MEET THE TEAM

BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Woman with long braids wearing a red patterned jacket, near a bronze sculpture.

Dr Ifunanya Nweke, Ed. D

BOARD MEMBER


Founder & Executive Director

Emeka Nweke, M.A.

Emeka Nweke, M.A.

BOARD CHAIR


Civil & Environmental Engineer

Woman with curly hair in a black dress with gold embellishments, hands on hips, smiling.

Aizehi Nomo

FOUNDING BOARD MEMBER & BOARD SECRETARY



Creative Digital Architect, Board Secretary and Founding Board Member

Smiling man with a beard, wearing a light purple shirt and a necklace, in front of a brick wall.

Chris Cornish

BOARD MEMBER


Artist Manager & Music Supervisor, Board Member

Woman with short hair, wearing glasses and a cream top, smiling.

Pat Shields

BOARD MEMBER


Owner, Blackdot, LLC.

Rick Marshall

Rick Marshall

BOARD MEMBER


General Counsel, Mechanical Licensing Collective (The MLC)

ADVISORY COUNCIL
Smiling older man with curly hair, in a room with shelves and a wine bottle in the background.

Allan Holzman

ADVISORY COUNCIL

Producer, Director, Editor and Owner, 716 Productions

Woman with glasses smiles at the camera. She wears a blue and white patterned top. Los Angeles in background.

Julie Du Brow

ADVISORY COUNCIL

Founder, CEO DUBROWORKS

Liz Vila

Liz Vila

ADVISORY COUNCIL

Culver City School District Advisory Committee for Special Education

Woman with blonde hair smiles at camera; black blazer.

Michelle Christie

ADVISORY COUNCIL


Founder and Executive Director, No Limits for Deaf Children

Smiling older man with curly hair, in a room with shelves and a wine bottle in the background.

Steve Pina

ADVISORY COUNCIL

President/CEO Omni Entertainment Inc.

Woman with short blonde hair wearing sunglasses smiles outdoors near leafy plants.

Susan Justin

ADVISORY COUNCIL

Composer, Lyricist and Music Educator

Smiling Asian man in blue shirt.

Tim Tatsui, Ed.D. MBA.

ADVISORY COUNCIL

VP, Pearson North America

JAZZ HANDS ACADEMY STAFF, INSTRUCTORS AND COACHES
Every one of our educators is a trained professional with a deep passion for education. Many of our educators have specialized training in fine arts such as music, art and theater.
Woman with brown hair in a ponytail, smiling, wearing a blazer, outside near a building.

Alice Brutskaya-Stempovskaya

ACADEMY STAFF

Vocal Coach

Woman with glasses smiles, brown hair, silver earrings, background of water and greenery.

Dr. Christine Yoshida, Ed.D

ACADEMY STAFF

Learning Software & Technology Specialist

Smiling woman with curly brown hair, wearing a black leather jacket and animal-print top.

Darienne Savoy

ACADEMY STAFF

Administrative & Studio Assistant / Songwriting Instructor

Person winking in front of garden with orange flowers, wearing glasses and a blue shirt.

Em Smith

ACADEMY STAFF

Guidance Counselor

Woman with dark hair pulled up, wearing a black top and white drop earrings, smiling at the camera.

Flora Chavez

ACADEMY STAFF

Guidance Counselor

Man with glasses, looking at the camera, against a graffiti wall.

 George Earth

ACADEMY STAFF

Program Director

Man with dark skin smiling in front of foliage; wearing a navy, red, and white polo shirt.

Greg Wigfall

ACADEMY STAFF

Music Library Coordinator

Hannah Fan

Hannah Fan

ACADEMY STAFF

Instructional Designer

(Jazz Hands Educator Training Program)

A light-skinned person with long hair, a hat, and a beard smiles at the camera.

Joshua Hines

ACADEMY STAFF

Director of Development & Communications


Kevin Bandel

Kevin Bandel

ACADEMY STAFF

Job Researcher/Job Placement Coordinator

Woman in patterned blouse, resting chin on hand, looking at the viewer in a monochrome portrait.

Mackenzie McCullough

ACADEMY STAFF 

Videographer/ Visual Storyteller


Man with long brown hair and beard in a blue shirt smiles, with green foliage background.

Noah Donelly

ACADEMY STAFF

Piano and Guitar Instructor

(Jazz Hand Musicians Academy & Jazz Hand Junior Academy)

Ozzy Carmona

Ozzy Carmona

ACADEMY STAFF

Multi-Course Instructor

Patrick Wong

Patrick Wong

ACADEMY STAFF

Man in gray suit, brown turtleneck, smiling, leaning on railing, in a lit venue.

Paul Yorke

ACADEMY STAFF

Pedagogy Instructor

RIDGE FARRINGER Multi-Course Instructor

Ridge Farringer

ACADEMY STAFF

Multi-Course Instructor

Man with gray hair and a mustache, smiling, in a close-up shot.

Rocco Matone

ACADEMY STAFF

Vocal Instructor & Band Director

Woman with dark hair smiles; outdoor setting.

Siv Anderson

ACADEMY STAFF

Music Theory &

Composition Instructor

A Black woman with braided hair in a bun, smiles, wearing a black dress.

Simone Knight

ACADEMY STAFF


Bookkeeper & Finance Lead