Advisory Board

The Advisory Board advises the BAC on matters related to the Mission and Goals of the choir and participates in projects which the BAC may undertake in support of its Mission and Goals. Advisory Board members are divided into two focus areas: Educational Outreach and Artistic Development, and Arts in the Community.

Educational Outreach and Artistic Development

• Carol Barwick
• Linda Fletcher
• Sam Harris
• Deborah Kidwell
• James Kidwell
• Dean Muths
• Gary Navy
• Tim Vaughn

Arts in the Community

• Dr. Beth Dennard, Ed.D., LPC
• Priscilla Ennis
• Dr. David R. Gordon, D.D.S.
• Bette Johnson
• Jami Lupold
• Ralph Parr
• Dan Patterson
• Patricia Swartley
• A. Jan Taylor
• Rick Tegeler
• Susan Venier
• Mary Voigt
• Brian Worrell

Education Outreach & Artistic Development

Carol Barwick
Sixteen years of singing with the Bay Area Chorus made Carol Barwick a staunch supporter of this outstanding community chorus. After retiring from 30 years as a public school choral music teacher, she began working to make the dream of establishing a Bay Area children’s chorus a reality. With the support of the Bay Area Chorus, the Bay Area Youth Singers began rehearsals and performances in the spring of 2008. Carol serves as the volunteer executive director of this music education organization. Carol is also the founder and director of the Summer Music Camp for elementary and middle school students, co-sponsored by the Bay Area Youth Singers, Bay Area Chorus, and University Baptist Church. She maintains an independent piano studio and is a frequent accompanist in the Clear Lake area. Her second career as owner/president of B & B Steel Products (a small manufacturing company) began in 2005. Carol hopes that her experiences as a musician and businesswoman help her serve effectively on the advisory board of the Bay Area Chorus.

Linda Fletcher
Linda Fletcher is the Director of Fine Arts for the Pasadena Independent School District. She has devoted 35 years to music education, teaching elementary music and intermediate and high school choral music. Linda received her Bachelor of Music Education with vocal emphasis from Sam Houston State University. She earned the Master of Science in Education Administration degree from the University of Houston/Clear Lake. Linda is an advocate for the arts in education and in all aspects of life.

Sam Harris
Sam Harris is in his twenty-sixth year of public education as Director of Academic Enrichment and Fine Arts for the Galena Park Independent School District. Prior to assuming this position in 2000 he spent fifteen years as the choral director at North Shore High School. Sam received his Bachelor of Music degree and his Master of Music degree from Texas State University (formerly Southwest Texas State University), in San Marcos, Texas. Under his leadership the North Shore High School Choral program grew from thirty-five students to more than five hundred and twenty-five students winning multiple Sweepstakes each year at UIL Concert and Sight-reading Contest as well as trophies at regional and nation music competitions. In 1994 the North Shore Chorale was named “Grand Champion of Texas” in the American Classic Music Festivals and performed as a state honor choir at the 1996 Texas Music Educator Association State Convention. Mr. Harris brought this same commitment to excellence to his tenure as Director of Fine Arts as he supervises a 120 member staff in music, art, theater and dance and a budget just shy of one million dollars for the Arts education of 22,000 students. Even though every school in GPISD is a Title I campus with a population that is 70 percent economically disadvantaged and 78 percent Hispanic, GPISD Fine Arts organizations consistently out perform their more affluent suburban peers at UIL competitions. “The Arts are for everyone, not just those with the economic means to achieve according to conventional wisdom.”

Deborah Kidwell
Deborah Kidwell served public music education for 33 years. After teaching orchestra in Baytown for eight years, she continued teaching and serving in Clear Creek ISD for 25 years. She taught all levels of orchestra there until 2003, when she became the Director of Visual and Performing Arts for Clear Creek ISD. She retired from public education in 2007. She was named the Texas Art Education Association Educator of the Year for Administration/Supervision for 2007. Deborah serves as a synchronized swimming judge, a UIL Orchestra judge throughout the state and has served as a consultant for school districts. She is an active church musician at Webster Presbyterian Church as a violinist and directs hand bell and recorder groups there. She serves on the executive boards for two community music organizations in the Houston area. She is past president of the Texas Orchestra Directors Association. Deborah holds Bachelor of Music and Master of Education degrees from the University of Houston. Deborah is married to James Kidwell, who taught orchestras in Texas for 35 years, has three married children and seven grandchildren. Deborah feels that the Bay Area Chorus is a vital and important part of the Bay Area community and wishes to support and promote the chorus in any way she can.

James Kidwell
James Kidwell, retired in 2004 from an accomplished career as a public school orchestra director/ teacher, grades 5-12. He taught a total of 35 years, 28 at Clear Lake High School and other CCISD schools. Since retiring, Mr. Kidwell has taught string education classes at the University of Houston Moores School of Music and currently is a part-time employee of Lisle Violin Shop. James is a graduate of Louisiana Tech University (BA, Ed) and Texas Tech University (MME), and has also taught in Lubbock ISD, and Carrollton-Farmer’s Branch ISD, where he also served as String Supervisor. He was Fine Arts Department Head at CLHS, and conducted the orchestra for many of the Senior Musicals. In 2000, James was the Space Center Rotary nominee from CLHS for the CCISD Secondary Teacher of the year, and was named runner-up. Among the many awards his CLHS orchestras received was being named the 1990-91 TMEA High School Full Honor Orchestra. Mr. Kidwell always encouraged his students to strive to be the best they could be as individuals, musicians, and ensemble members.

James was on the founding Steering Committee (Advisory Board) of the Clear Lake Symphony, and also Associate Conductor for several years. Mr. Kidwell has been Orchestra Vice-President of Texas Music Educator’s Association, as well as Orchestra Chair for three TMEA Regions. James is a former board member and President of the Texas Orchestra Director’s Association, and received that organization’s Orchestra Director of the Year Award in 2008. He is an active adjudicator for UIL and festival competition and is a frequent clinician for orchestras throughout the Houston area.

Mr. Kidwell is active in the music program at Webster Presbyterian Church, playing in string ensembles, the recorder consort, and small hand bell ensemble. He has been the director of the adult hand bell choir for the last 19 years, and has served as a Church Elder. James and his wife Deborah have three children and seven grandchildren.

Dean Muths
Dean Muths is the Director of Visual and Performing Arts for the Clear Creek Independent School District. He has lived in the Clear Lake area since 1964 and graduated from Clear Lake High School in 1975. He has a Bachelor of Music Education Degree from Sam Houston State University and has a Master of Music Education and a Master of Education Administration degree from the University of Houston. Mr. Muths has served 30 years in education at Clear Creek ISD as a band director, assistant principal and principal. He and his wife Liz have been married for 27 years and they have two children, Sarah and Ben.

Gary Vincent Navy
Gary Vincent Navy is a graduate of College of the Mainland and earned a B.M. from ETSU. He debuted with Houston Grand Opera in Jonathan Wade, is a member of Houston Ebony Opera Guild, The New Galveston Heritage Chorale and Barbara Tucker’s A Chosen Few. He is a guest cantor/soloist in churches/synagogues throughout the area. Also involved in Community Theater Productions, Mr. Navy, a former music educator, has performed with Opera in the Heights, the Bay Area Chorus, the Houston Masterworks Chorus and the Galveston Symphony. Gary is the Coordinator of Liturgy and Music at Shrine of the True Cross Catholic Church in Dickinson.

Tim Vaughn
Tim Vaughn, currently the Fine Arts Director in Goose Creek CISD, was a choral director in Texas public schools for 30 years. He spent the last 20 years of his teaching career at Ross S. Sterling High School where his choirs achieved 15 consecutive years of sweepstakes ratings at UIL contests. Mr. Vaughn’s choirs were chosen to perform at the Texas Music Educators Association convention in 2005 and 2008 along with the Texas Association of School Administrators convention in 2006. An active member of TMEA, Mr. Vaughn has served as region choir organizer, region vocal chairman, auditions host, all-state section leader, area vocal chairman, and UIL vocal contest chairman and stays busy as a UIL adjudicator and clinician for choirs preparing for concert and sight reading contests. He has also served as an All-Region clinician for several regions across the state. Mr. Vaughn’s other honors include Goose Creek CISD Teacher of the Year in 2005, Deer Park Hall of Honor in 2006 and Class Nobel Educator of Distinction in 2007. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Music Education from the University of North Texas in 1979 and completed his master’s degree in Music Education at the University of Houston in 1988. He resides in Deer Park with his wife Sheri, who is the coordinator for the superintendent and board services for Deer Park ISD. The Vaughn’s have one daughter, Jeni, who teaches elementary music in Deer Park ISD, and have also been blessed with twin grandsons, Blaine and Grady.

Arts in the Community

Elizabeth Dennard Ed.D, LPC
Beth Dennard, is the director and principal counselor of Bright Futures Consulting. She founded Bright Futures Consulting (BFC) in 1999 and her company offers personalized career counseling, expert college planning and coaching for life direction. Beth and her associates help people truly know themselves, make a plan and succeed. BFC offers individualized guidance during life transitions, specifically: high school to college, college to graduate school and school to the workplace. BFC emphasizes finding the right next step with a focus on funding strategies. At Bright Futures Consulting we believe that each person is uniquely gifted for a life of purpose, which inspired the Bay Area Chorus Music Education Scholarship. Dr. Dennard sponsored this scholarship for a high school student who plans to major in Music Education. Music makes life enjoyable and the world a better place and we have music educators to thank for teaching and inspiring students to pursue music.

Priscilla Ennis
Priscilla Ennis came to the Bay Area when her husband Bob came to work on the Space Shuttle. Ennis received her BA degree from Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee. Her career in real estate has spanned more than 35 years. In recent years she has consistently been the top producing agent with Re/Max Space Center. A church choir member for 33 years, Ennis has been involved with Clear Lake Pan Hellenic and the Clear Lake Symphony League. She loves music and is very happy supporting the BAC, in fact, Ennis has donated $1000 each year toward a BAC scholarship for a deserving high school senior planning to study music.

Dr. David R. Gordon
Dr. Gordon has been practicing dentistry in the Clear Lake area since 1990. Throughout the years, the mission for Dr. Gordon and his experienced team has remained consistent: to provide the highest quality of treatment in a personal, caring environment. While Dr. Gordon performs a wide array of dental procedures, his focus is primarily on cosmetic and reconstructive dentistry. Dr. Gordon received dual bachelor degrees from Tulane University in New Orleans and, after conducting research in cell biology at Baylor College of Medicine here in Houston, went on to earn his Doctor of Dental Surgery from The University of Texas Health Science Center Dental Branch in San Antonio, where he conducted research on an assortment of biomaterials used in dentistry today. He is a member of the American Dental Association, the Texas Dental Association and the Greater Houston Dental Society. He is also a member and past president of Delta Sigma Delta Dental Fraternity. Dr. Gordon and his wife Lauri, a biomedical engineer, have three children and stay active locally, supporting and hosting various fundraisers for the community and teaching together at the Kindergarten level at their church. Dr. Gordon's interests include running, bowling, golf and creating jewelry.

Bette Johnson
Bette has lived in Nassau Bay since 1976. She volunteered for the Nassau Bay EMS for 25 years. Bette was in the first Reading Recovery training class for Clear Creek ISD and taught Reading Recovery for 17 years. She retired from McWhirter Elementary after teaching there for 23 rewarding years. She also just retired from Nassau Bay City council after serving for 8 years. Bette is married, has five children and six grandchildren.

Jami Lupold
Jami Lupold graduated from Texas Tech University and has brought wonderful learning experiences to life for students and educators through music education for over 24 years. As Co-Director of the “Building Cultural Bridges” program at Pearl Hall Elementary Jami has hosted musicians, astronauts, engineers and scientists from around the globe, using the common language of music to bring the culture and science of the world directly to thousands of students. Jami and her education team, which includes her mom, Pat Surface, have guided teachers to push beyond the borders of their school/community, developing methods that connect public school education on an international level. Her communication skills have helped build a strong network of adults from across the planet, linking the NASA Johnson Space Center, the CSA and other international Space Agencies, as well as the Houston Symphony to bring the world to her school. Together, their team of teachers at Pearl Hall have provided unique opportunities for teachers to support and enhance their students’ education. All students, regardless of experience or ability level, are immersed in exploring worlds of international music, science, technology, literature and cultures as we help prepare them to be leaders in an exciting future, meeting global challenges with confidence and compassion. Jami was selected to attend the prestigious Yale Music Symposium in June, 2011 and will be presenting at the 2012 Texas Music Educators Association Convention. Jami teaches K-4 music, has a private flute studio and is the owner/photographer of JL Photography: “On Location Photography: when and where you need it!”

Ralph Parr
Ralph Parr is a lifelong resident of the Bay Area and a product of the Clear Creek schools. A strong advocate for the arts, he was a founder and the first president of the Clear Creek Country Theatre. He retired from CCISD in 1994 after 35 years of service as a teacher and administrator and has been a member of the CCISD Board of Trustees for 12 years. Ralph is a licensed real estate salesperson and works with his wife Claudia and son Richard in the Parr Team for Coldwell Banker United, Realtors. He was honored by CCISD when Ralph Parr Elementary School opened in August of 2009 on Highway 3 south, in League City. Ralph regularly attends concerts, plays and other fine arts activities, but his favotie is choral music, especially the Bay Area Chorus!

Dan Patterson
A retired computer professional, Dan Patterson now volunteers in the Literacy Lab at Falcon Pass Elementary and likes working there very much.  He moved to Clear Lake from Philadelphia in 1999 and loves living in Houston.  He has had a life-long interest in music, particular in opera and vocal music, and is an ardent supporter of the Arts.  His life in recent years has centered around helping to raise his beloved great-great-nieces Taylor and Vicky, who are both very musical. 

Pat Swartley
Pat Swartley is a long time supporter of the Clear Lake Symphony and the Bay Area Chorus. She has assisted the Clear Lake Symphony with PR and fund raising for over 25 years and now brings that experience to BAC as a member of the Advisory Board. A former band director, Pat has played and taught clarinet most of her adult life and is presently teaching clarinet for CCISD.

A. Jan Taylor
A. Jan Taylor, a Houston native, received the Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Houston and the Master of Arts degree from Prairie View A&M University. She is currently pursuing the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Choral Conducting at the University of Houston. Her 1996 appointment as Director of Choral Activities at Prairie View A & M University followed a successful teaching career as piano instructor and choral director in the Houston Independent School District.

As a conductor, Mrs. Taylor has been associated with the Singing Boys of Houston Preparatory Choir and the Houston Ebony Opera Guild and is founding director of Intermezzo, a professional vocal ensemble. She has served as adjudicator and choral clinician for numerous choral festivals, and as a church choir director and accompanist. Mrs. Taylor served as Assistant Conductor of the Houston Symphony Chorus from 2003 until 2006.

Rick Tegeler
Richard G. Tegeler is the director of traditional worship at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church where he directs the adult choir, youth choirs and celebration orchestra. He has a master’s degree in vocal performance from the University of Houston and a bachelor’s degree in music education from Simpson College, Indianola, Iowa. Mr. Tegeler has taught choral music for 20 years in Iowa and Texas. He has taught music at all levels; preschool through adults. He was the choir director for the award winning Des Moines Christian High School Choir from 1998 – 2004. He also taught music at Garfield Elementary School in the Pasadena Independent School District for 9 years. He and his wife Valerie owned and operated The Music and Movement Center, an early childhood music studio in Des Moines, Iowa. Rick has sung with The Des Moines Metro Opera as well as OPERA IOWA. Mr. Tegeler is a member of the Texas Choral Directors Association and Choristers Guild. Rick and his wife Valerie have four children.

Susan Venier
Susan Venier brings Deztinktiv INTERIORS to custom decorate your home with the simple elegance you desire. Having been an eighteen-year franchise owner with Interiors by Decorating Den, Susan has stepped forward with a business face lift to continue serving her clients with her decorating talent and years of experience. Susan enjoys designing homes that reflect a client’s lifestyle. She comes to you in the comfort of your home or business with the latest in decorating products. Susan’s appreciation for the arts extends from her accomplishments as a flutist which won her a scholarship to the University of Oklahoma. However, her passion for combining color, design, and texture won out. Forgoing the music scholarship Susan pursued her Bachelor’s degree in Interior Design.

Mary Voigt
Mary Voigt, B. A., M.B.A., retired last year as the Director of Worship, Music and the Arts at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Nassau Bay after 15 years of service. Before this, she served as the Regional Director for Rapha, a company providing Christian psychiatric and substance abuse treatment programs, and worked in a variety of hospital administration positions at St Joseph, Park Plaza and Sharpstown hospitals.

Mary enjoyed singing with the Bay Area Chorus many years ago and has spent the past 19 years singing with the Houston Symphony Chorus. She is currently serving as Vice President of Programs for the Houston Symphony League Bay Area. She founded and served as the Executive Director of the Arts at Gloria Dei, a performing arts series that featured groups such as the Glenn Miller Orchestra, Ballet Magnificat, the Boston Brass, the Philadelphia Organ Quartet as well as top choirs from across the country such as the Westminster Choir, the American Boy Choir, the St Olaf Choir, the Luther College Nordic Choir and many more. Mary is married with two grown daughters and five grandchildren and lives in the Clear Lake area.

Brian Worrell
Music has always been a huge part of Brian Worrell’s life. He sings in addition to playing trumpet, guitar, classical guitar, and piano — he says he doesn’t play any of them well. His love for music has been passed to his two children, ages six and three, who love to sing and dance around the house while banging anything that remotely resembles an instrument. Brian’s other hobbies include playing pickelball, kayaking, and traveling. He and his wife recently began a mission to visit all of the National Parks as well as all seven continents. He is hoping to live past 100 in order to fit all of it in. Brian became a fan and supporter of BAC after watching several of his friends perform in the chorus. In addition, Brian works as a REALTOR with Prudential Gary Greene and also helped to redesign the BAC website.