Rich Stichler, President, Lakeview, Ft. Oglethorpe High School

Rich Stichler is director of bands at Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe High School, and was director of bands at Ridgeland High School in Rossville from 1993 to 1999.  Before coming to Georgia, he taught band and orchestra in Arizona, California, and Nevada.  Under his direction the LFO Bands have received consistent superior ratings for marching, concert, and jazz in Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee.  The Symphonic Band performed, by invitation, at the 2001 University of Georgia High School Music Festival.  Stichler served as District Seven Band Division chair and organizer of the GMEA All-State Jazz Ensemble from 2002-2007.  He maintains a busy schedule as a professional trombonist in the Chattanooga and Atlanta areas and has also free-lanced and taught privately in Arizona, California, Washington, D.C., and Las Vegas.  He currently is adjunct professor of trombone/low brass at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.    He was a member of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Marching Band, the 1986 Disneyland All-American College Band, and the 15th Air Force Band of the Golden West at March Air Force Base in California from 1987 to 1991.  He earned the B.Mus. degree from the University of Arizona and the M.M.Ed. degree and Ed.S. degree in educational technology from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

Miles Adams, Past President, Jackson County High School

Miles Adams is currently in his 26th year of teaching at Jackson County Comprehensive High School in Jefferson, GA.  Bands under his direction have earned Superior ratings in district and regional marching, concert, and jazz festivals.  Adams earned the Bachelor of Music Education degree from Berry College and Master of Music Education and Educational Specialist degrees from the University of Georgia.  Adams holds professional memberships in the Georgia Music Educators Association, Music Educators National Conference, International Association for Jazz Education, Phi Mu Alpha professional fraternity for men in music, Alpha Chi national honor society, and the Zeta chapter of Phi Beta Mu honorary bandmasters fraternity.  He is currently Past President of the Georgia Association of Jazz Educators.  Adams has served as an adjudicator, clinician, and guest soloist throughout the southeast.  He has performed with the Northwinds Community Band, Lanier Symphony Orchestra, and the Georgia Director’s All-Star Jazz Band. Adams received the University of Georgia Outstanding Jazz Educator Award, and has twice been Jackson County High School STAR teacher and Jackson County School System Teacher of the Year.  His wife Helen is Assistant Band Director at Jackson County High School.  They have two daughters;  Selena is pursuing a Masters Degree in Horn Performance at Indiana University and Kelsey is a 12th grade percussionist at Jackson County High School.

Albert Bussey,Jr., Vice President, Ware County High School

Albert Bussey, Jr. director of the three-time Grand Champion WCHS Jazz Band and the newly elected vice-president of the Georgia Association of Jazz Educators serves as the associate director of bands at Ware County High School. Mr. Bussey came to Waycross 17 years ago after serving as an assistant director with Valdosta High’s Marchin’ Cats for 3 years. In 1993-94 he served as the Director of Bands for Waycross High School’s “Ultimate” year. Mr. Bussey’s career span’s 20 years in which he has directed many championship and superior rated ensembles. His groups have also traveled from Waycross to New York, New Orleans and London England. Mr. Bussey is a 1988 graduate of Valdosta State University and a 1984 graduate of Lowndes High School where he served as drum major for his high school and college marching bands. He is a member of the Georgia Music Educators Association, serving as jazz chair for GMEA Dist. 8, the Music Educators National Conference and has been a guest columnist for Georgia Music News. He is the Senior Pastor of Bible Believers Fellowship, Inc. and is happily married to the former Crystal Norman of Dixie, Ga. and they have four children, Albert III, Anthony, Andrew and Amber.

Helen Adams, Treasurer, Jackson County High School

Helen Adams is currently in her 25th year of teaching with Jackson County Schools in Jefferson, GA.  She has held many titles throughout this job tenure. They include general music teacher, middle grades choral director, assistant director of bands, West Jackson middle school band director, and East Jackson middle school band director. Mrs. Adams is currently the assistant director of bands at Jackson County High School. Bands under her direction have earned Superior ratings in district and regional marching and concert festivals.  Adams earned the Bachelor of Music Education degree from Berry College and Master of Middle School Education and Educational Specialist degrees from the University of Georgia.  Adams holds professional memberships in the Georgia Music Educators Association, Music Educators National Conference,  International Association for Jazz Education, Sigma Alpha Iota professional fraternity for women in music, and Alpha Chi national honor society.  Mrs. Adams has served as an adjudicator and clinician throughout Northeast Georgia.  She has performed with the Northwinds Community Band, Lanier Symphony Orchestra, and the Tara Winds Italy touring ensemble. Husband Miles Adams serves as band director for Jackson County High School.  They have two daughters;  Selena is pursuing a Masters Degree in Horn Performance at Indiana University and Kelsey is a 12th grade percussionist at Jackson County High School.

Kelly Dickerson, Secretary, Northview High School

Kelly Dudley started her teaching career with Fulton County in August 2000 where she was the assistant band director at North Springs High School. Kelly is currently director of bands at Northview High School. She directs the marching band, three concert bands, and two jazz bands. Bands under Kelly's direction consistently earn superiors at District V Large Group Performance Evaluation. Kelly also enjoys working with the pit orchestra for performances produced by the NHS Fine Arts department, including Northview's production of Oklahoma. Other performances directed by Kelly (at North Springs HS) include Guys and Dolls, Once Upon a Mattress, and South Pacific. She was the director of the Atlanta Youth Jazz Orchestra B Group in the 2003-2004 season. Kelly's teaching duties have also included piano, guitar, music appreciation, and AP Music Theory.

Kelly received her undergraduate degree in Music Education cum laude with a minor in Jazz Studies from James Madison University ('99) in Harrisonburg, VA. She earned her master's degree in music education from the University of Georgia ('04) in Athens, GA. Kelly's major instrument is saxophone. She enjoys performing with the director's reading jazz band in Savannah at the yearly GMEA conference.

Kelly's professional memberships include MENC (Music Educators National Conference), GMEA (Georgia Music Educators Association), IAJE/GAJE (International Association of Jazz Educators/Georgia Jazz Educators) and WBDI (Women Band Directors Intl.) She is an adjudicator for All-State Band and All-State Jazz Band and serves as a clinician for the GAJE Weekend of Jazz held each year in December. She also serves as the GMEA secretary for District V. Kelly has recently been elected to the Georgia Association of Jazz Educators' Board as Secretary for the term of 2007-2009. Kelly makes her home in Suwanee, GA.

Craig Stephens, GAJE Webmaster

Craig Stephens is the executive/artistic director of the Atlanta Youth Jazz Orchestra. He received his Bachelor of Music in Education from Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia and Master's in Educational Technology from Nova Southeastern University and his Ed. S in Administration and Curriculum Management from Nova Southeastern University. Mr. Stephens is in his 16th year teaching and eighth year in Fulton County. Prior to teaching in Fulton County, Mr. Stephens was the director of Druid Hills High School, Stephenson Middle School, Kitteridge Magnet School and Nancy Creek Theme School in DeKalb County.

Mr. Stephens has served as chairman of District IV All-State Jazz, and the chiar of the District IV Elementary Honor Band. He has served as an adjudicator and jazz band clinician throughout Georgia and appeared as a guest artist at the Georgia Music Educator’s Conference and the Southern Instrumental Director’s Conference. Mr. Stephens is an active member of the National Association of Jazz Educators, Georgia Music Educators Association, American Federation of Musicians and the International Trumpet Guild.

As a professional trumpet player, Mr. Stephens toured the United States and Japan as a member of the Glenn Miller Orchestra, and has appeared with such artists as Dizzy Gillespie, Natalie Cole, Max Roach, Dr. John, The Four Tops, Temptations, Yanni, Mary Wilson, Drifters, Columbus Symphony, Macon Civic Chorale, Michael O'Neal Singers, the Atlanta Lyric Opra and shows throughout the Southeast. In 1992, Mr. Stephens was a guest artist at the Montreux and North Sea Jazz Festivals in the Netherlands and Switzerland. In 1991, Mr. Stephens was one of four artists to compete in the International Trumpet Guilds Jazz competition and has served as a contributor to the International Trumpet Guilds Journal.

Mr. Stephens is currently the web-master for Fulton County’s Music Department, Georgia Association of Jazz Educators, Findley Oaks Elementary, Tucker Middle School Band and teaches band at Findley Oaks and Manning Oaks Elementary. He is also the trumpet instructor at Gainesville State College.