Alyssa graduated from Western Washington University with a degree in Project Management and Social-Emotional Intelligence and spends her professional life as a data analyst, project manager, and event director. In her free time, she dabbles in carpentry, horticulture, and distilling. She also volunteers at her local school, The BackPack Brigade, Seattle T2P2 and with ArtsEd Washington. As a woman with mixed heritage, she sees many perspectives and she aspires to use her current privilege to elevate marginalized voices and expand opportunities for musicians in her community.

Manuel R. Cawaling is the Executive Director for Inspire Washington, a merger of Cultural Access Washington and Washington State Arts Alliance. Prior to this position, he spent 10 years as Executive Director for Youth Theatre Northwest, providing children on Mercer Island and throughout King County with creative education and live theatre experiences. A Seattle native, Manuel has been working professionally as an artist and cultural leader for nearly 30 years. In 1989, Manuel was at the forefront of Seattle’s fringe theatre movement, serving as Artistic Director for Pilgrim Center for the Arts. He also served as a founding board member for Seattle’s League of Fringe Theatres, the predecessor of Theatre Puget Sound and the organization credited with establishing Seattle’s Fringe Theatre Festival, the first in the US. As Associate Artistic Director for the Northwest Asian American Theatre, he initiated an award-winning Youth Outreach and Education Program; conducted theatre residencies in local high schools and communities; and developed their capital campaign. As Exhibit Developer/Manager for the Wing Luke Asian Museum, he developed award winning exhibits, spearheaded outreach initiatives and led YouthCAN, a leadership program for Asian-Pacific-American youth. From 2003 to 2008, Manuel served on staff at the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center, initially in artistic programming and then as Managing Director, overseeing all administrative and programmatic activities. He has served two terms on the Seattle Center Advisory Commission, was a member of the Seattle Office of Arts and Culture’s Public Art Advisory Committee and served as President for the Washington State Arts Alliance Foundation.

Courtney Clark is the School Programs Manager for Seattle Opera, planning, arranging and developing Pre-K – 12 in-school musical programs and initiatives.

A native of Atlanta, Georgia, Ms. Clark received her BA in music education from Morris Brown College and received her MA in music with a specialization in vocal performance from Middle Tennessee State University. She obtained her teacher licensure from Belmont University for the states of Tennessee and Georgia for K-12 vocal/general music education.

Prior career highlights include earning The Orff-Schulwerk Level I & II Certification to teach children music, a tenured chorus member of the Nashville Opera, performing in several operas including Aida, Turandot, Tosca, La Boheme, Die Fledermaus and a scholarship to study abroad at the University of Siena, Italy’s Sessione Sense per la Musica, concerts, and solo performances held in: Siena, Rome, Lucerne, Calcio, Firenze, Venezia, Assisi, Pisa, and svizzera.

Ms. Clark recently made her solo debut in the film PORTRAITS-The First Black American Divas of Song and Opera; as Elizabeth Taylor-Greenfield.

A digital generalist by day and a social entrepreneur at all times, Tess’ love of tech and storytelling lead her to a career in digital marketing and advertising, where she spent a good part of 10 years helping brands build an audience and tell their stories before realizing she was part of the problem.

A digital professional with a passion for gender equality in tech, she has been able to impact change by founding GCON, a gaming community and annual convention for women players and developers in Saudi Arabia, born out of the need for representation on both the consumer side and the industry level. Her experiences have taught her to navigate cultural and logistical challenges: from fundraising and changing misconceptions about gaming to fighting off sandstorms, she never has a dull moment.

Today she finds herself even more motivated to turn her skills to social impact. Because the stories we tell ourselves matter, she wants to tell better stories about the future to come. Her goal is to promote consumption choices that are driven by more than convenience and self-interest and solve real-world problems at scale.

Dave Weatherred retired as the Visual and Performing Arts Coordinator for the Spokane School District in 2016. This was a position he had held for 19 years. In retirement, Dave supervises student teachers for Whitworth University and handles operations for New Community Church of Spokane. Now in his 41st year in education, he began his career as the instrumental music teacher for the Parma School District in Parma, ID, followed by similar positions in the West Valley School District and at Ferris High School in Spokane. He is active as a clinician, adjudicator, and honor group conductor throughout the northwest states. Dave was honored by the Washington Music Educators with inclusion in their “Hall of Fame” in 2001 and received the 2013 National Association for Music Education (NAfME) Northwest Division Distinguished Service Award. He has been married to his wife Lea for 40 years, has two adult children, and is enjoying his role as a grandfather!