Crescendo Academy of Music Board of Directors

Elizabeth Youker, President

(Committees: Executive, Development, Organizational Effectiveness, ED Evaluation)
Elizabeth is Education Director for the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra. She is also principal cellist of the Kalamazoo College and Community Orchestra and plays mandocello in Crescendo's Mandolin and Guitar Orchestra. She holds a Master of Music degree in cello performance from the University of Akron and a Master of Fine Arts in Performing Arts Administration from Western Michigan University.

Sharan Levine, Vice President

(Committees: Organizational Effectiveness, By-Laws, Development)
Sharan is a shareholder in the law firm of Levine and Levine in which she focuses her practice in business, estate planning and real property. Her entire family enjoys music of all kinds; her daughter, Reyna, was an oboist with the Kalamazoo Junior Symphony Orchestra, and as a student at Smith College, continues in the orchestra there; her daughter Maura is a student of Miles Kusik and studies voice with George Bugaj. Her husband and law partner, Randall, is also a guitar student of Miles Kusik at Crescendo.

Linda Richer, Secretary

(Committee: Finance)
Linda has degrees in music education, music history, and library/information science. She has worked in academic, music and specialized libraries for 25 years, and currently serves as research librarian at the W.E. Upjohn Institute. She is an avid supporter of music in public schools and supporter of music and arts education in the community. She is also an amateur flutist who still performs occasionally.

Mindy Allwardt, Treasurer

(Committees: Executive, Finance)
Mindy grew up in the Chicago area and is the oldest of nine children. She is a Certified Public Accountant in Kalamazoo. Married to Bob, she has two children, Spike and Mark. Spike is a piano student at Crescendo.

Kate Kirk-Greenberg, Immediate Past President

(Committees: Executive, Finance, By-Laws, Annual Report, ED Evaluation)
Kate is a Grief Counselor and Social Worker for Hospice Care of Southwest Michigan. She has a B.A. From the University of Michigan and a M.S.W. From Michigan State University. She enjoys singing and finds great joy and meaning in music from many genres.

Keith Jones

(Committees: Marketing, Annual Report)
Keith is a graphic designer, photographer, artist and principal of n-Dimensional Design, a communication design consultancy based in Kalamazoo. He is emeritus faculty of WMU's School of Art graphic design program and has taught at Virginia Commonwealth University, the University of Kansas, and Birmingham Polytechnic in Great Britain. He has an MFA and BFA in graphic design from VCU and KU respectively. He has worked as an art director and designer in Toronto, Kansas City, and Kalamazoo. He is married to Janet, a community services consultant, and has two sons, Ben and Daniel, a newscaster and a filmmaker. He believes the arts are critical to our ability to understand the world around us and to find our path toward a positive future.