OMEA Executive Board

Kathy Briggs, OMEA President

Kathy Briggs has been teaching in public and private schools since 1997 She started her teaching career in the public schools in Minnesota, where she taught elementary music and high school choir for eight years Now in her twelfth year at St . Mary’s Academy in Portland, Oregon teaching general music and choir, she also conducts the Women’s Chorale at the University of Portland

Ms Briggs earned her BA in Music Education from the University of WisconsinMadison and her MA in Music Education/Choral Conducting from the University of St Thomas She has earned numerous awards and recognition for her teaching, including the 2016 Oregon ACDA Podium Award for Excellence in the Choral Arts Her research has been published in the ACDA Choral Journal, she has authored and published general music lesson plans for VH1 and NAfME, and she has been a clinician at both state and regional NAfME conferences Ms Briggs’s choirs have won numerous awards and recognition in the Pacific Northwest, including a performance at the 2013 NAfME Northwest Conference and winning the 2015 OSAA State Choir Championship for 6A schools Her students have toured in New York, Florida, Washington, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, and France and her choir has twice been invited to perform for President Obama and the First Lady and their guests in the White House

Ms Briggs is a third-generation educator – both her parents were public school teachers and her grandfather was a high school band director She was active in music and choir from an early age and was a proud tuba player in the band throughout elementary, middle, and high school in her rural Wisconsin home town She is a proud member of ACDA, NAfME, and OMEA and is honored to be the current OMEA President-Elect It is Ms Briggs’ lifelong dream to meet Julie Andrews

Jeremy Zander, OMEA President Elect

Jeremy Zander is in his second year as Director of Bands at Mountainside High School in the Beaverton School District in Beaverton, OR Prior to his current appointment, Mr Zander served at Southridge High School for seven years and has held the Director of Bands position at middle schools in the TigardTualatin and Salem-Keizer School Districts He holds a Bachelor of Music (Music Education & Flute Performance) degree from the University of Oregon and a Master of Music (Conducting) from the American Band College of Sam Houston State University While at the University of Oregon, he received the Outstanding Service Award and graduated Magna Cum Laude

Wind Ensembles, Jazz Ensembles and Marching Bands under his direction have received many accolades During his time at Southridge, the Wind Ensemble qualified for the OSAA 6A Band Contest every year, and finished among the top five bands on four occasions. Many of Mr. Zander’s students have been selected to participate in All-State or All-Northwest ensembles and several students have placed in their instrumental categories at the OSAA State Solo Contest The Southridge Wind Ensemble was selected to perform at the 2017 OMEA Conference

Mr Zander’s responsibilities at Mountainside include instructing and conducting the Wind Ensemble, Concert Band, Percussion Ensemble, Jazz Ensemble, Chamber Orchestra and Marching Band and Musical Theater Pit Orchestra

Mr Zander is active as an adjudicator and guest conductor for several programs across the state . He is a member of Phi Beta Mu and currently serves as OMEA’s band representative for the Oregon Schools Activities Association He is an active advocate for music education and served on Beaverton School District’s Music Task Force

Todd Zimbelman, OMEA Past President

Todd R Zimbelman is the Director of Bands and Co-Director of the Symphony Orchestra at West Salem High School in the SalemKeizer 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-Present-West Salem) His ensembles have attended national and international festivals and have performed at the Oregon Music Educators 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 Band Masters 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

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 Educators 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 University of Oregon

Janet Lea, OMEA 2nd Vice President

Janet Lea teaches Kindergarten through fifth grade general music and fourth and fifth grade choir at North Bay Elementary at North Bend School District in North Bend, Oregon This is her fourteenth year teaching, and before elementary music she taught secondary choir Janet has been active with OMEA as a district chair, and chair and co-chair of festivals such as solo/ensemble and middle school choir festivals in various locations in Oregon She attended Pacific Lutheran University from 1995-1998 studying music composition. She received her Bachelor of Arts with an emphasis in music composition from Whitworth College in 1999, and her Master of Arts in Teaching from Lewis & Clark College in 2005 Ms Lea also holds an Endorsement in Drama from George Fox University