Please plan to attend the Special Meeting of the Membership of DCDD, followed immediately by Symphonic Band rehearsal. We have two very important agenda items:

1) Change in DCDD By-laws

As you may know if you’ve been around for a little while, D.C.’s Different Drummers has grown significantly in the last few years, in both membership and annual budget. In order to best manage and continue our growth, the Board recommends two changes to DCDD’s organizational structure. These changes require an amendment to our by-laws, which must be “approved by a majority vote of the members of the corporation in attendance at a meeting called by the Board of Directors for the purpose of amending these Bylaws.”

The Board recommends the expansion of the membership of the Board of Directors by two members of the community at large, who are not members of DCDD. Both positions will be two-year terms; to enable these to be staggered, one will be a one-year term (initially), and the other will be a two-year term.

The Board believes that this expansion will enable DCDD to attract people who have special skills or community relationships. This will also allow the Board to include people who may bring a different point of view or perhaps broader perspective to our membership.

The Board recommends that the Artistic Director position become an ex officio (non-voting) member of the Board.

This change in the nature of the Artistic Director position aligns it more closely with a paid “staff” position. This change will assist both the Board and the Artistic Director in clarifying leadership roles as DCDD continues to grow. In addition, DCDD will begin offering the Artistic Director a small stipend next year. While the amount is not substantial at this point, the concept is consistent with the importance of attracting and retaining a talented Artistic Director.

If you have any questions or concerns about either of these changes, please contact Jana Fry or another member of the Board.

2) Elections

We will hold elections for positions on the Board of Directors. All officer positions (President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer) are open as well as two at-large members and, if the above by-law change is approved, two community members. Charles Butler and Blake Velde will remain on the Board as the other two at-large members. In addition, Mike Zuber will remain on the Board in the position of Past President. We are very excited that a number of people have expressed interest in Board positions, as you will note in the following “Candidate Guide.” Nominations for the Board are not yet closed (in fact, we always accept nominations from the floor on election night), so if you are still considering running for a Board position, please contact Jana Fry or another Board member so we can put your name on the ballot.

I decided to join DCDD in January 2000, shortly after I moved to DC from Illinois, and it was one of the best decisions I have ever made. I think this organization offers people the opportunity to play quality music, provides a safe environment in which to be out, and provides the chance to meet great people and have fun – a combination that I haven’t seen often. As many of you know this is where I met my partner, Pam Wolfe, DCDD’s Assistant Artistic Director. Pam and I live in DC near the Cathedral with our two cats, Ben and Jerry.

In addition to playing clarinet, I have served as Vice President for the past year. I have also been involved in a variety of other DCDD activities including the leadership retreat held last spring and a joint project with the Lesbian & Gay Chorus of Washington to commission a new work of music to represent the AIDS Memorial Quilt.

I have a degree in music business, and spent my first few years out of college working (mostly in fundraising) for symphony orchestras in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and Elgin, Illinois. Somehow, my career path took me away from arts management and into the field of philanthropy, which I very much enjoy. I’ve always played in an ensemble of some sort, but I missed working on the business side of arts organizations. Becoming involved in D.C.’s Different Drummers has given me the opportunity to put my arts management background to use again.

I am beginning my third season with DCDD and currently play trombone with all of the DCDD groups. I joined because I was looking for something fun and musical to do and I found DCDD. Prior to joining DCDD, the last musical group I belonged to was the Washington Chorus.

Outside of band activities, I am a Librarian with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation where I perform reference services and maintain the Library’s web site. Other job and volunteer activities that are relevant to the DCDD Board are Associate Development Officer for a small college, Box Office and Subscription Office work at Arena Stage, and House Management at Arena Stage and the Studio Theatre. For several years, I also served as an officer in my college alumni association. I also have college training in Stage Management.

Why do I want to serve on the DCDD Board? Because I have already enjoyed DCDD so much that I’d like to start giving something back. In addition to having a varied background with theatre experience, I’d also like to help make DCDD a more fun and sociable organization for out members. Of course, I can do that whether I’m on the Board or not, and win or lose, I plan to be an active member of DCDD for many years.

Jayson Irion

I grew up in central Ohio and started playing flute there when I was in fifth grade. I moved to the DC area in 1995 to go to college and graduated from Georgetown in 1999. I currently live in Greenbelt, Maryland with my bunny Edina. I am a vegetarian, I am single, my favorite color is purple, I love shoe shopping, and I am a video game addict.

I joined the band because I really missed playing after high school, since I really didn't have time in college. The band has given so much to me in the two years that I have been with it that I think that it is time that I did something for it (other than being Jell-O shot-boy for the Swing Band). My goals for the band, should I be elected, are not so much concerned with membership growth, but rather, with ensuring that this is the great experience for everyone involved that it has been for me. It doesn't matter to me whether we have ten members or 100, I just want all of our members to have fun, challenge themselves, and make good music. Also, I would like for the band to form closer ties to the rest of our community, not just the arts community, but the DC area in general. The Film Festival and National Cathedral Open House are great starts; I would love to find out how much more we can do.

My partner of 9 years is Ron Maas, Librarian. I play tenor trombone, bass trombone, tuba, euphonium, and trumpet. I play with the concert band, marching band, DC Swing! and pep band. I am an accountant, but being Treasurer does not require an accounting background (there are several accountants in the band willing to help when asked), it is an asset to this position. My measurements are 41-34-36. Just checking if you are really reading my exciting required pre-election blurb!

Below is a list of highlights of my service to DCDD over the last 13 years of continuous membership:

• Treasurer 1989
• Treasurer 1990
• Treasurer 1991
• LGBA Delegate-San Francisco Conference September 1992
• Interim Treasurer 1995, Marching Chair 1995,
• Marching Uniform Coordinator 1995
• Treasurer 1996, Marching Co-Chair 1996,
• Marching Uniform Coordinator 1996
• President 1997,
• Marching Uniform Coordinator 1997
• Past President 1998,
• Marching Uniform Coordinator 1998
• 20th Anniversary History Committee 2000
• Free-Tix Coordinator 2000-2001

For those of you who don’t know me, the one thing you should understand is that the Band is my Family. If you stay with the band long enough, you’ll discover that over time those people sitting around you become more than friends. DCDD isn’t just the music, it is much more than that. It is commitment, service and the sharing of our lives.