Meet Your Officers

CHAIR (chair@area9.handbellmusicians.org)

Karen Thompson has a Bachelor of Liberal Arts degree with a music major from Austin College of Sherman, Texas and is currently serving at First Presbyterian Church, Fort Worth where her duties include conducting four handbell ensembles and a youth vocal choir. She also rings with the Concert Bells of Fort Worth (a semi-professional community handbell choir) and is the present and founding President of the ensemble.  As a handbell clinician and conductor, Karen has taught classes and conducted festivals at area and national events.  Karen has served on national Handbell Musicians of America (the Guild) committees, and is currently chair of Area 9 (Texas and Oklahoma).

CHAIR-ELECT (chairelect@area9.handbellmusicians.org)

Michelle Tejada has served as Area 9 Membership Chair, Educational Activities Coordinator, and South Texas Representative. She began ringing in 1981 and has performed with various handbell choirs and ensembles. In addition, Michelle has performed as a soloist. Michelle was the founder of Bell Power, a special needs handbell choir, and served as their first director. She also directed a youth handbell choir. Michelle was a member of the West Texas Handbell Association Coordinating Committee from 1995-2002, serving as Treasurer from 1996-2002 and festival coordinator in 2000, 2001, and 2002. After founding the handbell ministry at Floresville United Methodist Church in Floresville, Texas and serving as the first director, Michelle stepped down in order to return to ringing.  Michelle also works part-time as an audiologist and full-time wife and mother.

TEXAS REP 1 (texrep1@area9.handbellmusicians.org)

Handbell soloist, director, and clinician Patrick Murphy has an A.A. in Music and Education from Gulf Coast Community College and a B.S. in Recreation & Leisure Services Administration from Florida State University.  Patrick was originally trained as a classical percussionist and began playing handbells 24 years ago for the adult choir at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Austin, TX.  For several years he directed a fourth grade chime choir and children’s handbell choir at Hyde Park Baptist Church in Austin, TX.   He has created and directed numerous adult and children’s handbell programs throughout Texas and Florida. Patrick has taught and performed as a soloist at festivals, conferences, churches, retirement centers, and schools.  He was awarded the William H. Griffin Scholarship to attend Distinctly Bronze in 2004.  Patrick is active in AGEHR events and is currently a member of the Jubilate Handbell Choir while directing and teaching the youth handbells and percussion programs for Acton United Methodist Church in Granbury, TX.  He has directed the seasonal Granbury Civic Handbell Ensemble for the past two years. Patrick was born and raised in Austin, TX.  He is currently the Recreation Coordinator for the City of Granbury Parks & Recreation Department where he creates, plans, budgets, and supervises events and activities.  Patrick resides in Granbury with his wife, Ami, and their four children, Alysia, Eva, Jacob, and Caralyne.

TREASURER (treasurer@area9.handbellmusicians.org)

Ruth Seiwell is the Practice Manager for Parking Way Pediatrics, a pediatric medical group.  She also serves as the Director of Handbells at First United Methodist Church in Lake Jackson Texas.  She is a ringing member of the Houston Bronze Ensemble and serves as Treasurer of the Board of Directors for the organization.  Ruth is currently the President of the Board of Directors for the Greater Houston Handbell Association and is the chair for FebFest for Bells 2007, a position she has filled several times.  Ruth also serves on the Board of Directors and as the Handbell Camp Director for Texas Conference Choir Clinic for music and worship arts.

SECRETARY (secretary@area9.handbellmusicians.org)

Sueda Luttrell is a native of Lufkin, Texas, and received the Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in Organ Performance from Baylor University. She and her husband, Jeff, reside in Fort Worth and are the parents of two daughters, Meredith and Grace.

Sueda’s ringing experience began during her high school days at First Baptist Church in Lufkin. After many years of ringing in various church choirs, she began solo ringing in 1995. She held the position of Georgia State Chair for AGEHR Area IV from 2000-2002 and regularly serves as a clinician, conductor, and solo performer for state, area, and national handbell events. She is a published author on handbell related topics, and her solo compositions are published with STEP (Solo To Ensemble Project), Lifeway Press, and Red River Music. Sueda has performed throughout the United States, including presenting the featured solo ringing concert at the 50th Anniversary of AGEHR in Norfolk, Virginia in 2004. In addition, she was a member of the 2009 Handbell Notation Committee and serves as Secretary for AGEHR Area 9. Sueda is a member of the East Texas Handbell Ensemble, under the direction of Arnold Sherman. She is employed as Organist/Handbell Director at St. Alban’s Episcopal Church in Arlington, Texas.

PAST CHAIR (pastchair@area9.handbellmusicians.org)

Sheryl Cory, a.k.a. “Bob”, is currently the Director of Music and Care Ministries at St. Stephen’s UMC in Broken Arrow, OK, where she directs two adult choirs, a youth choir and two of the five handbell groups.  Her previous experience also has been Music Associate at Asbury United Methodist Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma from 1996-2008, where she directed handbells, accompanied choirs, and facilitated worship services as Director and Look Development Lead. She is an accomplished solo ringer and pianist. Sheryl has served as local liaison for Area 9 and National Young Ringers Festivals, led workshops at the Adult National Festival and other venues, and has helped organize and coordinate TulsaFest for several years. She has served Area 9 as Treasurer for two terms, as well as Education Coordinator, and most recently completed a two-year term as Chair of Area 9.  She continues to serve as Treasurer for the Tulsa Area Handbell Association.

TEXAS REP 2 (texrep2@area9.handbellmusicians.org)

Jayne Brown (photo/bio unavailable)

PUBLICATIONS CHAIR (publications@area9.handbellmusicians.org)

Pam Adams has been ringing handbells since 1989 at First United Methodist Church – Richardson (TX), where she remained an active ringer until the spring of  2007. While pursuing her BBA in Marketing at Baylor University, she rang with the Baylor University Handbell Ensemble, and for several years also rang in a  sextet called Sounds of Six in the Dallas area.  She is now in her 4^th year ringing with Concert Bells of Fort Worth. Pam is employed by AFA Foods in Accounts Payable in Fort Worth.

MEMBERSHIP CHAIR (membership@area9.handbellmusicians.org)

Steven Eddington is, by day, a Century 21 Realtor, managing 17 rental homes.  Ringing handbells since 1993, he is now the director of the Believers Bell Choir at First United Methodist Church of Owasso, and has helped build the bell program to include three full choirs there.  In addition to being the Membership Chair for Area 9, Steven is a member of the Membership Working Committee under the direction of Katie Schlegel, Director of Membership & Administration for the Handbell Musicians of America (AGEHR).  For the last three years, Steven has sponsored the Tulsa metro area site of the Area 9 fall clinic, Rookie Ringers.  Steven and his wife Carol live in Owasso, OK, near their two sons, Brian and Christopher, and their grandson Eli Lee.

EDUCATION CHAIR (education@area9.handbellmusicians.org)

Sondra K. Tucker  is a well-known composer, conductor, and clinician.  She has led denominational seminars for PCUSA, The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), the United Methodist Church Texas Conference, and the Southern Baptist Church, as well as numerous Handbell Musicians of America local and area events.  She has served the Guild as a member of the Area 6 Board, and is currently Education Chair in Area 9.  Her sacred compositions for handbells, organ, and choir are published by major church music publishing houses. She is Director of Music and Organist at ChristChurch Presbyterian in Bellaire, Texas, where she directs all the musical ensembles of the church. In addition to her work with Handbell Musicians of America, Sondra is on the board of the local AGO chapter and is a member of the planning committee for the national AGO Convention 2016, which will be held in Houston.  Her music degrees are from the University of Arkansas and the University of Memphis.  Additionally, Sondra self-publishes flute ensemble music under her own QuickSilver Publications imprint.  Away from music, Sondra is an avid knitter and motorcycle rider.  She is married, with two children and two granddaughters.

OKLAHOMA REP (okrep@area9.handbellmusicians.org) & FINANCIAL ADVISOR

Wilson Van Tine is an Audit Consultant for ConocoPhillips where he travels the world auditing ConocoPhillips’ operations. Wilson is a Certified Public Accountant and a Certified Internal Auditor. He holds both a bachelors and a masters in Accounting. Wilson also serves as the Treasurer for the Greater Houston Handbell Association. Wilson is a former member of the Houston Bronze Ensemble. He currently resides in Bartlesville, Oklahoma and is a member of the First United Methodist Church there. He rings in the adult handbell choir, sings in the choir, rings with a small ensemble, and solo rings at the church. Wilson’s hobbies are traveling, going to movies, attending musicals, and working out.