Board of Directors
D. Garth Taylor, Founder
Garth Taylor, founder—I retired from a 20 plus year career as the founder/chief executive officer of a non-profit consulting firm in Chicago after receiving a PhD from the University of Chicago and teaching there for several years. I served seven years on the Jefferson Awards Committee, a program to recognize excellence in live theater in Chicago. Right out of college I worked one year as the musical director of a theater company in Minneapolis. I founded the School of American Music in 2012 along with two other board members and a volunteer Executive Director because I truly believe in the cognitive benefits of music and wanted to make an impact on our communities. Besides playing and performing guitar, I'm interested in composing music and writing a curriculum for teaching guitar. I reside in Harbert with my wife Sue; our son lives in California. I can often be found in my "office" Infusco coffee in Sawyer.
Tom Flint, President
I joined the board of the School of American Music in 2020. I had retired from a 30+ year career in sales and management and settled full-time into my weekend home in Three Oaks. Community service has always been important to me and as I was growing up, I was always involved in music. I believe that there has to be a safe space for creative kids to land and The School of American Music provides an open and accepting place where everyone feels welcome. I’m proud to be a part of the organization.
Donna M. Mitchell, Executive Director
Donna M. Mitchell is a retired Music Educator / Choral Director for public schools in Indiana. She is well-known locally for her work with the M C Messiah, Inc as Past President and as a volunteer and past Board member for Michigan City Chamber Music Festival. Mitchell is a member of Harbor Country Singers and Indiana University South Bend Community Concert Band. In addition to her teaching responsibilities, Mitchell is Executive Director of the School of American Music.
Bill Korbel, Treasurer
Born and raised in Harbor Country, I graduated from Western Michigan University in 1992 and worked as an accountant/consultant for Price Waterhouse until 1999. I began working at Lost Dunes Golf Club in Bridgman the day it opened in April 1999 and am currently the club’s General Manager. I am an active member of the Club Management Association of America and a registered Certified Public Accountant. Serving the community as Treasurer includes School of American Music (SAM) since 2013 and two other local not-for-profit organizations, Islay’s’ Barrel and the Lost Dunes Memorial Scholarship Fund. Previously, I served as Treasurer for the Brookview Montessori School in Benton Harbor from 2006 to 2013. I enjoy giving back to the community that has given me so much my entire life. I reside in Sawyer and have been married to Laura for 30+ years. We have two children, Hannah, (former student of SAM) and Wil, both in their 20s.
Arthur Anderson, Secretary
I joined the School of American Music board in 2019 and took on duties of secretary. I started at the School as a piano student in 2017. I have studied piano on and off since childhood and began again after my retirement from federal government and my move to Harbert, Michigan. I have found playing a musical instrument to be a rewarding healthy pastime and want to support the School's education mission. In addition to practicing the piano, I like to garden and go hiking.
Denise Vanden Bussche, School Director
My mother was an accomplished pianist and fostered a love of everything music in me from a very young age. As a child I took piano and flute lessons, and I played in band and orchestra throughout high school. During that time, I traveled to Europe with the Blue Lake International Orchestra and to Mexico and the Bahamas with Musical Youth International, People-to-People Program. I attended Wayne State University and majored in Music Education and participated in the Symphonic and Marching Band. I've been teaching piano and/or flute for nearly 30 years and consider it a blessing to have a job that allows me to share my biggest passion on a daily basis. I moved to New Buffalo in 2018 to be with the love of my life after living in the Metro Detroit area from the day I was born. I began teaching at the School of American Music (SAM) in September of that year. I honestly can't say enough good things about SAM! The school's mission to provide quality and affordable music programs and instruction are just one of the reasons that make SAM such a great place to teach. As School Director, I hope to help SAM continue to grow each and every day. When I'm not at SAM, I love to spend as much time as I can with my 8 children, their significant others, and my 6 grandchildren!
John Balich
Devon Bergman
I am a recent, full-time, transplant to Three Oaks after 36 years of Chicago city life. I am a product of public-school music education and started on violin at age 7. I was a member of Colorado Children’s Chorale for 5 years and in numerous orchestras throughout my primary education. I studied voice in college, primarily classical and jazz. I still sing and play guitar. Making music has been a very important part of my life and still is today. I am passionate about getting music instruction to kids and anyone who wants it. I worked my way through school as a carpenter and eventually owned a renovation company. I’m currently the Midwest Regional Construction Manager for a national multi-family real estate company.
Allie Carter
I joined the board of the School of American Music in 2024. I am on the scholarship committee and helping to plan events. I love music and I play piano. I am retired from airline customer service. After retirement, I volunteered with hospice and trained my dogs to be therapy dogs for home and hospital visits. Another activity was painting barn quilts, then donating the proceeds from customers to Harbor Country Emergency Food Pantry in Three Oaks. I also served as a docent for the New Buffalo Railroad Museum for several years.
Sharon Eggleston
“Music enhances the education of our children by helping them to make connections and broadening the depth with which they think and feel.” — Yo-Yo Ma.
As a parent of a former School of American Music (SAM) voice student, I have seen firsthand how SAM works to enrich the lives of those in our community by providing access to the arts, and I am honored to be joining the Board. I have a wide-ranging health care and business background, including an Associate Degree of Applied Science, a Bachelor’s in Health Care Administration, and a Master’s in Business Administration. I also maintain a valid Indiana Physical Therapist Assistant license and have experience as an Adjunct Professor from teaching business courses at a local college. Although my background is primarily on the business and administration side of things, I also have musical experience as a flute and piccolo player and choir member. In my spare time I enjoy gardening and being outdoors.
Katha Kissman
Katha Kissman is an independent consultant based in the greater Chicago, IL area, and served as a Senior Governance Consultant for BoardSource. Katha has more than 30 years of experience managing and consulting with nonprofits. Katha has provided individualized board consultation and training and has conducted workshops on governance issues to a variety of organizations. In addition to providing governance consulting through BoardSource, Katha has also served as an interim leader, providing a short- or long-term leadership bridge and nonprofit organizational development consulting. Before semi-retirement, Katha served as the President & CEO of the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute Foundation and Leadership America’s leader of leaders—first as executive director in 1996 and 1997 and then as president and CEO in 2000 and 2001. She lived in the United Arab Emirates in 1998 and 1999, where she was the founding director of the American University of Sharjah’s Continuing Education Center. Katha has also lived in Kuwait, where she was on the founding leadership team to establish the American University of Kuwait in 2004. Her other previous leadership positions include serving at Volunteers of America, Round House Theatre, Living Stage at Arena Stage, and Nadra K Real Estate. Katha is currently Secretary/Treasurer for the New Buffalo Railroad Museum. In 2006, Katha authored Taming the Troublesome Board Member and, in 2009, Trouble at the Top: The Nonprofit Board’s Guide to an Imperfect CEO (BoardSource). In 2015, she co-authored (with Beth Gazley, PhD) Transformational Governance: How Association Boards Achieve Extraordinary Change (ASAE Foundation/Jossey-Bass). Katha received a B.S. degree in community affairs from Grand Valley State University.
Pat Putnam
I joined the School of American Music (SAM) board in April 2019. I joined the board because I believe music education is very important and I believe in SAM's mission. Music has always been very important to me, and I took both piano lessons and voice lessons for many years in my youth. My responsibilities on the board include being the Producer for the Harbor Country Singers, the community chorus sponsored by SAM, helping plan and organize SAM events as part of the Programming committee, writing press releases, updating the SAM website, sending out SAM emails and maintaining the email distribution list, creating event posters, and taking photos at SAM events. I am a retired software engineer. I have a B.S. in Business from Indiana University and a M.S. in Computer Science from DePaul University. In my spare time, I enjoy reading, hiking, singing, and traveling.
Diane Ruzevich
I started guitar lessons when I was 8 in 1958. Music helped me through the 60’s and 70’s! I was lucky enough to to have a family where music was important and am thrilled to be a part of a school that is making music as available to anyone interested! I have always worked in the nonprofit field spending my last 29 years as a Reference librarian in a suburb of Chicago. I finished my college education after going back to school at 50 and continue my music education with Donna Mitchell at our school.