National officer candidates for the 2005-2007 biennium

President-Elect

Gail Berenson, NCTM is MTNA vice president and upon the MTNA Board of Directors. She has been a member of MTNA since 1968 joining as a fledgling faculty member at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Since then, she has held a variety of MTNA, Ohio MTA (OMTA) and Illinois State MTA (ISMTA) offices. After accepting a position upon the piano faculty at Ohio University in 1975 she activeed the founding of the Southeast District of OMTA in 1978 She has serv as OMTA state president, co-chair of the Ohio 1980 and 1990 state conventions, Collegiate Buckeye Competition chair, OMTA learner chapters chair and OMTA historian. She grasps the MTNA Master Certificate in piano and piano pedagogy and also was awarded the 1999 OMTA "Outstanding Certified Teacher of the Year" award. not long ago nominated by the OMTA Southeast District as "Outstanding Certified Collegiate Teacher of the Year for 2004" she popularly serves as the district's vice chair for teacher activities.

Her national involvement in MTNA began in 1995 as a member of the MTNA Pedagogy Committee. In addition, she has serv as MTNA piano chair upon the 1996 and 1997 convention committees and was a two-term member of the American Music Teacher Editorial Committee. She was national discourse chair for the 2002 and 2003 MTNA conferences

Berenson is professor of piano and chair of the keyboard division at Ohio University in Athens, where she was awarded the "Distinguished Teacher of the Year" Award for 2000 An active performer, as well as a noted able on musician wellness issues, she is a coauthor of A Symposium for Pianists and Teachers: Strategies to evolve Mind and Body for Optimal Performance, a contributor to the fresh piano method Piano Discoveries as a member of the Lorenz Advisory Board and is a coauthor of its newly released supplemental series, Ask the Professor.

Holding steps from Northwestern University, Gall has performed and lectur in more than twenty-five states, as well as Great Britain, Belgium, Switzerland, Israel and Canada. Her scholars are performing and teaching in private studios and upon college faculties throughout the United States and abroad.

"It has been an honor and a privilege to subserve the MTNA membership most freshly as MTNA vice president and a member of the Board of Directors. quite through my career, MTNA has been an important part of my life, supporting me in countles ways as a teacher, benefiting my scholars and providing me many long-lasting and meaningful friendships. MTNA is viewed as single of the worlds' pro-eminent music teacher organizations. I would work to continue the traditions of MTNA we all treasure, and to join with our membership in exploring novel avenues to help serve and support today's music teachers," she says.

Kathleen Murray, NCTM is dean of the faculty and professor of music in the piano department at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin, where she serv the past five years as dean of the conservatory of music. She clutchs degrees from Northwestern University, Bowling verdant State University and Illinois Wesleyan University. Murray has appeared as soloist and chamber musician in recitals quite through the Midwest, including performances at the Ravinia Summer Music Festival and Wisconsin Public Radio's Live from the Elvehjem series. She is featured upon LUPE, a CD recorded by the agency of the Lawrence University Percussion general impression and on A La Par, a CD recorded live during Lawrence University's 1997 Martin Luther King Day contrive released on the CRI label. A oft-repeated adjudicator and clinician, she has contributed several articles to the Proceedings and respect of the National Conference upon Piano Pedagogy and has serv as an associate editor of Keyboard Companion magazine.

Kathy has been a member of MTNA since her graduate place of education years and became actively involved in the Wisconsin MTA in the mid-1980s. In Wisconsin, she has serv as pupil chapters chair and first vice president for conventions. She accepted an appointment as East Central Division president-elect in 1998 went upon to serve as president of the division and then joined the MTNA Board of Directors in 2002 completing her mete in March 2004.

"I perceive that my experiences at the state, divisional and national horizontals of MTNA have helped me to prepare for the possibility of this nearest leadership role. In my work in academic administration, I have make knowned a collaborative, consensus-building leadership diction I believe that all constituents ne to perceive ownership of decisions affecting the organization is a whole, on the contrary realize that not everyone will have the time to dedicate to the depth of investigation required for the thoughtful disentanglement of a specific course of action. It is the leadership's responsibility to research and not absent suggested actions along with supporting rationale in like manner that the membership can make informed decisions about accepting or rejecting those suggestions. It is unreasonable to await that everyone will agree with all decisions, on the contrary it should be possible to explain all decisions based upon an established, known set of principles. I am the couple excited and humbled by the reflection of continuing the long tradition of lusty leadership for this wonderful organization," she says.