Bryan Guffey
Interim President
Bryan Guffey (they/them) is an internationally recognized educator and activist in the areas of race, sexual orientation, gender identity and body size. They are the cohost of the podcasts Unsolicited: Fatties Talk Back and Technically Queer, and they serve as the CEO of Delta Lambda Phi Social Fraternity North America's oldest and largest fraternity for queer individuals. They also serve on the board of the sex, identity, and relationship advice app, okayso.
Nicholas Ryan Gant
Interim Secretary
Nicholas Ryan Gant (he/him) is a New York-based artist and educator, from Phoenix, Arizona. Gant studied classical vocal performance at Howard University in Washington, D.C. and holds a master’s degree in Music Education from Hunter College. Gant is a worship leader at his local church in Brooklyn and his passion for youth development has led him to work as a music educator with the New York City public school system. He's been a featured vocalist on several projects internationally and has sung support vocals for recording artists such as Michael McDonald, Mariah Carey, Oleta Adams and Miri Ben-Ari, Zo! and Carmen Rodgers, Run the Jewels, and Childish Gambino. Gant is also an accomplished vocal coach for several artists and record labels.
Ashley Shabankareh
Treasurer
Ashley Shabankareh (she/they) is a New Orleans musician, music educator, and arts administrator. Ashley received her M.M. and B.M.E. from Loyola University, New Orleans, with a concentration on conducting and brass instruments. Ashley is a certified K-12 music educator and spent her early years in New Orleans teaching PK4 through 8th grade students. is a musician, arts administrator, and music educator. Ashley serves as the Director of Operations and Programs for Trombone Shorty Foundation, and also works as an Adjunct Professor at Loyola University, New Orleans, Xavier University, and Tulane University. Ashley is a curriculum writer and recently wrote the curriculum for Take Me to the River New Orleans, released via Berklee PULSE. Ashley has worked with numerous arts organizations in their career, including Preservation Hall Foundation, Artist Corps New Orleans, Ashley has worked with numerous arts organizations in their career, including Preservation Hall Foundation, Artist Corps New Orleans, New Orleans Jazz Museum, New Orleans Jazz Orchestra, and Upbeat Academy. Ashley is the Board President of Folk Alliance International, Vice President for the Jazz Education Network, Board Member for Decolonizing the Music Room, Chapter Governor for the Recording Academy Memphis Chapter and Board Secretary for Second Line Arts Collective. Ashley is a trombonist and vocalist and has performed with notable musicians including Aretha Franklin, Allen Toussaint, Jimmy Buffett, and Theresa Andersson, and in her own projects, Marina Orchestra, The Asylum Chorus, and Bra’s Band Brass Band.
Rhiannon Giddens
Rhiannon Giddens (she/her) is an acclaimed musician, who uses her art to excavate the past and reveal bold truths about our present. A MacArthur “Genius Grant” recipient, Giddens co-founded the Grammy Award-winning Carolina Chocolate Drops. She most recently won a Grammy Award for Best Folk Album for They're Calling Me Home, which she made with multi-instrumentalist Francesco Turrisi.
Giddens was name artistic director of Silkroad in 2020. She has served as a Carnegie Hall Perspectives curator, and received an inaugural Legacy of Americana Award from Nashville’s National Museum of African American History in partnership with the Americana Music Association. She wrote the music for an original ballet, Lucy Negro Redux, for Nashville Ballet, and the libretto and music for an original opera, Omar, based on the autobiography of the enslaved man Omar Ibn Said for the Spoleto USA Festival. As an actor, Giddens had a featured role on the television series Nashville.
Giddens’ brilliant work traces the 19th century evolution of the banjo from its West African origins and its subsequent travels among black and white communities within the U.S. and ultimately across the globe. She unmasks the little-known, painful history of black erasure in grassroots “American” music and cultures, guiding audiences to think about music in racialized terms. Her lifelong mission is to lift up people whose contributions to American musical history have previously been erased, and to work toward a more accurate understanding of the country’s musical origins.
Loki Karuna
A proud native of Memphis, TN, Loki Karuna (formerly Garrett McQueen) is a bassoonist who has performed with various ensembles including the Memphis Repertory Orchestra, and the Sphinx Symphony Orchestra, and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Loki has been featured as both a performer and host on "Performance Today" and "Music Through the Night" from American Public Media, and has appeared in various television programs.
Loki is the host and producer of local and nationally-syndicated radio programs including "The Sound of 13", "Noteworthy", "Gateways Radio", and "The Sounds of Kwanzaa". Loki offers guest lectures, presentations, and trainings at the intersections of race, culture, Black liberation, and classical music. In 2024, Loki received the Sphinx Organization's MPower Artist Grants for his work in broadcast and digital media.
Loki holds a Bachelor of Music in Bassoon Performance from the University of Memphis, and a Master of Music in Bassoon Performance from the University of Southern California. He is the Executive Producer and co-host of the TRILLOQUY podcast and President of TrillWerks Media, the previous Director of Artist Equity for the American Composers Orchestra, and recently assumed the role of Executive Director of the American Composers Forum. He serves on the board of directors for the American Composers Forum, the Beethoven Festival Orchestra, Lyrica Baroque, and the Cedar Cultural Center, and maintains leadership and artistic advisory positions with the Black Opera Alliance, the Gateways Music Festival, and the Lakes Area Music Festival.
Sür Easley
Sür (he/they/theirs) is a Fort Worth local experienced in nonprofit development with a strong background in fundraising and donor relations. He established a career in hospitality early on, progressing into roles that developed cocktail programs, exclusive wine clubs and instilling a culturally enriched understanding of hospitality in his teams. Beyond sales goals, his training provided the answers to “why we do this the way we do.” Sür excels at building relationships with clients, coordinating on a variety of events, and is an effective communicator. A graduate of TCU with a focus on political science, Sür is committed to improving access to funding and infrastructure that provides services for communities. As a global citizen, more value is placed on diversity of thought to inform and complete every project. With a steadfast commitment to accountability, collaboration, and sponsorship, Sür drives meaningful change in the nonprofit sector while advancing community agendas.