Candidate Statements

President - Lucia Schaefer (they/she) - I’m thrilled to announce my candidacy for FSGW President, building on my tenure as At-Large Board member since 2020. Originating from the DC Square Dance Collective, I bring a deep understanding of square and family dance communities. My contributions include shaping gender-neutral dance policies and expanding family/barn dance programs. With 11 years in music education and a Master's in Choral Music, I advocate for arts as a human right. If elected, I'll prioritize rebuilding post-pandemic membership through expanded programming and community ties. Let's ensure FSGW remains a vital resource for folk arts appreciation in the DMV.

Vice President – Jamie Platt - Serving on the FSGW Board is an opportunity to contribute to the great work that the Society does, and I am proud to continue to serve as Vice-President. I am a long time member of FSGW, and have been involved in the traditional dance and music community on both a local and national level for decades; I look forward to continuing to use my leadership experience to help this Board navigate the evolution and growth of FSGW into the future.

Secretary - Alyssa Hemler - I have enjoyed serving on the FSGW board the past three years and look forward to continuing in my role as secretary. I grew up going to the FSGW family dances and have been an avid dancer ever since. I have served on planning committees for multiple dance weekends and events including Dandelion Romp (Oberlin, OH), Chesapeake Dance Weekend (Edgewater, MD), #dance Weekend (Glen Echo, MD), and Contrastock (Glen Echo, MD). I pride myself on my organization and attention to detail and I am excited to combine my skills and my passion to further folk arts in the greater Washington region.

Treasurer – Jackie Hoglund - I am running to serve a second year as treasurer of the FSGW Board. I have enjoyed working with the current board this past year, and look forward to working with the new slate to help make FSGW the go-to resource for folk arts in the area.

Dance Chair - Laura Robertson - I have been dancing since I was a child. I was introduced to contra-dance, inadvertently, when my teen overnight retreat was accidentally double-booked at a site holding a local dance. Of course, we teens jumped right in! I became an avid contra-dancer and joined the local high school folk dance club. By the next year I was president of the club and running the Niskayuna Folk Festival. I remain devoted to folk dance, fifty years later, and continue to explore new forms all the time! I am a retired physician with time to give back to the dance community and help foster new interests for all our members. I remain an avid social dancer, although I now do far more English Country than contra.

Publicity Chair - Ingrid Gorman - Though I have moved in recent years to Pittsburgh, PA, I remain active and committed to folk music and the arts in general in the D.C. area. I still serve as programming chair for the Washington Folk Festival, and currently preside as chair of the board of directors of Carpe Diem Arts, a nonprofit bringing exposure and participation in the arts to under-served children and seniors, as well as the co-sponsored monthly dance with FSGW. Having served on the FSGW board previously for five years, most years as the Publicity Chair, I am excited to be considered for this role again, and assist in spreading the word about all that FSGW does to keep folk arts alive and thriving.

Publications Chair - Paul Lieberman - I started international folk dancing at MIT as a student, and took up contra dancing in the '80s. Since coming to Glen Echo in 2013, I've become passionate about the dance and the community it fosters. I also have a long history with folk music; in the '90s I was one of four volunteer DJs on a weekly show on WTJU (U.Va.) presenting Celtic music. I have experience with publishing; in the '80s, I was part of a publishing collective, publishing books on social change. I was an editor and computer guru. I spend some of my time editing Wikipedia.

At Large - Lynn Bayer - I am looking to continue to serve on the FSGW in my current capacity as a At-Large Director. Dancing has been an important part of my whole life. I have been a part of the contra and English country dance community since 2000. I look forward to continuing to give back to the organization that has brought me such joy over the past decades.

At Large - Ayan Kishore - I am a social entrepreneur and nonprofit leader that has dedicated my career to equity in education, workforce development and peace promotion, particularly leveraging digital solutions and other innovations. I am currently the CEO of Benetech, a global non-profit focused on education programs and technology for learners with differences and disabilities. I grew up with a father playing classical Indian music (slide guitar), brother the piano, and mother dancing (Indian folk dance), and my daughters are now dabbling with instruments and singing. I love live music and enjoys folk events around the world, from Burns day in the UK and the Fête de la Musique in France to the beloved Washington Folk Festival, and hope to help bring the delight, learning and community from folk and cultural arts to others.

At Large - Tim Livengood - It would be my pleasure once more to serve on the FSGW Board and to serve the folk community. I have been on the Board in the past, in 2004-2005 and then 2013-2018. Learning how the metaphoric sausage is made was rewarding and deepened my appreciation for the dedication and commitment of the folk community, audience, participants, and performers alike. My own corner of the folk community has been in storytelling. During my longer stint on the Board, I was encouraged to found the Grapevine Storytelling Series, which we have kept running with various leadership since 2014, on Zoom through the pandemic. I have also been able to served the community as a member of the Washington Folk Festival program community, with responsibility for the storytelling program over the past several Festivals. Although there is no WFF this year, I look forward to helping get it going once more in the future.