President-Elect Nominees
Ryan Ellefsen
Ryan Ellefsen is the director of bands and orchestras at East Chapel Hill High School (ECHHS) where he directs two concert bands, two orchestras, and two jazz combos. He is the advisor for two large extracurricular clubs: the East Chapel Hill Chamber Music Society and the ECHHS Mentoring Program, which pairs high school and middle school students to create a bridge from the middle to high school.
Ellefsen has served as the site host for the Eastern Regional Orchestra MPA, Junior Eastern Regional Honors Orchestra, Central District Middle School and High School Honors Bands, and the Eastern Regional Honors Orchestra. He has also served as chairperson for the All-State Orchestra, the North Carolina Orchestra Section and is currently the chairperson for the East Chapel Hill Fine Arts Department.
In an effort to bring quality music into the canon, Ellefsen has commissioned works by Shawn Okpebolo, Allison Loggins-Hull, Brian Balmages, Stephanie Boyd, Mat Campbell and Kaitlin Bove. Ellefsen was elected the Eastern Regional Orchestra Director of the Year in 2015, was awarded the Jackson Parkhurst Award for Special Achievement from the North Carolina Symphony in 2021 and the East Chapel Hill Teacher of the Year for the 2024–25 school year.
Demeka Kimpson
With over two decades of experience in music education, Demeka Kimpson is a passionate and dedicated educator and mentor. Since 2005, she has served as the director of bands at Sedgefield Middle School in Charlotte, where she has cultivated a thriving band program that fosters musical excellence and personal growth in her students. Her groups have consistently earned high ratings at various concert band adjudicated festivals, and many of her students have achieved county, regional, state, and national honors.
Kimpson’s diverse teaching background includes roles in Cabarrus County, and York County, S.C., spanning general music, band, and orchestra instruction. She has also contributed to higher education as an adjunct music instructor and pianist at Clinton Junior College.
Kimpson holds degrees from Claflin University and Winthrop University. Her leadership extends beyond the classroom through her work as a clinician, mentor, and professional development presenter. She gives instructional contributions to programs such as Charlotte Symphony’s Project Harmony, Arts+ Summer Music Camp, and York County Area Middle School Bands Summer Music Camp, while also maintaining a private piano and woodwind
studio.
Kimpson is deeply involved in the professional music education community. She is a charter member of the Theta Omega Chapter of Tau Beta Sigma National Honorary Band Sorority, enjoys membership in NAfME, NCMEA, the North Carolina Bandmasters Association, the South Central District Bandmasters Association, Women Band Directors International, and the Minority Band Directors Association. She currently serves as a NAfME new teacher mentor, member-at-large for the North Carolina South Central District Bandmasters Association executive board, and member-at-large as well as the awards committee chair for NCMEA.
Her leadership within Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools includes having served on the Superintendent’s Teacher Advisory Council, the CMS Music Teachers Professional Development Cohort, the N.C. Southwest Teacher Leader Council, and as chair for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Middle School All-County Honors Band Clinic.
Kimpson’s dedication to music education has earned her numerous accolades, including recognition as a GRAMMY Music Educator Award quarterfinalist, Sedgefield Middle School Teacher of the Year, Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools 2021 District Teacher of the Year, Charlotte Hometown Hero, and an honoree for the Charlotte Business Ledger’s Forty Over Forty.
Through her unwavering commitment to her students, school, and the greater music education community, Kimpson continues to be a fierce advocate for music education with a desire to inspire and shape the next generation of musicians and music lovers. In her free time, Kimpson enjoys performing with various community musical groups, sewing, making jewelry, and spending time with family and friends.
Recording Secretary
Josh Cvijanovic
Josh Cvijanovic is the director of bands and orchestra at Leesville Road High School in Raleigh, where he conducts the orchestra, concert band, symphonic band, and jazz band. Prior to joining Leesville, he led programs at Cedar Ridge High School (2014–22) and Eastern Randolph High School (2009–14). His ensembles consistently earn superior ratings at concert, jazz, and orchestra Music Performance Adjudications, and his students perform with regional, state, and national honor groups, including the Grammy Jazz Band and Macy’s Great American Marching Band.
Cvijanovic is an active member of the NC Bandmasters Association and NCMEA, currently serving as high school member-at-large for ECDBA. He has held several leadership roles, including Jazz Section chair, CDBA Clinic chair, and MPA Site host. He is also a frequent adjudicator and clinician across North Carolina for concert, jazz, and marching events.
A summa cum laude graduate of UNC Greensboro, he holds degrees in music education and percussion performance. His professional affiliations include the American School Band Directors Association, Phi Mu Alpha, Pi Kappa Lambda, American String Teachers Association, and the Vic Firth Education Team. He lives in Raleigh with his wife, Amanda, and their sons, Henry and Benjamin.
Pam Day
Currently beginning her eighteenth year, Pam Day began her teaching career in Onslow County, where she taught for 13 years. She has spent the last four years at Wintergreen Intermediate in Pitt County. Day has won numerous awards including Arts Educator of the Year for Onslow County Schools (2017), North Carolina State Music Educator of the Year (2021), been recognized in Marquis Who’s Who in America Top 100 Educators (2022), Marquis Educator of the Year (2023), and Teacher of the Year for Wintergreen Intermediate (2023). Day currently resides in Ayden, with her husband Kevin, their three children, Tommy, Michael, and Joey, and their dog, Lucas.
Member-at-Large #1
AJ Calpo
AJ Calpo is the chorus director and piano instructor at Sun Valley High School. He serves as technology chair for the NCMEA High School Choral Section and the education coordinator for the Charlotte Master Chorale. He obtained his Bachelor of Music Education at Wingate University under the direction of Drs. Kenney Potter and Nana Wolfe-Hill, and is currently pursuing his Master in Music Education at Florida State University. AJ resides in Matthews, North Carolina.
Ron Forsh
Ron Forsh is more than a skilled band director – he’s a passionate educator, lifelong learner, and community advocate. A native of Myrtle Beach, he was raised in a musical family and has spent his career shaping lives through the transformative power of music education.
As the current band director at Clemmons Middle School (CMS) in Winston-Salem, Forsh has doubled enrollment in the band program since his arrival, inspiring countless students to strive for excellence. Under his leadership, CMS bands consistently earn superior and excellent ratings at contests and festivals, and his students frequently qualify for county, district, and state honor bands.
Forsh graduated with honors from Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) and went on to earn a master’s degree in music education and flute performance from UNC Greensboro (UNCG). His excellence as an educator was nationally recognized when he became a National Board Certified Teacher in 2024, specializing in early adolescent to young adulthood music.
His influence extends beyond the classroom. Forsh has mentored future educators as a student teacher supervisor for both WSSU and UNCG, led professional learning teams for band directors in Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools, and currently serves as a district president for NCMEA. He regularly writes for the state’s music education journal, and he’s in high demand across the Carolinas as a clinician and adjudicator, guiding students and programs at honor bands and competitions.
One of Forsh’s proudest achievements was starting an instrumental music program from scratch in one of the most challenging middle schools in the Bronx. That experience solidified his belief that music education can create opportunity, build confidence, and change lives, especially when students are empowered by dedicated, visionary teachers. Forsh is not just teaching music; he’s building a legacy of excellence, equity, and empowerment.
Recognized as Band Director of the Year in Forsyth County and honored as Teacher of the Year by the United Way, Forsh’s leadership represents the kind of integrity, advocacy, and innovation our schools and communities need. He resides in Winston-Salem with his three sons, Turner, Cassius, and Winston. In his free time, he enjoys composing, exercising, coaching basketball, and reading.
He is a proud member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated. With so many dedicated educators in the field, what sets Forsh apart is his ability to lead with both experience and vision. He doesn’t just teach; he uplifts, inspires, and advocates. Forsh represents the kind of leadership education needs: rooted in the classroom, driven by excellence, and committed to the growth of every student and teacher.
Member-at-Large #2
Carrie Andrews
Originally from Casar, North Carolina, Carrie Andrews is currently in her twelfth year of teaching. She attended Meredith College in Raleigh, where she received her bachelor’s degree in K – 12 music and directly after, she began her career in Pitt County at E.B Aycock Middle School. For the past 10 years, Andrews has taught in Durham, at Sherwood Githens Middle School and now at Charles E. Jordan High School. Under her direction, the Githens Orchestra received a first place trophy at Music in the Parks Six Flags New England, five superior rating plaques at Music Performance Adjudication, and performed with the world renowned electric violinist, Mark Wood.
In her three years at Charles E. Jordan High School, the orchestra has more than tripled in size, received two superior ratings at MPA, and won Best Student Pit Orchestra for the musical, Bright Star. Andrews is fortunate to work in a district where the arts are placed as a top priority. She strongly believes that all students should have access to the arts, regardless of their financial status and advocates for funding to make that possible.
In addition to her teaching duties, Andrews has served as the chair of the Eastern Regional MPA , lead orchestra director of Durham and is currently the Eastern Regional Orchestra Clinic Chair. She has also adjudicated the Fourth District of Virginia Assessments, and conducted All-County and All-District Orchestras in both N.C. and Virginia. She looks forward to continuing to grow as both a teacher and a leader in the orchestra realm. Outside of teaching, Andrews enjoys any outdoor activities, cooking, and spending time with her four children and wife, Katie.
Guadalupe De La Rosa Gonzalez
Guadalupe De La Rosa Gonzalez is the current band director at West Lake Middle School in Apex. Gonzalez holds a Bachelor of Music in music education from Meredith College. She has worked with a variety of music ensembles and takes pride in the inclusive and positive learning environment she builds in the band room. Gonzalez’s students have successfully placed in All-County, All-District and All-State Honor Bands, and her ensembles have recently received an excellent rating at MPA, and a superior rating at Music in The Parks.
Michael T. Sanders
Originally from Pineville, Michael T. Sanders currently serves as the director of instrumental music, choral music, and AP music theory at John Taylor Williams Secondary Montessori in Charlotte. Now in his eighth year at Williams and his 22nd year in public school music education, Sanders has built a thriving music program with over 45% of the school’s student population enrolled in one or more music classes.
Sanders holds a Bachelor of Music Education from the UNC Greensboro (UNCG), where he specialized in music education and French horn. His prior teaching experience includes positions at Lexington Middle School, Durham School of the Arts in Durham, and both Northwest School of the Arts and Winterfield Elementary in Charlotte. A passionate advocate for community-based music education, Sanders has served as a teaching artist for the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra’s Project Harmony since 2011. He is also the co-founder of the Greater Charlotte Summer Arts Camp, now in its sixth year, which provides comprehensive visual and performing arts instruction to students ages 6 – 12. For the past two decades, he has worked as a counselor and camp band conductor at the UNCG Summer Music Camp. As a performer, he plays French horn with the Catawba River Winds in Fort Mill, South Carolina.
Sanders remains deeply engaged in the broader music education community. He is a member of the North Carolina Bandmasters Association, NCMEA, NAfME, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. He currently serves on the NCMEA Popular Music Education Committee, a group dedicated to recognizing, embracing, and advocating for the inclusion of popular music within music education at the state level. His additional leadership roles include co-chair of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Middle School Honors Band, PAAC-A middle representative on the CMS Superintendent’s Teacher Advisory Council, and member of the community advisory board for Charlotte’s classical music station, WDAV.
A frequent guest clinician for honor bands across North and South Carolina, Sanders also mentors students in middle and high school programs, including those in the Charlotte Symphony Youth Orchestras. In 2025, he was honored as the Teacher of the Year at John Taylor Williams Secondary Montessori and named a finalist for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Teacher of the Year.