Exciting news from the Arizona Academy of the Performing Arts (AAPA \/ The Academy)! At the recent annual meeting, members elected a new slate of officers to guide AAPA into its next chapter \u2014 including our new Board President, Matt Chamberlin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Newly elected officers:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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- Matt Chamberlin, MBA, President \u2014 Strategy Director from Orlando, FL. Matt is originally from Boston, MA and brings more than 20 years of experience of the activity as a marcher, longtime volunteer and leader with USBands, and many years of experience with The Cadets, as a volunteer, and long time board member including serving in leadership capacities on the Cadets Arts and Entertainment board.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Valerie Richards, PharmD, Vice President \u2014 Director of Clinical Services at Strive Compounding Pharmacy in Gilbert, AZ. Valerie was an original member of The Academy Drum Corps colorguard, has taught with the corps, and served in various leadership roles on the AAPA board.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Dwight Farris, PhD, Secretary \u2014 Faculty member at Grand Canyon University with deep cybersecurity expertise. Dwight resides in Phoenix and is a longtime volunteer of The Academy.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Kent White, Treasurer \u2014 CPA and retired Vice President of Finance at Ecolab. Kent has more than 50 years of drum corps experience as a performer, volunteer, and leader, and was most recently honored as 2025 DCI ‘Volunteer of the Year’ for his outstanding work guiding AAPA through the COVID years.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Michael Thompson, Compliance Officer \u2014 Senior Program Management, Intel Corporation (ret.). Michael has served faithfully on the AAPA Board for over 5 years now, and is active in the local marching band community, including serving as the voice of the Sun Devil Marching Band of Arizona State University.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n\n\n
Board of Directors – Arizona Academy of the Performing Arts<\/a> (2026)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We also want to honor Rich Frazier for seven years of dedicated service as Board President. Under Rich\u2019s leadership the Academy developed and executed a strategic plan, navigated the challenges of COVID, and completed a successful executive director\u2019s search. Rich will now serve as AAPA\u2019s Past President; we are grateful for his steady leadership and continued support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI’m honored to be elected and excited to work with this extremely talented group of people, and our Executive Director, Josh Thye we will work together to take the torch passed on to us and continue to push to bring AAPA\u2019s mission to the next level,\u201d said Matt Chamberlin, AAPA Board President.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHaving been around The Academy since its early days, I\u2019m delighted to work with Josh and the board to further the Academy and ensure our members have a high quality drum corps experience\u201d said Valerie Richards, PharmD, AAPA Board Vice President.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019re thrilled to welcome this experienced and passionate board leadership,\u201d said Josh Thye, Executive Director. \u201cI look forward to working together to strengthen AAPA\u2019s programs and expand opportunities for young performers across Arizona and beyond.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Please join us in congratulating our new officers and thanking Rich Frazier for his remarkable service. We look forward to sharing upcoming initiatives, and updates around the next edition of The Academy Drum Corps. For more information or if you would like to get involved, please visit our website<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.arizonaacademy.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/2026-Audition-Banner.png\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nAuditions for the 2026 Corps are coming in December!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.arizonaacademy.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2026-Lead-Designer-Team-1080-x-1350-px-320x400.png\")
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