Current NASA Officers

The North American Saxophone Alliance is an organization made up of individuals who share a common interest in the saxophone. Members include professional performers, university professors, public school teachers, students of all levels, and others who have an interest in the saxophone. In addition to the Alliance's emphasis on disseminating information concerning the saxophone, the organization also works to provide opportunities for its members to make music, fostering fellowship among saxophone enthusiasts of all ages and backgrounds.

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Executive Committee

Kim Goddard Loeffert Board Position: President NASA Member Since: 2001 University / Organization: Virginia Tech

Jessica Voigt-Page Board Position: Immediate Past President NASA Member Since: 2010 University / Organization: Airtable

Andrew Allen Board Position: President-Elect NASA Member Since: 2000 University / Organization: Georgia College & State University What I Love About NASA: I love NASA for its ability to bring together all those who adore the saxophone. Everyone who holds membership in the Alliance has a wonderful thing in common: We all cherish the greatest instrument on Earth. As a group, we can share information, research, pedagogical ideas, music, and so much more! Since I was fourteen, NASA has been my entrée into the entire world of our great instrument.

Noa Even Board Position: Treasurer NASA Member Since: 2003 University / Organization: Rowan University What I Love About NASA: The energy! Members of this organization inspire and support each other, think creatively, and care deeply about their work. As NASA continues to grow and evolve, these values seem to be the thread that carries through.

Bobbi Thompson Board Position: Secretary NASA Member Since: 2008 University / Organization: University of Western Ontario What I Love About NASA: I love the friendships that are cultivated through NASA! Our conferences are an opportunity for members to meet new people, listen, encourage, and learn from each other's creative activities. Our community inspires new projects, and we work collaboratively to help support and realise the potential of our artistic pursuits as saxophonists.

Gene Smith Board Position: Jazz Coordinator NASA Member Since: 2011 University / Organization: GSO Jazz LLC, Jackson State University What I Love About NASA: I love being an advocate for the saxophone. I also cherish the opportunity to help guide NASA towards greater sustainability so the organization can be funded into perpetuity.

Julia Nolan Board Position: Director of Scholarly Publications NASA Member Since: 1984 University / Organization: University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada What I Love About NASA: What began as an idea with Eugene Rousseau and Paul Brodie, NASA has blossomed into an important international presence in global musical communities. I enjoy hearing music that is new, old, and in-between performed by professionals, students, and enthusiasts, renewing old friendships, and making new ones at the local, national, and international conferences. Good times, good friends, good music, and a great organization!

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Appointed Officers

Andrew Allen Position: Saxophone Symposium Assistant Editor NASA Member Since: 2000 University / Organization: Georgia College & State University What I Love About NASA: I love NASA for its ability to bring together all those who adore the saxophone. Everyone who holds membership in the Alliance has a wonderful thing in common: We all cherish the greatest instrument on Earth. As a group, we can share information, research, pedagogical ideas, music, and so much more! Since I was fourteen, NASA has been my entrée into the entire world of our great instrument.

Kurt Bertels Position: Saxophone Symposium Primary Reviewer NASA Member Since: 2017 University / Organization: Utrecht University (Netherlands) + Lemmensinstituut (Belgium)

Myles Boothroyd Position: Saxophone Symposium Editor NASA Member Since: 2009 University / Organization: University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point What I Love About NASA: I am grateful for this incredible forum in which saxophonists everywhere can share new ideas, present diverse music, learn about their craft, and inspire one another. NASA is a vibrant light for the continued celebration and mastery of our instrument!

Adrianne Honnold Position: Coordinating Editor of Reviews NASA Member Since: 1995 University / Organization: Lewis University What I Love About NASA: I've been attending NASA conferences since the 1990s, and what I love about the conferences and our organization is the community. We come together for our shared love of the saxophone and music-making, and to me, NASA represents a profound sense of belonging. I hope we continue working toward welcoming everyone into our association and providing a supportive community for all saxophonists.

Austin McFarland Position: Marketing Admin NASA Member Since: 2017 What I Love About NASA: I love the collaboration and camaraderie that NASA provides to the saxophone community. NASA provides so many opportunities for saxophonists of all ages to come together, learn, and grow as more than just musicians that share a love of the saxophone.

Nathan Mertens Position: Director of Marketing and Development NASA Member Since: 2008 University / Organization: Hastings College What I Love About NASA: Throughout my journey, NASA has continued to inspire, rejuvenate, and challenge me as a musician and person. I feel incredibly lucky to be a part of such an amazing community of saxophonists who support each other, music, and the instrument.

Alexia McLean Position: Social Media Outreach NASA Member Since: 2019 University / Organization: Syracuse University What I Love About NASA: I treasure the community and friendships that NASA has given me. Not only has NASA a brought exceptional opportunities of the saxophone, it has also enhanced comradery amongst amazing individuals.

Uday Singh Position: Saxophone Symposium Primary Reviewer NASA Member Since: 2017 University / Organization: Eastman School of Music What I Love About NASA: The spirit of collaboration and community has always been my favorite part of NASA. Everything that NASA does, from conferences to publications, reflects the shared goal of the saxophone world to bring our beloved instrument to prominence. As a member of this community it is easy to find inspiration to continue work on this important project.

Matt Younglove Position: Membership Director NASA Member Since: 2009 University / Organization: Tennessee Technological University What I Love About NASA: I am grateful for the many years of devoted work and passion that the NASA community gives to our exceptional instrument. Our community of performers, teachers, scholars, students, amateurs, creatives, and enthusiasts is an amazing and supportive group from diverse backgrounds and with unique perspectives.

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Regional Directors

Idit Shner Position: Region 1 Director (WA, OR, ID, MT, WY, AK) NASA Member Since: 2005 University / Organization: University of Oregon School of Music and Dance, Professor of Saxophone and Jazz Studies What I Love About NASA: NASA brings people from different regions and backgrounds together sharing all things saxophone. I love how the saxophone can sound a million different ways; it would be so boring if we all sounded the same! Going to the NASA conferences and hearing people's different sounds and concepts is something I cherish.

Eric Lau Position: Region 2 Director (CA, NV, UT, AZ, CO, NM, HI) NASA Member Since: 1998 University / Organization: The University of New Mexico

Matthew Patnode Position: Region 3 Director (ND, SD, NE, MN, IA) NASA Member Since: 1986 University / Organization: North Dakota State University What I Love About NASA: NASA has raised the level of performance, pedagogical research, and embracing all styles of saxophone playing. It provides a great forum for students and professionals alike though publications and conferences at regional and national levels.

Jeffrey Loeffert Position: Region 4 Director (KS, OK, MO, AR, TX) NASA Member Since: 1999 University / Organization: Oklahoma State University / h2 quartet What I Love About NASA: NASA provides a platform to share musical and pedagogical ideas for saxophone enthusiasts at all levels.

Farrell Vernon Position: Region 5 Director (WI, IL, IN, OH, MI) NASA Member Since: 1994 University / Organization: Purdue University Fort Wayne What I Love About NASA: , NASA is a major organization that encourages the birth of new art music. Our conferences gives an attractive reason for new composers to continue to create repertoire for our instrument. This is paramount as the Saxophone is just in its adolescence. Secondly, NASA is a forum to see, play, and hear rare saxophones, the extremes. Thirdly, NASA's free exchange of pedagogical techniques, both in masterclass and clinic formats. All of these reasons and more keep me excited about the next conference. Together, we help form the continued history of the saxophone.

Adam Estes Position: Region 6 Director (LA, MS, AL, GA, FL, PR) NASA Member Since: 2011 University / Organization: The University of Mississippi, Associate Professor of Saxophone and Bassoon What I Love About NASA: I've always enjoyed the community-building that comes from our annual conferences. For the past 20 years, I have attended these events, and in addition to the sharing of ideas, teachings, and performances, meeting others and establishing relationships in our field has always been my favorite aspect of NASA.

Timothy Roberts Position: Region 7 Director (KY, TN, VA, NC, SC, MD, DE, DC) NASA Member Since: 1985 University / Organization: Shenandoah Conservatory, Professor of Saxophone What I Love About NASA: NASA gives us the ability to meet new colleagues, build friendships with more familiar ones, and learn about lots of wonderful new repertoire for our instrument.

David Stambler Position: Region 8 Director (NY, PA, NJ, WV, CT, MA, RI, VT, ME, NH) NASA Member Since: 1987 University / Organization: Penn State School of Music, Professor of Saxophone What I Love About NASA: NASA is a community of saxophone artists, scholars, and enthusiasts from whom we all continue to learn. We serve each other as a great resource for repertoire, pedagogy, and performance activity, and we constantly remind each other of the ever-evolving standards of excellence.

Glen Gillis Position: Region 9 Director (BC, AB, SK, MB, YT, NT, NU) NASA Member Since: 1982 University / Organization: University of Saskatchewan, Professor of Music What I Love About NASA: The opportunity to hear and collaborate with many musicians and the presentation of so much new music for the saxophone.

James Kalyn Position: Region 10 Director (QC, NL, NB, NS, PE, ON) NASA Member Since: 1989 University / Organization: Mount Allison University, Associate Professor What I Love About NASA: The shameless play on the NASA name. We can be completely professional about our art and still have fun.

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Committee Chairs

Allison Balcetis Position: Committee for Gender Equity Co-Chair NASA Member Since: 2008 University / Organization: University of Alberta What I Love About NASA: I love the cross-pollination that takes place when we all get together. Ideas about pedagogy, performance, repertoire, and equipment get to spread far and wide. It's fascinating to see how these ideas take root, transform, and are reinterpreted across the geographic regions of NASA.

Jonathan Hulting-Cohen Position: Committee for Gender Equity Co-Chair NASA Member Since: 2010 University / Organization: University of Massachusetts Amherst What I Love About NASA: I appreciate NASA's formal and informal mentoring opportunities, the opportunity to hear saxophone music for the first time at the conferences, and the friendships I've developed over the years.

Diane Hunger Board Position: 2020 + 2022 Biennial Conference Composition Competition Chair NASA Member Since: 2010 University / Organization: Syracuse University, The MANA Quartet What I Love About NASA: I love seeing, hearing, collaborating with, and learning from old and new saxophone friends at the conferences. I always leave them inspired and full of new ideas for my own playing and teaching, and with newly acquired knowledge of fantastic repertoire for our instrument. I'm all for all things saxophone, and that's what NASA is for me.

Shawna Pennock Position: 2022 + 2023 Biennial Conference Program Chair NASA Member Since: 2011 University / Organization: University of Nevada Las Vegas What I Love About NASA: I love the opportunities NASA creates for members to share meaningful art.

Nicki Roman Position: Classical Competition Chair NASA Member Since: 2010 University / Organization: University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Jordan VanHemert Position: Committee on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging, and Accessibility Co-Chair NASA Member Since: 2008 University / Organization: Columbus State University What I Love About NASA: I love how NASA can bring together so many exciting approaches to the same instrument. I am always in awe of hearing everyone's unique approaches, and I love how conferences allow us to hear about what everyone is passionate about. It is inspiring.

Kendra Wheeler Position: Committee on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging, and Accessibility Co-Chair NASA Member Since: 2015 University / Organization: Central Washington University

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