MusicWorks Distinguished Board of Directors

Tom Leever, Chair and Treasurer

Tom Leever is retired as Vice President of MacDermid Inc., a manufacturer of chemical and equipment products used in printed circuit boards and to electroplate metals and plastics. He previously owned and managed a small equipment manufacturing company used in the electroplating industry. He has extensive domestic and international experience in selling, installing, servicing, and procuring capital equipment.

He has served as Board Chairman of the Vermont Human Resources Investment Council, and as a Board member of the Springfield Regional Development Corporation, the Springfield Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, the Southern Windsor County Incubator, the River Valley Technical Center School District, the Howard Dean Education Center, and Meals on Wheels of Greater Springfield, VT.

Tom is presently a donor to MusicWorks Asheville.

Julie Leever, Secretary

Julie Leever has taught in elementary through high school public school string programs. She also is a Certified Suzuki Instructor from the MacPhail Center for Music. She holds Bachelor degrees in Music,  Education, and Fine Arts from the University of Minnesota. As a performer, she has played as a sectional violinist in professional orchestras and spent many years in professional chamber music groups.  Now retired, most of her career was spent working for hospitals in Marketing, Public Relations, and Fund Raising.

Julie Leever is currently a donor, substitute teacher, and volunteer for MusicWorks Asheville.

Tara Scholtz, Member

Tara Scholtz is a Senior Program Officer at The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina, where she oversees its Natural & Cultural Resources Focus Area and other grant programs. She is from Western North Carolina and began studying piano at the age of 5, transitioning to Classical piano a few years later.

Barbra Love, Member

Barbra moved to Asheville with her husband, Keith, and two daughters in 1996. She was born and raised in Huntsville, Alabama and attended the University of Alabama, where she earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Management. Much of her young adult years were spent in Atlanta where she worked in Development for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and played French Horn in several community orchestras and chamber groups. Her volunteer service in Asheville has centered on education, mental health, children’s welfare, and homelessness, with organizations such as the United Way, The YMCA, Carolina Day School, Homeward Bound, Mission Foundation, Partnership for Pastoral Counseling, and First Presbyterian Church. Barbra loves all kinds of music, gardening, cooking, and travel.

Barbra is a regular volunteer at MusicWorks Asheville.

Sandra Travis, Member

Sandra Travis is a Program and Operations Manager with the City of Asheville in the Parks and Recreation Department. She feels strongly that youth should have the opportunity to participate in music and arts programming regardless of socioeconomic status. She hopes to increase those possibilities through an alliance between the City and MusicWorks Asheville.

Daniel Crupi, Member

Daniel Crupi has served as the Executive Director of the Asheville Symphony since July of 2021. Prior to the ASO, Daniel served as the Executive Director of The Santa Fe Symphony Orchestra & Chorus in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Chief Operating Officer of the Greensboro Symphony in Greensboro, North Carolina. Daniel’s priorities center around equity and inclusion, emphasis on partnership and collaboration, creative performance outlets, and crafting cultural relevance for the Symphony.

Daniel holds degrees from the University of Notre Dame and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. In addition to his involvement with MusicWorks Asheville, he is active with the Rotary Club of Asheville, Young Professionals of Asheville, and UNC-Asheville. Daniel lives in Black Mountain with his wife, Caroline, and their neurotic but lovable puppy, Finley.

Chad upton, Member

Chad Upton is the principal of Leicester Elementary School and has been on the board since MusicWorks made Leicester home in the summer of 2021. He sees MusicWorks as an opportunity to give the students of Leicester Elementary a unique experience not found elsewhere and is proud to host the program.

jenni smith, Member

Jenni Smith is the proud parent of a MusicWorks student and has been on the board since winter 2021. In addition to her service on the MusicWorks board, she works as a registered dietitian for Buncombe County and is an active member of the Leicester Elementary Parent Teacher Organization (PTO).