Governor's School for the Arts faculty are among the finest professional teaching artists in Kentucky and the nation. They are chosen for their skills as educators, personal artistic development and their ability to act as positive role models for young artists.

Besides imparting their specialized knowledge, GSA faculty act as mentors to the students, providing insights into the professional world of the arts, art careers and advanced arts education and training.

In addition, outstanding private instructors and guests artists serve as visiting faculty. Nationally acclaimed artists, such as the late actor/director John Houseman, instrumentalist Vince DiMartino, sculptor Ed Hamilton, and poet Nikky Finney, have presented master-classes, lectures and performances at the school since its inception.

GSA Faculty and Administration 2008.

			Heather Weston Bell, Vice President, The Kentucky Center; Executive Director, GSA As a clarinetist, Heather Weston Bell was a member of her high school bands, as well as the Louisville Youth Orchestra. With a desire to combine her passion for the arts with an interest in business, Heather earned a B.A. in Arts Administration from the University of Kentucky. Her previous experiences include work with the Singletary Center for the Arts, Spoleto Festival in Charlestown, S.C., and the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
			Laura Angermeier, Program Administrator Laura Angermeier grew up in Oldham County and has been active in the arts since the age of five when she began taking dance lessons at a local studio.  Laura attended Governor’s School for the Arts in 1998 for vocal music.   She graduated with Honors from Butler University in Indianapolis, IN earning a B.S. in Arts Administration with a concentration in voice.  She gained experience working at Clowes Memorial Performing Arts Hall in the education department, serving as a Butler Ambassador, and organizing the “Leadership through Arts Forum” bringing in national arts speakers to campus. Upon graduation she returned to work at The Kentucky Center in the education department after interning there the previous summer.  She then worked as a college planner for College Finance & Planning, Inc., helping high schools with the entire college planning process, specializing with students pursuing a major in the arts. Laura still continues singing and enjoys working with the high school youth group at her church.
			Elise Davis, Program Assistant and Registrar Elise is a graduate of Transylvania University earning a BA in applied music with a concentration in piano. She attended Governor’s School for the Arts in 2001 for Instrumental music. Elise has also studied music at Goldsmiths College, University of London at London, England in Fall 2004 and has previously worked on the residential staff at Interlochen Arts Camp for three summers.
	Sonya Baker, Vocal Music Soprano, Sonya Gabrielle Baker, has been heard in concert both nationally and internationally, including recent appearances in Cape Town, South Africa, Evansville, IN, and her city of residence, Murray, KY.  Baker also tours regularly as a soloist with the American Spiritual Ensemble. Her debut recording, SHE SAYS, featuring art songs of American Women composers, was released in October 2004, a year after she made her Carnegie Hall debut with renowned conductor Michael Tilson Thomas and appeared as soloist on the Yale Alumni Chorus tour to Moscow singing at the Kremlin. Dr. Baker holds degrees from Yale, Indiana, and Florida State Universities and is currently a member of the voice faculty at Murray State University.  Baker recently received a Governor’s appointment to the Kentucky Arts Council Board of Directors and will become Assistant Dean to the College of Humanities & Fine Arts at Murray State University in July.
			Theresa Bautista, Dance Theresa trained in Southern Indiana and Louisville, gaining experience both in dance and musical theatre. While earning her biology degree from Indiana University, she continued her dance studies in a program headed by Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux and Patricia McBride. She has performed with Bloomington, IN's In Motion and The Kentucky Youth Dance Ensemble, is currently a member of Anna Sapozhnikov’s Moyamo Dance Company and is in her fourth season as a soloist with Art! Art! Barking Dog Modern Dance Company.
			Joanna Binford, Instrumental Music Joanna Binford is a recipient of the 2003 Kentucky ASTA “Studio Teacher” Award, and is currently on the faculty of the Centenary School of Music in Lexington, where she specializes in Suzuki Method instruction. In addition, she is an adjunct instructor in violin and viola at Transylvania University, and viola instructor at Georgetown College. She currently serves as the violist of the EKU String Quartet, the Impromptu String Quartet, and the Endless Road Strings.
			Richard Byrd, Instrumental Music Richard Byrd is professor of music at Cumberland College in Williamsburg, Kentucky. In addition to his duties as coordinator of instrumental music, he oversees the music theory program and the applied trumpet and horn studio. Richard earned his Ph.D. in music theory from the University of Kentucky. During his doctoral studies he was awarded the prestigious Dissertation Year $10,000 Fellowship for his research on the music of the composer Fisher Tull. He earned his Master of Music in theory from the University of Kentucky and his Bachelor of Music in trumpet performance from DePauw University.
			Bill Caise, Drama Bill Caise did his undergraduate work at the University of Kentucky and received his MFA from the University of Iowa. Caise has appeared in many award-winning productions and has directed close to twenty shows. Caise currently teaches acting and African-American theatre at Purdue University.
			Nancy Campbell, Instrumental Music Nancy Campbell has served as the Orchestra Director at the School for Creative and Performing Arts (SCAPA) Bluegrass since 1997 and also serves as orchestra teacher at Meadowthorpe Elementary School in Lexington. She is a string faculty member for the Music for All Summer Symposium in Illinois and was a consultant for the Music Expressions series published by Alfred.  Presently, she serves as Past-President of the Kentucky Chapter of the American String Teachers Association, Inc. and Chair-elect for the Kentucky Music Educators Association Orchestra Division. Additionally, she serves as a Master Teacher in the University of Kentucky String Project. She received her Bachelor of Music Education from Northern Illinois University where she studied with Nobuko Imai and the Vermeer Quartet. She completed her Masters degree at the University of Kentucky and is presently working toward Rank I certification.
			Angelique Clay, Vocal Music Heralded for her “soaring lyric soprano voice,” Angelique Clay has garnered performances in the United States, Europe, and South America.  A native of Louisville, Ky., Ms. Clay received a Bachelor of Science degree from Oakwood College, a Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Vocal Performance from the University of Kentucky.  Operatic roles include Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte, Rosalinda in Die Fledermaus, the title role of Susannah from Floyd’s American drama Susannah, the Mother in Amahl and the Night Visitors, and Lily and Bess in Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess.  Ms. Clay has recorded and toured as a soloist with the American Spiritual Ensemble throughout the United States, Spain and Brazil. She was a featured recitalist at the National Opera Association Legacy Awards Celebration in Washington D.C. in 1999, and a guest soloist on In Performance at the Governor’s Mansion, a Public Television performance sponsored by the Governor’s Office in Kentucky highlighting artists of note from Kentucky. Dr. Clay is currently an Assistant Professor of Music at the University of Kentucky.
			Joseph Nygren Cox, Dance Mr. Cox is a principal dancer with the Louisville Ballet.  He has performed leading roles in all of the company’s full-length productions as well as a wide range of other works.  He is also a frequent guest artist, teacher and stager with dance companies in Texas, Florida, and the Mid-West.
			Christina DiGiovanni, Dance Christina DiGiovanni received a B.F.A. in Dance with honors from Wright State University. While in college, she studied and performed with the Dayton Ballet. Ms. DiGiovanni performed with Chicago Dance Medium, a modern dance company, before settling in Louisville where she performed, choreograhped, taught for, and managed Afterimages Dance Company. Ms. DiGiovanni then became the Artistic Director for PNEUMA, an after school arts program for inner city youth in Louisville. She was a founding member of Art! Art! Barking Dog Dance Company. She currently teaches in the Children's Division of the Budig Academy of Cincinnati Ballet, and is the choreograhper for the New Thought Unity Musical Theater Camp.
			Olivia Duval, Vocal Music Olivia Duval received her bachelor of music degree from Oberlin College-Conservatory and her master of music degree from the University of Louisville. An award winner in competitions sponsored by the Metropolitan Opera, the National Association of Teachers of Singing, and the Orpheus National Vocal Competition, Olivia has also been a member of the world-renowned San Francisco Opera Merola Opera program.
			Kelly Norman Ellis, Creative Writing Kelly Norman Ellis is an assistant professor of English at Chicago State University. She was raised in Jackson, Mississippi and is a founding member of the Affrilachian Poets. She resides on Chicago's south side with her partner, Kevin and her daughter Naomi Zora. Kelly is the author of Tougaloo Blues. Kelly says this about her work, “It was written long before I was even born. The lives, the love, the community all existed before I existed. I was just lucky enough to have been born into a loving southern, Black family. I want these poems to stand as witness to the beauty and abundance of that life: a black southern woman's life, a good life, a proud life, a life as rich and sweet as the pies I bake with Mississippi pecans. There are others like me, folks raised in the brown loving arms of family. These poems are for them.” We are thrilled to have Kelly return to our creative writing faculty.
			Kevin Flores, Media Specialist Keving Flores is a photographer and filmmaker presently residing in Louisville, Ky. He is an alumni of the GSA class of 1998 (drama) and served as a resident assistant for the program from 2001-2003. In 2004 he obtained a B.F.A. degree in photography from the University of Louisville. In the fall of 2004 Kevin entered Spalding University's graduate degree program in education. He is currently working on several music video projects, and will be filming a feature length motion picture this summer entitled "Dying Midwestern." Flores also involves himself in music by playing bass guitar in the Louisville based group The Waterground.
			Clayton Hable, New Media A Louisville native, Clayton Hable has been involved in the arts from a young age, performing opera in a children’s choir at the Kentucky Center for the Arts.  His artistic passion eventually found an outlet in cinema, an all-encompassing medium that allowed him to merge many types of visual and aural expression, and to study feature-length classics while making short films of his own.  He earned a Bachelor’s degree in film studies at Vanderbilt University before capturing a Master’s degree in film production from Florida State University.  In addition to inspiring and teaching others in the traditions of cinema, Clayton hopes to one day make an impacting contribution to the medium by writing and directing thoughtful feature-length films.
			Ellen Hagan, Creative Writing Ellen Hagan is a writer, actress and educator. Ellen holds an MFA in fiction from The New School University, and is working on a full- length novel entitled The Kentucky Notes/ Notes Home. She received a BFA in acting and a minor in English from the University of Kentucky. In addition, Ellen has studied both drama and playwriting at Goldsmith's University in London, England and has received additional training as a performer and writer at New York University's Tisch School for the Arts
			Susan Harrison, Visual Art Susan Harrison is currently a member of PYRO Gallery, an artist cooperative located in Louisville, Kentucky. She has shown her prints, paintings and installations in numerous exhibitions nationally and in a handful of international portfolio and mail art projects. Harrison earned her BA from the University of Pennsylvania, a BFA from the Corcoran College of Art & Design, and a MFA from the University of Tennessee. Continually familiarizing herself with new art processes, Harrison has taught printmaking, bookmaking, photography, and sculpture workshops and residencies for a range of educational institutions including: The Knoxville Museum of Fine Art, The Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, and The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She is currently a full time art instructor at the Louisville Collegiate School. Her last painting installation, “Time Out” was held at PYRO in September 2006, and her next one is scheduled for summer 2009. She also coordinated a national print portfolio, Wrinkle, which was exhibited at The Southern Graphics Council Conference in Washington, DC April 2005 and then at PYRO.  More recently, Harrison has begun integrating trash, found objects, and recyclable materials with traditional oil painting techniques. She is concerned with the “greening” of studio art practices.	``````````````````````
			Sharon Kinnison, Musical Theatre Sharon Kinnison, a native of Louisville, spent twelve years of her career in the San Francisco Bay area. Regional acting credits include Once Upon a Mattress for Musical Theatre Louisville, Floyd Collins for Actors Theatre of Louisville, Six Women with Brain Death for New Girl Productions, and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever for Stage One. Directing credits include Candide, She Loves me, Phaedra, The Fantasticks, Falstaff, and Chicago. Kinnison holds an M.F.A. in Acting from the University of Louisville and is currently the Executive Director of Music Theatre Louisville.
			Barry Lawrence, Vocal Music Barry Lawrence is currently an artist-in-residence at Bellarmine College. Barry is a three time winner of the Kentucky District Metropolitan Opera Auditions and is a graduate of Indiana University School of Music. A founding member of the Black Classical Artists of Louisville, Barry performs a wide range of operatic roles.
			Scott Locke, Instrumental Music Scott Locke graduated with a master's degree from the University of Southern California and a doctorate degree from Ball State University. He has presented solo and chamber music programs at the British Embassy, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Levine School of Music, the World Bank Concert Series, Dartmouth College, San Jose State University, Earlham College, the Dayton Museum of Art, University of Georgia, Arkansas State University, and the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. Currently he is professor of clarinet at Murray State University and is clarinetist in the Paducah and Owensboro Symphonies.
			Ruben Moreno, New Media Ruben Moreno is a media artist and art educator who specializes in community based art programs. Currently on the visual arts faculty at the Louisville Collegiate School, Ruben teaches art and media programs to middle and high school students. Moreno holds an MFA from the University of Cincinnati and a BFA from the University of South Alabama.
	Carrie Nath, Drama Carrie A Nath is a director, actor, choreographer and educator. Carrie is an Artistic Associate at Kentucky Shakespeare where she is the Movement Director and teaches in the education department. In addition, Ms Nath currently teaches for Actor’s Theatre of Louisville, Stage One, and Walden Theatre, where she directed Dark of the Moon and choreographed A Winter’s Tale for the 2008 Season. Carrie is the former Associate Director of Education for the Seattle Opera where she was the primary dance instructor and choreographer for the Seattle Opera Young Artist’s Program: a conservatory style instructional for young opera singers ages 21 – 30. Her operas include Don Giovanni, Le Nozze di Figaro and The Magic Flute: Seattle Opera; Cendrillon: Manhattan School of Music; Ahmal and the Night Visitors: Kentucky Opera; and Freedom Trail: UK Opera. Carrie is the former Director of Education for Nebraska Shakespeare, was the dance specialist for Washington National Opera’s education residency program and has taught period style dance and movement for the Shakespeare Theater in Washington, DC.
			Stephen Penn, Vocal Music Stephen Penn graduated from the University of Kentucky, Western Michigan University, and the New England Conservatory. Stephen is co-director of the UK Opera Workshop, and music director for the Lexington Opera Society/ UK Opera joint educational touring opera. Former positions include the Hartt School, in Hartford, CT, the University of Connecticut at Storrs, Boston Conservatory, and the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria, where Penn was awarded a fellowship for coaching studies.
			Jeff Rawlins, Architecture Jeff Rawlins has a Bachelor of Architecture from Ball State University and a Master of Architecture from Cranbrook Academy of Art.  He and his family reside in Louisville where his firm Architectural Artisans has been creating unique small commercial and residential projects since 1993.
			Donna Richards, Musical Theater Donna Richards is a graduate of the Los Angeles School of Performing Arts with a degree in dance performance. She has performed and traveled with many Broadway shows and is currently a teacher at the Dance Center in Elizabethtown, Kentucky.
			Bobby Scroggins, Visual Art Bobby Scroggins studied sculpture and ceramics at The Kansas City Art Institute where he received a BFA in 1976. He later received a MFA in the field of sculpture from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville in 1980. Since then his works have received numerous awards such as first place purchase award in the Atlanta Life Insurance Company's National Art Competition. Scroggins' work has been featured across the United States. In 2003 and 2004 he taught at the first ever Academy of the Arts in Donegal and Derry, Northern Ireland. He is currently head of ceramics at the University of Kentucky.
			A.T. Simpson, Vocal Music A.T. is an associate professor of music at Bellarmine University where he is the director of choral activities and the director of handbell ensembles. A.T. received his undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College, his M.M. from Converse College, and his Ph.D. from the University of Kentucky.
			Donna Sink, Architecture Ms. Sink received her Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Arizona in 1990 and her Master of Architecture from Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan in 1995. She has lived and worked in architecture firms in Chicago, Portland, Tucson, and Philadelphia, as well as Vienna, Austria. In addition to building designs for schools, churches, and public institutions, Donna has designed exhibition installations at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Carnegie Museum of Art, and several fine art galleries. She has taught architecture studios at Drexel University and Philadelphia University. Donna is currently partner in a small practice, Harris/Sink Architecture and Interiors in Indianapolis, IN, doing residential and small commercial work.
			Tim Soulis, Drama Tim Soulis is the director of theatre and professor of drama at Transylvania University. In addition to teaching, acting, directing, theatre history, dramatic literature, and playwriting, he has directed more than 80 productions. He has a Ph.D. in theatre and has taught drama throughout the country.
			Donald Speer, Instrumental  Music Donald Speer, Professor of Piano at Western Kentucky University, specializes in class piano, pedagogy, and accompanying, in addition to maintaining an extensive performance schedule in collaboration with WKU music faculty.  He has premiered and recorded numerous works by contemporary composers, including Michael Kallstrom, Lewis Neilson, and Rodney Rogers.  Dr. Speer is published in the Journal of Research in Music Education, the Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, the Bluegrass Music News, and Spotlight on Teaching Chorus.  He also serves as Director of Western’s Keyboard Development Program for pre-college piano students.  He served as President of the Kentucky Music Teachers Association from 2000-2002, and Southern Division Coordinator of Collegiate and Chamber Music Competitions for the Music Teachers National Association from 2002-2004.  He was the recipient of Western’s 2004 Award for Teaching in the Potter College of Arts and Letters, and was named the KMTA Teacher of the Year in 2005.  He holds the Bachelor of Music (Piano Performance) from Louisiana College, the MM in Performance from Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, and the Ph.D. in Music Education from Louisiana State University.  Former piano teachers include Mary Ann Crump, Ruth Slenczynska, Linda Perry, and Jack Guerry.
			Waseem Touma, Visual Art Waseem Touma was born and raised in Sydney, Australia. After receiving his Bachelor of Fine Arts from KCAI, in 2002, he was offered a one-year assistantship in the KCAI Ceramics Department. In 2003, Waseem arrived at the University of Kentucky as a M.F.A. candidate. He was the president of the Art Graduate Student Association, (AGSA) for two years, which sponsors the OPEN STUDIO event, as well as represented the student body for the Studio Arts department. Waseem was a Teaching Assistant as a ceramics instructor in the ceramics program at the University of Kentucky for two years. Waseem was also involved in the ‘artist residency program’ at the University of Kentucky, Martin Luther King Jr. Cultural Center, where he worked with fellow students in drawing exercises, exhibitions, and lectures. Steven Ward, Architecture Steven received his first professional degree, a Bachelor of Architecture that was later changed to a Master of Architecture, from the Tulane University School of Architecture in 1991.  After almost a decade at K. Norman Berry Associates Architects in Louisville, where he served as manager/designer for a variety of projects including churches, schools, banks, residences, and a steamboat landing, Steven returned to school to pursue research and design interests he had developed over his 12 years in practice.  He received his second Master of Architecture from the University of Kentucky in 2004. While running a small practice in Louisville called ArchIntent, Steven taught in design studios at the University of Kentucky - primarily in studios focusing on affordable housing and neighborhood redevelopment.  He directed the Architectural Design courses at in the Governor's Scholars Program at Centre College in 2004 and was an instructor in the Architecture studio at GSA in 2005 and 2006. Steven took a position at Studio Kremer Architects in 2005.    Crystal Wilkinson, Creative Writing Crystal Wilkinson is the author of two collections of short stories, “Blackberries, Blackberries”, which was named Best Debut Fiction by Today's Librarian magazine, and “Water Street”, which was honored as a finalist for the Orange Prize for Fiction and the Zora Neale Hurston/Richard Wright Legacy Award. Both books are published by Toby Press. Wilkinson was also the recipient of the 2002 Chaffin Award for Appalachian Literature and the Al Smith Writing Fellowship from the Kentucky Arts Council. Her creative writing, both fiction and poetry, has been published in Southern Exposure, Calyx, African Voices and many other journals, as well as multiple anthologies. She has most recently taught fiction in the MFA programs at Indiana University and Spalding University. Wilkinson currently teaches creative writing at Morehead State University where she serves as writer in residence.
			Annabelle Wilson, Visual Art Annabelle Wilson graduated with a BFA from Western Kentucky University. She then attended the University of Kentucky where she obtained a graduate degree. She currently creates, and teaches painting and drawing at the University of Kentucky.