Newly Appointed as NASA’s Region 4 Director

I am excited to share that, as of today, I have been appointed as the North American Saxophone Alliance’s new Region 4 Director by the organization’s Executive Committee. NASA’s Region 4 consists of the following states: Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas. For those interested in learning more about my experience and vision for our region, I am attaching an excerpt from my welcome letter, below:

As a NASA member since 2012, our organization has been central to my development as a performer, educator, and scholar. I have attended every biennial conference since 2014, presented peer-reviewed research at the 2024 conference at Oklahoma State University, and performed at multiple national and regional conferences. These experiences have given me a strong understanding of NASA’s culture, operations, membership, and the transformative power of our organization.

My ties to Region 4 are broad and active. Since joining the OCU faculty in 2023, I have given residencies, clinics, and performances at universities and countless high schools throughout all states in our region. I also regularly attend and have presented at OKMEA and TMEA conferences. Through my community education initiatives such as OCU Saxophone Day (attracting 80+ participants annually) and the Oklahoma Saxophone Ensemble (a 60+ member saxophone orchestra of high school, collegiate, and community saxophonists), I have built meaningful relationships with educators, students, and performers across the region.

My administrative experience aligns closely with the Regional Director role. As Recruitment Coordinator, I routinely organize large-scale events attracting hundreds of students to campus. I am very familiar with the challenges of coordinating educational outreach across multiple states as well as maintaining effective communication between students, faculty, and partner institutions. My work with recruiting events, founding ensembles, commissioning new works, securing grants, and developing local partnerships reflects the logistical and interpersonal demands required of the Regional Director role.

As Region 4 Director, I plan to prioritize three areas: First, I will leverage my existing relationships with university studios and high school programs across Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, Missouri, and Arkansas to increase NASA’s presence and engagement, grow membership among collegiate and pre-collegiate saxophonists (particularly in the burgeoning South Texas region), and boost regional conference participation and quality. Second, I will rigorously support the hosting and development of Region 4 conferences to ensure robust performance, pedagogical, and research opportunities for members at all career stages. Third, I will serve as an active and communicative liaison between the region and the national Executive Committee, ensuring that the perspectives and needs of all parties are well represented.

I am deeply grateful to NASA’s Executive Committee; many for entrusting me with this new role. I welcome the responsibility of this appointment and am eager to serve NASA in this capacity.