President
Bryan Guffey (they/them) is an internationally recognized educator and activist in the areas of race, sexual orientation, gender identity and body size. They are the cohost of the podcasts Unsolicited: Fatties Talk Back and Technically Queer, and they serve as the CEO of Delta Lambda Phi Social Fraternity North America's oldest and largest fraternity for queer individuals. They also serve on the board of the sex, identity, and relationship advice app, okayso.
Bryan Guffey
Vice President
Nicholas Ryan Gant (he/him) is a New York-based artist and educator, from Phoenix, Arizona. Gant studied classical vocal performance at Howard University in Washington, D.C. and holds a master’s degree in Music Education from Hunter College. Gant is a worship leader at his local church in Brooklyn and his passion for youth development has led him to work as a music educator with the New York City public school system. He's been a featured vocalist on several projects internationally and has sung support vocals for recording artists such as Michael McDonald, Mariah Carey, Oleta Adams and Miri Ben-Ari, Zo! and Carmen Rodgers, Run the Jewels, and Childish Gambino. Gant is also an accomplished vocal coach for several artists and record labels.
Nicholas Ryan Gant
Secretary
Ejiro Ubiedi Morrow (she/her) has worked in the nonprofit sector in Southern California since 2006, as a grant proposal developer, volunteer coordinator, and intern supervisor. She received her Bachelor's degree in Mass Communication from Meredith College in 2004 and a Master's degree in Communication from California State University, Fullerton in 2009. She received her Grants Professional Certification (GPC) in 2019, a distinction currently held by only 13 other individuals in the state of California. Ejiro joined the Decolonizing the Music Room board in January 2020 and also serves as a board member for two additional nonprofits: Young Nonprofit Professionals Network, Los Angeles (YNPN-LA) and the Jileng Kunda Project. In her free time, Ejiro enjoys researching her family genealogy online and visiting local breweries with her husband, Kerry, and their dog Sunny.
Ejiro Ubiedi Morrow
Jess Garland (she/her) is a Dallas-based singer-songwriter, recording and performing artist. She is a multi-instrumentalist who combines harp and guitar loops to evoke her unique brand of celestial avant-garde pop with ethereal jazz tones. Jess was recently announced in the 22-23 season of the Elevator Project at the AT&T Performing Arts Center. Jess has opened for Stones Throw artist MNDSGN and Warner Music Group artist Adia Victoria. Recently, Garland was awarded the Local Legend award in Nashville, TN from Wild Turkey’s Creative Director, Matthew McConaughey for keeping music alive in Dallas. Jess is also the President and Founding Director of Swan Strings, a 501c3 nonprofit organization with a mission to provide free music education, community concerts and sound therapy services to North Texas individuals without access. She is also the Executive Director at Girls Rock Dallas, a 501c3 nonprofit dedicated to empowering girls, women, trans and gender-expansive individuals through the use of music education to promote self-esteem and confidence by providing the opportunity to learn and express their musical creativity.
In May 2021, Jess released “Harp & Sol” which is an art film and music composition focusing on environmental racism in Dallas and Black feminism. Jess co-produced the film and composed music for Their Lives Mattered: A Dialogue Honoring Stolen Lives by Dallas law enforcement. Jess has partnered with She Shreds Media and has been featured in Guitar Girl Magazine and Kyser Presents Locals and worked with guitar brands like D’Addario for funding and supplies for Swan Strings.
Jess Garland
Treasurer
Ashley Shabankareh (she/they) is a New Orleans musician, music educator, and arts administrator. Ashley received her M.M. and B.M.E. from Loyola University, New Orleans, with a concentration on conducting and brass instruments. Ashley is a certified K-12 music educator and spent her early years in New Orleans teaching PK4 through 8th grade students. They transitioned from full-time music instruction to assist in the creation of the curriculum and program guidelines for the Tulane University Music Rising Program. In addition, for 13 years, Ashley previously served as the Director of Programs for Preservation Hall Foundation, working with culture bearers and serving over 35,000 per year in programming in schools, detention centers, and community centers. In 2016, she was named a Top Female Achiever by New Orleans Magazine, a New Orleans Hero by the Times-Picayune, and a Woman of the Year by New Orleans City Business. In 2017, Ashley was named a Top Millennial in Music by the Spears Group and I Heart Media.
During the pandemic, Ashley supported the work of numerous arts and cultural organizations. With Artist Corps New Orleans, Ashley helped create the COVID-19 guidelines for music and arts education for New Orleans public schools. Ashley also worked as the Director of Learning and Development for Upbeat Academy Foundation, helping the organization move its work from in-person to a robust virtual program. Additionally, they worked as an Education Specialist for the New Orleans Jazz Museum, developing their virtual field trip program and educator resources.
Today, Ashley currently serves as the Director of Operations and Programs for the Trombone Shorty Foundation, serving Black and brown youth ages 12 - 24. Through Trombone Shorty Foundation, Ashley has developed the Music Industry Apprenticeship Program, has been running the afterschool Trombone Shorty Academy and Fredman Music Business Institute In addition to their work with Trombone Shorty Foundation, Ashley is an Adjunct Professor of Music Education and Music Therapy and Loyola University, New Orleans, an Adjunct Professor of Music Education and Low Brass at Xavier University, and an Adjunct Professor of Creative Industries at Tulane University. Ashley serves as the Board President for Folk Alliance International, Vice President for the Jazz Education Network, Chapter Governor for the Recording Academy Memphis Chapter, and Board Secretary for Second Line Arts Collective. Ashley is a proud member of the Recording Academy, Jazz Education Network, and NAfME.
Ashley is an avid performer and performs as both a trombonist and vocalist. Ashley has performed alongside notable musicians including Aretha Franklin, Allen Toussaint, Theresa Andersson, Big Sam’s Funky Nation, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, and in her own projects, Marina Orchestra, Bra’s Band Brass Band, and the Asylum Chorus.
Ashley Shabankareh
Rhiannon Giddens (she/her) is an acclaimed musician, who uses her art to excavate the past and reveal bold truths about our present. A MacArthur “Genius Grant” recipient, Giddens co-founded the Grammy Award-winning Carolina Chocolate Drops. She most recently won a Grammy Award for Best Folk Album for They're Calling Me Home, which she made with multi-instrumentalist Francesco Turrisi.
Giddens was name artistic director of Silkroad in 2020. She has served as a Carnegie Hall Perspectives curator, and received an inaugural Legacy of Americana Award from Nashville’s National Museum of African American History in partnership with the Americana Music Association. She wrote the music for an original ballet, Lucy Negro Redux, for Nashville Ballet, and the libretto and music for an original opera, Omar, based on the autobiography of the enslaved man Omar Ibn Said for the Spoleto USA Festival. As an actor, Giddens had a featured role on the television series Nashville.
Giddens’ brilliant work traces the 19th century evolution of the banjo from its West African origins and its subsequent travels among black and white communities within the U.S. and ultimately across the globe. She unmasks the little-known, painful history of black erasure in grassroots “American” music and cultures, guiding audiences to think about music in racialized terms. Her lifelong mission is to lift up people whose contributions to American musical history have previously been erased, and to work toward a more accurate understanding of the country’s musical origins.
Rhiannon Giddens
Samuel James (he/they) is a journalist, storyteller and musician. Through his work as staff writer for Black Girl in Maine Media and his long-running column Racisms for Mainer Magazine Samuel has provided political and social commentary for nearly a decade.
Samuel has toured internationally as a musician as well as a Moth Mainstage storyteller. His stories have been featured in HuffPost and The Moth Presents: All these Wonders. Samuel is also a contributor to the New York Times Bestselling How to Tell a Story: The Essential Guide to Memorable Storytelling from The Moth.
Samuel James
Jalyn Gordon (she/her) is a community builder, facilitator, strategist, coach, consultant, mother and Black millennial. Jalyn has a wide range of professional experience, from work with large organizations such as Save the Children to being a Community Outreach Liaison in Houston’s city council, and starting grassroots movements fighting gentrification’s impact on the elderly in her hometown of Fort Worth, Texas.
She is the Founder of The Afrocentric Communiversity LLC, a consulting company helping activistpreneurs align culture + activism + entrepreneurship in their work. The consulting firm offers strategic coaching, org development consulting and project management support to businesses and nonprofits across the United States. Through her professional experiences and consulting firm, she has worked with more than 100 nonprofits and businesses in Texas, helping them forward their work in a way that honors their cultural & community practices.
Jalyn has won several awards & been involved in different fellowships for her activism. She was a 2021 Mira Fellow researching Black Activists & Rest, served as a Mellon Scholar Intern at the Library Company of Philadelphia in 2015, and received the Greek Member of the Year Commitment to Community Award & Student Activist of the Year Awards in 2016 from The University of Houston and Clark Atlanta University.
She is a proud alumna of The University of Houston with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science & African American Studies and is a member of the Illustrious Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated. Jalyn has been described as a healthy blend of discipline & spirituality, helping folx reach their development goals in a way that inspires them and provides impactful momentum for their life’s work.
