PRESS RELEASE – October, 2026
Arizona Academy of the Performing Arts announces Board Officers and welcomes New Board Members!
At the recent annual meeting, members re-elected a slate of officers to continue to guide AAPA into its next chapter — and enthusiastically elected three new board members.
Officers:
- Matt Chamberlin, MBA, President — Senior Strategic Initiative Manager at Liberty Mutual, 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.
- Valerie Richards, PharmD, Vice President — Director of Clinical Services at Strive Compounding Pharmacy, President of AzPA, 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.
- Dwight Farris, PhD, Secretary — Department Head and Faculty Lead Cyber/IT at Grand Canyon University with deep cybersecurity expertise. Dwight, a trumpet player himself, resides in Phoenix and is a longtime supporter and volunteer with The Academy.
- Kent White, Treasurer — 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. Kent is a longtime supporter and faithful board member of The Academy.
- Michael Thompson, Compliance Officer — Senior Program Management, Intel Corporation (ret.). Michael has served faithfully on the AAPA Board, and is active in the local marching band community, including serving as the voice of the Sun Devil Marching Band of Arizona State University.
“I’m honored and excited to continue 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’s mission to the next level,” said Matt Chamberlin, AAPA Board President.
“Having been around The Academy since its early days, I’m delighted to continue to serve on this board to further the Academy and ensure our members have a high quality drum corps experience” said Valerie Richards, AAPA Board Vice President.
The Arizona Academy of the Performing Arts is also excited to welcome three new board members:
- Mark Boesen – Pharm.D., J.D., is a founding partner of Boesen & Snow Law and a practicing pharmacist with over three decades of experience in the pharmacy and pharmaceutical industry. He founded the firm with Allyson Snow to combine his passion for healthcare public policy, government affairs, and healthcare operations and management. Before founding the firm, Mark served as an attorney on Quarles & Brady’s Health Law Group, as Vice President of Operations, Regulatory, and Government Affairs for the Apothecary Shops Specialty Pharmacies (later Avella Specialty Pharmacy), and as Chairman and CEO of GenRx Pharmacies, a national mail-order pharmacy. A past president of the Arizona Pharmacy Association, he has received its Bowl of Hygeia Award, Pharmacist of the Year, and Hall of Fame honors. Mark earned his Pharm.D. from the University of Arizona in 1995 and his J.D., cum laude, from the Phoenix School of Law in 2013. Outside of work, he is a die-hard Chicago Cubs fan and rules consultant for several private baseball organizations. He and his wife Lisa, and twin boys, live in Gilbert, AZ.
- Dan Kocher – grew up in Northern New Jersey and marched with the Garfield Cadets organization from 1969 to 1977. After his marching career, he worked as a percussion arranger and instructor for several local high school bands and drum corps for more than a decade. He has been a lifelong, dedicated volunteer and supporter of charitable activities and nonprofit organizations in Northern New Jersey. Most recently, Dan has served on the boards of directors of Cadets Arts & Entertainment and the Spartans Drum & Bugle Corps. Dan is a graduate of the New Jersey Institute of Technology and a professional software and systems engineer. He recently retired after a 40-year career in the aerospace and defense industry. Dan resides in Wyckoff, NJ.
- Andy Smolko – has been involved in the drum corps activity since 1970, serving in a variety of roles as a marching member, instructor, Board member, and various operations roles. Most recently, he served on the Spartans Board of Directors and Operations Team from 2014 to 2026. Throughout the years, Andy has instructed numerous marching bands, drum corps, and winter color guards, contributing to the education and development of performers across the activity. Professionally, Andy is a retired engineer with extensive experience in executive management in the semiconductor industry. Andy is honored to serve on The Academy’s Board of Directors and looks forward to contributing his experience, leadership, and passion for the performing arts to this outstanding organization. Andy currently resides in New Hampshire.
“This organization is incredibly fortunate to be guided by this experienced and passionate board leadership, and I am thrilled to welcome these three new Board members” said Josh Thye, Executive Director. “I look forward to working together to strengthen AAPA’s programs and elevate the opportunities for our members, community, and partners.”
Please join us in congratulating our new board members and welcoming our officers. 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.
