Kate Becker – Co-Founder, The Vera Project /Director of Development, Seattle Theater Group

Kate Becker has deep roots in the local all ages music and arts community and is a Strategic Advisor to the City of Seattle. She recently joined the City after more than five years as the Director of Development at Seattle Theatre Group (STG). In 1992, she founded the Old Fire House (500 capacity all ages venue and youth cultural hub in Redmond) and in 1999, she co-founded the Vera Project in Seattle. In this decade, she has also been the Executive Director of music and arts programs in Los Angeles and Boston. Kate has sat through many meetings in her life and finds the Music Commission meetings amongst the most productive ever. 

Jody McKinley - Vice President, Partner Management, Rhapsody Music International, Inc.

Cutting his teeth in the music and entertainment world right out of high school, Jody has worked in the space exclusively for nearly twenty years.  A consummate student of the industry, he is deeply intrigued with how consumers discover, share, and access content, particularly in the digital world.

 Today, he oversees North American partnerships for Rhapsody International, the parent company of popular streaming music services Rhapsody and Napster.  Since pioneering the on-demand streaming model in 2001, Rhapsody remains the most popular premium music service in the United States.  Jody joined Rhapsody after ten years with PlayNetwork, a Redmond-based b2b digital entertainment media provider where he headed up North American Sales.

Jody is an avid fan of music and live performances.  Throughout his career, he has been able to combine his passion for live music with his work through performance sponsorships and promotional events, including participation by many Seattle-area musicians.

Outside of work, Jody has had extensive involvement with non-profit organizations, is a member of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (the GRAMMYs), is a Lifetime Member of the Alumni Association of DECA, and an active participant in WATCH D.O.G.S. (Dads of Great Students) an involvement initiative of the National Center for Fathering.

Ben London - Media Rights Manager, Hewlett Packard:Melodio
Ben London was the Executive Director of the Recording Academy Pacific Northwest Chapter from 2004 until September 2010 when he took a job managing Media Rights for Hewlett Packard’s Melodio Division. In recent years, London was responsible for developing a number of educational and professional development opportunities for the Pacific Northwest music community including the acclaimed GRAMMY MusicTech Summit. London, an active member of the Seattle music community since 1989, has recorded for a variety of independent and major labels with his bands Alcohol Funnycar, Sanford Arms and the St. Bushmills Choir. His music has been featured in a number of film and television projects and he has performed throughout North America and Europe. In 1997 London joined the development team for the Seattle-based interactive music museum Experience Music Project. As Senior Curator of Public Programs, London curated a wide variety of projects including internationally acclaimed interpretive exhibits, concerts, film series and educational events. He presently serves on the board for KEXP, the Vera Project and the Seattle Office of Film + Music. London holds a Bachelor of Visual Arts degree from Antioch College.

DeVon Manier - President and Co-Founder, Sportn’ Life Records Senior Consultant, Artist Manager - SMG
DeVon Manier is the President and Co-Founder of Sportn’ Life Records, Seattle’s longest operating independent Hip Hop record label. Since its inception in 2002, the label have grown to become one of the regions most exciting and prominent urban music powerhouses, boasting some of the areas finest and renowned Hip Hop talent including; D.Black, Fatal Lucciauno and Spac3man and receiving a nomination for the Mayor's Award for Excellence in Hip-Hop in 2006. Constantly operating to expand the label's reach beyond the NW, Manier is currently working on effective licensing, distribution, tours, promotion and publicity campaigns to ensure this goal is reached. In 2009 he was selected to be on the panel for the Seattle City Arts Project and also served as an initial member of the committee that created the concept for Seattle-City of Music.

In January 2010 Manier was awarded the Martin Luther King County Executives Award for Excellence in Hip Hop for entrepreneurial leadership. His interests also include becoming more involved in the political side of music with plans to join the Recording Academy NW Chapter, become a member of the Vera Project and getting more involved with committees, boards and panels, while also taking advantage of both local and national music conferences & festivals. Most recently Manier has started SMG, the Sportn’ Life Music Group, a consulting/management company. He’s taken on booking Hip Hop acts for the Georgetown Music Festival and is currently serving the next two years as a commissioner to the Seattle City of Music Commission.

Adrian Burton - Founder and President, eMedia Music Corp.
Adrian founded eMedia in 1994 and has served as President since then. He manages all aspects of the business including product development, strategic planning, sales/marketing, business development and operations.  eMedia Music primarily develops and publishes music education software.  eMedia often distributes instruments bundled with their educational software and also distributes a variety of music software from other publishers.

Adrian briefly consulted for the financial industry after college, then worked at Microsoft from 1990-1994 as a Program Manager and Software Design Engineer.  He has been a member of Social Venture Partners (network of accomplished individuals who combine financial contributions and professional skills with a passion for philanthropy) for several years, a member of Wolfgang (Seattle Symphony Supporters) and continues to be involved with Seattle Works “hands-on” community service projects.

Adrian is also a board member of MusicWorks Northwest (community music school with scholarships for disadvantaged youths) and is the founding and current member of the Board of Directors of Court of Last Resort (non-profit organization dedicated to drawing public attention to miscarriages of justice) and maintains membership with the EO (Entrepreneurs Organization).

Adrian’s industry involvement includes longstanding membership in NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants), MENC (National Association for Music Education), and support for GAMA (Guitar and Accessories Marketing Association), whose summer workshops for guitar teachers have resulted in hundreds of thousands of new guitar players.

Holly Hinton – Content & Online Product Manager, Starbucks Entertainment
Holly Hinton currently works for Starbucks Entertainment as go-to person on a wide variety of domestic and international music-related projects and events. She has been employed by Starbucks Coffee Company for over 15 years. She has produced a number of CD compilations, some of the most popular being the Rendezvous a Paris and the Sweetheart series in addition to selection of monthly featured CD titles. Holly manages music-related philanthropic ventures at Starbucks like the recent Starbucks (RED) Christmas CD which generated over $3 million for AIDS programs in Africa focused on women and children. She is leading Starbucks' music & social media strategy. Holly enjoys live music, listening to records, vegetable gardening and her adorable 19-month-old daughter, Violet.

Elena Dubinets - Commission Chair - Vice President of Artistic Planning, Seattle Symphony
Elena has been with Seattle Symphony for seven years, most recently as Director of Artistic Administration. Dubinets works closely with Music Director Gerard Schwarz to select the world-class guest artists and program the inspiring and exciting repertoire that continue to enhance the Orchestra’s well-deserved reputation for artistic excellence. Dubinets is currently advising the Music Director Search Committee, which is working to select the next artistic leader for the Orchestra following Maestro Schwarz’s final season as Music Director in 2010-2011 when he becomes Conductor Laureate.

In her Seattle Symphony career, Dubinets has held positions in the artistic planning, public relations and marketing departments. She has programmed performances, festival events and radio broadcasts, as well as spearheaded the Symphony’s artistic collaborations with numerous local performing arts groups.

In addition to her role at the Symphony, Dubinets serves as artistic advisor to the Seattle Chamber Players and is an authority on Russian and American contemporary music. Her scholarly work has led her to publish numerous articles and four books, including Made in the USA: Music is What Sounds Around on American experimental music (Moscow, Russia, 2006), and Prince Andrei Volkonsky: A Score of Life (to be published in Moscow, Russia, in May 2010), as well as several translations (including a Russian edition of Philip Kotler’s and Joanne Scheff Bernstein’s Standing Room Only: Strategies for Marketing in the Performing Arts). Her interest in cross-cultural exchange has led her to present several music festivals in Russia, Europe, Latin America and the United States. Dubinets received M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Russia and has lived in the United States since 1996.

Jon Stone –Executive Director of Festivals, One Reel
Jon has been involved in event production since 1988, working in diverse areas such as cultural events, festivals, concerts, nightclubs, theater and fine arts installations. Since 1992 he has worked in a variety of roles for One Reel, including key leadership positions at Bumbershoot, Teatro Zinzanni and the Summer Nights concert series.

Shannon Roach – Executive Director, Pacific Northwest Chapter of the Recording Academy (GRAMMYs)
Shannon Roach is the Executive Director at the Recording Academy (the GRAMMYs), where she leads the Pacific Northwest Chapter’s efforts to celebrate, advocate for and support the music industry. PNW Chapter offers networking and professional development opportunities to industry professionals, supports emerging talent through programs such as Grammy Career Day and GrammyU, and actively advocates for the MusiCares Foundation. Shannon was previously the Managing Director of Seattle's Vera Project, a wildly popular, all?ages, youth?focused, volunteer?fueled music and arts non?profit. As the Managing Director of Vera, Shannon was responsible for developing capacity to insure organizational stability and strategic direction that is responsive to the needs and interests of the Seattle community, especially related to music, art, youth and civic engagement. Shannon’s other experience includes work with such esteemed arts organizations as Redmond’s Old Fire House, The Henry Gallery, and On the Boards Theater. In her spare time, Shannon likes to hang out with her son Austin “Tiny” Roach, enjoy live music and art, eat good food, and travel to places where she can swim in the ocean.

K. Wyking Garrett – Director, Seattle Hip-Hop Summit Youth Council/ UmojaFest P.E.A.C.E. Center
An entrepreneur and educator, K. Wyking Garrett is the founder and Chief Executive of Remix Marketing & Communications, LLC, a communications firm specializing in the areas of youth and cultural program development, urban marketing and event planning. In addition to his entrepreneurial ventures, Wyking has over 20 years experience in civic involvement, community service and youth development spanning from Seattle to New York.

In 2008 Wyking was awarded the Martin Luther King County Executive Pioneer Award for Excellence in Hip-Hop for outstanding service to the community. A strong advocate of community involvement and civic service, at age 21 he was runner up for state representative in his home state of Washington. He has also served in membership, advisory and consultant capacities with a number of organizations and businesses. He is a founding director of the African American Heritage Museum & Cultural Center in Seattle.

For ten years he worked as the president/CEO of Umoja Fest African American Heritage Festival & Parade, the Pacific Northwest’s longest running African-American community festival. In 2002 he founded the Seattle Hip-Hop Summit Youth Council, the northwest affiliate of Russell Simmons’ New York based Hip-Hop Summit Action Network, which works to educate and empower youth academically, culturally and economically through Hip-Hop. He is also co-founder of the United For Youth Coalition and the UmojaFest P.E.A.C.E. Center in Seattle, WA. He is also a fellow and Seattle representative for national green advocacy organization, Green For All.

Kyle Hopkins – Head of Music Acquisitions, Microsoft X-Box/ On-Air DJ, KEXP.org
Kyle Hopkins oversees music supervision for Microsoft. He curates soundtracks for Xbox games and places music in Windows, Windows Mobile, Xbox Live and Zune marketing campaigns. As DJ Kid Hops, Kyle hosts two weekly radio programs on award-winning KEXP 90.3 fm in Seattle – a four-time CMJ “Station of the Year” award winner and the most streamed radio station in America. As a performer, Kyle has DJ’d alongside Damian Marley, Massive Attack, Burning Spear, Goldie, Benga, Roni Size, LTJ Bukem, DJ Hype and countless others. Kyle is a music fanatic and an avid vinyl record collector.

Megan Jasper – Executive Vice President, Sub Pop Records
Megan Jasper currently works for Sub Pop Records as the label's Executive Vice President. She has been employed by Sub Pop for the past 11 years. Before Sub Pop, she was the Northwest Sales Representative (for five years) for Alternative Distribution Alliance, a music company that distributes mostly independent music to retailers in the US. Megan has also volunteered for numerous non-profits. She served on the Board of Directors for SCBWI (Society of Children's Books Writers and Illustrators) for four years, volunteered and served on the Board of Directors for The Service Board for ten years and served on the Board of Directors for the Vera Project for six years. When she isn't working, volunteering or listening to music she's training for triathlons.

Alex Kochan – Commission Vice Chair - Vice President, AEG Live (Showbox Venues)
Alex Kochan is a music industry veteran with over 30 years of experience spanning artist management, touring and the establishment of two major concert promotion offices in the Northwest. As an artist manager in Los Angeles during the 1980’s he helped guide the careers of REO Speedwagon and Survivor. As the founder and owner of Artists & Audience Entertainment in New York City during the 1990’s, Alex represented tours for Paul McCartney, Guns & Roses and NIN among others. Alex is currently a Vice President of AEG LIVE, having established the Northwest office in 2006. AEG LIVE is the second largest international concert promotion company, and the Northwest office includes the Showbox clubs, WaMu Theater and produces over 300 shows per year. Alex also serves as a guest instructor for the University of Montana’s Entertainment Management Program and serves on the board of the North American Concert Promoters Association.

Nadine Zgonc – VP of Client Management, PlayNetwork  

Nadine is a NW music veteran – with over 15 years of entertainment media experience in audio, video and system design and integration services.  In her current role as VP of Client Management at PlayNetwork, Nadine directly oversees all of PlayNetwork’s North American accounts - which include over 200 national brands in 70+ countries.  

Nadine has held several key positions in Client Management, Sales, Business Development and Project Management.  Prior to joining PlayNetwork, Nadine spent several years at AEI Music Network and a variety of media organizations.  She has worked directly with some of the best known retailers to help define media solutions that promote their brand experience and create meaningful experiences for their customers.

Nadine is also involved with a project near and dear to her heart - the Sea-Tac Airport Music Initiative.  In conjunction with the Port of Seattle, The Office of Film + Music, and the Seattle Music Commission – she and the folks at PlayNetwork are helping to bring a variety of media elements designed to showcase our region’s diverse musical identity and expose travelers to the City of Music’s heritage.

Tom Mara – Executive Director, KEXP 90.3 FM
Tom Mara is executive director of KEXP 90.3 FM, a non-commercial, eclectic music station in Seattle with a strong focus on developing online music experiences at KEXP.org. After spending the first 20 years of his life in Germany, Tom started his radio career as volunteer at KCMU-FM in Seattle, KEXP's precursor, more than 20 years ago. Tom became its station manager after a four-year stint as development director. Afterwards, Tom managed joint corporate support programs at KUOW 94.9 FM and KCMU 90.3 FM. WXPN-FM at the University of Pennsylvania had Tom managing its corporate support programs before he returned to Seattle eight years ago to oversee KEXP as its executive director, thus completing a circle of sorts.

Tom Mara is executive director of KEXP 90.3 FM, a non-commercial, eclectic music station in Seattle with a strong focus on developing online music experiences at KEXP.org. After spending the first 20 years of his life in Germany, Tom started his radio career as volunteer at KCMU-FM in Seattle, KEXP's precursor, more than 20 years ago. Tom became its station manager after a four-year stint as development director. Afterwards, Tom managed joint corporate support programs at KUOW 94.9 FM and KCMU 90.3 FM. WXPN-FM at the University of Pennsylvania had Tom managing its corporate support programs before he returned to Seattle eight years ago to oversee KEXP as its executive director, thus completing a circle of sorts.

David Meinert – Owner, Onto Entertainment, The Capitol Hill Block Party, The 5 Point Cafe, Big Mario's

David Meinert is the Owner and COO of Onto Entertainment, a management company and record label representing Fences and Hey Marseilles; is partners in Fuzed Travel, a boutique entertainment travel agency; owner and producer of the Capitol Hill Block Party, a three-day 30,000 person, 60 + band playing music festival in Seattle, and a programming consultant for Bumbershoot. He is also owner of The 5 Point Cafe and partners in Big Mario's New York Style Pizza. 

Joan Sandler – VP, Musicians’ Association of Seattle, Local 76-493 AFM

Ms. Sandler, violinist, performed with the Charlotte (NC) Symphony while still in high school.  She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and did graduate study at American University, Washington, DC.

For 17 years Ms. Sandler owned a successful private violin studio in Seattle and now freelances in the Puget Sound Area, specializing in chamber music.  Since 1996, she has been a member of the Musicians Association of Seattle, Local 76-493 AFM and has served in a number of capacities, heading up diverse projects such as managing and selling real estate for the Local and steering a bill through the WA State Legislature.  She has been on the Board of Directors for 12 years and is currently Vice President of the organization.

She was previously employed in the computer industry for a number of years and had various responsibilities, including programming, systems installation, project management, and proposal writing. Her last assignment was Account Manager for sales to the Federal Government in 5 Northwestern states.

Patricia Lee Allen – Singer, Musician, Recording Artist

Patricia began her career in the early 1970's, when as a teenager, joined a Rock and Roll club band call "Road Apple Roy" and went on the road where she faced the excitement and struggle of young musicians of her generation. As the 70's came to an end, Patricia was well on her way to a career in live music having followed her initial band tour with stints in several bands as the club scene matured in the Puget Sound.

For Patricia it became the vehicle for expanding her musical talents.  Patricia launched one of the most popular Top 40/Club acts of the decade with "Punch", a band that toured for several years before reinventing itself as "Patricia Lee & Punch", with a spirited R & B and Blues format featuring Patricia and establishing her as featured performer for the first time. Patricia was then recruited to join the Paramount Performing Orchestra as one of the featured vocalists.  The Orchestra, known for its "Get Your Boogie Down" show was led by Seattle's Dave Lewis a National recording artist and jazz musician. The Orchestra leveraged its success to attract Ben Vereen as its in-house music director, enabling the group to open for many national touring acts.

After giving birth to her second child in 1989, Patricia joined with Seattle pianist Alice Richardson to create a two piece jazz ensemble that featured music from many jazz and contemporary legends including Nat King Cole, Billie Holiday and Esther Phillips. Called "Essence", the duo performed throughout the Northwest for many years.  "Essence "joined forces with many bands for shows as well, including Motown Reviews and R&B acts.

Patricia has spent the last few years developing her current act "Patricia Lee's Soul Mates", an R&B/Jazz group with several Seattle based musicians with deep resume's.  The Band recently released its first album, "Patricia Lee's Soul Mates" and is currently performing throughout the region.

Marcus Womack– Product Management, iLike Inc./iLike.com

Marcus Womack currently works for iLike.com/iLike Inc. overseeing the company’s Product Management department. With more than 60 million registered users, iLike is a social music discovery service operating on the Facebook, Google, Orkut, hi5 and Bebo platforms. iLike, Inc was acquired by MySpace in September 2009 and is now a fully owned subsidiary of MySpace. Marcus has been employed by iLike for the past three years. Before iLike, he held such positions as Microsoft’s Lead Program Manager for Xbox Live, Microsoft’s Lead Program Manager for MSN Music and Microsoft’s Program Manager for MSN Music.