MTNA President-elect Kenneth Christensen, NCTM, has appeared as a soloist and collaborative artist throughout the United States, England, China and the Phillipines. As a collaborative artist, he has performed with renowned singers the late Jerome Hines and Pablo Elvira from New York’s Metropolitan Opera Company and with composers and conductors John Rutter and Sir Richard Wilcox. Christensen’s piano duo “2 Pianos 4 Hands” performed its New York recital debut in April 2006 at Carnegie Hall. Christensen holds a bachelor’s degree from Montana State University and a master’s degree from the University of Montana. While on the faculty at the Montana State University School of Music, he received the prestigious “Award in Excellence in Teaching.” He resides in Bozeman, Montana, where he is active as an independent piano teacher and is in demand as a clinician, adjudicator and presenter. Christensen has been actively involved in MTNA for 16 years, serving in leadership positions at the local and state level as secretary and treasurer, president-elect and president for the Montana State MTA. Leadership at the national level includes MTNA Northwest Division President from 2004–2006 and he served on the MTNA Board of Directors from 2006–2008. Christensen has been a member of MTNA’s Summit Planning Committee, Membership Committee, Collaborative Performance Task Force, Pedagogy Saturday Committee, State Affiliate Grant Committee and Partnership Review Committee. He was past chair of the Collaborative Performance Forum and was chair of the 2009 Conference Planning Committee. Currently Christensen is the MTNA Certification chair.

MTNA Vice President Rebecca Grooms Johnson, NCTM, is a nationally respected leader in the field of piano pedagogy. She holds a Ph.D. degree in music education from Ohio State University, specializing in piano pedagogy. Johnson is an experienced independent piano teacher of all ages and levels of students and has taught piano, class piano and piano pedagogy for many years at the university level. A member of MTNA for more than 28 years, she holds the Permanent Professional Certification designation. Johnson has served in numerous local, state and national leadership positions, including the Central Eastern Ohio District chair and president of Ohio MTA. At the national level, she is currently completing a three-year term as chair of the National Certification Commission. Johnson served on the steering committee for the 2009 Pedagogy Saturday conference and was honored to be named as a 2009 FOUNDATION Fellow. From 2000–2003, she served as national chair of the MTNA Pedagogy Committee and chaired the 2003 and 2004 committees to select the MTNA National Teacher of the Year. A widely published writer, Johnson regularly contributes a tri-annual feature in American Music Teacher titled “What’s New in Pedagogy Research.” She is also an associate editor for Clavier Companion magazine’s “Perspectives in Pedagogy” page and is producing a series of articles exploring current piano methods. Johnson is an active clinician and has presented numerous workshops at MTNA national and state conferences, including those in Texas, Idaho, Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Michigan and Hawaii.

MTNA Secrtary/Treasurer Celinda Hallbauer, NCTM, professor of music, Central Texas College, Killeen, Texas, has been a member of MTNA since 1975 and became a Nationally Certified Teacher of Music in 1976. Hallbauer holds a bachelor of music degree from the University of Texas, Austin, and master of music degree from Baylor University. Hallbauer jointed the faculty at Central Texas College in 1995 to rebuild the music program, designing curricula, syllabi and major course of study for the CTC system of more than 180,000 students. The college now offers an associates degree in music with graduates transferring to upper level institutions throughout the United States. Hallbauer teaches music fundamentals, theory, appreciation and piano. She designs and teaches the distance-learning courses and is advisor to the Continuing Education Music Program. Hallbauer taught at the University of Mary Hardin Baylor in Belton, Texas, from 1975–1995, where she taught piano pedagogy, piano and was director of the preparatory music program. Hallbauer served on the MTNA Board of Directors from 2008–2010 as director of the South Central Division and College Faculty Forum chair. From 2002–2003, she served as a member of the MTNA State Syllabus Task Force. She is past president of Texas MTA and has served as Certification chair, Foundation chair, elected director, trustee, communications coordinator, assistant coordinator MTNA Composition, vice president of student activities, vice president of business activities and president-elect. She currently serves as public relations/marketing chair. An active member of Central Texas Music Teachers Association, Hallbauer served as Certification chair, student affiliate chair, vice president and president. Professional memberships include Texas Music Educators Association, National Federation of Music Clubs, American College of Musicians, Sigma Alpha Iota and Disciples Musicians. Hallbauer adjudicates festivals and competitions and National Guild Piano Auditions. Her students have participated in local and state music teacher activities and have become independent, public school and college music instructors, as well as commercial musicians.

MTNA Immediate Past President, Ann M. Gipson, NCTM, is associate professor of music and director of piano pedagogy studies at Texas Christian University. She has held faculty positions at Baylor University, Oklahoma Baptist University, Delta State University and the University of Kentucky, teaching applied piano, class piano and piano pedagogy. Gipson holds a bachelor of music degree from Eastern Illinois University and both an M.M. in piano performance and pedagogy and a Ph.D. in music education/piano pedagogy from the University of Oklahoma. A frequent adjudicator and clinician, she has presented sessions at MTNA national conferences, the National Group Piano/Piano Pedagogy Forum, and various state and local venues. Her articles have appeared in AMT, Clavier, Keyboard Companion and Piano Pedagogy Forum.

Gipson has been an active member of MTNA since joining as a collegiate member in 1978, while attending Eastern Illinois University. She has actively supported collegiate members by serving as faculty advisor of MTNA Collegiate Chapters at Oklahoma Baptist University and Baylor University. As a member of the Oklahoma MTA, she became active at the state level holding offices of president, vice president of membership and certification/president-elect, and vice president of local associations and collegiate chapters. She has held positions in local MTAs and currently serves as a director on the Fort Worth MTA board. Nationally, she was Conference Program chair for both the 2004 and 2005 MTNA National Conferences and currently serves on the task force for Collegiate Certification and as chair of a program sub-committee for the 2007 Conference.

	Diane Birr is associate professor of piano at Ithaca College. She has served as official accompanist for MTNA national competitions, Eastern Division Collegiate Competitions coordinator and local association chair, as well as New York State MTA president, conference co-coordinator and vice president of professional activities.
	Marianne Bryan, NCTM, Minnesota MTA immediate past president, holds a D.M.A. degree in collaborative piano performance from the University of Minnesota. She is a member of the 2008 MTNA Conference Program Committee. Currently an independent piano teacher, she previously taught 20 years at the University of St. Thomas. Bryan created, The Heart of Teaching/The Art of Teaching for independent music teachers.
	Amy Rose Immerman teaches private piano and composition. In 1997, she founded the Cincinnati Music Academy. Immerman holds degrees from Ohio University and is a member of the Royal Conservatory of Music’s College of Examiners. She has held many positions at the local and state levels including Ohio MTA president. She is a frequent presenter and she has written for AMT and Keyboard Companion. Immerman is on the National Music Certificate Program’s steering committee.
	Ethel Iwasaki is the immediate past president of the Hawaii MTA and previously served as state president, first vice president, second vice president and parliamentarian. She is an officer on the boards of the Honolulu Piano Teachers Association and the Friends of the Royal Hawaiian Band. Iwasaki teaches piano and voice and serves as a church pianist. She holds both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music education.
	Charles Jones, NCTM, is immediate past president of Louisiana MTA and was president-elect of MTNA’s South Central Division from 2004–2006. He previously served LMTA as president-elect and coordinator of junior competitions. He teaches piano at the Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts. Jones holds M.M. and D.M.A. degrees from the University of Texas and a B.M. from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.
	Peter Mack is an Irish pianist who has won many international piano competitions. He has performed 25 concertos with orchestras. Equally in demand as a performer, clinician, convention artist and teacher, Mack’s pupils are frequent winners of local, national and international competitions. He is professor of piano performance at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle.
	Richard Scott, NCTM, is the Kentucky MTA immediate past president and has been competitions and MTNA Foundation chairs. He holds a B.M. degree from the University of the Pacific, an M.M. degree from the University of Washington and a D.M.A. degree from the University Wisconsin-Madison. He is associate professor at Murray State University, where he teaches studio/class piano, pedagogy and history. Scott received the MSU Regents Award for Teaching Excellence in 1995.