Leaders Creating Leaders Mentors

LCL Mentors from Leaders Creating Leaders Marching Arts Education

Meet the diverse group of mentors available to help you!  Each mentor has certain areas of expertise to help you with any situation you may encounter.

Tyson Wooters

AREAS OF EXPERTISE: Creating Your Vision / Working with Parents & Administration

Tyson has been called an entertainer, a comedian, and most importantly an educator. His life mission is to educate people through humor, shared experiences, and win-wins, about the phenomenal power of helping those around you by activating them to help each other.

Although Tyson spent his first career educating in public schools, colleges, and corporate events, these days he serves educators in the classroom, in personal development, and even in retirement.

Tyson lives in Salem, Oregon with his wife, Brooke, and daughter, Kylea. He enjoys travel, scuba diving, and hugging strangers, which he has done in 45 U.S. states and 15 countries.

John Franklin

AREAS OF EXPERTISE:  Developing Student Leaders / Teaching Marching & Visual / Effective Rehearsal Planning & Implementation Strategies / Conducting Technique

John is an educator in music and leadership who also happens to be a band director, a role that he has served for 22 years in a variety of settings including middle school, high school, small college, large state university, and both private and public institutions.

His diverse experiences in developing and growing band programs have provided opportunities for John to learn from his students how to help them become effective peer leaders in order to create positive, intentional, and goal-driven band cultures. John’s work as a leadership clinician ranges from self-development and improvement, effective communication and pedagogical skills, and the application of servant leadership in the music ensemble setting. His materials are adaptable for a variety of settings including large and small groups, one-on-one coaching, virtual and in-person clinics, and for both students and educators of all levels.

Dr. Nikki Gross

AREAS OF EXPERTISE: Student Leadership / Organizing Rehearsals and Travel / Building an Action Plan / Teaching Marching & Execution

Nikki Gross serves as the Assistant Director of Athletic Bands at Auburn University. Prior to teaching college, she instructed instrumental music for seven years in grades 8-12 in the Virginia public schools. In addition to her work with the Auburn University Marching Band and Basketball Bands, Dr. Gross is a frequent guest conductor for the Concert Band and an instructor of music appreciation.

Before her appointment at Auburn, she served as Director of Athletic Bands at Indiana State University, marching and concert band director at the University of Dayton, and Assistant Director of Bands at West Virginia University. During her career she has taught courses within the music education curriculum, general music elective courses, and has served as a supervisor for student teachers.

Dr. Gross is active as a guest conductor, clinician, and drill writer and has written for high schools and colleges throughout the eastern United States. She serves on the Board of Directors of the John Phillip Sousa Foundation and holds membership in the College Band Director’s National Association. Dr. Gross was a twenty-five-year staff member with Mid-Atlantic Camps (Richmond, VA) and served as the lead instructor for the drum major beginning in 1998.

Gary Rupert

AREAS OF EXPERTISE: Creating a Positive Learning Culture / Teaching Jazz / Diverse Background / Winds & Percussion

Gary L. Rupert was a music educator for 40 years and was most recently the Band Director at Smithsburg High School in Smithsburg, Maryland where his bands consistently achieved Superior ratings at local, state and national levels. He is a sought-after conductor and adjudicator in the areas of symphonic bands and jazz ensembles.

An avid blogger whose daily entries are followed by people in over 57 countries, Mr. Rupert is the author of a daily inspirational book for students and teachers, “Today, No Every Day.” He is also a sought after speaker on leadership, motivation and creating a positive learning environment.

Mr. Rupert has been named an Outstanding Maryland Music Educator, a Teacher of Excellence in both the Frederick and Washington County public schools, and has been twice nominated as a Disney Teacher of Excellence.

Dr. Zachary Shirley

AREAS OF EXPERTISE: Student Leadership & Development / Belonging, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (BEDI)

Dr. Zachary E. Shirley serves as the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Leader for Cambium Assessment, Inc. (CAI). In his role, Dr. Shirley oversees the DEI efforts and strategic plans for the company, while also providing training and education around DEI initiatives to members of the organization along with direction and support to the Diversity & Inclusion Council and employee resource groups.

Prior to his role at CAI, he served as a Partner Success Manager at Mainstay, where he worked with a portfolio of 28 institutions of higher education.
Prior to making the pivot into the EdTech industry, Dr. Shirley spent 16 years as an administrator within the field of higher education, with roles focused on student engagement, leadership development, diversity and inclusion initiatives, mentorship initiatives for marginalized populations, and programming. Outside of his professional roles, Dr. Shirley is a volunteer for various organizations who are working to improve their polices and engagement around DEI strategies, and he continues to further his education on diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging through various training opportunities and courses.
A native and current resident of Dallas, Texas, Dr. Shirley earned a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education/English from Paul Quinn College (2005), a Master of Science in Higher Education/Counseling from Texas A&M University-Commerce (2006), and a Doctor of Education in Higher Education from the University of North Texas (2014).

Veronica Juarez

AREAS OF EXPERTISE: Human Communication Skills / Being a Better Listener / Staging for Video & Zoom Calls

Veronica is a communication guru who has taught thousands the art of effective communication in a FUN, high-energy learning environment. She presents research-based methods in ways that are engaging and practical.

This award-winning university instructor, wife, and mom-of-four can crack up an audience with her funny stories about life & miscommunication. With over a decade of experience as a public speaker and working in higher education, Veronica has a proven record of helping people create better organizations, workplaces, & families.

Dr. Stephen Lytle

AREAS OF EXPERTISE: Arranging / Conducting and Score Study / Working with Administrators

Stephen Lytle is the Coordinator for Music and Drama for Salem-Keizer Public Schools (OR) where he oversees the performing arts programs in the district’s sixty-five schools serving approximately 42,000 students. The SKPS music program has long enjoyed a strong reputation for its comprehensive scope and the outstanding success of its programs.

Prior to this appointment he served as Associate Director of Bands at West Virginia University, leading the 330-member “Pride of West Virginia” Mountaineer Marching Band, overseeing all aspects of the Athletic Bands program, and serving as Conductor of the Symphonic Band. From 2009-2018 he held a similar position at Miami University in Oxford, OH where he also served as the Associate Conductor of the Fillmore Wind Band, Cincinnati’s official premier wind band, and as Music Director of its affiliate ensemble, the Fillmore Philharmonic Brass.

Dr. Lytle is an active music arranger with over 300 titles in multiple media to date and his arrangements for marching band are played by high schools and universities across the country. His research interests include the repertoire and performance practices of brass bands from 19th century America and the collaborative work between composer Elmer Bernstein and the designers and filmmakers, Charles and Ray Eames. He has presented at the national conference for the College Band Directors National Association, has published in the NBA Journal, and he is a contributing research associate in the eleventh volume in the noted series, Teaching Music through Performance in Band.

Under his direction, the Miami Band performed with jazz legend, Benny Golson, the 2011 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the 2013 Presidential Inaugural Parade, and a 2017 BOA Grand Nationals finals night performance in Indianapolis. Along with colleague Dr. Jim Daughters, Dr. Lytle’s work with the Fillmore Wind Program included performances at the Ohio and Kentucky Music Educators Association conventions, the International Women’s Brass Conference, the North American Brass Band Association Championships, in concert with the University of Illinois Bands, and at the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic.

Dr. Lytle’s professional associations include the College Band Directors National Association, the National Band Association, and NAfME: The National Association for Music Education. He is also a member of Phi Mu Alpha (Alpha Rho) and is an honorary member of Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma. Dr. Lytle holds degrees from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, Northwestern University, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Micah Brusse

AREAS OF EXPERTISE: Marching Percussion / Student Leadership Development / Rehearsal Strategies and Planning / Technique Program Development and Refinement / Marching Percussion Arranging

Micah Brusse is a marching percussion specialist from the Pacific Northwest who currently resides in Oregon City, OR. He has been the Percussion Caption Supervisor for the Oregon Marching Band (University of Oregon) since 1998 and has served in the same role with the Seattle Cascades Drum & Bugle Corps since 2017.

Previous teaching experience includes percussion instruction with the Blue Knights (1999-2001) and the Blue Devils (2002-2005) as a snare technician; he has also worked with the Oregon Crusaders and OC Indoor as battery coordinator and arranger, respectively, in addition to working with Evergreen High School in Vancouver, WA from 2007 through 2016. As a performer, Micah was a member of the Oregon Marching Band from 1993-1997 and the Blue Devils in 1995 and 1997. Micah is a proud endorser of Remo, Vic Firth, Yamaha, and Zildjian.

Paul Richardson

AREAS OF EXPERTISE: Program finances/ strategic planning/ effective rehearsal and communication systems/ building a highly effective band staff (including volunteers)

Paul has a strong leadership background in both the marching and business worlds. For 15 years, he held a corporate level director position for one of the nation’s fast growing and most successful audio-visual companies while founding and running a world class WGI percussion ensemble, Gateway Percussion.

This unique pedigree has allowed Paul to take lessons from top business leadership concepts and apply them to the marching world. Whether it’s budgeting, planning a marching season, or developing systems for a flawlessly run rehearsal with your band staff, Paul brings positive energy and experience to find actionable steps to move your program forward.

Paul has developed a DCI endorsed program to help DCI / WGI marchers plan for financial success paying for dues in those activities which you can find here: https://marchingartseducation.com/paying-for-drum-corps/. He has performed with the Blue Stars (1999, 2000), Blue Knights (2001), and taught Magic of Orlando (2004). Paul is a proud Innovative Percussion educator.

James Keller

AREAS OF EXPERTISE: Recruiting / Peer Leadership

James is a humble servant-leader with a decade of experience recruiting musicians for the military. He offers an extraordinary course on how to build a sustainable recruiting program for any collegiate band program.