volunteered with numerous non-profits and cause-related organizations: Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden, Arts and Humanities Division at the University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum, the Dallas Council on World Affairs, and the President's Advisory Council of the AT&T Center for the Performing Arts. Stan has been the recipient of many recognition awards, including the A. Maceo Smith Community Service Award for his advocacy and leadership in the African-American community and the Jazz Benefactor of the Year Award from the Sammons Center for the Arts.

Stan and his wife Barbara have been successful business partners and colleagues for nearly five decades. In 2011, they were inducted into the American Advertising Federation’s Southwest Advertising Hall of Fame, one of their most valued achievements. Stan and Barbara take great pride in being blessed with two loving and successful daughters, a devoted son-in-law, a newly born great-grandson, and six “all-star” grandsons—three of whom are already college graduates.

 

Elizabeth Nieto
Elizabeth Nieto
VP, Equity and Impact, Spotify

Born and raised in Argentina, Elizabeth earned her master's degree in Educational Sciences from the University of Buenos Aires. Ms. Nieto spent almost 20 years with Citigroup in global talent management, diversity & inclusion roles, and as an HR business partner. As VP of Equity and Impact at Spotify, she is responsible for Diversity & Belonging, Campus & Diversity Talent, Sustainability and Social Impact. Prior to joining Spotify, Elizabeth was the Head of Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Amazon.

In 2014, she was named one of the Top Champions of Diversity by Diversity Global and recognized as one of the 2014 Hispanic Business 50 Influentials by Hispanic Business. Elizabeth was honored in 2016 by El Museo del Barrio in New York City for Excellence in Philanthropy. Elizabeth served as a board member for Girls Learn International and is currently a board member at A Fair Shake for Youth, bringing hands-on therapy dog programs to underserved middle school students. She also serves on the Board of Directors for The Opportunity Network and the All Stars Project, Inc., organizations which maximize education and career success for students of marginalized and low-income communities.


Elizabeth has an eclectic array of styles and genres she enjoys as a musical and cultural tourist.  As an enthusiast of music spanning the globe, Elizabeth values the diversity of backgrounds, geographies, and experiences represented in the UNT College of Music. Elizabeth supports the College because she values the opportunities presented to the musicians and composers studying at UNT.

Elizabeth and husband, Michael Archer (UNT ’81), reside in Manhattan, NY. They stay connected to their love of Jazz and other music genres through performances taking place throughout the city.

Christian O'Donnell
Christian O'Donnell
Private Studio Instructor, The Brass Ring Center for the Performing Arts

Chris holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from UNT College of Music, where he served as Drum Major for the Green Brigade. Dr. O’Donnell began graduate work at Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester before completing his Master of Music in Music Education and Conducting at the Beinen School of Music at Northwestern University, and earning his PhD from the Weitzenhoffer College of Fine Arts at the University of Oklahoma. Chris was a band director in Texas and Oklahoma for 20 years. Currently, Chris operates a private studio at The Brass Ring Center for the Performing Arts in his hometown of Ardmore, Oklahoma, where he teaches woodwinds, brass, percussion, guitar, bass, and music theory.

Prior to joining the UNT College of Music Advancement Board, Chris served on the Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Educational Foundation, Oklahoma School for the Deaf Foundation for Excellence in Education, the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence, the Ardmore Contemporary Dance Company, and the Southern Oklahoma Arts and Humanities Council. He is currently serving as President of the Beverly Westheimer Wellnitz Foundation, President of Carousel Productions, Inc., and on the Oklahoma City University School of Music Advisory Board. For 13 years, Dr. O’Donnell has been a trustee of the Westheimer Family Foundation, which awarded the UNT Green Brigade Marching Band a generous grant in 2018 for the purchase of its new uniforms.

Chris is a dedicated music educator. In 2015, Chris created the Valerie Dean Westheimer Scholarship in Music and Graduate Fellowship in Music, named for his aunt (UNT ‘70.) As a University of North Texas alumnus, the quality he values most about the College of Music is its standard of excellence, as exemplified by the teachers, programs, and performance opportunities.

Chris and Vicki Gelona, fellow faculty member at The Brass Ring Center for the Performing Arts, currently live in Ardmore, OK, where they enjoy cooking, traveling, and their animals.

 

Amanda S. Ryan
Amanda S. Ryan
President & CEO, ONE Ryan Global LLC

Amanda is a Southern Methodist University alumna with a BBA in Accounting. She began her career in finance in 1993 as a financial auditor with expertise in privately-held companies. In 1998, Amanda joined tax services and consulting firm Ryan LLC and rose in ranks from Controller to Chief Financial Officer. Today, Amanda is President & CEO of ONE Ryan Global LLC, which oversees diverse real estate and private equity investments.

Prior to joining the UNT College of Music Advancement Board, Amanda’s relationship to the University of North Texas developed as the result of her husband, UNT College of Business alumnus (’88, ’88 M.S.) G. Brint Ryan. In 2018, Ryan LLC served as the presenting sponsor of the UNT College of Music fundraising gala: Metamorphosis. Together in 2019, Brint and Amanda gave the largest gift in UNT history, resulting in the naming of the G. Brint Ryan College of Business at the Universtiy of North Texas.

One of Mrs. Ryan’s most noticeable passions is her love of musical arts. A Suzuki-trained violinist from the age of six, Amanda shared her enthusiasm for musical expression and creativity with her five daughters. Though, to her dismay, she did not manage to produce a family string ensemble, she is the proud mother of four singers and a classical guitarist. As a member of the Advancement Board, Amanda is a dedicated amabassador of the UNT College of Music. She seeks to increase awareness of the depth and breadth of UNT student ensembles and to make valuable introductions to further the philanthropic efforts and mission of the college.

Mrs. Ryan is a native of Shreveport, Louisiana and has a special talent for floral arranging which led to the recent establishment of her own floral design business. Amanda currently resides in Scottsdale, Arizona with her husband G. Brint Ryan and their school-aged daughters.

Visit Mrs. Ryan’s professional profile.

John A. Rydman
John A. Rydman
President & Owner, Spec's Wines, Spirits & Finer Foods

John is a UNT College of Music alumnus with a Bachelor of Music in Music Education. His wife, Lindy, is the daughter of Carroll (“Spec”) and Carolynn Jackson, founders of Spec’s Wines, Spirits, and Finer Foods. Today, John and Lindy, along with their daughter, Lisa, oversee the Houston-based superstore chain, which has locations scattered widely across the state of Texas.

John and Lindy were both music majors when they met at the University of North Texas; John was a saxophonist and conductor, and Lindy was a singer. Inspired by their shared passion for music, and as a tribute to the founders of Spec’s, the Rydmans created the Spec’s Charitable Foundation with the purpose of supporting educational programs. Through Spec’s Charitable Foundation, John and Lindy established an endowed fund at UNT for the One O'Clock Lab Band®, which has provided scholarship support and recording & travel opportunities for the Grammy-nominated ensemble. In 2019, a donation from Spec's Charitable Foundation funded the Spec’s Charitable Foundation Courtyard—an outdoor social & performance space, central to the entrance of UNT College of Music.

In addition to serving on the Advancement Board at UNT College of Music, John is Board Chair and President of the Houston Symphony Society. A conductor himself, one of John’s greatest honors was the opportunity to conduct the Houston Symphony for an Independence Day Patriotic Concert. He has received multiple awards for Outstanding Support of the Arts from the Texas Association of Symphony Orchestra, North Texas Business Council for the Arts, and the National Business Council for the Arts.
In his final year at UNT College of Music, John was inducted as a member of the honorary music society, Pi Kappa Lamda; additionally, he was a patron of Mu Phi Epsilon. November 7th, 2020 marks the 50-year anniversary of John and Lindy’s first date—a UNT Football game, where Phi Mu Alpha was selling copies of “Glory to the Green.” Today, John and Lindy reside in Houston, TX, enjoy extensive travel to exotic scuba-diving destinations, and orchestrate the success of their ever-growing business by using “the skills [they] learned at UNT.”

 

Richard H. Schulze
Richard H. Schulze
Director, Athena Group, Inc.

Richard is an alumnus of Princeton University with a BSE in Mechanical Engineering. Following his service as an officer in the US Navy Atlantic fleet, Mr. Schulze earned an MBA in Marketing from Northwestern University. In 1974, Richard founded Trinity Consultants, Inc. which grew from a one-person operation to become the nation's leading air quality consulting and compliance firm. As Director of Athena Group, Inc., Richard manages a broad array of personal investments, as well as the assets of The Richard & Enika Schulze Foundation.

Richard’s passion for music performance was sparked by his own clarinet studies in high school and college, his singing participation in the chapel choir at Princeton, and by a brief experience with Verdi’s “La Traviata” at the old Metropolitan Opera House on Broadway. Currently, he serves on the Board of Directors for the Dallas Opera, the Dallas Symphony Foundation, and on the Executive Advisory Board of SMU’s Lyle School of Engineering. Additionally through the Richard and Enika Schulze Foundation, the Schulzes offer annual support to the Dallas-based Orchestra of New Spain and the LacMus Festival, an annual international summer music festival in Tremezzina, on Lake Como, Italy.

As a member of the UNT College of Music Advancement Board, Richard has served as an energetic ambassador for the University of North Texas. By staging private salon concerts in their new home, Richard and Enika have hosted presentations by UNT musicians, vocal and instrumental, to Dallas audiences. The UNT Opera program has since been added to the couple’s list of must-see performance seasons.

Soundtracked by a string quartet from Mozart’s “Marriage of Figaro,” Richard married Enika in 1987. Ever since, Mr. and Mrs. Schulze have been season subscribers to the Dallas Opera, the Dallas Symphony, and the Dallas Chamber Music Society. The couple still reside in Dallas, where Richard enjoys singing baritone in the 150 voice Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church Choir.

Visit Mr. Schulze’s professional profile.

Christopher P. Stanton
Officers

Christopher P. Stanton is a native to North Texas.  He completed his undergraduate degree in Entrepreneurial Management from the University of North Texas in May 1990.  He earned a MBA with concentrations in Finance and Entrepreneurship from Southern Methodist University in June 2002. 

His career has ranged from aviation early in his career to senior management roles in a high net-worth family office in Dallas.  Since 2014, he has served as Executive Director for The John and Bonnie Strauss Foundation in Plano, Texas. 

Music runs deep in his family and he is very excited to serve on the College of Music board for his alma mater. 

Judith A. Donachie Watson
Judith A. Donachie Watson
Interim Nominating & Memberships Committee Chair

Judy is a UNT College of Business alumna with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting; additionally, Ms. Watson holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Austin College. Professionally, she has been responsible for monitoring financial portfolios and accounting services within the private and nonprofit sectors. As a philanthropist, for over 20 years, Judy has reviewed hundreds of grant proposals on behalf of the Donachie Foundation and offered pro bono business consulting as a Partner with Dallas Social Venture Partners.

Judy has championed the performing arts in North Texas as a board member of both Anita N. Martinez Ballet Folklorico and the Dallas Jazz Piano Society. As a member of Dallas Jazz Piano Society’s leadership team, Judy supported the development of Fredrick Sanders’s award-winning piano techniques and the establishment of a leadership program for underserved West Dallas students. In 2019, Ms. Watson was awarded Volunteer of the Year by Sammons Center of the Arts, where she humbly shared her enthusiasm for the arts with devoted friends.

Ms. Watson enjoys all cultures of imagination and appreciates their capacity for human connection. Whether jazz, dance, symphony, or opera, she needs music in her daily diet and regularly supports a rich array of creative organizations, as both audience member and patron. As a member of the College of Music Advancement Board, Judy is indebted to the University of North Texas for its world-class music education standards, exceptionally talented student musicians, and myriad of outstanding performances. Judy welcomes opportunities to network and advocate for the accomplished graduates of UNT College of Music.

Though Judy has primarily enjoyed Dallas, her life has been culturally enriched by extensive travel and former residence in South America with husband and, then school-aged, children. Judy’s ongoing passion for the creative arts is shared by her growing family, which now includes three treasured grand-children.

 

Malcolm Winspear
Retired President and C.E.O., Javelin Logistics

Malcolm Winspear received his undergraduate degree in Business Administration from The University of Texas at Austin, and his MBA from Baylor University. Prior to his retirement in 2019, Malcolm was the CEO of Javelin Logistics, a Northern California based Third Party Logistics Service. Malcolm orchestrated the growth of the firm from a start-up located in Northern California, to a comprehensive logistics services firm employing 350 people at 15 locations in multiple states across the southern and western US.

In addition to serving on the UNT College of Music Advancement Board, Malcolm also serves on the Advisory Board for the Jim McNatt Institute for Logistics Research and on UNT’s Employer Advisory Board, both within the G. Brint Ryan College of Business at UNT.

Malcolm has been an active an ardent supporter of the musical arts for many years, and while living in California, served on the Board of Directors for the California Symphony. The UNT College of Music has special meaning to Malcolm. His parents’ involvement and philanthropy sparked the initial curiosity, but he became an instant advocate for the College, the programs, the faculty, and especially the students, from his very first visit to campus. In addition to UNT, he is now very involved with The Dallas Opera as well, strong in his belief that continuing support for the education and for the performance of visual and musical arts are a critical component to a robust and healthy society.

Malcolm and his wife of 30 years Jill relocated back to Dallas from California in 2019. In addition to being an avid golfer, Malcolm is admittedly obsessed with boating; and with cruising the waters of the Pacific Northwest.

Kristopher Carter
Alumni Representative
Alumni Representative

Emmy-winning composer/pianist Kristopher Carter is a seasoned musical storyteller, contributing scores to some of the most recognizable cinematic properties for over 25 years. He began his career as one of the youngest composers to work for Warner Bros immediately after earning his Bachelor’s of Music degree in Composition from UNT (Dec ’93), scoring his first episode of Batman: The Animated Series at the age of 22. He received an Emmy Award for Batman Beyond, as well as six other Emmy nominations and four Annie Award nominations. His newest animated film, WB’s Babylon 5: The Road Home was released in August, 2023, and he recently wrapped scoring the new seasons of Young Justice and Marvel’s Avengers Assemble. He also has written music for award-winning feature films including sci-fi mystery Yesterday Was A Lie, which won a Gold Medal for the Best Use of Music in a Feature Film at the Park City Film Music Festival. He composed music for Universal/Chiller TV’s SiREN, the third installment of the V|H|S horror anthology, indie horror favorites Dance of the Dead and The Other Side, and co-composed the Primetime Emmy-nominated musical “Mayhem of the Music Meister,” starring Neil Patrick Harris.

The video for his piano/orchestra work, Autumn Ruminations was awarded two Bronze Telly Awards in the 2021 competition, and the second episode in his Seasons cycle, Boreal Twilight, has won “Best Composer” awards at the Los Angeles IndieShorts and Montreal Independent Film Festivals, an Honorable Mention at the Venice Shorts Film Festival and also two Bronze Telly Awards since its release in January, 2023. He made his Hollywood Bowl debut with a commission from John Mauceri and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. As conductor, he recently appeared at the Krakow Film Music Festival in Poland and the Fimucité Film Music Festival in Tenerife, Spain, conducting his music. In the record world, he is the producer/composer of EDM project The Kr Protocol and also has collaborated with the Wallflower’s Rami Jaffee and blues guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd. He has received concert commissions from cellist Carter Enyeart, saxophonist Robert Austin, flautist Gaspar Hoyos, and the University of North Texas Men’s Chorus. He was named Commissioning Composer of the Year by the Texas Music Teachers Association and also received a fellowship to Robert Redford’s Sundance Composers Institute. He served as the first Composer-In-Residence of the Bel Canto Northwest Opera Festival and has given clinics on film composition at such prestigious schools as USC, UCLA, Columbia College Chicago, Univ. of North Carolina School of the Arts, Univ. of Texas at Austin, Chapman University, Hong Kong Baptist University and more.

Website: https://www.kristophercarter.com/

IMDb link: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0141766/

 

Wendy Zander McCollum
Alumni Representative
Alumni Representative

Dr. Wendy Zander McCallum is a Professor in the Brandon University School of Music where she conducts the Symphonic Band and teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in music education and conducting.

Committed to excellence in music education, McCallum taught band and general elementary music before pursuing graduate studies.  In addition to designing professional development sessions for music educators, she has presented at provincial music education conferences, College Band Directors National Association regional conference, and the International Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic.  Her work as a solo and ensemble adjudicator and clinician for concert and jazz ensembles has taken her across Canada and the United States.  She serves as guest conductor of university, community, and military ensembles, as conductor at the International and Rushmore Music Camps, and as facilitator of conducting symposia.  She has conducted junior high and high school regional, provincial, and state honor bands and was the conductor of the 2018 National Youth Band of Canada.

McCallum has worked to create professional opportunities for students and music educators in the areas of performance and music education.  For fifteen years McCallum hosted Avenues: Exploring Band and Jazz Methods, an annual summer professional development workshop at Brandon University.  She is Faculty Advisor for the Brandon University Student Music Educators Association (BUSMEA), the organization that hosts the annual Da Capo professional development conference.  The Brandon University Symphonic Band, with McCallum as conductor, performed as the featured ensemble at the 2009 Atlantic Band Festival in Halifax, Nova Scotia and the 2013 Con Brio Music Festival in Whistler, British Columbia.  McCallum was awarded Brandon University Alumni Association’s Excellence in Teaching Award as well as the Manitoba Band Association’s Award of Distinction and the Canadian Band Association’s National Band Award.  She is a Teaching Affiliate with Brandon University’s Centre for Teaching, Learning, and Technology and an Educational Clinician with the Conn-Selmer Division of Education.

McCallum holds the Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Education degrees from Brandon University and completed a Master of Music in Instrumental Conducting at the University of North Dakota with Gordon Brock and James Popejoy.  She received her Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of North Texas where she served as a Doctoral Conducting Associate and Teaching Fellow in the Wind Studies Department with Eugene Migliaro Corporon.  She completed her cognate studies in Music Education with Deborah Rohwer and Darhyl Ramsey.

McCallum worked as Lead Writer of the Manitoba Grade 9-12 Music Curriculum Framework, has published in Canadian Winds, and is a regular contributor to the publication and recording series Teaching Music Through Performance in Band and Teaching Music Through Performance in Beginning Band.  She is former President of the Manitoba Band Association and Canadian Band Association.  McCallum, active as a conductor and clinician, investigates areas related to teaching and learning, conducting, and instrumental literature as curriculum in the music classroom.

Sarah Andrew Wilson
Alumni Representative
Alumni Representative

Sarah Andrew Wilson is an entrepreneur and performing arts leader, with 25 years of experience cultivating innovative, high quality arts and education experiences for learners of all ages in the Washington, DC area and around the world.

For the past four years, Wilson has been the co-owner of tech start-up Matchbox.io, the award-winning brand behind some of the most popular voice-enabled AI applications on Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Samsung Bixby. She has been named an Alexa Champion by Amazon, a Top 12 Leader in Voice AI by Voicebot, and a Top 40 Voice AI Influencer by SoundHound. In 2022, Matchbox was acquired in a multimillion dollar deal.

Since the acquisition, Wilson has become a Board Member of the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County and a Teaching Fellow for the University of Pennsylvania and National Arts Strategies’ Executive Program for Arts and Culture Strategy. She has also served, by invitation, on multiple grants panels for the National Endowment for the Arts.

Previously Wilson worked with internationally renowned performing artists and educators at the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz (now Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz), Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts, Washington National Opera, and Levine School of Music. As a classical flutist, she holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Music from the University of North Texas,, Master’s Degree in Music from Arizona State University, and an Executive Certificate in Arts and Culture Strategy from the University of Pennsylvania.

In her free time, Wilson enjoys hiking, running half marathons, discovering new restaurants, and learning to play the harp.

Rebecca Geoffroy-Schwinden
Faculty Representative
Associate Professor of Music History and Program Coordinator of the BA in Critical Studies in Music and Society
Sungji Hong
Faculty Representative
Faculty Representative

Sungji Hong's music has been described as "a work of iridescent freshness" (BBC Music Magazine), "the sound is utterly luminous" (Fanfare Magazine), "a virtuoso exploration of the technical and sonorous possibilities" (Daily Telegraph), and "the harmonies and fluid dynamics were modern" (The New York Times).

Her honors include a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Charles Ives Fellowship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, commissions from the CCCC at the University of Chicago, the Fromm Music Foundation at Harvard University (2004/2019), the National Flute Association, Texas Flute Society, the MATA Festival, iSing Silicon Valley, Lorelei Ensemble, the Tongyeong International Music Festival, Kumho Asiana Cultural Foundation, and the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra. Her Missa Lumen de Lumine on the ECM New Series (ECM 1929), performed by the Grammy-nominated vocal ensemble Trio Mediaeval, received critical acclaim and reached the top ten on the Billboard Classical Chart and iTunes classics.

Her compositions include works for solo instruments, orchestra, chorus, ballet, and electroacoustic media with special interest on timbre and pre-determined pitch structures. Her musical language is colorful with a wealth of imagery and exquisite delicacy. Sungji's music has been performed by leading players and ensembles in over 47 countries and 213 cities at such venues as the Carnegie Hall (New York), Kennedy Center (Washington, D.C.), Merkin Hall (New York), Herbst Theatre (San Francisco), Gewandhaus (Leipzig), Konzerthaus (Berlin), Flagey (Brussels), Queen Elizabeth Hall (London), Temple Church (London), Athens Concert Hall (Athens), Muziekgebouw (Amsterdam), Cantacuzino Palace (Bucharest) and National Theatre 'Opera and Ballet' (Ljubljana).

Her music has been widely broadcast in more than 17 countries (57 channels, including BBC Radio 3, SWR 2, DLF, MDR FIGARO, WNYC 2, RDP-Antena 2, HRT 3, ERT, YLE Radio 1, ABC CLASSIC FM, and others) and has been recorded and released on the Soundbrush, Elektramusic, Atoll, Dutton labels, Universal Music Korea and by ECM Records. Her music is published by Tetractys Publishing in the UK.

Sungji has received 54 distinctions for her compositions, including the Kazimierz Serocki (1st Prize), the Franz Josef Reinl-Stiftung (1st Prize), Magistralia (1st Prize), Ilshin Composition Prize (1st Prize), In Nova Musica Competition (1st Prize), Jesus Villa Rojo (1st Prize), European Competition of the State Conservatory of Thessaloniki (1st Prize), Temple Music Composition Prize (1st Prize), Crwth Competition (1st Prize), the international competition for original ballet music at the ISCM World Music Days – Slovenia (1st Prize), Montserrat International Camera Music Composition Competition (1st Prize), Theodore Front Prize (IAWM), Yoshiro Irino Memorial Prize (ACL), and Christian Fellowship of Art Music Composers Scholarship.

Sungji Hong studied composition with Kyungsun Suh at Hanyang University in Seoul. Subsequently, she completed her MMus with Robert Saxton and Paul Patterson at the Royal Academy of Music in London, respectively, and also with Michael Finnissy, and her Ph.D. in composition with Thomas Simaku, John Stringer, and Nicola LeFanu at the University of York in the UK. She has participated in various workshops and masterclasses such as Voix Nouvelles

(Royaumont) and in Darmstadt, where she studied with Brian Ferneyhough, Jonathan Harvey, Tristan Murail, and Toshio Hosokawa, as well as the International Mastercourse and Workshop for Conductors and Composers with Peter Eötvös and Zsolt Nagy in Herrenhaus Edenkoben.

Colin Stokes
Presser Scholar
Presser Scholar

Colin Stokes is a UNT College of Music PhD student in the Division of Composition Studies. His proposal was titled “Otherness Together, a collaborative intermedia piece exploring issues of racial identity, transnationality, and otherness.” The piece will be created in collaboration with United Arab Emirates-born Palestinian visual artist Qais Assali. According to the Presser Foundation, "The program is designed to encourage and support, in a special way, the advanced education and career of truly exceptional graduate music students who have the potential to make a distinguished contribution to the field of music."

Luke Vanek
Student Representative
Music Education and Saxophone

Music education and saxophone student designated as 2022 Presser Scholar.

Board Members

UNT Logo
College of Music Advancement Board 2023-2024
Deborah S. Brooks
Board Chair
William Smialek
Vice-Chair
Michael M. Archer
Bob Brown
Bob Brown
A. Baron Cass, III
M. Jean Greenlaw
David B. Hooten
Stanley R. Levenson, APR
Stanley R. Levenson, APR
Elizabeth Nieto
Elizabeth Nieto
Christian O'Donnell
Christian O'Donnell
Amanda S. Ryan
Amanda S. Ryan
John A. Rydman
John A. Rydman
Richard H. Schulze
Richard H. Schulze
Christopher P. Stanton
Judith A. Donachie Watson
Judith A. Donachie Watson
Malcolm Winspear

2023-2024 Alumni Representatives to the Board

Alumni Representative
Alumni Representative
Alumni Representative

2023-2024 College of Music Representatives to the Board

Faculty Representative
Faculty Representative
Presser Scholar
Student Representative

Emeritus Members

Landon Chang
John L. Strauss
Emeritus Member