Board of Directors

Ed Beaudette
Past Brightmusic board president Ed Beaudette is a retired ExxonMobil Engineering Manager.   He is an active supporter and leader of a variety of non-profit cultural and civic organizations including United Way, Shawnee Area Chamber of Commerce, Shawnee Youth and Family Resources, American Red Cross, National Railway Historical Society, Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art, Chamber Music in Oklahoma. Ed also served twenty years as an elected School Board member and president.  Vietnam-Era Veteran - Captain, U S Army Corps of Engineers,  BS Physics - Norwich University, MS Engineering - Boston University

Steve Blevins
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Section of General Internal Medicine, University of Oklahoma; Staff Physician, General Clinical Research Center; Bachelor of Science degree from Yale; Doctor of Medicine degree from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston; on medical faculty at the University of Oklahoma for 14 years. Memberships:  American College of Physicians, Civic Music Association of Oklahoma City, Chamber Music in Oklahoma 

Ann Bonsteel, treasurer
Currently the Financial Administrator for St. Paul's Cathedral in Oklahoma City; spent 20 years in the Investment Banking and the Mutual Fund industries in both Oklahoma City and Little Rock, Arkansas; attended Oklahoma State University majoring in Radio, TV and Film; volunteers as the Altar Guild Director at St. Paul's Cathedral and is a member of Impact Oklahoma; served as the PTO President and Treasurer for Northern Hills Elementary in Edmond Oklahoma. Married to Chuck and is the mother of two very active boys, Jake and Sam

Chad Burrow, co-artistic  director
Co-Artistic Director of Brightmusic; assistant professor of Clarinet, University of Michigan; faculty member of the Alpen Kammermusik Festival (Liesing, Austria); Quartz Mountain Music Festival Orchestra, and the Camerata Pangae; member of Duo Clarion along with his wife, pianist Amy Cheng; Bachelor of Music from Northwestern University (Evanston, IL), where he studied with Russell Dagon; Master of Music degree from Yale University, where he studied with David Shifrin. See complete bio here.

Amy I-Lin Cheng, co-artistic director
Co-Artistic Director of Brightmusic; concert pianist, avid chamber musician and international educator; has performed in venues ranging from Carnegie Hall to the National Recital Hall of Taiwan; graduate of Curtis Institute of Music (BM) and Yale University School of Music (MM and Artist Diploma); currently a candidate for her Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the New England Conservatory. See complete bio here.

Grant J. DeFehr, secretary
Grant is a corporate development officer for Everest Management, an affiliate of Wexford Capital LLC of Greenwich, Connecticut.   He is also an owner of the new Oklahoma City-Bricktown restaurant, Bolero, a tapas bar and Spanish grill.  From December 2006 until November 2009, he was the Chief Operating Officer of Diamondback Energy Services LLC.  From March 2006 to November 2006, Mr. DeFehr served as Chief Operating Officer of Great White Energy Services, an energy service company recently formed by Wexford Capital.  He served as Vice President of Acquisitions of Services LLC from May 2005 to March 2006.  From March 2005 to March 2006, Mr. DeFehr was employed by Gulfport Energy Corporation, a NASDAQ Global Select Market listed independent oil and natural gas exploration and production company, where he was responsible for corporate development and acquisitions.  He served as Political Director for Oklahoma Families for Jobs & Justice from April 2001 to September 2001; Director of Redistricting and Cabinet Liaison and Policy Specialist for Oklahoma Governor Frank Keating from March 2001 to July 2001; and Director of Business Development for My eCommunity, a start-up Internet company specializing in the research, design and marketing of political portals, from January 2000 to October 2000.  Mr. DeFehr received a Juris Doctor degree from Georgetown University Law Center in 2005 (where he was elected to Order of the Coif); a Masters degree in Public Administration from Harvard University in 2005; and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Government and Foreign Affairs from the University of Virginia in 1999 (where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and was a member of the varsity tennis team).  He is 32 years old and resides in Edmond, Oklahoma.

Rebecca (Becky) Duckworth
Specialty Insurance Manager, Chubb Group of Insurance Companies, Tulsa, OK. Chartered Property/Casualty Underwriter Designation; member of national and Central Oklahoma Chapter of CPCU Society; Insurance Women’s Club of OKC; BA in International Economics and Business and Spanish, Westminster College, New Wilmington, PA

Bill Duckworth
Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Wilcox, Jones & McGrath, an Oklahoma-based insurance organization with headquarters in Oklahoma City; active in the insurance industry for 25 years, with a variety of key leadership roles on both the insurance company and agency sides of the business; involved in several community arts organizations, including Allied Arts, Oklahoma City Museum of Art, City Arts Center and Oklahoma City Philharmonic; holds several professional designations, Bill is a graduate of Rhodes College in Memphis and holds a graduate degree from the University of Pittsburgh; member of several management and insurance organizations and is a passionate advocate of Stephen R. Covey’s Seven Habits approach to leadership.

David Grizzard
David Grizzard is associate Creative Director for Relevant Products, an Oklahoma City-based giftware and product design company.  A graduate of Oklahoma Christian University, he began his career as a graphic designer and copywriter for Walker Creative, then worked almost 10 years as art director and product manager for United Design Corporation.  In 1999, he joined Jordan Associates as art director.  He volunteers for several local arts organizations, including The Girlie Show and Individual Artists of Oklahoma (IAO), and has been a past vice president of the Oklahoma Graphic Communication Society.

Lisa Harvey-Reed is the principal oboist of the Oklahoma City Philharmonic as well as longtime principal oboist of the Lawton Philharmonic.  She is the oboist in the Brightmusic Chamber Ensemble.  She has been Instructor of Oboe at Oklahoma City University's Wanda L. Bass School of Music for over twenty years and maintains a private oboe studio.  Statewide, she has performed with the Enid Symphony and Tulsa Symphony.  Summer festival performances include the Duncan Music Festival, Sommerfest in her native Minnesota, the New Hampshire Music Festival and the Festival of Two Worlds in Charleston, SC and Spoleto, Italy.  She has previously taught at the MacPhail Center for the Arts, a satellite school for the University of Minnesota.  Ms. Harvey-Reed earned a Bachelor of Music in Oboe Performance from Indiana University and completed a Master's of Music in Oboe Performance from the University of Oklahoma.  Carl Holub, formerly of the Minnesota Orchestra, the late Jerry Sirucek of Indiana University and the late John Mack of the Cleveland Orchestra are her greatest musical influences.

David R. Johnson, vice-president
Retired former partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP (1987-2003); former partner in the Houston, Texas and Washington, D.C. offices of Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P. (1971-72 and 1974-87); attorney in the Office of the General Counsel, Department of the Air Force (1972-74). In Oklahoma City: a member of the American Guild of Organists and the Petroleum Club of Oklahoma City. In Washington, D.C.: a member of the D.C Bar, the bars of various federal courts, and the Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland. Graduate of College High School, Bartlesville Oklahoma (1964); Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana (1968); and the University of Virginia School of Law, Charlottesville, Virginia (1971). Additional graduate work in the College of Charleston Department of English, Charleston, South Carolina (2004-05). Piano student of the late Martha M. Boucher, Bartlesville, Oklahoma.

Ed Knight
Edward Knight is Director of Composition and Composer-in-Residence at Oklahoma City University; BME from Eastern Michigan University, MM and DMA from University of Texas at Austin, with postgraduate study at London’s Royal College of Music; studied privately with John Corigliano and was the first American to win the Sir Arthur Bliss Memorial Award for outstanding composer at RCM; music performed by Marquita Lister, Paul Neubauer, and the New York Philharmonic in venues ranging from the Hollywood Bowl to Carnegie Hall; ASCAP’s Nissim Award for Best New Orchestral Work; Best Song Cycle from the American Art Song Competition; fellow at Yaddo, MacDowell, Ucross, Copland House, and Djerassi; published exclusively by Subito Music; recordings are available from Albany Records, ERMMedia, and Capstone Records.

Eric Laity
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Professor of Law, Oklahoma City University School of Law; educated at Harvard; practiced law in Dallas and Houston before joining the faculty at Oklahoma City University School of Law. Professional memberships:  International Fiscal Association, American Society for International Law, American Law and Economics Association, Canadian Law and Economics Association. 

James H. McPhee
Senior Staff Analyst, Midstream & Marketing Division - Devon Energy Corp.; BA University of Michigan; member: Gas Processor's Association; National Energy Services Association; Houston Energy Association. Volunteer: United Way of Oklahoma Allocations Committee, Mark Twain Elementary School Tutoring Program; Carpenter Square Theater.

The Rev. Canon Margôt L. Nesbitt
Clergy, St. Paul's Cathedral; M.A. in Art and PhD in Medieval History from OU; OU Arts Alliance; Oklahoma City Museum of Art; Connoisseur Club.

Andrew B. Peterson
Andy Peterson is an Associate at the law firm of McAfee & Taft, Oklahoma City's largest law firm. He received undergraduate degrees in biochemistry and Spanish from the University of Oklahoma in 2001 and graduated summa cum laude from the University of Oklahoma College of Law in 2006. As a law student, he was a member of Oklahoma Law Review, the National Trial Competition Team and the recipient of numerous honors, including the Nathan Scarritt Prize for the highest academic standing in his class, Welcome D. Pierson Award, S. T. Bledsoe Memorial Prize, Comfort Scholarship, and 13 American Jurisprudence Awards. Following his undergraduate studies and before entering the legal profession, Andy taught introductory Spanish at the University of Oklahoma and served as the director for the University of Oklahoma Modern Languages Learning Center.

Scott Raab
Choral Director and Organist at St. Paul’s Cathedral since 1978; Bachelor of Music degree in Organ Performance from University of Houston; Master of Music degree in Organ Performance from University of Michigan; Chair of the Diocesan Music Commission; former Dean of the Oklahoma City Chapter of the American Guild of Organists; member, Association of Anglican Musicians. Appointed Canon Musician for St. Paul’s Cathedral in 2002 by Bishop Moody who awarded him the Distinguished Ministry pin.

Jonathan Ruck
Assistant professor of cello at University of Oklahoma Music School; former teaching assistant to Distinguished Professor Janos Starker at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music; held positions at DePauw University and Hampden-Sydney College, and served as guest-teacher at the University of Illinois. Performs with the Holmberg Quartet, Oklahoma City’s Brightmusic Chamber Ensemble, and serves as principal cellist of the Oklahoma City Philharmonic; currently completing doctorate studies at Indiana University. See complete bio here.

Kip Welch
Kip Welch is the Director of Recruitment at Chesapeake Energy.  He has worked in the recruitment industry for over 20 years for companies including Starbucks Coffee and Cingular Wireless.  Kip grew up in Arkansas where he studied piano from early childhood through college.  He was also a member of a men’s chorus that performed in venues including Carnegie Hall.  Kip attended Hendrix College and has lived and worked in Dallas, San Francisco and is now very proud to call Oklahoma City his home.  In addition to joining Brightmusic, Kip also serves on the Board of Directors for the OKC Philharmonic.

John S. Williams, president
BBA from University of Oklahoma; graduate of Institute of Advanced Advertising Studies, Northwestern University, Evanston; retired advertising executive, New York City and Los Angeles; principal in relationship marketing agency, Los Angeles; formerly listed in Who’s Who in American Business. Past board member, Tulsa Opera; currently serves as chairman, AIDS Commission, Episcopal Diocese of Oklahoma

Past Directors:

Matthew Dane
Christina Jennings
Jeffery R. Thyer

Web Master:

Jeffery R. Thyer