Susan Zelasky
President

Susan Zelasky has been an "Orff-in" for 18 years! She graduated from University of Georgia with a Bachelor's degree in Music Education and has her National Board Certification in Music/Early and Middle Childhood. She earned her Level 1 Orff Shülwerk certification in Atlanta with Tossi Aaron and Level ll certification with Marilyn Humphreys and Konnie Saliba. She now teaches at Douglas Creative Arts and Science Magnet School in Wake County NC. Susan has also presented at the National Magnet Conference and the NC A+ Network Conference in Arts Intergration. Some of her favorite activities outside music include gardening, Tae Kwon Do and traveling worldwide.

Ann Hughes
Vice President

Ann Holland Hughes is the music specialist at Brooks Museums Magnet Elementary School in Raleigh, NC (Wake County Public School System) and coordinates the county’s elementary music staff development.  She earned her Masters of Arts in Teaching (K-12 music), Bachelor of Music (voice major/piano minor) and Bachelor of Arts in Romance Languages (French) degrees from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and holds Level II certification from the University of Nevada-Las Vegas and Level I certification in Orff Schulwerk from Campbell University.  In addition, she is National Board Certified in Early/Middle Childhood Music and serves as a mentor/coach for current candidates.  She has served as a clinician for North Carolina Symphony teacher training workshops and several National Paideia Conferences.  She was the registration co-chair for the 2008 National Conference of the AOSA.

LiYing Noell
Past President

LiYing Noell, originally from Penang, Malaysia, received her undergraduate degrees from St. Andrews College and her Master's of Music Education from UNC-Greensboro. LiYing also holds a Level I Orff-Schülwerk Certification from UNC-G, Level II from James Madison University in Virginia and Level III from University of Nevada at Las Vegas. She also achieved certification in Early and Middle Childhood from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards in 2005. LiYing has been teaching at Rashkis Elementary School in Chapel Hill since 2003. Prior to this, LiYing taught in the Durham Public Schools as well as an itinerant teacher in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools. She also serves as a substitute pianist at Christ the King Moravian Church in Durham. LiYing also maintains a private piano studio. In her spare time, she enjoys scrapbooking, reading, gardening and cooking with her daughter, Caroline.

Melissa Germann
Recording Secretary

Ardith Roddy
Treasurer

Ardith (Ardie) received her Bachelor of Music Education degree from West Virginia Wesleyan College, a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from North Carolina Wesleyan College, and her Masters degree in Special Education and Ed.S. degree in Elementary Education from Appalachian State University. She taught academically gifted students for 15 years and earned her National Board Certification in 1995 in Early Adolescent English/Language Arts. Ardie took Level I Orff training two times during her varied teaching career, in 1981 with Konnie Saliba and in 1997 with Donna Fleetwood. She retired in May 2004 from Roanoke Rapids City Schools after spending her last 7 teaching years in elementary music positions. She is now teaching music for all ages, babies through older adults, in classes through her church. She and her husband, Richard, reside in Warren County, NC and have two grown children and four grandchildren. Some of Ardie's favorite things, when she's not hanging around Orff-Schülwerk events or her church, are singing with several performing groups, playing with the grandkids, snow skiing, and living at Lake Gaston.

Shannon McGowan
Membership Secretary

Shannon attended Gettysburg College for her Bachelors degree and George Mason University for her Masters. She completed her Levels I, II, and III in 2005 with Donna Fleetwood, Jacque Schrader and Rick Layton. She also had movement with Danai Gagne and recorder with Matt McCoy. She has taught in Fairfax County, VA and Chatham, NJ before settling in NC to be near her family. She teaches at Cedar Fork Elementary in the Wake County Public School System. She has a home piano studio and likes to run and read in her free time.

Dena Byers
Website Editor

Dena has been teaching in Durham since 1997 and currently teaches grades K-5 at Hillandale Elementary for Durham Public Schools. She holds both a Bachelors of Science in Education and a Bachelors of Music in Vocal Performance from the University of Connecticut as well as a Masters of Music Degree from the University of Minnesota. She earned her Level I, II, and III certifications from the University of Nevada Las Vegas and her Master Level Certification from the University of Memphis with Jos Wuytack. She achieved certification in Early and Middle Childhood Music from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards in 2005. She is an active workshop presenter and choral clinician.  She has presented workshops for a number of North Carolina School Districts, the North Carolina Symphony and numerous AOSA chapters in other states. She has served as a Choral Clinician for Durham Public Schools as well as Cumberland County, Rowan-Salisbury County, Orange County and Winston Salem-Forsyth County school systems. A member of the Central Carolina Chapter since 1999, she has served as Recording Secretary, Vice President, President and Web Editor. She just completed her term as a Region IV Representative for the AOSA National Board of Trustees. When not teaching, Dena enjoys spending time with family.

Meg Franks
Newsletter Co-Editor

Meg received a Bachelor of Music Education and Applied Voice degree from West Virginia Wesleyan College in 1989, and has completed partial requirements for a Master Degree of Music Education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She received her Orff Level 1 under Konnie Saliba in 1992 and has taught elementary music both full time and part-time with the Durham Public Schools, Wake County Schools, and the Orange County schools from 1989-2002. Meg has been a former editor of CCC-AOSA’s newsletter, "Orffunotes," and is the yearbook editor for Hope Valley Elementary. Meg currently is a stay at home mom to three children, ages 9, 7, and 4, serves as the MOPPETS coordinator, and leads the Children's choir at Christ the King Moravian Church. She teaches private piano lessons and is an active member of the Choral Society of Durham. Her hobbies include gardening, scrapbooking, and graphic arts.

Angela Combs, College Liason
Erin Janson, College Liason
Phyllis O'Keef, Hospitality
Jane Waddell, Hospitality