2024 Nominees for the Guild Board of Trustees

Founder of DC Strings, has led performances in such prestigious venues as the Embassy of Spain and The Kennedy Center, among other DMV performing arts venues in our Nation’s Capital.  Other musical experiences include teaching music locally to underserved public school students, touring and performing with notable artists such as conductor Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops and a debut in Carnegie Hall, active in several local area orchestras and taught in local music and public schools.  Out of his own passion for music, he founded DC Strings, a non-profit music organization committed to music education, and serves more than 500 youth annually, providing instrument rental, workshops, concerto opportunities, music lessons and more to deserving young people throughout the region.  Panelist for several city, state, and national funding organizations, including the DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities and the Maryland State Arts Commission, Trustee of the Frederick Douglass Memorial Historical Association.  Member Junior Board of Washington Performing Arts.  Has mentored, tutored and taught music, history and chess through Chess Challenge in DC and a host of other programs with the Boys & Girls Club and various DC Public camps, private and charter schools.

Working at the intersection of contemporary art practice and education, Dominique Enriquez (she/her) is a visual artist working in collage, drawing and painting and has over twenty years of experience working with learning audiences of all ages. Born and raised in the Bay Area, she returned to the East Bay after living and working in Oakland, San Francisco, Santa Cruz and Chicago. Before joining the Arts Ed Alliance, she served in roles across all five regions of the Bay Area including the Executive Director at the Junior Center of Art and Science (Oakland, CA) and various leadership roles at the Richmond Art Center (Richmond, CA), Leap Arts in Education (SF, CA) Headlands Center for the Arts (Sausalito, CA), and Palo Alto Art Center (Palo Alto, CA).​

She studied Drawing and Painting at the California College of the Arts, received her B.A in Studio Art from San Diego State University, and her Master's degree in Education from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Additionally, she has over 25 years of recreational dance experience in hip hop and ballet. As an experiential learner, Dominique believes in the intrinsic value of creative practice in the learning process and loves to explore new ideas through observing, talking about, and making art.

Natalie Butler grew up in Miami, FL and tried studying voice, violin, and cello before deciding upon the clarinet as her primary instrument. Natalie received her Bachelors of Music Education from Florida State University and shortly thereafter moved to Chicago to begin her career as a music educator. She took a break from teaching to pursue her Masters of Music from Northwestern University and later successfully completed the process to become a Nationally Board Certified Teacher in Early Adolescence through Young Adulthood Music. Natalie spent over thirteen years teaching general music and conducting bands for students in grades pre-K-12 in the Chicago Public Schools while continuing to study clarinet privately and performing both clarinet and voice. In 2013 Natalie joined the team at The People’s Music School. She appeared on the Jennifer Hudson Show in February of 2024 to advocate for access to music education for all children. Throughout her career Natalie has conducted, guest lectured, presented on national panels, and published her research on the local, national and international levels. She continues to conduct wind and chamber ensembles and teach music theory to students in grades 4-12.

Norma Nuñez-Ruch, a native Venezuelan, has over 20 years of experience in creative youth development, advocating for equal access to the arts. She holds a Bachelor's in International Studies and a Master's in Cultural Management and is fluent in both Spanish and English. Norma was the first Venezuelan Ford Motor Company International Fellow of the 92nd Street Y (2011) and a Global Leaders Program graduate (2018). With leadership roles in renowned organizations like Fundamusical Simón Bolivar, Allentown Symphony, and Ravinia Festival, she has a proven impact on community arts. Currently, Norma is the Manager of Operations at Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center in Chicago.

Karen Gahl-Mills is a professor of practice at the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University and also serves as the O’Neill School’s director of Arts Administration Programs. She came to teaching after a career as a public and nonprofit sector leader, including CEO roles at Cuyahoga Arts and Culture, a large grant-making organization in Cleveland, Ohio; the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra in upstate New York; and the Westchester Philharmonic in suburban New York City. She applies practical lessons from her distinguished career to her administrative work and to teaching courses in nonprofit governance, leadership, strategy, fundraising, and public policy. Professor Gahl-Mills also serves as a coach for nonprofit and government boards and commissions, using her extensive experience as both a trustee and an executive director to help boards navigate change. Recent projects include work with the Indiana Arts Commission, Genesys Works Chicago, and the Old Town School of Folk Music. She has received numerous awards and honors, including Crain’s “Who’s Who in Northeast Ohio,” Crain’s “Women of Note,” and the Business Council of Westchester’s “40 Under 40.” She received Indiana University's Trustees Teaching Award in 2022. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree from DePaul University and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Originally from Philadelphia, Joan Rossini has been working in the nonprofit sector for over twenty years. She currently serves as the Director of The City of Clemson Arts Center, a department of the city of Clemson. She has served as the Executive Director for the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles and the Bay Area Glass Institute. She has started multiple programs aimed at advancing arts and culture in the Philadelphia, San Jose, and the Upstate of South Carolina communities. Joan has taken classes in Creativity and Change Leadership at Buffalo State and has earned a MPS in Arts and Cultural Management from Pratt Institute, a BFA in Photography from the University of the Arts and a Certificate in Creative Placemaking from New England College.