President Elect

 

Lee J. Afdahl
Candidate for President-Elect

Lee J. Afdahl is the Director of Music and Organist of First Presbyterian Church of Rochester, Minnesota, a position he has held since 1991. A graduate of Luther College, Decorah, IA, Lee is a church musician with over thirty-five years of experience in leading active programs of choral and handbell ensembles in Michigan and Minnesota. Currently he and his music associate, Jennifer Taylor, are responsible for leading four vocal and four handbell choirs, a choir school program, an elementary instrumental program, a church orchestra, and he advises the church’s annual concert series.

Lee Afdahl is frequently a conductor and clinician for handbell conferences, choral workshops, and church music conferences internationally. He has conducted AGEHR at the local, area, and national levels, for handbell classes of American Guild of Organists events (including 2008 in Minneapolis), and international handbell events in England and Australia. In 2006 through 2008, Mr. Afdahl conducted handbell festival conferences in Georgia, Illinois, Minnesota (Area VII Festival Conference), Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Texas (Area IX Festival Conference), Vermont, and Virginia. Mr. Afdahl has served the AGEHR as Michigan Chair for Area V, and Chair of Area VII. During his tenure, he attended national board meetings representing Area VII, and under his leadership Area VII began a policy of encouraging younger conductors to have a turn at conducting at massed ringing events. Lee is an active organ recitalist and published composer and arranger of handbell and choral music with over fifty compositions and arrangements in print. His arrangement of the tune ‘Jerusalem’ entitled “O Day of Peace” was rung at the 2006 International Handbell Symposium in Australia.

Statement in Answer to Question:

As with any organization, AGEHR has the benefit of building on its rich past in terms of leadership, accomplishments, and areas of growth. It is an honor to be considered for nomination of a leadership team that will be another link between the foundations of the past and the vision of the future of our organization. One of AGEHR’s former nominating committee’s goals was to have a board that reflected the diversity of our handbell community and add persons with considerable business experience. We are achieving that goal. It is a positive change, yet we can continue in this endeavor to have representation from the entire handbell community: church, school, community, special needs, as well as the business and greater arts community. Although my representation would be clearly from the church music community, I am certain that I could fairly represent and promote handbells/handchimes in the other arenas of our art.

While we need to continue to inspire and train ringers and directors for skills in ringing, conducting, and teaching, we need to think beyond those experiences to excite the greater arts community and the public in general about the joys and benefits of participation in handbell and handchime ringing. We need to imagine ways of working with the greater media to bring our art form before the public through national and international exposure in greater ways of success than in the past.

As a conductor and teacher, I have grown immensely from learning about healthier approaches to ringing and conducting. I would encourage the guild to support a standardization of techniques that would allow ringers and directors to ring and conduct for longer years with less discomfort than in the past. We need a united front in this movement. Our national events offer a wide variety of talented leaders as instructors and conductors, but we can do more to expand the pool of resource leaders. I also support expanding our visibility to and cooperation with other arts and educational organizations.

 

Sue Atkins
Candidate for President-Elect

Susan M. Atkins of Richmond, Virginia, has been a Human Resources professional for more than twenty years.  Since 1997 she has been a Director, Human Resources for Coventry Health Care, most recently at their First Health Services division in Glen Allen, Virginia.  Sue directs a staff of seven HR professionals, located in seven different cities, who serve close to 1000 employees in 20 states.  She worked in Human Resources in the telecommunications, student loan and public transportation industries prior to her current role.

Sue earned the Professional in Human Resources (PHR) designation from the Human Resource Certification Institute of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) in 1996.  She earned the Certified Employee Benefit Specialist (CEBS) of the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans in 2003.

Sue is a national member of SHRM and is in her 2nd term as Vice President, Member Development for the Richmond Human Resource Management Association (RHRMA), the Richmond local chapter SHRM.  Sue is also a member of the International Society of Certified Employee Benefit Specialists (ISCEBS) as well as its Richmond local chapter.   She previously served both RHRMA and the Richmond ISCEBS as Membership Director.

Sue started playing bassoon in middle school and baritone horn in high school.  She marched at the collegiate level with “Virginia’s Finest”, The James Madison University Marching Royal Dukes.  Sue is a life member of Kappa Kappa Psi, the national honorary band service fraternity.  She met her husband, David, on the marching band practice field at JMU and their son, Brian, is following in his parents’ footsteps – he plays tuba in his high school band.

Sue started ringing handbells in the late 1980s and currently is active as an on-call substitute for churches throughout Richmond.  Sue joined The James River Ringers, Richmond Virginia’s auditioned community handbell ensemble, in 1999.  She held various positions on JRR’s Executive Board including at-large member, Vice-President, and President.  Through her affiliation with JRR, Sue participated in two Area III Bronze Conference Choirs, attended Pinnacle in 2002, and has rung at Distinctly Bronze since 2003

Statement in Answer to Question:

As published in our mission statement, the AGEHR is dedicated to advancing the musical art of handbell/handchime ringing through education, community, and communication.

I come to the nomination process from a very different perspective than many who have served, and do serve the AGHER – as an individual ringer, not as a director. Combine this with my background in human resources and it’s no wonder I’m particularly interested in the community, or people, aspects of our mission.

Every day in my work life I’m tasked with assessing the needs of our employees and balancing those needs with the interests of the company. We monitor our business for effectiveness, whether that is talent acquisition and retention, financial success or the growth of our company. If something isn’t working we step back, evaluate the policies and processes, adjust as necessary and try again.  I see this no differently than what the Board is tasked to do. We must assess the needs of our membership and balance them with the capabilities of our organization. We need to continually monitor and evaluate the business aspects of our operation in support of our mission and our membership. Will we need to adapt or change our internal resources or processes to as our membership transforms? Most certainly, but isn’t that what organizations do to be successful?

I believe in Carver’s model of Policy Governance and am confident I can help guide the Board as we continue AGEHR’s evolution in support of handbell and handchime artists throughout the country.

 

At-Large Board Candidates

 

Linda Maloney
Candidate for At-Large Board Position

As a member of AGEHR, Linda Maloney has served as New Mexico Chair (2 terms), and Area XI Chair. 
Linda is a music educator, church musician (serving congregations in Kansas, Iceland, the Azores, Germany, and New Mexico), and handbell ringer, director, workshop clinician, and event planner.  Linda is the founder of CRESCENDO” – an auditioned elementary school ensemble.  She recently served as Director of Music Ministries at an Albuquerque United Methodist Church for seven years, until she and husband Jerry moved to Linda’s native Kansas.

Linda and Jerry share five adult children.  They enjoy the company of their “critters” Whiddy, Dingo, and Cricket.

Linda can be found on a direct flight to Atlanta to visit grandson Zachary whenever she has a free week. 

Linda enjoys the role of “unofficial full time AGEHR volunteer.”  She lives AGEHR.

Statement in Answer to Question:

I am a mentor, leader, organizer, event planner, financial manager and visionary.  Life “before handbells,” included seven years with Military Banking Europe where I attained the office of Bank Assistant Treasurer.  I also served as the Bank’s interim public relations officer.  I assisted with the development of a New Mexico native species park (plants and animals) as executive director.  I secured a $250,000 grant from the State legislature for the New Mexico Wildlife Association for construction and wetlands projects within the park. 

As a private contractor for one of New Mexico’s largest public relations firms from 1999 – 2004, I conducted statewide Town Hall meetings, created cold call scripts, and performed media follow up.  Additionally, I developed and served as presenter/trainer for “NM Women to Work Initiative” – a program for paroled women entering the job market.  Before the move to Kansas, I served a one-year stint as the Communications Coordinator for the New Mexico Conference Foundation – producing quarterly newsletters and the video “Giving: God’s Miracle.”

As an Area XI officer for the past six years, I provided information, training and resources to new officers.  I realized that the “leadership pool” was shallow and encouraged ringers, not just directors, to become involved with AGEHR.  I value those who contribute time and talent to AGEHR and inaugurated the Area XI “Ring of Fame” award – an award to recognize those who have offered outstanding and exceptional service to the art of handbell and handchime ringing.

I am a brainstormer with a passion for gathering information … asking “what if this happened?” or “what if we could do this?” or “what effect will this have on our organization’s future?”  I take the information from the discussion, organize the team to formulate and execute an action plan, then observe and monitor the end result.

I am at my best when evaluating the past and plotting new direction and goals.  I am proficient in PC skills and learn software easily.  Attending meetings in person or using modern technology is not a challenge.  I have the time resources to be an AGEHR National Board Director.  I seize leadership opportunities with enthusiasm, energy, and wisdom.

 

Philip L. Roberts
Candidate for At-Large Board Position

Philip L. Roberts is a 27-year member of AGEHR and lives near Chicago. He has 30 years of experience conducting handbell choirs of all ages in several Protestant traditions and also directs two community handbell ensembles. After a 20-year engineering career, Phil decided to fully pursue his passion—music—and returned to school fulltime earning a music degree. In December 1995 he was invited to direct handbell concerts for Hanukkah and Christmas festivities in Israel.

As the first handbell editor for GIA Publications, Inc., Phil has been the driving force in that company’s success publishing handbell music. He leads choral and handbell reading sessions nationally and is GIA’s handbell clinician giving him access to many handbell enthusiasts who are not AGEHR members. He has over 20 published handbell works with six different publishers. Phil is married with one grandchild, two grown stepchildren, and a son in college.

Statement in Answer to Question:

I have spent most of my life listening to and responding to the needs of others. I am able and eager to comply with all aspects of the AGEHR Board’s responsibilities. Additionally, I understand and will comply with the principles of its Policy Governance. The role of servant leader best describes my philosophy of leadership.

I understand all idiomatic methods and techniques associated with the musical art of ringing handbells and strongly believe in the education of directors and ringers. I possess a solid knowledge of handbell history and am a proficient teacher and a major advocate of this art form and its potential. Being a member of the Handbell Industry Council provides me with a substantial network of contacts and working relationships within that organization.

Each of the four handbell groups I direct possess differing levels of ability. I am effective and enjoy working with children and youth. I currently lead a group of 3rd to 8th graders. I understand the challenges of integrating novices with experienced musicians. My adult church bell choir contains special needs ringers as well as those proficient in advanced techniques.

I am fortunate to direct two community groups. One group offers advanced ringers in the community an outlet for improving their art. The other group is a not-for-profit organization focusing on advancing the art form through musical excellence and presentation. While their missions are different, both groups flourish under my administrative and musical leadership. Both are actively engaged in their own methods of strategic planning.

As an editor of handbell music I contribute directly to the growth and quality of the handbell and handchime repertoire. While utilizing an array of management and organizational skills I rely on my thorough knowledge of music theory, applied experience, and marketing expertise.

My engineering background enables me to be analytical, organized, and methodical while my artisanship allows me to create, innovate, and challenge. Throughout my adult life, I have consistently demonstrated my ability to think ahead, work closely with others, remain focused on specific goals, and determine the best course of action.

 

Karen Thompson
Candidate for At-Large Board Position

Karen Thompson is an Associate Director of Music at First Presbyterian Church, Fort Worth, where her duties include conducting three handbell choirs.  She is also the founding and current President and a Ringer in the Concert Bells of Fort Worth, an auditioned community group that is an incorporated 501c3 organization.

Karen has served on the Area IX board, has contributed articles to national and area AGEHR publications, and served twice on National Seminar Committees, once as Chair and once as Local Liaison. Karen has enjoyed teaching and conducting handbells at clinics, festivals and workshops all over the United States.

Karen has a Bachelor’s Degree in Liberal Arts with a music major from Austin College in Sherman, Texas.

Statement in Answer to Question:

What a privilege to have a history of service and dedication to the art I so dearly love!  Introduced to handbells just out of college in my first church position, I found great training at local and area AGEHR events.  I will always consider myself a student of the art as I enjoy learning, teaching, conducting, and ringing.  Although I conduct groups of all ages, I am especially passionate about my youth groups, the most challenging demographic but immensely rewarding.

Although I have been a church musician since the age of 12, there were a few years in which I detoured into the world of business.  I gained experience and success in the finance and sales industries but ached to be back in church music.  When I did return to my calling, it was with renewed vigor and dedication. Knowledge and experience gained during my business stint actually benefited my music ministry and was a great asset during the formation of Concert Bells of Fort Worth (CBFW).

In 1998, armed with a vision of forming a community handbell choir, I publicized my intentions and was quickly surrounded with like-minded handbell enthusiasts. A steering committee was formed and within a few months we developed a business plan, set goals, wrote a mission statement, became incorporated, and hired a conductor.  In short order, we became a 501c3 organization and had our first concert.  During the birthing process, I was so blessed that ringers from other groups were so willing to share ideas and documents.  I was further blessed to have attracted so many gifted and talented individuals that synergistically contributed to our efforts.

It has been an honor that my leadership was recognized and in turn afforded me opportunities to serve the handbell community.  CBFW has served a local liaison for several area events and three national events.  As an area officer, I have enjoyed planning and promoting events.  My involvement with two National Seminars, once as chair and once a local liaison was indeed a privilege. 

The expertise I will bring to the board, if elected, will be my rich history of service to the art of handbells coupled with my organizational skills, attention to detail, and willingness to analyze data and information in order to formulate and execute action plans. 

 

Stephanie Wiltse
Candidate for At-Large Board Position

Stephanie Wiltse has been ringing since 1983 and directing handbells since 1992. In 1995, Stephanie was one of the founders of the community group Embellish, and became Music Director of the group in 1999. In addition to Embellish, she currently directs adult handbell groups at LaGrave CRC and Trinity UMC, and student handbell ensembles at Aquinas College and Calvin College in Grand Rapids.

Stephanie’s introduction to AGEHR was through participation as a ringer in festivals in Plymouth, Kalamazoo, Kent State, and Greencastle. She has chaired the Grand Rapids District of the AGEHR, organizing local handbell events and providing networking, leadership, and advice for local handbell directors over the years. She served on the committee for Pinnacle 2002 (Orlando) and 2004 (Dallas), chairing Dream Team auditions for both events. She is also a member of a community-professional advisory team appointed by AGEHR Executive Director Jenny Cauhorn in 2007.

Stephanie has served on several strategic planning, worship, and search committees at her church and has been a lay member of the United Methodist Annual Conference for the past 10 years. She has served as secretary of the Grand Rapids Bach Festival Board since its inception in 1996. Since 2002, she has been secretary of the St. Cecilia Music Center Artistic Advisory Committee, which chooses the performing artists for the yearly jazz, classical, and Great Artist series at St. Cecilia.

Statement in Answer to Question:

I can’t help but look back in wonder at the many ways handbells have literally changed my life. I am passionate about the art of handbells and enjoy sharing that passion in every aspect of my work. One of the most gratifying parts of directing is seeing the spark of excitement ignited in new ringers and knowing the joy and fulfillment that handbells can bring to their lives. As representatives of the AGEHR, I feel that our mission is not only to serve those who are currently involved in handbells, but also to be evangelists for our art, spreading the word to help win over new ringers, directors, and audiences.

Though I work with handbells in collegiate, church, and community arenas, one of my strongest interests is at the community level. I would like to see the Guild continue to reach out and discover new ways to serve this ever-expanding population. Community groups have unique needs for resources, including funding, organization, marketing, and audience development. There is also great potential for community groups to expand their influence to a more intergenerational population. The Guild can work hand in hand with these groups to support, and be supported by, this outreach and growth.

It is my hope that the AGEHR will continue to broaden and strengthen its base of all types of handbell groups as we reach, teach and inspire future generations of handbell enthusiasts. I feel that we can continue to look toward a rich and promising future for our unique instrument.

I am grateful for this nomination and energized by the possibility of serving the Guild at the national level.