OMEA Executive Officers

Todd Zimbelman, OMEA President

Todd R Zimbelman is the Director of Bands and Co-Director of the Symphony Orchestra at West Salem High School in the Salem-Keizer School District (OR) Mr Zimbelman has held Director of Bands and Associate Director of Bands positions at the high school and college levels in Oregon and Texas . Mr Zimbelman has been recognized as one of the “Top 50 Directors That Make A Difference”, the Claes Nobel’s Educator of Distinction, and the Oregon Symphony’s Music Educator of the Year

Under his direction, marching bands have received several championships and they are the reigning NWAPA Champions and Bands of America Tacoma Regional Champions Wind ensembles consistently receive superior ratings and most recently have placed first at the 6A OSAA State Band Championship the past nine years in a row (2009-Southridge, 2010-2017-West Salem) His ensembles have attended national and international festivals and have performed at the Oregon Music Education State Conference and the NAfME All-NW Conference . Students under his direction are regularly selected for All-City, All-State, and All-Northwest honor bands as well as the OSAA State Solo Contest .

His arrangements and compositions are performed at national and international festivals and competitions . His technique books are used by several programs across the United States He has adjudicated for several organizations including Bands of America and Drum Corps International He is currently a member of The American Bandmasters Association, College Band Directors National Association, National Association for Music Educators, National Band Association, Oregon Band Directors Association, Oregon Music Education Association (president), and Phi Beta Mu

Tom Muller, OMEA Past President

Tom Muller is currently in his twenty-third year of teaching, and is the Associate Director of Bands at David Douglas High School Beginning in 2014, Mr. Muller has also been named the Music Supervisor for the David Douglas School District He graduated from the University of Oregon in 1994 Mr Muller has served as the President of the Oregon Band Directors Association, and has been a member of the Oregon Music Education Association

Board of Control at various times since 1998 Mr Muller is the current Past-President of the Oregon Music Education Association after serving the last two years as President He is also the current Chair of the OSAA State Solo Championship He is a past Middle School Honor Band Chair, as well as a Past Second Vice-President for OMEA Mr Muller was the 2005 and 2012 Conference Chair, where he planned the statewide Conventions for the Oregon Music Education Association Mr Muller served as the Jazz Chair for the 2011 All-Northwest Jazz ensemble and helped to organize the NAfME Northwest Division Conference His positions in OMEA has allowed him to lobby Oregon Senators and Representatives in Washington DC for more support of music education He has also served on the NAfME Northwest Board of Control since 2011 In 2015, he was inducted into Phi Beta Mu, an international association for band directors . In 1996, Mr. Muller was the recipient of the Sallie Mae First Class Teacher Award for Excellence in First-year Teaching, and has been honored by Alpha Delta Kappa for his service to education Mr Muller is also the recipient of the 2012-2013 Portland Youth Philharmonic Marie V Dodge Award as an Outstanding School Music Teacher

Tom Muller also maintains an active playing career and has an extensive French horn studio in the East Portland Metro area His students consistently perform in state and regional honor bands . His students also regularly compete and score well at regional and state solo contests, with many top ten placers at the OSAA State Solo Championship Along with his lesson studio, Mr Muller also is frequently asked to adjudicate band festivals, solo and ensemble festivals, and conduct regional honor bands

David Becker, OMEA Treasurer

David Becker retired in 2011 from Lewis & Clark College where he was Director of Bands for 29 years . In addition to directing concert and jazz bands, he taught music education, conducting and jazz appreciation courses, and led Lewis & Clark students on numerous fine arts semesters in London. He also chaired the Music Department for several terms and taught and supervised student teachers for the Graduate School’s MAT program While teaching at Lewis & Clark, he also served for two years as Conductor-In-Residence at Oregon State University

Becker has adjudicated, managed or conducted at over 300 music festivals in 21 states and Canadian provinces His frequent appearances at state, regional and national music conferences as a clinician include conducting several all-state bands Becker is a past president of the Oregon Music Education Association, College Band Directors National Association NW Division and Oregon Alliance for Arts Education. He was the first president of the Oregon Band Directors

Association and continues to chair their Adjudicator Certification Committee. He was a co-creator of the OBDA Band and Orchestra Adjudication System in the early 1980s and helped create and continues to be involved with the Oregon School Activities Association’s State High School Band & Orchestra Championships He also has been responsible for Oregon’s High School Band Contest Literature List since its inception in 1984

He has been the recipient of the Citation of Excellence from the National Band Association, Interscholastic Music Outstanding Music Educator Award, Section 8, from the National Federation of State High Schools Associations, and service awards from the Oregon School Activities Association and Oregon Music Education Association, including the John McManus Service Award, named in honor of Becker’s collegiate mentor at the U of O