Mrs. Angelica Brooks is a decorated choral director and music educator. Mrs. Brooks served as a K-12 public school music educator for 13 years and developed a reputation for building strong choral programs and advanced singing musicians. She has been honored to serve her professional community as a guest conductor, festival adjudicator, mentor teacher, curriculum writer, and professional development presenter on topics of diversity, equity, and inclusion in music education.

Mrs. Brooks has earned recognition for her efforts in music leadership and education as she was a 2015 GRAMMY Music Educator of the Year Semifinalist. In 2019, she was awarded a Leadership in Education award from Bowie State University and named Prince George’s County Public Schools’ Teacher of the Year. Most recently she was named Maryland Music Educators Associations’ Outstanding Music Educator for 2021.

Mrs. Brooks received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Vocal Performance at Bowie State University and Masters of Music in Vocal Pedagogy from The Catholic University of America. She also holds an Administrator I certification from McDaniel College and serves as an adjunct professor at the University of Maryland Baltimore College. Mrs. Brooks is currently pursuing her DMA in Music Teaching and Learning at the University of Southern California.

Deb (Sheldon) Confredo, a 42-year veteran music educator, completed the BS in Music Education at Mansfield State College, PA (now Mansfield University), the MEd in Music at The Pennsylvania State University, and the PhD in Music Education at Florida State University. In addition to her years as a public school music education, she has taught at Illinois State University and the University of Illinois. She is Professor and Director of Online Programs in Music Education at Temple University in Philadelphia, PA.

While a professor for Temple University, Dr. Confredo resides in Louisiana where she is an active member of the Louisiana Music Educators Association in her work on the LMEA Council for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, the LMEA Professional Development Committee, the Louisiana Music Adjudicators Association, and is a contributor to the LMEA 12-for-12 webinar series.

Ms. Judith A. Hawkins currently serves as the Vocal and General Music content supervisor for Prince George’s County Public Schools in Maryland. As a music teacher, Ms. Hawkins taught for 20 years at the elementary level. Ms. Hawkins has also been part of the multicultural curriculum infusion team of writers and presented to district leaders on the value of a curriculum that is reflective of all cultures and genders with equal emphasis. She has also served as a presenter for new teacher training for over 15 years. Ms. Hawkins has based her sessions (local, state and national) on her book entitled Maestro of Games.

Currently, Ms. Hawkins serves as the Eastern Division representative for the National Association for Music Education’s (NAfME) Council of Music Program Leaders. Most recently, she was a panelist for NAfME’s webinar on Reimagining Music Education. At the state level, Ms. Hawkins has provided guidance on choral and general music instruction for the reopening of schools. She has been a panelist for two Maryland State Department of Education M:Brace webinars highlighting the importance of music education continuing regardless of the COVID-19 condition. In the past, Ms. Hawkins served on the board of the Maryland Music Educators Association (MMEA) as a liaison to supervisors and on the Membership Development committee.

Kaufman has held several leadership roles with numerous pilot arts-in-education programs and professional organizations. He currently co-chairs the International Society for Music Education’s (ISME) Music Education for Social Change Special Interest Group and serves as the Collegiate Chapters Representative for the Maryland Music Educators Association (MMEA).

As a researcher, he has been involved with consulting and assessment projects for arts organizations nationally through the Center for Music in Education (CMIE). His research interests include social impact through music, music learning as youth development, social justice, civic engagement, music teacher education, and beginning conducting pedagogy. Collectively, his work has led to presentations on 5 continents on entrepreneurship, music, and creativity as vehicles for social change at institutions including the United Nations, the Ford Foundation, Oxford University, and Yale University. His co-edited book titled Music Learning as Youth Development, available from Routledge HERE, features chapters from an array of widely-celebrated, international scholars who share their perspectives on how music learning can best contribute to young people’s social, emotional, cognitive, and artistic capacities.

Joan is now the owner of Life in Seven Coaching & Consulting and the creator of Work Wellness Academy, a professional and personal development organization and platform that includes a podcast, workshops, trainings, and a membership community that provides coaching support and development resources. All dedicated to helping people improve and maintain their wellbeing at work by building the mindsets, habits and systems that enable them to do their best work, while living their best life. WWA also works with businesses and organizations who want to create a work culture that contributes to the wellbeing of the people who work with and for them.

In 2021, Joan was hired to facilitate Cleveland Institute of Music’s Future Music Faculty Fellowship (FMFF). FMFF is a first-of-its-kind career development initiative for Black and Latinx music professionals considering and/or currently pursuing an academic career. Powered by the Sphinx Venture Fund, the competitive Fellowship spotlights and prepares future faculty leaders who will influence generations of musicians.

Joan has a bachelor’s degree from Xavier University of Louisiana, a master’s degree from Temple University, and certification as a personal and executive coach from the Coaching and Positive Psychology (CaPP) Institute.

Emma Watson is a champion for racial justice and educational equity, dedicated to working alongside the community to create systemic change. A true Bruin, she received both her Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and Master’s Degree in Public Policy from UCLA.

She brings her expertise in building community-based policy agendas from her work at Advancement Project California, a multi-racial civil rights organization fighting to expand opportunity for all. Statewide and in Los Angeles, she advocated for whole child equity, equity-based funding, and greater access to early learning and care. Previously, Emma was a Fellow at the Partnership for Los Angeles Schools, a non-profit organization that manages 19 LA Unified District schools in Boyle Heights, South Los Angeles, and Watts. Her value for racial and economic justice is rooted in her experience as a Family Advocate at Early Head Start where she built trusting relationships to support families and their children.

Committed to balance and wellness, she enjoys teaching and practicing yoga and taking her rescue pup Sage on hikes.

An accomplished educator, Tomisha Brock has led superior instrumental and vocal ensembles on the public-school level and in higher education in Virginia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Mississippi, and Washington. A native of Carrollton, Virginia, Tomisha Brock began her education at the age of 3, at the Hampton University Laboratory Institute, and graduated at the age of 16 from Smithfield High School (Smithfield, Virginia). She received a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Virginia State University in 2005, a Master of Music Education degree from Norfolk State University in 2011, and has completed additional coursework at Capella University, Southern University of Utah, and the University of Illinois-Chicago. Dr. Brock received her Ph.D. in Music Education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 2020.

In the community, Dr. Brock is the Owner and CEO of Prodigious Music Concepts, LLC, and serves as a Professional Development Specialist and a Teacher Licensure and Educational Consultant, assisting music education majors and current professionals with the tools necessary for success on teacher licensure assessments. She is also the Founder and Executive Director of The HBCU Recruitment Center, PSC, providing information and resources pertaining to educational opportunities at our nation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities, to BIPOC communities in the Western region of the United States.

Dr. Mackie V. Spradley is the Immediate Past President of the National Association for Music Education and serves as the Director of Curriculum Programs at the Texas Education Agency in Austin, TX. She received the B.M. in Voice from UNT and M.A. in Vocal Pedagogy from Texas Woman’s University, Denton. She received her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Anthropology from UNT. Spradley has published in academic journals and books, such as the National Forum of Multicultural Issues Journal, Texas Music Educators Conference Connections, and a book chapter in Educational Leadership and Music. She is a national speaker on music education, culturally responsive pedagogy, and critical theory.

As a presenter, Mackie has shared her expertise throughout the United States and abroad. She has presented at various state, national and international conferences including, Texas Music Educators Association, Colorado Music Educators Association, the Society for Music Teachers Education, National Association for Music Education (formerly MENC), Texas Choral Directors Association, the National Association for Multicultural Education Texas Conference, and the Gospel Music Workshop of America, Inc.

Mackie is a published author with research interests in music teacher effectiveness, critical discourse, culturally responsive teaching, and critical theory. Mackie continues to focus her work and efforts on issues related to equity in music education.