2021-22 Northwest Youth Music Association Board of Directors

Over the last two years, the Northwest Youth Music Association has been working overtime to bring back the Seattle Cascades you know and love, only even bigger and even better than ever. For the last few months, NYMA has worked to develop a new strategic plan that not only helps to support the Seattle Cascades but also offers more educational opportunities in the Pacific Northwest. Last month, NYMA met to set this year's goals and budget, develop our organizational flow, and to vote on this year's executive board. Today, the NYMA Board of Directors is proud to welcome our new Chairman, Mr. Brian Fisher. Brian comes to us with a vast array of experiences in the DCI, WGI, and marching arts world.

“I am very pleased and excited to be elected Chairman of the Board for the Northwest Youth Music Association. Plans are well underway for the return of our flagship performance ensemble, the Seattle Cascades Drum and Bugle Corps, to the competition field for the 2022 DCI season. The Seattle Cascades is the only DCI World Class touring drum and bugle corps in the Northwest. Additionally, the NYMA is looking to grow and expand in the coming years into new and exciting areas to offer more students the ability to participate in the pageantry arts in the Greater Northwest. The future is very bright for the NYMA and the Seattle Cascades.” - Brian Fisher, NYMA Chairman

In addition to the appointment of Mr. Fisher, the board also voted to elect Letha Nelson as Executive Director of NYMA. Letha has been a huge supporter of the Cascades for over a decade and continues to be a major voice in the betterment of the organization. She has served as a volunteer, board member, board president, and this is just a small sampling of the impact Mrs. Nelson has had on this organization. NYMA and the Seattle Cascades are excited to reactivate the Executive Director role and is excited to have Letha assuming this position.

"The anticipation is high for the coming season of drum corps, especially in the Pacific Northwest where we've not been able to see a corps on the field since 2019. As we've added to our staff and our NYMA Board of Directors we are more prepared than ever to meet the every day challenges of running a World Class Drum Corps. We have appreciated the support of our alumni, staff, volunteers and Board of Directors who helped us remain fiscally sound over the last two years. Their support has been and continues to be the strength of our organization. I'm thankful for this new role and the opportunity to work with the amazing team of people who make the work lighter." - Letha Nelson, NYMA Executive Director

This year's board includes:

Brain Fisher - Chairman of the Board

Letha Nelson - Executive Director

Tim Mack – Vice President

Suzanne Roman – Treasurer

Gary Lynch – Secretary

Dave Haining – Director of PR and Marketing

Rod Nelson – Director and volunteer coordinator

Ed Petkavich - Director

Brian Toole - Director

Garth Stubbs – Associate Member

Ed Simmons – Associate Member

Please visit our website for more information on the Northwest Youth Music association and the Seattle Cascades. www.seattlecascades.org