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Meet Our Leadership
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Bill Richeson
President |
Bill Richeson is a graduate of Murray State University with B.S. degrees in Theater and Business Communications, and an Associate Degree in Occupational Therapy from Nashville State. Bill has been an Occupational Therapy Assistant for 15 years and currently works at Skyline Medical Center.
"Family has always been on of the most important things in my life. Throughout my years in Nashville in Harmony, my partner and our son have sacrificed some "Daddy" time, but do so lovingly because they know the mission of NiH is important to our family. When we look at our son, we truly see hope for the future. When I look at Nashville in Harmony, I see one large, loving, ever growing family that seeks inclusion, acceptance, and gives hope for social change. I can't honestly think of anything better than changing closed minds and making beautiful music!" |
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Barker Evans
President Elect |
Barker Evans
Barker Evans is a Commercial Lines Underwriting Manager with Montgomery Insurance, a member of Liberty Mutual Group. A 2000 graduate of Tennessee Technological University, Barker has his B.S. Degree in Business Administration, with an emphasis in Marketing. Originally from Pikeville, TN, Barker has considered Nashville his home since 2001. In his free time, Barker enjoys smiles and laughter with family and friends.
“Singing music feeds my soul, especially choral music. I love when my voice blends with the members of my section. It’s no longer about me, it’s about the words and the feelings the words we sing invoke. Nashville in Harmony is my outlet to escape from life and just sing. But even more rewarding is the reason why we sing. Our mission statement, isn’t something we put on a piece of paper and file away, it’s something that each member feels in our heart, and remembers during every performance. We ARE “using music to build community and create social change.” Like others in our organization, I too have been asked to stop singing because of my sexual orientation. How heart wrenching that was. Being a part of Nashville in Harmony has given me an opportunity to create social change so that hopefully future generations will not be asked to hide their talents the way that myself and others have. What a life changing experience this has become. My circle of friends, aka community, has expanded ten-fold and my spirit is lifted each time we go on stage and are given the opportunity to blend our voices to promote social change towards the GLBT community!” |
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Chris Butler
Secretary |
Chris Butler is a Systems Administrator with Cumberland International in Nashville, TN. He also functions as an IT consultant for two other businesses in the Nashville area. He attended Middle Tennessee State University with a concentration in Information Systems Management. He enjoys finding various ways to make himself useful, and make memories with his friends. He is also proud to be an Eagle Scout! According to Chris,
“The first time I heard Nashville in Harmony perform, I was hooked. Their music sounded great, they were comical, and most importantly their message of respect and equality for all was a necessary one for the community to hear... and it was powerful. Immediately after the concert I inquired as to how I could become a part of this organization, and joined the following season. I had a musical background already (I marched drum line in my high school and college bands), but I didn't really have any choral experience. Despite that fact, I was welcomed with open arms and warm hearts. I intend to be a contributing member of this choir for the foreseeable future, and invite any and all to come be a part of our family.”
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Kerry McCalla
Treasurer
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Kerry McCalla retired from Bellsouth in 2002 after 27 years with various responsibilities in project management, engineering, training development, marketing and information systems. The most visible project he worked on was the internal communications the "Bat" Building, downtown Nashville .
Kerry has much volunteer experience including: 11 years with the Inverness Lions Club, 10 years with the Alabama Woodworkers Guild, over 30 years with Mid-West Tool Collectors Association, 20 years with Hillsboro Presbyterian Church and 10 years with the Nashville Area Habitat for Humanity as a volunteer construction supervisor. He and wife Lynne have been able to travel some with Habitat International including several trips to the Gulf coast and a memorable 2-week build in Belfast , Northern Ireland .
"Serving as NiH Treasurer is behind the scenes and allows me to be a more active member of the organization, while at the same time provide a necessary service with a little additional commitment of time.”
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Carissa Cascio
Member-at-large
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Carissa Cascio is a researcher who joined the faculty of Vanderbilt’s Psychiatry Department in 2007. Her lab conducts studies on the relationship between brain and behavior in children with autism spectrum disorders. She joined Nashville in Harmony in the Fall of 2009.
“I’m proud to be a part of Nashville in Harmony. I've always loved music and singing, and it's wonderful to be part of a group that teaches inclusiveness and acceptance by example. The warmth and energy of the NiH community is something I look forward to every week, and I think it speaks to our audiences in a way that inspires the social change we all hope for. I'm honored to serve on the board and am here to help in any way I can."
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Rick Godbold
Member-at-large
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Rick Godbold
Biography Not Yet Available
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Julie Reliford
Member-at-large
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Julie Reliford is a Belmont University graduate and has a BBA with a double major in International Marketing and Music Business. She brings to the Board a range of experience in marketing and public relations including; Director of Marketing for a financial services company, Marketing Manager for a mental health company, Public Relations Coordinator for a major record label, Marketing Director of an 800 seat dinner theatre, and Senior Writer for a regional magazine.
Julie is currently a Board Member-at-large and chair of the marketing/publicity committee, as well as Merchandise Coordinator. Past positions include Alto Section Representative as well as President of the Board of Directors.
She looks forward to the challenges that come with serving on the Board of Directors. “I have been a member of Nashville in Harmony for nearly six years,” she says, “and I feel very strongly about the choir and about our mission. I’ve sung in church, school and community choirs all of my life, but there is something very special about Nashville in Harmony. Not only do we sing music that is both beautiful and challenging musically, but it has a message that is beautiful and challenging as well. Our mission, ‘Using Music to Build Community and Create Social Change,’ really resonates with me, and I always look forward to opportunities to help further that mission.”
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Amber Spann
Member-at-large
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Amber Spann is a 2004 graduate of Middle Tennessee State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Family and Consumer Sciences and a minor in Psychology. Music has always been a part of Amber’s life. Amber’s mother loves to tell how Amber could sing before she could talk, mimicking notes and scales while sitting in her infant carrier and learning to sing harmony at five years old in the bathtub with her identical twin sister, Andrea. Music runs in the family with people playing piano, trumpet, bass, guitar, viola, and French horn. Amber sang throughout her life in church and in high school jazz and madrigal choir and was the third Alto in the State of Tennessee in 1998. Amber has spent much of her working career being an advocate for abused and neglected children and plans to continue to fight for the rights of those who cannot fight for themselves.
“I found out about Nashville in Harmony at the Nashville Pride Festival in 2009. I had just started living my life openly with the community and went to the festival in order to explore the GLBT resources in Nashville. When I visited Nashville in Harmony’s booth, I immediately felt drawn to the mission and people. I anticipated the vocal interview for three months and when I finally sang with everyone at the first rehearsal, I got goosebumps. I knew I had found a place to express my true voice. I knew I had found my home.”
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Laura Valentine
Member-at-large
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Laura E. Valentine has served as Resident Staff at PenuelRidgeRetreatCenter since 2005. With more than two decades of service in the non-profit sector, Laura has held professional positions in Finance and Fund Development at the Ensemble Theatre, Bering Omega Community Services and Omega House; all located in her home town of Houston, Texas and volunteer positions at Omega House where Laura served on the Board of Directors, chaired the Finance Committee and provided compassionate bedside care to people in the final stages of AIDS.
What she lacks in height she makes up for in enthusiasm, whether singing in the Alto section or helping to secure much-needed funding for Nashville in Harmony. Recalling her first rehearsal in January of 2006, Laura says, “I cried through the whole rehearsal, overjoyed to be surrounded by such welcoming souls.”
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| 2011 Section Reps |
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Brett Perkins
Tenor
Section Rep
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Paul Snively
Bass
Section Rep |
Joy Strange
Alto
Section Rep
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JT Collins
Soprano
Section Rep |
| Board Appointed Leadership |
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Lynne McCalla
Music
Librarian |
Wendell Henry
Webmaster
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Janet Heilbronn
Membership
Coordinator |
Susan Hawes
Hospitality
Coordinator
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Rodger Murray
Historian
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Julie Reliford
Merchandise
Coordinator |
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| Roger Murray |
Roger Murray |
Roz Bell |
Don Brown |
Julie Reliford |
Claire Miley |
August 2004 through
June 2005 |
July 2005 through
June 2006 |
July 2006 through
June 2007 |
July 2007 through
June 2008 |
July 2008 through
June 2009 |
July 2009 through
June 2010 |
What Sweeter Music
What Matters |
And All the Town
Be Merry!
We Shall Be Free |
Candle of Hope
Change the World |
Hope, Harmony,
& Home
A Peaceful Planet:
The Green Concert |
Over the Bridges and Through the Woods
Love Can Build
A Bridge |
Jingle This!
All You Need
Is Love
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| Claire Miley |
Bill Richeson
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Barker Evans
Current
President-Elect |
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July 2010 through
June 2011 |
July 2011 through
June 2012 |
July 2011 through
June 2012 |
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Twisted Tinsel
A Home for Us All
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Fruitcake
Mosaic - Voices For Change |
TBA |
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