Board of Directors

Jill Austin – Board President

Jill Austin is the founder and CEO of GrowthFlows, a market growth consultancy focused on helping organizations and individuals assess and realize their growth potential. In her most recent role as Chief Marketing Officer of Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Ms. Austin was responsible for brand identity, market positioning and presence, marketing strategies and growth for the not-for-profit organization and its affiliated network. Ms. Austin chaired the Association of American Medical Colleges’ General Institutional Advancement council helping to increase participation by 50%. Before her roles in healthcare, she was a consultant on strategic growth initiatives for businesses in a variety of industries.  Prior to consulting, she was Vice President of Global Marketing and Sales for a large technology company, responsible for international sales, marketing, and developing strategic partnerships.  Ms. Austin enjoys singing as a choir member and soloist and has been singing all her life participating in a variety of choirs from school and church to Nashville Symphony Chorus and CircleSong.

Sandra Shepherd – Vice-President

Sandra Shepherd serves as Associate Pastor for Christian Discipleship at Brenthaven Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Brentwood. When she and her husband Scott lived in rural northeast Alabama, Sandra taught in public school, performed in musicals with a town-and-gown theater, and sang in the church choir. Nashville has been home since 2011, and although she sings with the church choir here, Sandra says she always needs more singing, so she jumped at the chance to join Vox Grata in 2018. She claims it as one of her best decisions to be part of this group of amazing women singing quality music and benefitting worthy causes.

Karen Weir – Secretary

Karen Weir worked with customers in the contact center industry for twenty-five years before her retirement in 2000.  She was a principal at Carrefour Research, a consulting and software development firm, from its inception.  Prior to Carrefour Research, Ms. Weir worked in operations management in the call center industry, most recently as Vice-President for Implementation and Training at TCS Management Group.

Ms. Weir holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Davidson College, where she was actively involved in the theatre department and newly formed Women’s Chorus.  She also holds an MBA from Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management with a concentration in Operations Management.

Ms. Weir’s volunteer interests include singing and ringing handbells at Westminster Presbyterian Church, as well as singing with Vox Grata. She has served on the Board at Outlook Nashville, as the Nashville Chapter President of the Davidson College Alumni Association and currently serves on the Board of Nations Ministry Center for Refugees.

Susan Carey

Susan Carey is a native Tennessean and lifelong choir participant.  She grew up in East Tennessee where her mother directed the choir at their small, rural Presbyterian church.  Susan was excited to join the church’s adult choir in the 5^th grade and especially to sing alto since she could read music and enjoyed harmonizing.  Susan studied voice and sang in church and school choirs in high school and college and moved to Nashville in 1986 to attend law school at Vanderbilt University.  After graduation, she was in private practice for 20 years and has spent ten years at HCA.  She has served as president of the Carson-Newman University Alumni Board and of the Nashville Bar Association YLD.  She is a member of the adult choir and college of elders at Westminster Presbyterian Church where she has served as Moderator of Presbyterian Women, Clerk of Session and a Bible study leader.  She is married to Scott Carey; they have two adult sons, Sam and Jack, as well as two kittens, Sal and Pablo.

Hattie DeWalt

Hattie DeWalt is the Executive Director of Women in Numbers, a non-partisan organization committed to engaging, encouraging and endorsing qualified women in their pursuit of local office.  She is also the President of the Bellevue Community Foundation and a member of the Bellevue Harpeth Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.  Previously, Ms. DeWalt was a member of the board of directors for Nashville Ballet, the American Cancer Society, Dress for Success and the American Red Cross.   

Hattie was a Corporate Vice President of CIGNA responsible for training, administration, marketing and sales support. She was a marketing and acquisition consultant for numerous healthcare-related companies and also worked for former Senator Bill Frist during his first term in office.  

Ever committed to contributing to the community, Ms. DeWalt chaired numerous galas and events for The American Cancer Society, the American Red Cross, Nashville Ballet, My Sister’s Place and Cystic Fibrosis.

Janice Kemp

Janice Kemp’s professional career has included teaching music to students from nursery school through the college level in both public and private schools. She began her teaching career in elementary school in Arlington, Texas. After moving to Nashville in the mid-1980s she taught general music in the Junior School and AP Music History in the Upper School at Montgomery Bell Academy. Following another move, this time to Philadelphia, she taught for 17 years at Germantown Academy (GA) in Fort Washington, PA, the oldest independent non-sectarian school in the United States. During her tenure at GA she taught intermediate music and directed the Lower School Choir, while also serving as Head of the Performing Arts Department (PreK-12) with oversight of music, theatre, and media. While in Pennsylvania, Janice served on evaluation teams for numerous independent schools renewing state accreditation. Upon returning to Texas, she taught in the music department at The University of Texas, Arlington. In addition to teaching, Janice served as the Director of Children’s Choirs at churches in Arlington, TX, Nashville, TN, and Abington, PA. Over the years she served as choral clinician for numerous regional workshops and festivals. Coming full-circle back to Nashville, Janice is happily retired and enjoys activities at Westminster Presbyterian Church, singing in Vox Grata, and spending time with her family. Janice holds a BME from University of North Texas and a MME and Kodaly Certifications from Belmont University.

Lea Maitlen

Lea Coppoletta Maitlen, a classically trained vocalist, holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder and a Master of Music degree from Belmont University.  She is a founding member of Nashville’s Portara Ensemble. Maitlen is a specialist in contemporary vocal music and has performed the Tennessee premieres of Pulitzer Prizewinning composer Caroline Shaw’s Cantico delle creature, Richard Danielpour’s Portraits, and the soprano in David Lang’s Pulitzer Prizewinning Little Match Girl Passion.  

As the Senior Marketing Manager of the Naxos of America marketing team until 2012, Maitlen produced several commercially released recording series and led various successful campaigns to launch new classical music CD recordings into the American market. Her critical successes include spearheading the American releases of ALIAS Chamber Ensemble’s Grammy nominated Hilos: Chamber Music of Gabriela Lena Frank, James Whitbourne’s Luminosity (performed by Commotio), the Elora Festival Singers’ Grammy nominated recording of the music of Eric Whitacre, and the King’s Singers acclaimed Pater Noster CD recording, in which she played an integral A&R and producer role. 

Maitlen served as the Executive Director of Portara Ensemble from 2011-2016, during which the ensemble released the critically acclaimed Choral Hymns of the Christian Faith CD recording and Amorisms: Chamber Music of Paul Moravec (featuring a World Premiere commission undertaken in partnership with the Nashville Ballet and ALIAS Chamber Ensemble).  Maitlen also served as the Executive Director for the GRAMMY nominated ALIAS Chamber Ensemble from 2016-2018.  During this time she was the creative force behind the concept of the group’s CD release, Rhythms, Rivers, and Roads.  A trained Montessori teacher, Maitlen spearheaded several innovative educational outreach programs during her time with ALIAS, including a school program focused on music by immigrant composers and a STEAM program which tied music inspired by nature to an exploration of the world around us.

Most recently, Maitlen served as Director of Marketing, PR, and Engagement with Nashville Opera, where she focused on growing creative partnerships within the Nashville community to bring opera to a wider, more diverse audience.  Since she joined Nashville Opera in 2018, Maitlen has undertaken partnerships with Opera on Tap, the Nashville Film Festival, the Frist Art Museum, Tennessee State University, and the Tennessee State Museum.  She is delighted to bring her experience with and passion for classical music to bear to grow the love of the art form in Middle Tennessee.

Dusty Rose Miller

Dusty Rose Miller is a researcher, gardener, writer, speaker, singer, and dancer. She works as an Assistant Research Professor at Vanderbilt University where she studies the chemical composition of Psilocybe mushrooms. Her postdoctoral work under the direction of Prof. David E. Cliffel focused on the effects of pesticides on the brain. Her graduate work at the University of California, Santa Barbara investigated natural chemical adhesives and load-bearing structures using Mytilus californianus as a model organism.  She lives on a 10-acre homestead just outside of Nashville, TN where she practices biodynamic farming and sacred reciprocity with the land and its many inhabitants. Important initiatives for Dusty include those relating to the health and well being of earth including clean water, food, and air as well as the health and well being of our society and the individual heart, mind, and body. Her interest in music began in a moment of deep gratitude when she heard ‘If you are grateful, sing” from the great beyond. She joined the board of Vox Grata in 2024 to honor the power of voice and song as an agent of change. She believes that life is a prayer and that presence is a portal to receiving all that the soul came here to know.

Pam Schneller

Pam Schneller has been actively involved in choral music as singer, conductor, and aficionado since she fell in love with conducting as a ninth grader. A graduate of the University of Illinois and Scarritt Graduate School, she served church choirs in Illinois and Indiana, before settling down with her husband Roland in Nashville.  As a choral director, she is the founder of five of the nine choirs at Blair School of Music, including the Vanderbilt Community Chorus. Currently, she is the Senior Associate Dean of Blair Academy, the 800-student pre-college and adult program at Blair, and teaches conducting in the collegiate program. Passionate about creating musical opportunities for children and youth, Pam is a member of the Nashville Symphony Accelerando Program Advisory Board, the NSO Education and Community Engagement Committee, and the Richmond Symphony School of Music Advisory Board.

Rosie Smith

Rosie Smith is a Nashville native who has contributed to Nashville’s vast healthcare workforce since she graduated from the University of Tennessee in Chattanooga in 2013. Her current role is managing clients of the workforce development solutions of HealthStream, Inc. During her career, she’s been certified to teach many professional development workshops and has used her background and degree in Psychology to help support the growth of her peers in every aspect of her professional life. Rosie’s affinity for music comes from her father who taught himself to read music singing in his church choir at the ripe age of 8 years old. From elementary school through high school, Rosie participated in school choirs and was able to travel on tour with St. Cecilia Academy in 2007 and 2010. Her love for music continued after college when she was able to join Vox Grata as an Alto 1 in Fall 2016. Through this group, she continues to be amazed by the camaraderie and joy that singing brings.

David Williams

David Williams teaches theory and ear-training courses at the Blair School of Music, Vanderbilt University, and conducts the Vanderbilt Community Chorus. The Vanderbilt Community Chorus performs some of the most challenging music in the choral repertoire, including recent performances of Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms, Bach’s Magnificat, Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy, and the Duruflé Requiem.  In May of 2017, the VCC embarked upon its first-ever European tour, with performances in Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic.  David also conducted the Vanderbilt University Concert Choir, the University’s oldest performing arts organization, from 2008-2021.

David’s undergraduate studies at Indiana University with Edward Auer and Evelyne Brancart earned him the BM degree in Piano Performance. He holds graduate degrees in Music Theory and Choral Conducting from Indiana University and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. While at CCM, Williams studied with various conductors-in-residence, including Fiora Contino, Vance George, Jon Washburn, and Richard Westenburg. In 2013, he participated in the conducting master classes at the Oregon Bach Festival with Helmuth Rilling.  

Prior to coming to the Blair School, David wrote and produced music for nationally broadcast TV and radio commercials. He has also held numerous positions conducting church and community choirs. Other faculty positions include Belmont University (1995-98), and Middle Tennessee State University (2005-06). David taught at the Blair School from 1995-98, and rejoined the faculty in 2006. He frequently serves as a clinician for high schools and colleges from around the country.  He lives in Nashville with his wife Lisa, and daughter Maddie.

Becky Yates

Jeanette MacCallum – Ex Officio, Founder & Artistic Director

Jeanette MacCallum is the Director of Music Ministries at Second Presbyterian Church in Nashville, TN and founder and Artistic Director of Vox Grata, a Nashville community women’s choir. Previously she served as an Adjunct Professor in music theory and history at Belmont and Lipscomb Universities. In addition, she served as the Director of Choral Activities at Saint Cecilia Academy in Nashville, TN, from 2002 to 2012, where she conducted various ensembles and taught AP Music Theory. During her time at St. Cecilia, the Advanced Choir received superior ratings at all regional and state adjudication festivals in which it participated. In addition, the St. Cecilia Advanced Choir performed at ACDA and TMEA state conferences. Mrs. MacCallum led the St. Cecilia Choir on performance tours to Carnegie Hall, Canada and Italy. In 2007, the Saint Cecilia Choir performed by invitation at the Ospedale della Pietà and the Ospedale dei Derelitti in Venice. Her students earned positions in numerous All State and ACDA Honor Choirs.

A native of Princeton, New Jersey, Mrs. MacCallum’s passion for choral music began as a member of the distinguished Princeton High School Choir. She received her musical education at the Eastman School of Music and Belmont University, and received the Master of Church Music degree from Belmont. A singer, pianist and conductor, Mrs. MacCallum has directed choirs at the Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University, as well as at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Nashville, TN. She is the past president of the Tennessee chapter of the American Choral Directors Association. Jeanette is the author of “The Sacred Choral Works of the Venetian Ospedali,” published by GIA in “Conducting Women’s Choirs: Strategies for Success,” Debra Spurgeon, Editor and Compiler. (2012)