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Board of Directors
Mark Williamson, Chair
Frances Levine, Vice-President
Phil Williamson, Treasurer
Ben Harris, Secretary
Steve Brown
Robbin Rahman
Jerry McEver
Bob Scarr
Dr. Brent Runnels, Executive and Artistic Director
Charles Little, General Manager
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About our Board of Directors
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Mark Williamson
Chairman
Mark Williamson is a partner and chair of Alston & Bird's Wealth Planning Group. He
is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel and practices in the areas of
estate planning and federal taxation.
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He practiced with the Milwaukee law firm of Foley & Lardner before joining Alston & Bird and
has been an adjunct professor of law at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, as well as Georgia
State University. Mr. Williamson was on the faculties of the 1997 and 1999 Estate Planning Institutes
in Athens, Georgia, and the 1997 and 2000 Fiduciary Law Institutes in St. Simons, Georgia. He
received the Estates and Trusts Magazine 1997 "Best Young Author Award" for a series
of articles he co-authored with Professor Jeffrey Pennell of Emory University, and is listed in Super
Lawyers magazine. From 1984-1988 he performed as a member of the United States Air Force Band in
Washington, D.C.
Mr. Williamson received his B.M., cum laude, in music from Louisiana State University in 1981 and his M.M. in music from
the University of North Texas in 1983. He also studied at the doctorate level at Louisiana State University and the
Catholic University of America. He received his J.D. in 1991 from the Florida State University College of Law, where
he graduated with highest honors, was made a member of the Order of the Coif, and served as executive editor of the Law
Review.
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Phil Williamson, CPA
Treasurer
Phil Williamson is a Tax Director for Mirant Corporation with over 27 years experience in accounting
and tax in the electric utility industry. His specialties include mergers and acquisitions with
experience in both international and domestic operations. |
He has been an expert witness in several cases involving tax and accounting issues before various public
service commissions, federal courts and state courts. Mr. Williamson is also on the Board of Directors
for Mirant International Investments and has served on various other boards including Mirant Asia Pacific
Ventures Inc., Mirant Asia Pacific Holdings Inc., and Mirant Netherlands Inc. He is a Certified Public
Accountant in the State of Georgia.
Phil Williamson has a great love for the music and arts. He volunteers each week as an amateur
musician in his church’s orchestra. One of his greatest enjoyments is playing trumpet with
the talented musicians that are brought in to supplement the volunteers. Many of these musicians
are part of Jazz Orchestra Atlanta.
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Ben Harris
Secretary
Ben Harris is a Senior Investment Advisor with Wilmington Trust. He has over two decades of experience managing
equity and fixed income portfolios on behalf of pension plans, endowment funds,
foundations and individual clients. |
His investment career began in 1988 with SunTrust Banks in Atlanta, Georgia as a Portfolio Manager in the Personal Asset Management Department where he served as an investment advisor for fiduciary relationships. Prior to that, he was a structural engineer with an Atlanta firm.
A native of Knoxville, Tennessee, Mr. Harris received his BS in Engineering from the University of Tennessee. He earned an MBA from the Georgia State University J. Mack Robinson College of Business with a concentration in Finance. He is a member of the CFA Society of Atlanta and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation from the CFA® Institute.
Mr. Harris is actively involved with Junior Achievement of Atlanta. He is also a past Co-Chair of the American Heart Association's Fulton County annual fundraising campaign.
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Steve Brown
Steve Brown is a project management consultant with over 28 years of technology product development
experience with roles in engineering management, business development and product management, and in
project management. Companies include Philips Consumer Electronics Corp., GEC-Marconi Avionics,
Avionic Displays Corp., Universal Avionics, EG Technology and InterContinental Hotels Group, plc. |
Steve has BA and MS degrees from DePauw University and the Georgia Institute of Technology, and is a
certified project management professional by the Project Management Institute. His non-industrial interests
include aviation and music. He is a commercial pilot with instrument and glider ratings and is active with
Southern Eagles Soaring, Inc. as club president and towpilot, and with the Yellow Jacket Flying Club. Steve
first joined the American Federation of Musicians as a bassist while in high school and has appeared with
Mary Lou and the MGs, Nick Craig and the Sentimental Journey, the John Sox Jazz Quartet, Bill and Susan Hayes
from Days of our Lives and the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra during the World’s Fair season. He is active as
a volunteer church musician participating in choral music, piano accompaniment, and the Parson’s Pickers
bluegrass ministry of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church on Peachtree Street.
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Robbin Rahman
Robbin Rahman's practice focuses on corporate bankruptcy, financial restructuring, and other insolvency-related matters both in litigation and transactional contexts. He has played significant roles in representations of debtors, secured creditors, statutorily appointed creditor committees, recipients of avoidable transfers, debtor "insiders," nondebtor plan proponents, and potential purchasers of bankruptcy assets.
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He has been extensively involved in Jones Day's representation of the debtors in the chapter 11 proceedings of Black Diamond Mining Company, Borden Chemicals and Plastics, Burlington Industries, Chrysler, Dana, FLYi, and World Kitchen as debtors' counsel. In addition, he has been extensively involved in the Firm's representation of Qimonda North America as counsel to the creditors' committee.
Robbin was named a "Rising Star" for 2005 by Atlanta magazine. He is a member of the State Bar of Georgia and the Atlanta Bar Association.
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Jerry McEver
Jerry McEver is an instrumental recruiting specialist in the Metro Atlanta Public
and Private schools. In the last twenty years Mr. McEver has introduced more than
20,000 young people to the instruments of the Band and Orchestra throughout the
Southeast. With his expertise in this area Mr. McEver has assisted music educators
in the recruiting and instrument selection process for their students as well as
providing instruments and supplies as an Educational Representative for Draisen
Edwards Music.
Jerry McEver received his BA in Tuba performance from Jacksonville State University
studying with Joel Zimmerman, Bayne Dobbins and Dr. Dave Walters. After earning his
degree at Jacksonville State he continued his studies, serving as Graduate Teaching
Assistant to the esteemed Dr. Randal Faust at Auburn University, performing in the
Faculty Brass Quintet, teaching Applied Music and Music Appreciation. As a performer
Jerry started his professional career at age 16 as an extra with the Atlanta Symphony
Orchestra under the baton of the legendary Robert Shaw and touring with the ASO to
Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center. Since that time he has performed with many of the
finest ensembles in the southeast, backing up the likes of Joni Mitchell, Moody Blues,
Brian Wilson and Joe Gransden. He recently participated in a CD recording with
Il Brasso Magnifico at Spivey Hall. Currently Mr. McEver is active as
a freelance musician and as a member of the national champion Georgia Brass Band.
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Bob Scarr
Bob Scarr was born and raised in Marietta, GA. In the sixth grade, he
joined the band and started playing the trombone. After some success
he decided to major in music. Bob was offered a scholarship at Georgia
State University in 1972 where he began his musical studies with Harry
Maddox and Bill Hill. He attended Brevard Music Camp in 1974 where he
studied with Gail Wilson. Later that year he moved to Washington,
D.C. to continue trombone studies with John Marcellus at Catholic
University. |
He moved back to Atlanta in 1975 and began free-lance work in various
groups in different venues while teaching privately. Among the
highlights: playing as an extra for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and
occupying the 2nd trombone chair in the Atlanta Lyric Opera (William
Noll conductor). In 1976, Bob held the 2nd trombone chair with the
Chattanooga Symphony through the 1978 season. Shortly after this, Bob
began his career with Delta Air Lines while simultaneously working as
a freelance musician and teaching privately.
Bob is a current and founding member of the Les Still "Still Swinging"
Big Band. This band has performed for audiences throughout the state
since 1997. In 2003, Bob chaired a search committee to hire a choir
director for the 2nd largest Presbyterian Church in Georgia. In 2009,
Bob formed the North Georgia Brass Quintet to play for weddings and
other venues. Currently he serves on the Board for the Cobb Symphony
Orchestra and its affiliates, the CSO Jazz, the Cobb Youth Orchestra
and Chorus and the Georgia Center for the Arts.
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Brent Runnels
Executive and Artistic Director
Brent Runnels has fashioned a broad and diverse musical
career as a performer, arts administrator and advocate,
educator and musical entrepreneur.
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As a pianist Brent Runnels has won critical acclaim for his
performances in the US, Europe, Australia and Russia as an
orchestral and recital soloist, chamber musician, and jazz
pianist. He is the top-award winner of the New Orleans International
Piano Competition and the Jacksonville Classical Piano Competition.
Mr. Runnels has appeared as a soloist with such orchestras
as the Atlanta Symphony, Prague Radio Symphony, Milwaukee
Symphony, Kosice State Philharmonic, Ural Academic Philharmonic,
Slovak Sinfonietta of Zilina, Florida Orchestra, Florida Symphony,
Dubuque Symphony, Orlando Philharmonic, Mansfield Symphony,
Brevard Symphony and the Gwinnett Philharmonic. He has given
recitals in London, Prague, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles,
Sydney and Atlanta.
Chamber music and jazz performance are a significant part
of his performance career. He is the founder and pianist of
The Inman Piano Trio, an ensemble represented by Philip Truckenbrod
Concert Artists (www.concertartists.com).
With violinist Beth Newdome and cellist David Bjella, the
Inman Piano Trio is known for performances of the masterpieces
of the trio repertoire as well as unusual and rarely heard
chamber works. Brent Runnels has performed extensively as
a jazz pianist and has appeared with such jazz artists as
Jon Faddis, Clark Terry, Gene Bertoncini, Lou Soloff, Laurie
Holloway and Warren Covington. In 1993 and 1994 he toured
central Europe with John Whitney as the Runnels/Whitney Jazz
Piano Duo.
Brent Runnels maintains a strong commitment to arts education
and support for the performing arts. From 1993-1999 he was
founder and Artistic Director of the Orlando Jazz Festival.
He has been a frequent guest at the South Bohemia Music Festival
in the Czech Republic and has given masterclasses for the
European Piano Teacher's Association in Prague, Brno and as
guest artist at the Urals Summer International Academy of
Arts in Novouralsk, Russia. Mr. Runnels has taught on the
music faculties of Rollins College, Concordia College, the
Manhattan School of Music and Georgia State University. Brent Runnels is currently on the music faculty of Oglethorpe University in Atlanta.
Brent Runnels trained with Constance Keene and
John Browning as a scholarship student at the Manhattan School
of Music in New York. There he earned a Doctor of Musical
Arts degree as well as the school's highest graduate honor,
the Harold Bauer Award. A native of Rockville, Maryland, he
is a member of the international roster of Steinway Artists.
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Charles Little
General Manager
Charles Little is in his fifteenth year of association with Jazz
Orchestra Atlanta. In addition to managing the business affairs
of Jazz Orchestra Atlanta, Mr. Little also serves as Director of
Ticket Sales, Program Editor and Annotator, and Stage Manager.
Charles Little holds a Bachelor of Music degree in French
Horn from Kent State University and a Master of Music in Musicology
from Georgia State University. Mr. Little is widely recognized
as a brass teacher in the Atlanta area. As well as maintaining
his own teaching studio, Mr. Little has taught at Columbus
College, the Neighborhood Music Schools of Georgia State University,
the Georgia Academy of Music, the Peggy Still School of Music,
and Elephant Notes. Mr. Little is also in demand as a brass
clinician in the Atlanta area schools.
As a performer, Charles Little has been a member of the Youngstown
Symphony, the Atlanta Woodwind Quintet, the Southwind Brass
Quintet, the Atlanta Chamber Orchestra, the Georgia Sinfonia,
the Atlanta Ballet Orchestra and the Atlanta Lyric Theatre
Orchestra. He has also performed with the Atlanta Opera, the
Augusta Opera, Theatre of the Stars, the Atlanta Pops Orchestra
and as an extra with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Little
has done free-lance work for such renowned artists as Henry
Mancini, Chuck Mangione, Doc Severinsen, Linda Ronstadt, Nelson
Riddle, Ray Charles, the Moody Blues, Tony Bennett and Marvin
Hamlisch, and has recorded in studios in Atlanta and Greenville,
South Carolina.
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