Jim is a founding member of the Hornell Area Wind Ensemble that was organized in 1986 and has served an officer of this group since since its inception. Jim was first introduced to the Association of Concert Bands when the Hornell Area Wind Ensemble was invited to perform at the Association of Concert Bands national convention in April of 1990 in Rochester, New York. He joined the association as an individual member in 1993 and became a life member in 1999. He has attended every national convention since 1994 and has served on the Board of Directors since 2000. Currently Jim plays tuba in The Hornell Area Wind Ensemble, The Corning Area Community Concert Band, The Wellsville Performing Arts Orchestra, The Southern Tier Symphony and Sterling Brass. He is also a member of Windjammers Unlimited and regularly attends their summer meets. Jim is the owner of Sterling Airways, Inc., a firm he co-founded in 1973. His company operates two general aviation airports in Western New York, providing charter flights, flight instruction, and aircraft fueling and maintenance services.

Judith B. Shellenberger retired in June 2005 after serving 36 years as a band director in the Williamsport Area School District. She holds a BS degree in music education from Mansfield University with graduate work at S.U.N.Y. Potsdam, University of Michigan, Penn State University, and Lycoming College. She received the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association “Citation of Excellence” Teaching Award. She has served as clinician for PMEA and has articles published in the PMEA News, the National Band Association JOURNAL and ACB'S JOURNAL. She was elected to the National Band Association Board of Directors as an Elementary-Middle School Representative. She has served as an adjudicator for bands and orchestras in Pennsylvania and Virginia and as a middle school band consultant in Connecticut. Judy has been with with the famous Repasz Band (Est. 1831) of Williamsport, Pennsylvania, for the past 44 years playing French horn and has served as business manager since 1984. She is life member of ACB and an active member of Windjammers Unlimited, Inc. Judy served as the chairman of the ACB National Convention, which was held in Williamsport in 2006.

Don Snowden has been the music director of the Pensacola Civic Band, in Pensacola, Florida, since 1987. He has built the band from a group of 50 players to its current size of more than 80 players. In 2002, the Civic Band was selected as the recipient of the Sudler Silver Scroll Award, presented by the John Philip Sousa Foundation. The Civic Band was chosen to perform at three national conventions of the Association of Concert Bands, hosted the convention in 2001 and will host again in 2007. In 2001, he was elected to serve on the Board of Directors of the Association of Concert Bands. He served as president of the Association of Concert Bands in 2007 and 2008

Appointed Officers

Nada is a flute and piccolo player from Independence, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland. She plays with the Lakeland Civic Band (a Sudler Silver Scroll award winner), and is also an accompanist at Lakeland Community College and Independence Middle School. Another part-time job, a musical or two a year, and private students help fill in her schedule. She has served on the Board of the Windjammers Unlimited - a circus music historical society. She is the mother of two grown daughters. Nada is a life member and former board member of ACB and became the ACB secretary in 1996. In 1997 she was awarded the ACB's Leland A. Lillehaug President's Award. She truly enjoys talking with and meeting community band people from around the country.

Howard Habenicht currently resides in Bloomingdale, Illinois, and is a member of the Naperville Municipal Band. Howard has served the organization as its treasurer, a post held for the 12 years. He was a founding member of the West Suburban Concert Band in LaGrange, Illinois and served that organization on several different occasions as president, treasurer, and director. Howard has also been a member of Windjammers Unlimited since 1986 and currently serves on its board of directors. He is presently treasurer of the Association of Concert Bands, Inc. and has served in that capacity since 1996. Howard recently retired from Vibro/Dynamics Corporation, a firm that manufactures industrial machinery mounts and mounting systems, where he was president and chief financial officer. He has been a CPA since 1967 and was associated with a large international CPA firm from 1961 to 1980.

Deirdre Nalven is a 9-year member of ACB, a clarinetist, and an active 25-year member of the Denver Concert Band. She has served ACB as a member of its Board of Directors for the past four years and has attended all conventions since 1996. She has also represented ACB at the Midwest Clinic for the last 5 years. For the last 5 years, she has served as Regional Membership Chair for Colorado and three other states. Other ACB contributions are the Tribute and Memorial Gifts Program; Travel Company Selection Committee member and Membership Benefits Chair. She earned a BA degree from the University of Wisconsin and is a former teacher as well as a 23-year employee in the oil and gas industry. Her goal remains to promote and foster the community band movement in the United States and throughout the world.

Historian Del Eisch is a past president of ACB (1987-88). He served as membership chairman for five years and also two terms on the Board of Directors. Del is eminently qualified to serve as historian. He is the only person to have attended all conventions to date. He has kept a log on all music performed at the conventions as well as all clinic sessions and clinicians. He is the former conductor of the Racine (WI) Municipal Band which performed at ACB conventions in 1981, 1984 and 1993. The band is also a Sudler Scroll recipient.

Nancy has been a life member of ACB since 1997 and a Board Member since 2004. Nancy has over thirty years experience leading business and information technology projects for EDS (Electronic Data Systems) and retired from Hewlett-Packard in 2007. Nancy plays flute and piccolo for the love of making music. She has played in the Plano Community Band in Plano, Texas, for 19 years and often plays in other musical groups such as the New Life Symphony Orchestra, the McKinney Community Band, and flute ensembles in the Dallas area. She is very active in the Plano Community Band and has served on the band board for 15 years, recently chairing the ACB 2010 Convention. In April 2010, Nancy accepted the position of Publications Coordinator for the ACB and is now the editor of the ACB Journal.

Mike is a retired divisional computer systems manager, having retired in 2001 from the Engine Division of Navistar International Corp. He played in the Sudler Scroll Winning Naperville (IL) Municipal Band for 18 years before moving to Ohio. He has been a member of Windjammers Unlimited, a Circus Music Historical Society since 1987 and was secretary/treasurer of that organization from 1993 - 2007 and continues as Secretary. He has been a member of the ACB since 1991 and has served two terms on the Board of Directors. He is two time recipient of the ACB Leland Lillehaug President's award being so honored in 2001 and 2007.  He also serves the ACB as chief information officer and webmaster. Mike is not a band director but a low brass musician and plays cornet, euphonium, trombone and tuba. Personal highlights include playing with the Allentown (PA) Band on two of their European tours, The West Suburban (Chicago) Symphony, The Sicilian Band of Chicago and he is a member of Lakeland Civic Band of Kirtland Ohio, The Brecksville/Broadview Hghts (OH) Band,

Board of Directors

Ron loves playing the tuba. After a 35-year hiatus from music, he unpacked his  trumpet and joined a small  community band, but within a few months he descended to the low brass. After a year of playing in 2 community bands, Ron went in search of adult band camps and found a New Horizons camp at Interlochen which opened the door to the world of music making outside of his remote northern New York community. Soon after, one of his band directors introduced Ron to ACB, which was about to hold its 2008 convention in Corning.  The thrill of that 4 days with so many like-minded souls set the hook hard and fast. It became clear there was no turning back.

Ron retired from a career as a civil/structural engineer in private practice in Canton, NY to make room for more music. He currently plays in wind ensembles at SUNY Potsdam’s Crane School of Music and Saint Lawrence University, and for 2 years was tubist with a local brass quintet. For the past year, Ron has also been a member of a handbell choir, satisfying the urge to play more than one note at a time. Ron has recently turned some of his energies for personal music-making into a campaign to get other adults into music, and in September 2009, he founded the New Horizons Band of Northern New York in Potsdam, with nearly 30 senior adults turning out for the first rehearsal, some of whom have never played music before. Ron has also appeared as guest conductor for the Orchestra of Northern New York, a regional professional orchestra. When not making music, Ron keeps busy with duties as a trustee for our community hospital, tending the garden, attending classes with our adult continuing education program and enjoying the open skies as a newly-minted private pilot.  Ron lives in Potsdam, New York with his wife, cat and an ever-burgeoning tuba collection.

Arthur B. Himmelberger received the “Legion of Merit” medal in 2002 for 26 years of meritorious service as a U.S. Army bandsman. He was a member of the U.S. Army Field Band, Washington, DC; the U.S. Military Academy Band, West Point, NY and was attached to the Berlin Brigade Band in Germany during celebratory ceremonies after the fall of the Berlin Wall. He holds a BM degree from the Univ. of Michigan and both a M.Ed. degree and Ed. Admin. Certificate from Temple University. Art is currently Chair of the Music Dept. and Director of Bands at Marist College, Poughkeepsie, NY. As a young man he conducted school bands. His Governor Mifflin High School Band of Shillington, PA performed in the 1980 Orange Bowl Parade, was the “Official Representative” from the State of Pennsylvania at the Knoxville World’s Fair and it received superior ratings (performing Grade 6 literature) at PMEA large ensemble festivals. Art’s Community Band experiences began in 1956 when, at the age of six, he joined the Keystone Band of Rehrersburg, PA. He has been active with Community Bands over these past 50 years and currently performs with the famous “Allentown Band.” Art is sought after as a performer, guest conductor and clinician -- most notable, he presented clinics at the CBDNA Eastern Region Conference, The Midwest Clinic, The Great American Brass Band Conference and the 2006 ACB National Convention. He is also Curator of the renowned -- “Robert Hoe Foundation Music Library.”

Tommy began his teaching career as a band director in Mississippi, moving on to Louisiana in 1966.  His bands were sweepstakes winners at district and state levels.  In 1968 he was awarded the Pacesetter Award by the City of Monroe for outstanding leadership in education.  During these years he continued playing professionally as a pianist.  In 1970 he became assistant band director at JJ Pearce High School in Richardson, TX.  He became the director in 1973.  The Pearce band was the TMEA runner-up Honor Band in 1974. The band was selected as the “Presidential Honor Band” for President Ford’s 1976 appearance in Dallas.  In 1977 Tommy began a successful 20 year career as a professional school fund raiser.  He worked with Brook Mays Music in Dallas as a music education specialist from 1997 until retirement in 2005, continuing as a clinician and adjudicator in Texas and Louisiana. He was selected as Conductor and Musical Director of the Plano Community Band in January 2001.  During his tenure the band has grown to 80 members and has increased its performance schedule.  They performed at the ACB national conventions in 2004 and 2007, and will host the ACB convention in 2010.  Tommy resides in Richardson with his wife, oboist Denise.  He holds both Bachelor and Master of Music from Northeast Louisiana University.  He is a member of Texas Bandmasters Association, Texas Music Educators Association, Association of Concert Bands, Phi Beta Mu, and Phi Mu Alpha.

Geoff is a past ACB Board Member and a Life Member of the Association of Concert Bands. He is a Licensed Real Estate Broker and Instructor from Gainesville, Florida and has been President of his own company Spiegel Inc., Realtors for the last 25 years. He is a Past President of the Gainesville Community Band and was on the committees that produced the ACB Conventions in 1995 and 2003 in Gainesville. He also attended the 2007 Convention in Pensacola Beach. In addition to his Real Estate career, Geoff is an active musician playing alto, tenor, and bass trombone and has played with the Gainesville Symphony, the Gainesville Philharmonic, the Central Florida Symphony, and the Central Florida Festival Orchestra. He is a founding member of Gainesville Pops! and a member of the FMEA clinic Jazz Ensemble. He is also a clinician teaching marching band techniques as well as a brass clinician throughout the North Central Florida region. He was a member of the All-American College Band at Walt Disney World, Florida, and the Assistant Director of the Marching Band at the University of Central Florida, Orlando. Geoff is an advisor for the Florida Alpha Chapter of Phi Delta Theta and the Eta Omega Chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. He has served on many Volunteer Civic Boards in the Gainesville area and is listed in "Who's Who in Executives and Professionals". In addition Geoff is an ordained Elder and Trustee at the First Presbyterian Church of Gainesville