Susan SK Kelly

(Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA)

What is your involvement in using music for progressive social change? (Focus on broad themes rather than specific projects.)

OutReach. Education. Connection. CommUnity. Performing Arts in Action.

What is your history with Peoples Music Network so far – your experience at gatherings, collaborations, volunteer efforts, etc?

Member PMN for multiple years. Participate in Zoom Concerts. Provide Opening Peace Meditations. Collaborate with long time members & leaders. Encouraged youth participation through song & ASL sign language. Spread PMN Word/Music

Do you have any experience serving in other organizations, especially as a member of a Steering Committee or a Board of Directors?

Delegate for MD State Education Association (MSEA). SpecEd Liaison, Civil Rights & Work Family Committees. Autism BoD. Retired Advisory Council with MSEA. Program Coordinator School Based Services. Variety of positions MCCPTA Boards

Why do you want to serve on the PMN Steering Committee?

Spread the JoyFullness of Creative Musical Endeavors in CommUnity. Enjoy collaborating and sharing ideas by working directly with others to achieve goals & outcomes to improve the mental health & wellbeing of others (self too) especially children, youth and their communities that support them.

What are your concrete goals in serving as a member of the PMN Steering Committee?

Provide creative collaboration of ideas to build connections through a wider range of outreach opportunities with & for variety performing arts community’s.

What connections with activists and musicians will you bring that can help PMN expand?

Local Public Schools, Colleges & Universities in the DC/Baltimore areas. Performing Arts Educational Outreach Programs for Youth. Family members are deeply connected in the Musical Performing Arts Worlds.

The PMN Steering Committee is especially seeking members with skills in the following areas. Below are the standing committees that Steering Committee members choose to take part in. Please note which committee would be your preference and what experience you have in these areas. “None” is a perfectly acceptable answer, but please consider mentioning areas where you have even moderate levels of skill.

Membership Engagement: Developing new ways for PMN to support our members in between gatherings, particularly online and through local events.

Connecting Organizations/Creating Local & National Events/Calendar of Events

Finance: Advising on how funds are allocated, how money is managed, and how budgets are set in order to accomplish PMN’s mission. May involve applying past experience and/or curiosity to learn.

Managed Dept Budgets. PTSA Creative FUN Raising. Supported Grant Proposals

Social Media: Strengthening PMN’s networking and outreach capacity on social media platforms.

Use it lots for Social Justice Events/Posts. Current on almost all online platforms

Fundraising: Writing grants, organizing benefit concerts and/or helping to inspire major gifts to support PMN’s work.

Supported Grant Writing/FUNRaising Proposals

Legal: Advising the SC on legal concerns from setting contracts to navigating nonprofit tax law.

Know Educational Law/Special Needs Rights

Other: Please tell us about other skills .

SK Kelly is a certified Meditation & Yoga instructor who empowers hope filled peace & justice for myself and others. SpecEd certification PreK-12+

Please write a candidate statement about why PMN members should vote for you to serve on the steering committee. Feel free to excerpt from the responses above.  Candidate statements must be 150 words or less.

SK Kelly, is a Social Justice Literacy Peace Teacher & Educational Union Advocate in DC/Baltimore area Public Schools & Local Jails. She’s completed over 1,000 Hours of Yoga Teacher Training Certifications, incorporating Mindfulness, Meditation & Neuro Regulation Awareness. SK believes every human being has a right to shine their bright lights and share their unique gifts in a safe, supportive world which prioritizes creativity, health & wellness…

Lucas Meyer

(Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)

What is your involvement in using music for progressive social change? (Focus on broad themes rather than specific projects.)

I am not a musician myself, but I have made videos, done camera work, video editing, and run Zoom sessions to help choirs and musicians here in Vancouver and in PMN.  I have also helped various progressive organizations such as West Coast Labour Chorus [spouse, Susan Weber, is a member], Stop TMX (Environmental group), ACCESS TV (progressive TV show), Canadian Chinese Museum, the Vancouver Historical Society, etc.

What is your history with Peoples Music Network so far – your experience at gatherings, collaborations, volunteer efforts, etc?

I am not a musician, but do video and zoom sessions. I got involved with PMN through Susan’s choir (the Left Coast Labour Chorus), since then I have helped with Zoom Sessions and video work. I have helped out in several convergences and other PMN online functions.

Do you have any experience serving in other organizations, especially as a member of a Steering Committee or a Board of Directors?

When I was still working, I was on the Board of Directors of my Union and on my Union’s bargaining committee. Since then I was one of the main video editors at ACCESS TV and worked on their steering committee.

Why do you want to serve on the PMN Steering Committee?

I want to continue helping PMN with Zoom sessions and other technical stuff.  However, I also want to help promote PMN world wide.  PMN is a progressive organization. I see the Trump/MAGA movement as threat to progressives and others within the US. It appears to me that progressives in the US could use some outside help.  However, Trump and MAGA are also creating some serious bad blood between the US and other countries. So outside connections and outside help may be drying up right when you need it. 

Though I am not traveling to the US while Trump is in power, I would like to help PMN from outside the US in any way that I can. I can help with Zoom sessions and video. I would also like to advocate on behalf of PMN with people in other countries. As a foreigner myself, I may have an advantage...

What are your concrete goals in serving as a member of the PMN Steering Committee?

1. Help support PMN through Zoom Sessions, OBS, video work.

2. Advocate on PMN’s behalf with people from Canada, the UK and other countries.

3. Help progressives in trouble in the US. My wife and I have a spare bedroom.

If a PMN member or some other progressive person that PMN knows about needs help, we can perhaps help them get out of the country quickly if necessary.

What connections with activists and musicians will you bring that can help PMN expand?

I have strong connections with Susan’s choir and other choirs and musicians in the Vancouver area. I am also involved with progressive parties such as the Federal NDP, the Green Party, Coalition of Progressive Electors, etc. And I have help numerous progress organizations, such as Stop TMX, the Chinese Canadian Museum, etc.

The PMN Steering Committee is especially seeking members with skills in the following areas. Below are the standing committees that Steering Committee members choose to take part in. Please note which committee would be your preference and what experience you have in these areas. “None” is a perfectly acceptable answer, but please consider mentioning areas where you have even moderate levels of skill.

Membership Engagement: Developing new ways for PMN to support our members in between gatherings, particularly online and through local events.

1. I could help increase membership in PMN by calling up other Canadians and other people around the world and encourage them to get involved with PMN.

2. I could perhaps help develop new ways of doing things on line.

3. I could liase with Choirs and Musicians in Vancouver, and perhaps organize local events.

Finance: Advising on how funds are allocated, how money is managed, and how budgets are set in order to accomplish PMN’s mission. May involve applying past experience and/or curiosity to learn.

I am not a finance guy.

Social Media: Strengthening PMN’s networking and outreach capacity on social media platforms.

I could call up other Canadians and other people around the world and encourage them to get involved with PMN. As being an old school guy, I would probably do the outreach by phone or email, but I could also use social media.

Fundraising: Writing grants, organizing benefit concerts and/or helping to inspire major gifts to support PMN’s work.

I could help organize benefit concerts.

Legal: Advising the SC on legal concerns from setting contracts to navigating nonprofit tax law.

Not a lawyer.

Other: Please tell us about other skills .

Planning, testing and rehearsing technical stuff: People often don’t plan, test or rehearse technical things or don’t know how. Then technical things go wrong during the performance. I can create technical plans and help organize and run technical tests and rehearsals. This will help reduce problems during the actual performances.

Please write a candidate statement about why PMN members should vote for you to serve on the steering committee. Feel free to excerpt from the responses above.  Candidate statements must be 150 words or less.

I would like to help.  If you want me to help on the steering committee, I would be delighted to do so.  However, if you don’t need my help on the committee that is fine too, I can help with Zoom sessions, organizing technical rehearsals, prompting PMN in other countries or other things as needed. 

Being Canadian, I am not traveling to the US while Trump is in power. So it would be understandable if PMN wanted people on the steering committee who could be available in person at various times. On the other hand, having an outsider’s point of view on the steering could be valuable.  So I will let you decide...

Rebecca Pomerantz **

(Boston, Massachusetts, USA)

What is your involvement in using music for progressive social change? (Focus on broad themes rather than specific projects.)

I am an educator, a harmony fanatic, a chorus member, and a rounds collector. I am part of two choruses, one of which is BVocal, a Boston area pop-up protest chorus. I help organize singing gatherings and teach songs in small groups for community building. I’ve sung with adult immigrant English learners, Yiddish enthusiasts, and preschoolers. As a parent, a teacher, and an activist, I know the power of music to educate, to motivate, and to bond us together.

What is your history with Peoples Music Network so far – your experience at gatherings, collaborations, volunteer efforts, etc?

I have been traveling to PMN gatherings since 1991. I’ve helped organize Boston area gatherings over the years, and helped with videography and accessibility at Gatherings. In 2019 I became an active steering committee member and have stayed active (as an auditing member) even after I reached the 6 year term limit a year ago. When our Director was laid off, I volunteered to coordinate Membership as a member of the Interim Management Team. Now I’d like to return to being an official SC member.

Do you have any experience serving in other organizations, especially as a member of a Steering Committee or a Board of Directors?

In addition to my 7 years of recent experience with the PMNSC, I'm active on the Chapter Leadership Team of Mothers Out Front, “mobilizing for a livable climate”. I lived for 20 years in a cooperative household where decisions were made by consensus in weekly meetings. For several years I was on the Steering Committee of Adult Educators Interested in Organizing a Union. I represented 22 part-timers at regular Teachers Meetings at a non-profit education program

for 3 years. With a small group of teachers I worked on drafting statewide Adult ESOL Curriculum Frameworks. In all of these roles, I have built valuable skills in collaborative writing, online communication, consensus building, community networking and all kinds of outreach.

Why do you want to serve on the PMN Steering Committee?

I care very much about PMN and am now very familiar with our needs and issues. I feel I have many useful skills to offer our community and am no longer working at a regular job.

What are your concrete goals in serving as a member of the PMN Steering Committee?

I hope to help PMN confront the challenges of becoming a volunteer-led organization again, of attracting new members, bringing back previous supporters, sorting through communication and cultural issues, and harnessing technology, all in order to build our organization.

What connections with activists and musicians will you bring that can help PMN expand?

I know a lot of people and I tend to mention PMN to friends and acquaintances, old and new, who might enjoy PMN. I've introduced many people to PMN over the years -- for example, I met Terry Kitchen at a coffeehouse performance and brought him in.

The PMN Steering Committee is especially seeking members with skills in the following areas. Below are the standing committees that Steering Committee members choose to take part in. Please note which committee would be your preference and what experience you have in these areas. “None” is a perfectly acceptable answer, but please consider mentioning areas where you have even moderate levels of skill.

Membership Engagement: Developing new ways for PMN to support our members in between gatherings, particularly online and through local events.

This is the area where I have the most to offer. I'm a networker. I like to talk about PMN/SFS to potential members, tend to elbow lapsed members that I know, plus am not afraid of cold calls. I have experience designing basic websites using my own photos. I use Instagram and LinkedIn. I have organized many singing events in the Boston area (usually round singing). I'm resourceful, think outside the box, and love to spread the word about PMN!

Finance: Advising on how funds are allocated, how money is managed, and how budgets are set in order to accomplish PMN’s mission. May involve applying past experience and/or curiosity to learn.

None.

Social Media: Strengthening PMN’s networking and outreach capacity on social media platforms.

Again, I know lots of people and I enjoy networking and harnessing technology to spread the word about PMN. I love photography, am pretty skilled at photo editing and video camerawork, and have done some video editing. I would like to learn more about harnessing technology for spreading the word about PMN. Also I love helping others to better use the tech that they have.

Fundraising: Writing grants, organizing benefit concerts and/or helping to inspire major gifts to support PMN’s work.

I've helped to write a couple of grants, learned a bit about grant research, and am not afraid to ask for money or benefit concert participation.

Legal: Advising the SC on legal concerns from setting contracts to navigating nonprofit tax law.

I have some experience researching law, both for myself and for my immigrant students. I'm a careful detail-oriented reader but I have no formal skills in the area.

Other: Please tell us about other skills .

I'm a discriminating editor, a patient negotiator, and a conscientious note-taker!

Please write a candidate statement about why PMN members should vote for you to serve on the steering committee. Feel free to excerpt from the responses above.  Candidate statements must be 150 words or less.

I first went to a gathering in 1983 in Boston, but I’ve been a regular since 1991. I love this community. Every chance I get, I spread the word about PMN/SFS -- to attract diverse new members and to re-engage long-timers. 

I crave harmony – both musically and among people. I like to spend my time singing in community, enabling others to sing together, and using music to motivate myself and other activists to help make the world a better place.

I enjoy applying my skills in community building and networking, and in photography and videography, to build this beloved community. I want to put my time and passion towards connecting members to each other, building consensus where there’s tension, demystifying technology, and getting social justice activists singing together! 

My current efforts to repair the world focus around climate, democracy, and immigration issues.