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President - Mary Jo Papich

Mary Jo Papich is known for her avid support of arts education, specifically jazz - America’s art form. Mary Jo has been in public school education for over 30 years. Her career has been focused on teaching and arts administration. For the past seven years Mary Jo has served as Fine Arts Chair at Highland Park High School, located on the north shore of Chicago. She coordinates the high school’s award-winning biennial FOCUS ON THE ARTS festival, working with over 400 staff and community volunteers. She served two terms as Vice-President on the Illinois Music Education Association Executive State Board, organizing the exemplary All State Jazz programs. Mary Jo has also served eight years on the Executive Board for the International Association for Jazz Education.

Specializing in instrumental teaching while acting as the districts Fine Arts Coordinator of 35 schools in the Peoria public school system (’92-’01), she founded and directed the Peoria Jazz AllStars, an all-city honors jazz band. Her Jazz AllStars performances included the ’96 and ’00 Montreux Jazz Festivals in Switzerland, the ’96 North Sea Jazz Festival in the Netherlands, the ’00 Umbria Jazz Festival in Italy, the ’98 American School Board Association Conference in New Orleans, the IMEA state conference and numerous civic events and college festivals. Prior to her administrative position, Mary Jo was band director at Peoria’s Woodruff High School (‘82-’92). Under her leadership the WHS Marching and Jazz Bands performed at the Florida Citrus Bowl, Georgia Peach Bowl, Chicago Holiday Parades, Macy’s in New York and many other competitions, festivals, and civic events. While at WHS, she was responsible for bringing many jazz greats, including: Claudio Roditi, Red Rodney, Arnie Lawrence, Marvin Stamm, Maynard Ferguson, John Fedchok, and many others. Before leaving Peoria in 2002, she founded a District Preparatory Arts School at Peoria High School.

Mary Jo’s recent honors include receiving the District 113 Superintendent’s Recognition Award for the past four years, the Chicago Jazz Ensemble Prestigious Women in Jazz Award and the HP Character Counts Award. She also serves on the Artistic Access to Excellence for the National Endowment for the Arts in Washington, D.C. Past honors include the YWCA Leader in the Arts award, the Peoria Players Outstanding Music Theatre award, the Tri-County Outstanding Educator award, and the Peoria Public Schools Superintendent’s Award. DownBeat magazine has cited Mary Jo’s students as the best student jazz soloists in the nation. She has been appointed by the Mayor of Highland Park to the Cultural Arts Commission. As an active member of the Highland Park Sister City Foundation she is currently planning the Vallarta Jazz Festival in Puerto Vallarta. She has also been the recipient of the Huesped Distinguido Award from the Mayor of Puerto Vallarta.

Mary Jo is a graduate of Truman State University and Bradley University. She has been a presenter at the ’96 MidWest Band & Orchestra Clinic in Chicago, and the ’98,’00,’04, ‘06 IAJE Conference in New York City. She was also responsible for planning the Leadership Institute for IAJE the past four years. She served on the Mid-west Band & Orchestra Advisory Panel ’01, and chaired the first National Jazz Band Advisory Council for Bands of America. She was recently the keynote speaker for the South African Jazz Conference in March 2008 in Cape Town. Her professional affiliations include IMEA, MENC, IAJE, Illinois Arts in Education Alliance, International Women in Jazz, Association and Supervision of Curriculum and Development, and NARAS (National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences).  

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President Elect - Dr. Lou Fischer

Dr. Lou Fischer is Professor of Music, Jazz Studies Area Chair/Graduate Coordinator, jazz ensemble director at Capital University. A member of the UNT One O’Clock Lab Band (‘71-‘74), Fischer holds a BM (Magna Cum Laude '91), and MA (with Honors '92) from the University of Denver, and a Doctor of Arts from Ball State University (Pi Kappa Lambda '99).

The current jazz division head for Bands of America/Music For All, Lou’s forty-five year career represents a veritable Who’s Who in American Music, including composing and/or performing studio work, Broadway Shows, and extensive touring with The Crusaders, Red Rodney, Airto, Charlie Byrd, Andy Williams, Emmy Lou Harris, Woody Herman, Louis Bellson, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Bill Watrous and Bobby Shew. Selected recordings include Beaux J Poo Boo All Things Are New; Steve Houghton’s Tribute to Gershwin; Bill Watrous’ A Time For Love & Bone-I-fied; Shelly Berg’s The Joy; Frank Mantooth’s A Miracle; and Sunny Wilkinson’s High Wire, among many others.

A Yamaha Silent Bass Artist Representative, clinics/concerts include Europe, Canada, Australia, Japan, Korea, Great Britain, Scandinavia, Mexico, and three hundred+ institutions across the United States. Lou has directed All State Ensembles in Texas (two levels), North Dakota, Illinois, Indiana, Oklahoma, Colorado, Wisconsin, and Louisiana. With compositions and textbooks published by Hal Leonard, Walrus, and Alfred, Lou has also been a contributor to the International Association for Jazz Education Jazz Educator’s Journal and Band Director Magazines. The latest textbook is Rhythm Section Workshop for Jazz Band Directors, a complete set including a Director’s Manual, DVD, play-along CD and Five workbooks. co-authored with Shelly Berg (piano), Steve Houghton (drums) and Fred Hamilton (guitar). Having served IAJE in many capacities for thirty plus years, Lou was formerly the United States Representative.

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Vice President -John Clayton

The talents of John Clayton as bassist/composer/arranger/conductor are always in demand within the jazz industry. He graces the cover of JazzTimes Magazine in April, 2009 touting his skills as an arranger.

John serves as the Artistic Director for the Lionel Hampton International Jazz Festival, which received the National Medal of Arts in 2007. He is also the Artistic Director for the Port Townsend Jazz Camp and the Vail Jazz Camp.

John co-leads the Grammy © nominated Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra with brother and saxophonist Jeff Clayton, and drummer Jeff Hamilton. John and Jeff also co-lead the Clayton Brothers Quintet. Both groups are actively touring and recording.

Clayton began his study of the double bass at 16 when under the tutelage of the famous Ray Brown. His discography includes more than 60 titles.

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Treasurer -Andrew Surmani

Andrew Surmani is a native of Oakland, California who now resides in Los Angeles. He played trumpet in the California All-State Honor Band, the McDonald's All-American Marching Band and Jazz Band, and the Walt Disney World All-American College Jazz Band. Andrew attended California State University, Northridge where he graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Music degree in Trumpet Performance. While at Northridge he played with the CSUN Wind Ensemble, Orchestra and Jazz "A" Band. He has toured throughout the USA, Europe and Japan, and performed at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in New York. After playing lead trumpet in shows at Walt Disney World, Andrew returned to southern California to pursue his MBA degree and began working for Alfred Publishing Company. Andrew is currently the Vice President of Marketing and Managing Director, School and Church Publishing. He is co-author of Alfred's Essentials of Music Theory, along with his wife Karen Farnum Surmani, a former LA Unified School District music educator, and Morton Manus, President of Alfred Publishing Company. Andrew currently serves as a founding board member of the Jazz Education Network and is on the curriculum committee for the Masters in Music Industry Studies degree program at CSUN.

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Secretary - Jackie Harris

Jackie Harris has spent the past 28 years providing convention planning, event management, festival/music production, program development, administration/coordination, and tour management services to a variety of clients in the United States and abroad.

Harris began pursuing creative opportunities in the areas of culture, tourism, music, entertainment and the arts after leaving a profession in the oil industry. She spent nearly 10 years at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, as Assistant Fair Director and Night Concerts Producer. She then led the City’s Music and Entertainment Commission for eight years marked by tremendous success in re-positioning New Orleans as an entertainment mecca and marketing its rich cultural legacy as the “Birthplace of Jazz.”

Harris began pursuing creative opportunities in the areas of culture, tourism, music, entertainment and the arts after leaving a profession in the oil industry. She spent nearly 10 years at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, as Assistant Fair Director and Night Concerts Producer. She then led the City’s Music and Entertainment Commission for eight years marked by tremendous success in re-positioning New Orleans as an entertainment mecca and marketing its rich cultural legacy as the “Birthplace of Jazz.”

She also created and serves as executive director of the fourteen year old, Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong Summer Jazz Camp that has provided jazz music education to more than 1400 young music students.