More about our Board of Directors
Brídín Clements Cotton, Board President
Arts Manager, Educator, Mixed media artist
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Brídín Clements Cotton (she/her) is an arts manager, educator, and mixed media artist; as well as co-author Theatre Work: Reimagining the Labor of Theatrical Production (Routledge/Taylor & Francis, 2024). She has held a variety of management and teaching roles at arts organizations and educational institutions, most recently serving as Instructor for Stage and Project management at NYU Abu Dhabi. Brídín has taught various levels of stage and production management, led workshops in management theory and building effective teams, and developed a course titled From Concept to Curtain Call: Producing Work in New York. Most recently as a theatremaker, Brídín stage managed the developmental workshop production of Wole Soyinka’s new play, Canticles for a Pyre Foretold. Her approach to facilitating collaboration is driven by a belief in our interconnectedness as humans, and an interest in how gatherings can create collective meaning.
Mike Curts
Attorney
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Mike Curts, born in Indiana, moved to the Kalamazoo area in 2017. Mike began clerking at the Ninth Judicial Circuit Court of Kalamazoo County and has been in private legal practice since, specializing in intellectual property. Mike joined the KCA Board in 2025 to revitalize his connection to the arts and further his connection to this community. While not a member of the choir, Mike has a history of participating in choral groups throughout his life and is glad to be back with a group of similar minds. In addition to his board seat at the KCA, Mike is also a board member of the Kaleidoscope Kids Preschool - a preschool that focuses on providing child care services for families of diverse backgrounds and mindsets. While not working, Mike enjoys his time with his two cats and his husband.
Steve Frank, Treasurer
Retired Math Teacher, Community Volunteer
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Bio forthcoming
Alison Geist
Community and Global Health Specialist
Retired Director of the Center for Civic Engagement, Kalamazoo College​​
Alison grew up in a singing family –choral music of all kinds, mostly a capella and vocal jazz arrangements. (Yes, they did burst into song at the slightest provocation.) Since then, she has mostly been listening. She is thrilled now to join the Board of KCA, a joyful enterprise committed to making extraordinary music in this extraordinary place.
Recently retired, Alison founded and directed the Mary Jane Underwood Stryker Center for Civic Engagement at Kalamazoo College, where she also taught community-based public health seminars and established the Community and Global Health (CGHL) concentration.
Alison’s research and civic engagement work has focused on the intersections of gender and reproduction in health equity, with a particular interest in food and agriculture systems.
She and her spouse, Dr. Gary Gregg, lived in Moroccan villages in the High Atlas Mountains from 1983–89. First in the Peace Corps and then as director of the Near East Foundation, Alison worked with local communities to conduct research and establish programming to improve women’s and girls’ health and reproduction, education, and their work in livestock production and range fuels.
Alison has also written ad copy at a radio station, co-authored the book “Rape and the Limits of Law Reform,” and coordinated National Institute of Mental Health-funded projects at the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research and at the Health Institute at Tufts in Boston. She holds an undergraduate degree and a Master of Public Health from the University of Michigan
Anne Lundquist
Director- The Hope Center at Temple University​
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Anne E. Lundquist, MFA, PhD, is a Kalamazoo native whose lifelong love of choral music began singing in the choir at First United Methodist Church and under the direction of Tom Kasdorf at Loy Norrix High School. She currently serves as Director of The Hope Center for Student Basic Needs at Temple University, where her work focuses on research, policy, and practice to support college student success. Anne’s career in higher education has included leadership, teaching, research, and consulting roles across the country, but Kalamazoo remains an important part of her sense of home and community. She is delighted to support Kalamazoo Choral Arts and the continued vitality of choral music in the community where her own love of singing began.
Susan Mayer
Massage Therapist and Integrative Healing Practitioner ​
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Susan Mayer is a licensed massage therapist and integrative healing practitioner, using a unique blend of massage therapy, sound therapy, aromatherapy, and yoga in her work with women navigating pain, stress, and life transitions. A graduate of the Chicago School of Massage Therapy, Loyola University Chicago (B.S. in Anthropology), and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (M.S in Library and Information Science). Susan has dedicated her career to supporting clients through physical and emotional transitions using a blend of science, intuition, and creativity. Her work with musicians led to her service on the National Flute Association’s Performance Healthcare Committee and the publication of The Anatomy Book for Musicians. Outside of work, she enjoys traveling to see her family, playing with her cats, and walking on the beach.
Quinn McCormick ​
Compliance Officer, Greenleaf Trust
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A lifelong Kalamazoo resident, Quinn McCormick attended Kalamazoo College, where she studied Mathematics and Art. She also earned her MBA from Western Michigan University. Quinn has spent more than a decade at Greenleaf Trust and currently serves as a Senior Compliance Specialist, focusing on policy and procedure development, process improvement, and regulatory compliance. While not a musician herself, Quinn is a passionate supporter of the arts. She especially enjoys attending theater performances and supporting the creative institutions that make Kalamazoo a vibrant place to live. Outside of work and volunteer activities, Quinn enjoys playing volleyball, a lifelong passion that began during her time as a student-athlete at Kalamazoo College. Quinn is excited to join the Kalamazoo Choral Arts Board to help advance its mission and ensure the arts continue to thrive for future generations.
West Nelson​
Senior Partner, Rosetta Consultants
West Nelson is originally from Hollis, Queens. He attended Kalamazoo College and, in his heart, he never left town. After graduating with a degree in theatre and a minor in sociology/anthropology, West had a varied career; gaining skills in food service and publishing (retail, sales, and production). He is currently the senior partner of Rosetta Consultants. Their focus is on computer consulting, corporate training, and book doctoring. His work has taken him to places like Detroit, Stamford, CT, Boulder, CO, San Francisco, Vancouver, BC, Sao Paolo, Brazil and Saudi Arabia. He was even an adjunct professor at Fashion Institute of Technology in New York for a couple of semesters. The irony of that was not lost on him. Interspersed throughout his studies and his work, West has also been a radio DJ, voice actor, fight choreographer and theater lighting designer. For nearly a quarter century, he served in various capacities (including all the offices) on the Alumni Association Engagement Board of Kalamazoo College as well as serving a couple of terms on the college's Board of Trustees. He is also a long serving member on the board of directors for Cori Teri/Wellspring and Dancers. His musical interests are eclectic and he's always interested in anything new and thrilling.
Adara Pasos, Secretary
Registered Nurse, Avid traveler & adventurer
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Former resident of Kalamazoo and graduate of both Kalamazoo Valley Community College and Davenport University in the field of nursing. Adara has done many things within the community such as leading both pro-women/health rallies, Ukrainian efforts and supports, and formerly serving as Chair for the mission committee within the Southwest branch of the Red Cross. Currently she works primarily in travel nursing with various agencies as well as with Bronson. She also sang in Kalamazoo Choral Arts prior to traveling for 3 years. She’s an avid inquisitor and always seeks new opportunities for adventure, learning, and engaging with others in various capacities.
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Richard Van Enk, Vice Chair (Immediate Past Chair)
Retired Healthcare Director ​
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Richard A. Van Enk, Ph.D. (he, him), recently retired from a long career as a microbiologist and hospital epidemiologist, the Director of Infection Prevention and Epidemiology for Bronson Healthcare. He maintains his teaching career locally at Western Michigan University and WMed. Rick grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and his career has taken him to Bowling Green, KY; Kansas City, KS; back to Grand Rapids, Chicago, IL; Dayton, OH; and Kalamazoo. Rick is a life-long choral ensemble bass-baritone. He has performed with over 12 auditioned choral ensembles in a 45-year career and has been a member of Kalamazoo Choral Arts (formerly Kalamazoo Bach Society) for over 25 years. He is interested in the organizational and leadership areas of community arts ensembles and has served several terms as board member and board chair of our Kalamazoo ensemble. He enjoys performing in many musical styles, and also plays percussion instruments. His musical interests range from classical choral masterworks to jazz, worship music, world music, and music from marginalized communities; almost any music when voices join to form community and communicate important things.