The EEFC is directed by a board comprised, according to its bylaws, of no fewer than 5 members, and no more than 11. A director’s term is nominally five years, however directors can and do step down or take leaves of absence at any time. The Board is responsible for defining and promoting the mission of the organization, and oversees operations, staff, and various committees. Board members serve as committee chairs.
Kristina Vaskys, President, Chair of Administrative, Scholarship, Governance, and Nominating Committees
Maclovia Quintana, Vice President, Chair of Program Committee
Lea Anne Kangas, Treasurer, Chair of Finance and Technology Committees
Craig Kurumada, Secretary, Chair of Development Committee
Marchette DuBois, Chair of Remote Offerings and Marketing & Communications Committees
Anna Goldberg
Matt Moran
Contacting the EEFC Board
To reach the board, please send us an email or write to us at:
Board Liaison
East European Folklife Center
P.O. Box 12488
Berkeley, CA 94712-3488
Seattle, Washington
Chair of Remote Offerings and Marketing & Communications Committees.
Term: 9/2020—
My Balkan journey began with a class on the music of Hungary and Eastern Europe, which I took on a whim at Cornell University, after I completed my music degree at SUNY Potsdam. Soon after that, I moved across the country to Seattle and joined the Romanian-influenced Ensemble Sub Masa. We discovered the EEFC as a group, and I first attended the Mendocino workshop in 2004 as an instrumentalist and singer. I eventually went on to study music and language in Romania before founding my own band, Bucharest Drinking Team, which flourished in Seattle from 2010 to 2017. This string and brass ensemble performed music informed by folk, pop, and rock music from the Balkans and Eastern Europe. After obtaining an MFA from Seattle University in Arts Leadership, I relocated to the third coast, to Austin, Texas, where I currently serve on the planning committee for the HONK!TX Festival of Community Street Bands.
In the nonprofit sector I have also worked with HONK! Fest West in various event production capacities. I volunteered with the American Romanian Cultural Society, helping to produce the Seattle-based Romanian Film Festival. And from 2009 to 2017 I worked with the Northwest Folklife Festival, where I coordinated the “Balkan Misfits” and “HONK! Fest West” showcases.
Through the years I have been inspired by Balkan hospitality, and find any excuse to throw a party. Even if it’s a socially distanced, technically challenging party! I look forward to serving the EEFC community.
Edwards, Colorado
Term: 9/2020—
I was born in New York and grew up in Michigan. My Balkan music and dance journey started before I was born—both of my parents were and are still involved in the Balkan music and dance community. I began attending East Coast Balkan Camp in 1999. It has become such a big part of my life ever since, and because of my experiences there, I have had an enduring love for and appreciation of playing musical instruments and learning Balkan dances. Perhaps more important, growing up in such a loving and caring community has really shaped me into the person I am today.
One of the greatest experiences of being a part of this community was being a member of the East Coast Balkan camp youth band, formerly known as Čoček Nation, now known as Mlado Selo. In 2019 we had the opportunity to travel as a group called YAMMS (Young American Musicians to Macedonia and Serbia) to the Balkans and actually learn the music we listen and dance to from the musicians in their home environments.
With all of my involvement in and appreciation for this community, I am very honored to serve on the EEFC board.
Columbus, Ohio
Treasurer, Chair of Finance and Technology Committees.
Term: 10/2019 —
My path to the EEFC began with international folk dancing during my teens, soon gravitating toward Balkan music and dancing. My first full-immersion experience of Balkan camp was in 2012, and I’ve been a steady attender since.
A background in music theory and composition along with coursework in audio recording led me to work as a sound engineer for a number of years while living in the Washington, DC, area. I also do a fair amount of music transcription. More recently, I’ve taken up a number of instruments in addition to a renewed interest in singing, performing with the Balkan band Hajde, as well as several other bands in styles ranging from bluegrass to American folk and jazz. At camp, I can usually be found somewhere in the tambura and singing classes.
In my local school and dance groups, I’ve served many times as Treasurer among other organizational roles. Since 2015, I’ve been a member of the EEFC Program Committee. I look forward to helping keep this wonderful community flourishing.
Arcata, California
Secretary.
Term: 9/2017—
I attended my first Balkan Camp at the Mendocino Woodlands in 1988 and have been coming ever since.
My educational background is in linguistics and German. I played French horn from childhood to college and enjoyed playing Western European classical music. I have always been attracted and intrigued by traditional music and dance. I became a folk dancer, singer, and musician in rapid succession upon joining Salt Lake City’s Živio Ethnic Arts Ensemble, and toured Macedonia, Croatia, and Hungary in 1987 and 1989. I co-founded the Arcata, California-based international band Chubritza after a trip to Bulgaria in 1993.
Although I was a development staff member for the EEFC in the mid-1990s, this is my first term as a Board member. I look forward to using my training and experience in fundraising and nonprofit work to bring long-term financial stability to the EEFC.
I retired in 2016 from Humboldt State University’s Math and Computer Science Departments, where I was an administrative coordinator. I’m currently assembling Bulgarian bagpipes (gajdi) with the mission of getting them into the hands of those who want to learn to play.
Brooklyn, New York
Term: 1/2022 —
My first EEFC experience was east coast camp in 1997, and I’ve been coming back ever since, as a camper, teacher, and eventually also as a parent. The EEFC transformed my understanding of music and community and I’m deeply grateful for the joy, experiences, and friendship that the organization has afforded me.
I’m a musician and educator, with a masters degree in composition, playing and teaching music in the Balkan, new music, and jazz worlds. Vibraphone is my primary instrument, but that first EEFC camp revealed my enthusiasm for tapan, which became my instrument in Balkan music. I’ve had the great fortune to make music with many of the musicians in our EEFC community, and also with visiting and immigrant Balkan masters.
Music education is something I spend a lot of time thinking about, and I’ve been increasingly active in music education for incarcerated populations for over a decade. I currently co-lead Carnegie Hall’s music education program at Sing Sing Correctional Facility, and help connect the musical communities we have created both inside and outside prison.
For the past two decades I’ve led Slavic Soul Party!, a brass band that brings together American musical influences and Balkan traditions. Learning how to keep a group engaged in learning and expressing tradition and creativity, how to find funding and performance opportunities for that work, and how to create meaningful community, has been a huge part of my leadership and learning process. I hope to help make the EEFC an inspiring community for many years to come!
Oakland, California
Vice President, Program Committee Chair.
Term: 9/2018—
I was born and raised in northern New Mexico by artist/musician parents. I’ve been performing Balkan and Eastern European music since college, when I joined the Yale Women’s Slavic Chorus. I sang with the Slavic Chorus for 10 years. In 2012, I co-founded the Balkan band Orkestar BAM, which played for five years in the greater New York City area. I’m also a percussionist, having studied doumbek with Polly Tapia Ferber and Faisal Zedan; and I sing with the Bay Area’s Kitka Women’s Vocal Ensemble. When I’m not playing music, I am the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Program Director at Earthjustice. I’m delighted to be serving on the board of the EEFC!
Brooklyn, New York
President; Chair of Scholarship, Governance and Nominating Committees.
Term: 9/2018—
I am a dancer, singer, and instrumentalist who first attended camp in 2004. I was first exposed to Balkan music and dance while performing with the Duquesne University Tamburitzans for two years in college, and the experience left me curious to discover more. Upon finding Michael Ginsburg’s dance class in New York City, I was introduced to the wider EEFC community, Golden Festival, and Balkan Camp. It has been a significant part of my life ever since.
I currently play tambura and sing with Niva, an all-female Macedonian village band formed in 2010. I also sing with Accord Treble Choir, and have been a music educator in New York City independent schools since 2006. I am excited and honored to be serving on the board of EEFC.
We would like to acknowledge and thank all past Boards for their work and dedication to the EEFC.
Board members are listed by year and not necessarily by terms served, which run from September to September.
2021
Marchette DuBois
Anna Goldberg
Lea Anne Kangas
Craig Kurumada
Alex Marković
Maclovia Quintana
Corinne Sykes
Kristina Vaskys
2020
Lea Anne Kangas
Noel Kropf
Craig Kurumada
Alex Marković
Maclovia Quintana
Corinne Sykes
Barbara Uhlemann
Kristina Vaskys
2019
Lea Anne Kangas
Noel Kropf
Craig Kurumada
Alex Marković
Maclovia Quintana
Melinda Russial
Barbara Uhlemann
Kristina Vaskys
2018
Noel Kropf
Craig Kurumada
Amy Mills
Melinda Russial
Corinna Snyder
Demetri Tashie
Barbara Uhlemann
2017
Elena Erber
Noel Kropf
Amy Mills
Melinda Russial
Corinna Snyder
Demetri Tashie
Barbara Uhlemann
2016
Elena Erber
Noel Kropf
Amy Mills
Corinna Snyder
Demetri Tashie
Barbara Uhlemann
2015
Elena Erber
Jean “Biz” Hertzberg
Noel Kropf
Nancy Leeper
Amy Mills
Eva Salina Primack
Corinna Snyder
Demetri Tashie
2014
Elena Erber
Jean “Biz” Hertzberg
Nancy Leeper
Amy Mills
Ann Norton
Eva Salina Primack
Corinna Snyder
Demetri Tashie
2013
Douglas Lane Allen
Erica George
Jean “Biz” Hertzberg
Nancy Leeper
Ann Norton
Eva Salina Primack
Corinna Snyder
Demetri Tashie
2012
Douglas Lane Allen
Denys Carrillo
Erica George
Jean “Biz” Hertzberg
Nancy Leeper
Ann Norton
Eva Salina Primack
Sanna Rosengren
Corinna Snyder
Demetri Tashie
2011
Dan Auvil
Denys Carrillo
Erica George
Riccardo Heald
Brenna MacCrimmon
Ann Norton
Demetri Tashie
2010
Denys Carrillo
Erica George
Riccardo Heald
Brenna MacCrimmon
Linda Mucyn
Ann Norton
Michael Sensor
Demetri Tashie
2009
Dan Auvil
Denys Carrillo
Riccardo Heald
Brenna MacCrimmon
Linda Mucyn
Ann Norton
Michael Sensor
Demetri Tashie
2008
Dan Auvil
Denys Carrillo
Riccardo Heald
Brenna MacCrimmon
Linnea Mandell
Michael Sensor
Demetri Tashie
2007
Dan Auvil
Denys Carrillo
Emily Cohen
Matthew Fass
Gitry Heydebrand
Linnea Mandell
Michael Sensor
2006
Dan Auvil
Denys Carrillo
Matthew Fass
Emily Cohen
Gitry Hydebrand
Linnea Mandell
Michael Sensor
2005
Barbara Babin
Denys Carrillo
Emily Cohen
Matthew Fass
Gitry Hydebrand
Linnea Mandell
Jerry Summers
Michael Sensor
2004
Barbara Babin
Michelle Benoit
Emily Cohen
Matthew Fass
Gitry Hydebrand
Linnea Mandell
Janet Pollock
Martie Ripson
Randy Trigg
John Uhlemann
2003
Barbara Babin
Michelle Benoit
Belle Birchfield
Emily Cohen
Matthew Fass
Janet Pollock
Martie Ripson
Randy Trigg
John Uhlemann
2002
Barbara Babin
Michelle Benoit
Belle Birchfield
Julie Lancaster
Janet Pollock
Martie Ripson
Randy Trigg
John Uhlemann
2001
Michelle Benoit
Belle Birchfield
Laura Blumenthal
Mike Gage
Julie Lancaster
Lise Liepman
Yves Moreau
Mark Primack
Martie Ripson
Matt Smith
Randy Trigg
John Uhlemann
2000
Laura Blumenthal
Mike Gage
Melanie Goldberg
Julie Lancaster
Lise Liepman
Yves Moreau
Mark Primack
Matt Smith
1999
Laura Blumenthal
Mike Gage
Lynette Garlan
Melanie Goldberg
Julie Lancaster
Mark Primack
Yves Moreau
Matt Smith
1998
Belle Birchfield
Laura Blumenthal
Mike Gage
Lynette Garlan
Dennis Godfrey
Melanie Goldberg
George Long
Yves Moreau
Judy Newland
Matt Smith
1997
Jerry Agin
Belle Birchfield
Mike Gage
Lynette Garlan
Dennis Godfrey
Melanie Goldberg
George Long
Judy Newland
1996
Jerry Agin
Belle Birchfield
Jeanne Busch
Michael Leach
George Long
Dennis Godfrey
Lynette Garlan
Joe Mandell
Judy Newland
Christine Vida
1995
Jerry Agin
David Bilides
Belle Birchfield
Jeanne Busch
Dennis Godfrey
Michael Leach
George Long
Joe Mandell
Christine Montross
Laura Pannaman
Vlad Popovich
Steve Ramsey
Danilo Yanich
1994
David Bilides
Jeanne Busch
Michael Leach
George Long
Margaret Loomis
Rachel MacFarlane
Christine Montross
Laura Pannaman
Vlad Popovich
Steve Ramsey
Danilo Yanich
1993
David Bilides
Bill Cope
Michael Leach
Mark Levy
George Long
Margaret Loomis
Rachel MacFarlane
Miamon Miller
Christine Montross
Laura Pannaman
Steve Ramsey
Sonia Tamar Seeman
Carol Silverman
Danilo Yanich
1992
David Bilides
Bill Cope
Jerry Kisslinger
Mark Levy
Miamon Miller
Sonia Tamar Seeman
Carol Silverman
1991
David Bilides
Bill Cope
Jerry Kisslinger
Mark Levy
Miamon Miller
Sonia Tamar Seeman
Carol Silverman
We welcome your interest in participating in the East European Folklife Center. Joining the Board of Directors is a notable contribution. If you are interested in exploring other ways of helping EEFC with your expertise, time and effort please take a look at other volunteer opportunities.
The EEFC board must be comprised, according to its bylaws, of no fewer than 5 members, and no more than 11. A director’s term is nominally five years, however directors can and do step down or take leaves of absence at any time.
The skills and experiences we feel we need on our board now and in the future are, in no particular order: