GITC's Board of Directors

​JESSICA ANNE BARON
​​FOUNDER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Jess founded Guitars and Ukes in the Classroom (GITC) as an educational pilot program in 1998 and has been developing and guiding the work ever since. She is a lifelong acoustic guitarist, singer and songwriter who began teaching people to play guitar over four decades ago. She trained in the Orff Schulwerk approach to music education and holds a B.A. in Child Development as well as an M.A. in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis on Child and Family Therapy.  Before founding GITC, she taught elementary school music in Los Angeles and Santa Cruz, CA as well as middle and high school human development education at Crossroads School for Arts and Sciences in Santa Monica, CA. Jess has authored eight books, most published under her formerly married name, Jessica Baron Turner, in music education and childhood musicality including a parenting book, YOUR MUSICAL CHILD: Inspiring Kids to Play and Sing for Keeps (String Letter Publishing, 2004) and her latest, SmartStart Ukulele. Jess resides in San Diego, California. 
email: jess@guitarsintheclassroom.org

SCOTT FISCHEL
PRESIDENT

Scott is, by profession, an engineer at Qualcomm Technologies helping develop and bring mobile technology breakthroughs to consumers.  He has 20+ years’ experience delivering advanced technologies from laboratory to market in roles ranging from product development to systems engineering to industry standards development. Mr Fischel holds BSEE and MSEE degrees from the Georgia Institute of Technology. He also enjoys playing guitar and nurturing creative community. He is the father of two daughters and cares deeply about ensuring all children have the opportunity to be exposed to and learn from music. He, his wife Melissa, and their children graciously open their hearth and home to hosting GITC benefit house concerts.

ART HARVEY
Director at Large

Until he sold his company in 2018 and launched a brewery in Dallas, Texas, this year, Art Harvey was the Director of Marketing and Sales for OnBoard Research Corporation, the innovative maker of Intellitouch, CenterPitch Tuners, and Beatnik Rhythm Analyzers.  As the father of two small children, he is passionate about ensuring all children have the opportunity to be exposed to and learn from music. Art is an inventor and a self-described “perpetual guitar student”. He holds a BSEE from LSU, and an MBA from SMU. His past assignments include IBM, Dallas Semiconductor, and Maxim Integrated Products. When he’s not working, Art enjoys running, rock climbing, playing guitar, and chasing his two toddlers.

JOHN UNGER
​TREASURER

​John Unger considers himself fortunate to have worked in the music business for forty-four years. From 1974-1988 he held various positions in the retail record business in Chicago. 1989 he joined Guitar Center, Inc. where he served as the Director of Treasury for the organization until June, 2019. He is now enjoying a much-deserved retirement! Previous positions in Operations and Finance gave him the opportunity to see and manage many aspects of the musical instrument manufacturing and retail business. After heading up the Guitar Center Charity Team, whose mission has been to support music education programs, John re-established the Guitar Center Charitable Foundation in 2018. He knows firsthand the challenges facing music education programs and has worked for years to help organizations overcome the obstacles to keeping music alive. His education includes a BA from Princeton University and an MBA from the University of Chicago. He has known and assisted GITC for a decade. His work on our Board of Directors includes supervising the Finance Team, including executive board members and our bookkeeping and accounting staff, and oversees all financial operations for the organization.

RUTH HALLER
VICE PRESIDENT

Ruth Haller is a highly esteemed, veteran educator whose Mexican cultural heritage and American upbringing have given her both compassion and insight into the lives and learning experiences of English Learners. For so many children, she has been that special teacher who helped them fall in love with learning and who has seen them all the way from elementary school through college. Ruth received her B.A. in Liberal Arts with an emphasis in education from San Diego State University, and her M.A. in Elementary Education and Teaching Technology with an emphasis in Spanish from National University.  Before specializing in kindergarten, she taught first grade for nine years, followed by two years of world language (Spanish) to both primary and upper grades in elementary school. Ever since she trained with GITC many years ago, she has been leading songs for learning with her students in City Heights every day.  Ruth says GITC’s safe, fun and welcoming environment allows her to bond with other teachers and build relationships. It also provides an opportunity for them to problem solve together. In addition to teaching and serving on GITC’s board of directors, Ruth loves spending time with her daughter and granddaughter, hiking, and traveling. She has volunteered in South Africa, Mexico and Belize and enjoys making a positive impact on others.

MIMI SENEY
​SECRETARY

Mimi Seney, Ed.M, received her Bachelor’s Degree in Special Education from Central Washington University and Master’s Degree in Deaf Education/Special Education from Washington State University. Mimi has received the added endorsements to work with students who qualify for specially designed instruction under the qualifying category of Emotionally Disturbed (ED) and Deaf-Blind (DB), and is recognized as a Leading Edge Certificated (LEC) on-line and blended learning teacher. Mimi has received certificates in Restorative Conferencing, Youth Mental Health First Aid, and QPR trained in Suicide Prevention with the San Diego County Suicide Prevention Council. Currently, Mimi is the Head Teacher at East Mesa Juvenile Detention Facility and the After School Student Enrichment for Teens (ASSETs) Coordinator for East Mesa. She also serves on the Executive Board as Secretary for the San Diego County Association of Educators. Mimi began working with GITC in 2016 when she won her first ukulele in a silent auction and learned under the tutelage of GITC Faculty Trainer Dan Decker. Since then she has been a presenter at a GITC AMAISE conference on teaching strategies for young students in June, 2019 and continues to instruct students in ukulele, guitar, and keyboarding in the after-school program FLY Tunes at East Mesa (currently on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic).
Mimi is been a life-long, self-taught musician in piano, guitar, and ukulele. With strong beliefs of the healing and restorative powers music brings, Mimi was awarded the Adjudicator’s Choice Award in 2020 for her work in the Project Confined Redefined bringing music (primarily ukuleles) to many of San Diego’s forgotten youth currently facing penalties for serious offences.

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JOAN MAUTE
​DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION

A self-described “old folkie from the 60s”, Dr. Joan Maute taught public school in Illinois for 35 years. Though she never taught music, Joan used music to teach everything. During her years as a teacher she presented at national conferences, wrote articles and taught graduate classes about writing and integrating music across the curriculum as an instructional strategy. As a singer/songwriter she has written and produced over 50 educational songs. Now retired from public education, Joan found the perfect blend of her three passions: teaching, learning, and music, in GITC. She is the Director of Education on the GITC Board of Directors and has taught GITC classes in the Lowcountry (South Carolina and Georgia) and Colorado since 2012. She loves working with teachers who continue to teach her, and is constantly thrilled as they learn to play guitar or uke and write great lyrics to well-known songs that they creatively use in their classrooms with their students.

​LARRY MITCHELL
​DIRECTOR AT LARGE

​Larry Mitchell is a gifted Grammy Award winning performer, producer, and engineer. His guitar textures demonstrate his abilities as a solo artist and as an  ensemble player.  In 1999,  Larry won a San Diego music award for Best Pop Jazz artist.          In 2007, he won a Grammy Award for producing, engineering and performing on the Best Native American Music Album, “Totemic Flute Chants”, by Native American artist  Johnny Whitehorse,  best known as Robert Mirabal. Larry has received 26 New Mexico Music Awards in various categories which include pop, adult, contemporary, rap, rock, country World music, and Native American music. When Larry is not performing, producing, or engineering, he enjoys helping others to develop their talents.    He often makes appearances at music stores, colleges, and    guitar camps all over the world. He frequently leads workshops on technique, tones, and recent guitar technology.

​Children hold a special place in Larry’s heart. He frequently does workshops for autistic children who play musical instruments in conjunction with  Florida State University, the Center for Autism and Related Disorders located in 27 states, and Y Music in Cleveland Ohio. Larry has also collaborated with Dawn Avery on Native American Language Intensive Programs on the Mohawk Reservation in Canada. 
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Larry brings years of work hosting and navigating culturally inclusive and sensitive community conversations to Guitars in the Classroom as a guiding member of our committees on Artist Advocacy and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
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​TOM DOUGHERTY
DIRECTOR, GUITAR LEGACY PROGRAM

​Tom Dougherty brings tremendous creativity, knowledge, integrity, discipline, intelligence and a tremendous work ethic to his work and his leadership role with our organization. With a deep sense of social responsibility, he became an enduring sponsor of Guitars in the Classroom, donating beautiful, sturdy gig bags so we could protect the instruments in GITC classrooms from coast to coast. Acting as a guiding voice from the wings for many years, he graciously joined our board of directors in January, 2018. Tom has invented many groundbreaking manufacturing designs and techniques and he manufactures products that define the music product industry’s standards of excellence. He and his wife Donna named their company after their three children Tommy, Kevin and Laurie who are all, as adults, involved in the family business. Always seeking to learn from each new experience, Tom enriches the lives of those who share the vision, while quoting Robert Frost, “and miles to go before I sleep”. Once in a blue moon he even has time to read a book and strum a guitar.​

RAMI YANNI
​​GITC COUNSEL

​Rami Yanni is a partner at Rosenfeld, Meyer & Susman, with over 24 years of experience advising multinational companies, emerging growth companies and individuals. He has expertise in intellectual property, licensing, portfolio strategy and management, anti-piracy matters, and entertainment law.  He also happens to be a professional, gigging musician and a very dedicated father who, with his wife, is passionate about supporting music education as a parent and a member of society. Rami also enjoys teaching and serving charitable causes. He serves as an adjunct professor of law at USC Gould School of Law and Whittier Law School.  Rami serves on the Board of Directors for Project Mexico, the St. Innocent Orphanage as well as our Board of Directors!

DESIRÉE ROBLES
​DIRECTOR OF GITC SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES

Desirée Robles revitalizes educators by empowering them to create musical solutions for cross-curricular classroom needs. As Director of Special Education Services for GITC, she facilitates music integration in the classroom, after-school training, and professional development workshops that enhance learning outcomes for all students while reinvigorating educators. Desirée holds a BA in Psychology. She advocates for the equity, dignity and inclusion of people with disabilities in San Diego Unified School District’s Behavior Support Resources Department, and at Training Education Research Innovation (TERI) Inc. She inspires students and staff to discover their strengths within the framework of positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS), fostering positive academic, social, emotional and behavioral outcomes for all students in the Least Restrictive Environment. She speaks to educators, paraeducators, and therapists, including AMAISE curriculum, for school districts and for the Kennedy Center’s Very Special Artists Intersections conference.

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BOARD MEMBERS EMERITUS

JUDY ROBERTS
BOARD MEMBER EMERITUS, SPECIAL PROJECTS

Judy Roberts, while experienced with many years and in many types of business, sales and marketing, has been a professional musician for almost 4 decades. With degrees in business, it was a 2006 lung cancer (non-smoker) diagnosis that sparked her actions to merge her business acumen and contacts in the music industry to deploy the powers of each to the benefit of cancer research and it’s fundraising functions. Judy serves as Executive Director for the non-profit Creative Arts as a Global Resource (CAGR), a project of the International Council for Caring Communities in collaboration with the United Nations.

Judy lives in the Boston area with her son and works in concert promotion locally and regionally. Her music performance experience is in classical, but her music work is in the jazz genre working with many nationally known artists. Her commitment to GITC is symmetrical to her loyalty to merging music with medicine: inculcating music into various medical settings and events to benefit others, change the “tone” of environments, and with gratefulness, make an impact on many…..
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