Staff Bios

Marvin "Smitty" Smith Professional Studio Series Drum Set Instructor MARVIN "SMITTY" SMITH was born June 24, 1961 in Waukegan (Illinois). "It was a very natural inclination for me to play drums," says Smith, known by many as Smitty. A glance at his early life validates that truth. Born the

Hunter Dugie Movement Instructor As a Texas native, HUNTER DUGIE attended the University of Texas in Austin to study Interpersonal Communication. He is currently a full time drill designer and choreographer working with groups across the nation. He has also worked as a technician for Vandegrift

Nicole Casino Percussion Co-Caption Head (Battery) NICOLE CASINO performed with a number of award-winning DCI and WGI ensembles, including Pulse Percussion (2011-2013), RCC (2014-2015), Bluecoats (2011), and Blue Devils (2012-2013). She served as section leader for Pulse Percussion in 2013 and

Joshua-Guerrero Martinez Drum Major Camp Instructor JOSHUA ADAM has been a part of the percussion community since 2001. He is currently the Captain Head at West Covina High School, and has been a musician with the Disneyland Resort since 2011. His marching experience is with Pacific Crest

Eric Briggs Drum Major Camp Instructor ERIC BRIGGS began playing percussion at an early age, continuing his music education while attending Hoover High School in Glendale, CA. During his time at Hoover he performed in multiple ensembles including the marching band, concert band, symphonic

Arturo Castro Drum Major Camp Instructor ARTURO CASTRO joined the Pacific Crest family in 2012 as a member of the color guard section. After aging out, he served the Pacific Crest admin team from 2015 to 2018. In addition to working with Pacific Crest's administrative team, Arturo has

Robert Rodriguez Color Guard Instructor ROBERT RODRIGUEZ has been involved in the pageantry world at all scholastic levels, including elementary school, middle/junior high school, and high school. Since he began teaching in 2005, his groups have been recognized locally and regionally for their

Alyssa Lambert-Garcia Color Guard Instructor ALYSSA LAMBERT-GARCIA began her color guard career in high school in 2005. After graduating, she continued to perform as a member of the ASU Sun Devil Marching Band Color Guard and The Academy Winter Guard. She also was a member of the The Academy

Catrina Sanfilippo, ATC Health Team CATRINA SANFILIPPO hails from Franklin Park, Illinois, 20 minutes outside of Chicago. She graduated in May 2019 from Northern Illinois University with a Bachelor's of Science in Athletic Training. Catrina began her career working for ATI Sports Medicine as

Albert Godinez Movement Instructor Currently based in Corona, California, ALBERT GODINEZ was a member of Pacific Crest from 2009-2012. He marched trumpet from 2009-2010, mellophone in 2011, and aged out on baritone in 2012. For the past ten years, Albert has taught multiple high school

Taylor Rock Brass Instructor TAYLOR ROCK is an educator and designer based out of Lexington, KY, where he earned his degree in Music Education from the University of Kentucky. Taylor began his marching career as a contra player with the Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle Corps in 2013, and aged

Jessica Rico Color Guard Instructor

Mike Collins Brass Instructor MIKE COLLINS graduated with his Bachelor’s Degree in Music Performance from Cal Poly Pomona. He has completed all coursework for his Master’s Degree in Jazz Studies from the University of Southern California (USC). He studied trumpet under the tutelage of Larrie

Timmy Moriarty Bass Drum Instructor TIMMY MORIARTY currently resides in Long Beach, CA. He graduated from Chino Hills High in 2015. His marching experience includes POW Percussion (2016-2017), Mandarins (2017-2018), and Pulse Percussion (2018-2019). His teaching experience includes POW

Albert Avelar Cymbal Instructor ALBERT AVELAR's marching experience began at El Rancho High School in Pico Rivera, CA where he played tenors all four of his high school years. His cymbal career did not begin until his sophomore year of college, when he marched with POW Percussion in 2015. Albert

Austin Collins Tenor Instructor AUSTIN COLLINS graduated from Tahoma High School in 2015. Born and raised in Maple Valley, WA, he moved to his current home in Chino Hills, CA in 2017. His teaching experience includes Tahoma Senior High School and Eastlake High School, as well as assisting with a

Savannah Moua Cymbal Instructor SAVANNAH MOUA currently resides in Chino Hills, CA. She graduated from Chino Hills High School in 2015 and is currently working on her Bachelor’s degree in psychology at the University of California, Riverside. Her performance experience includes POW percussion

Whitney Taylor Front Ensemble Instructor WHITNEY TAYLOR graduated from La Quinta HS in Westminster in 2015 and has performed with Pulse Percussion, Blue Stars Drum & Bugle Corps, and the Blue Devils Drum & Bugle Corps. She teaches mainly in Southern California; some of her experiences

David Lopez Movement Instructor DAVID LOPEZ was born and raised in Downey, California. He is a graduate of Warren High School and is currently studying Music Education at California State University, Fullerton. David began his drum corps career in 2012 at Impulse. He went on to march at

Trent Gronewold Front Ensemble Instructor TRENT GRONEWOLD is a full time percussion arranger, designer, and instructor based in Southern California. He is currently the Front Ensemble Arranger and Sound Designer for Gold Drum and Bugle Corps. Trent teaches at Pacific Crest Drum and Bugle Corps

Tony Lymon Creative Designer TONY LYMON is the former Assistant Director of Bands at Petal High School in Petal, Mississippi and current co-music arranger/show designer for the Petal High School marching band. Tony is the director and show designer for the Petal Indoor Percussion Theatre, a

Hunter Dorman Movement Instructor HUNTER DORMAN was born and raised in Houston, Texas. He is currently a student at the University of Houston pursuing a degree in music education. His teaching experience includes Langham Creek High School, Creekside Intermediate, Crosby High School, and The

Emma Yonkers, MAT, ATC Health Team EMMA YONKERS comes to Pacific Crest from Glenview, Illinois, where she played trombone in high school marching band. In May of 2019, she completed a Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science and continued to earn her master's degree in Athletic Training from Saint

Helen Turner Health Team Consultant HELEN TURNER served as the Lead RN for The Cavaliers from 1981 to the present, and is a co-founding member of The Cavaliers Medical Group, which started in 1996. In 2010, Helen met Jim Olea during his time with The Cavaliers, and since then has been a mentor

Dr. Kevin Kloesel, PhD, Meteorologist Health Team University Meteorologist, OU Office of Emergency Preparedness Associate Professor, College of Atmospheric & Geographic Sciences B.S., Engineering Science, University of Texas at Austin, 1984 M.S. and Ph.D., 1990, Meteorology,

Mike Turner, EMT/Paramedic Health Team CPR Consultant MIKE TURNER was a member of The Cavaliers Drum & Bugle Corps in the early eighties. He has served many years as a police officer and firefighter with the Village of Rosemont, Illinois. Mike currently operates his own business, CPR Stat,

Jill Podsiad Health Team JILL PODSIAD comes to Pacific Crest from Santa Barbara, Ca. She has been a full time Surgical Technologist for the last 10 years, as well as a medical and physical therapy assistant (and hopefully, by the time we hit tour this summer, you can add massage therapist to her

Dr. Craig Bales, MD Health Team Consultant DR. CRAIG BALES is a co-founding member of The Cavaliers Medical Group, which started in 1996. Dr. Bales served as lead physician with The Cavaliers Drum & Bugle Corps from 1996-2014, and was nominated as an honorary Cavalier in 2009. He currently

Taylor Johnson Health Team Taylor received her Associates of Science in Nursing from Elgin Community College (2014-2015), a Bachelors of Science in Nursing from Purdue University Northwest (2016-2018), and a Bachelors in Psychology from the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign (2008-2012).

Alan Chrzanowski Movement Instructor ALAN CHRZANOWSKI was born and raised in Arlington, Texas. He received his bachelors in Music Education from The University of Texas at Arlington and is currently a high school band director at South Grand Prairie High School in Grand Prairie, Texas. His

Anthony Gilleland Front Ensemble Consultant ANTHONY GILLELAND is an instructor, performer, and arranger based in Southern California. He currently teaches at Pulse Percussion as well as three high school ensembles, including Woodbridge, Chino Hills, and Gahr, and has been teaching since private

Nathan Carroll Private Lesson Instructor NATE CARROLL is returning for his second year as Percussion Co-Caption Head at Pacific Crest. He also serves as Percussion Caption Head at Gahr HS. Nate graduated from Chino Hills HS in 2014 and began his teaching career straight out of high school. He

Christian Do Sound Engineer CHRISTIAN DO was raised in Fountain Valley, California. He began his marching career at La Quinta High School in Westminster, CA, and has since then taken interest in design and composition in the marching arts. Christian has performed with various Southern

David Ramirez Snare Instructor Based in Temecula, California, DAVID RAMIREZ is Battery Instructor at Great Oak High School, Vail Ranch Middle School, and Carlsbad High School. He also coordinates the percussion program at Fallbrook Union High School, and has previously spent time teaching at

Anastasia Canfield Movement Instructor ANASTASIA CANFIELD originally hails from Texas, but has found a new home in Colorado since 2013. She is overwhelmingly grateful to be returning to the Pacific Crest staff for the 2019 season after a brief hiatus. Anastasia has overseen operations for the

Noah Oliver Brass Instructor NOAH OLIVER is currently a student at Texas State University in San Marcos, TX, working towards a Bachelor of Music in Music Studies. At Texas State he is bass trombonist of the Symphony Orchestra and has performed in multiple ensembles, including the Trombone Choir

Zach Sheller Brass Instructor ZACH SHELLER is currently studying music education with a minor in business management at the University of Texas at Arlington. He is principal euphonium for the UTA Wind Symphony and was a drum major in the Maverick Marching Band in 2017 before serving as an

Dan Blevins Brass Instructor DAN BLEVINS is an educator from Columbus, OH and is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music with a bachelor’s degree in Music Education. He marched with the Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle Corps for four years and was a member of the

DJ Landoll Brass Instructor DJ LANDOLL is currently serving as Assistant Band Director at Penn High School in Mishawaka, IN. Previously, he worked as a graduate assistant with the band program at James Madison University, where he earned a Master of Music in Conducting under Stephen

Scott Oliver Brass Consultant SCOTT OLIVER is the Assistant Director of Bands at Marian Catholic High School where he assists with the marching band, conducts the Concert Band, and leads two jazz bands. He is also a staff member of the Drum Major Institute at the Bands of America Summer

Nathan Pratt Assistant Brass Caption Head NATHAN PRATT is excited to spend his 11th summer of DCI with Pacific Crest, having spent three seasons as a member of the Madison Scouts mellophone section and six seasons with the Madison Scouts brass instructional staff. Nathan has worked as a band

Sean Conway Brass Instructor SEAN CONWAY is Director of Bands at St. Croix Central High School in Hammond, WI, where he has been since 2017, and is currently the music director for Fleurish Winds. Previously, he worked for six years as a trumpet technician for the Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle

Kaitlyn Thompson, ATC Health Team KAITLYN THOMPSON is the Head Athletic Trainer at Redlands High School in Redlands, CA. She received her Bachelor's Degree in Athletic Training from the University of La Verne in California. Kaitlyn was a member of her junior high school and high school color

Ericka Krefting, RN Health Team ERICKA KREFTING hails from Crystal Lake, Illinois. She is a registered nurse in the state of Illinois, and graduated from Purdue University with a Bachelor's in Nursing. Krefting is currently a Patient Care Leader in the Emergency Department at Advocate Good

Conrad Alumia Front Ensemble Instructor CONRAD ALUMIA grew up in Murrieta, CA and currently resides in Los Angeles. He has been an active performer in the marching arts, having toured the country with the Blue Stars Drum & Bugle Corps (2017) and the Pacific Crest Drum & Bugle Corps (2016).

Francis Sefton Movement Instructor FRANK SEFTON was raised in Thousand Oaks, California, and attended Westlake High School. Frank’s six years of drum corps experience was spent entirely at Pacific Crest, where he marched the 2010-2015 seasons. While at Pacific Crest, he served as both the

Glen Crosby Program Coordinator and Director of Percussion GLEN CROSBY has been in the marching arts since 1980. Over that time, he has held various roles from a tenor instructor to program coordinator with numerous DCI, WGI and BOA groups. He has been extremely fortunate to work with some of

Bobby Frey Movement Instructor BOBBY FREY is a music educator based in Covina, CA and currently teaches at Sierra Vista Middle School. He received his Bachelor’s of Music Education from the Bob Cole Conservatory, where he was principal trombonist in the Conservatory’s Symphonic Band and winner

Matt Allen Snare Instructor MATT ALLEN grew up in Los Angeles, California, and has lived there his whole life. His performance experiences include Pacific Crest Drum & Bugle Corps, POW Percussion, Pulse Percussion, and the Bluecoats Drum and Bugle Corps (2015 and 2016). Matt joined the

Chris Henderson Drum Corps Manager CHRIS HENDERSON has an unyielding passion for working with youth arts education and nonprofits. Chris is Pacific Crest alumnus. After he aged out he took up roles in visual instruction, tour management and administrative operations. He also facilitates with

Jonathan Zuniga Music Director and Front Ensemble & Electronics Arranger/Composer JONATHAN ZUNIGA is an instructor and composer from Southern California, and is the Assistant Front Ensemble Arranger for Box Six. Jonathan is currently the Front Ensemble Arranger and is on the Design Team

Jonathan Yoo Movement Instructor JONATHAN YOO is the Associate Director of Bands at Seven Lakes High School in Katy, Texas. His responsibilities include coordinating the marching band, conducting Concert Band, Concert II and Jazz Band. Under his direction, the various ensembles have received

Sarah Choi Drum Major Staff SARAH CHOI is a music educator born and raised in Southern California. After graduating from Diamond Bar High School in 2008, where she served as drum major for two years, she went on to receive her Bachelor’s degree and teaching credential in music at California

Steven Estudillo Creative Director and Visual Designer STEVEN ESTUDILLO was born and raised in Southern California. He is a graduate of La Mirada High School, and studied at California State University, Fullerton. His high school music experiences opened the door to his first drum corps

Ryan Milligan Drum Major Camp Staff RYAN MILLIGAN graduated from Aliso Niguel High School in 2006 and was a member of Aliso Niguel’s percussion section for the four years of his high school career. He went on to graduate from California State University Fullerton with a B.A. in Music with an

Melannie Stakely Staff Coordinator and Bass Drum Instructor MELANNIE STAKELY performed with Mystical Drum and Bugle Corps, Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps, Black Knights Indoor Percussion and Pulse Percussion. Her teaching experiences include Gold Drum and Bugle Corps, Impulse Drum and

Rudy Ruiz Visual Caption Head From Covina, California, RUDY RUIZ was performed on contrabass with Pacific Crest from 2008-2009 and Cavaliers from 2010-2011. Rudy has taught the visual programs at several high school bands in Southern California including, South Hills, Azusa, Gahr, Sunny

Edward B. Martin Operations Manager EDWARD B. MARTIN joined Pacific Crest in 2010, As the organization's Operations Manager, he's responsible for earned income strategies, merchandise sales, our online store, marketing, volunteer coordination, and tour management. Ed has over 25 years of

Mark Kveton Student Leadership Instructor and Drum Major Camp Director MARK KVETON has been involved with the Pacific Crest Youth Arts Organization as either a performer, instructional staff member, or administrator for over a decade. His current roles include Student Leadership Instructor and

Antoinette Kveton Drum Major Camp Staff ANTOINETTE KVETON grew up in the San Fernando Valley and discovered her love for the marching arts during high school as a color guard member. Her alma mater, Chaminade High School gave her the opportunity to begin teaching in 2008 after her first

Darren Loney Brass Instructor DARREN LONEY is in his second decade of teaching, and is the current the Director of Instrumental Music at Gahr High School in Cerritos, California. He oversees the the Marching Band, Concert Band, Wind Ensemble, Jazz Band, Color Guard, Winter Guard, Percussion

Mark Gunderson Program Coordinator A Southern California native, Mark Gunderson has been a part of the band scene since he was an infant. Reared in a family of musicians and educators, Mark headed down the path set before him. He attended California State University, Fullerton, graduated

Stuart Pompel Chief Executive Officer STUART POMPEL was a founding instructor of Pacific Crest in 1993, served as its Executive Director from 1996 to 2018, and was appointed CEO in November 2018. During his tenure, he has led the growth of the organization from a small performing group to a

Matt Lackey Movement Instructor MATT LACKEY is a media producer and performing arts educator. He currently produces creative projects for a variety of industries including gaming, non-profits and professionals. He proudly serves as Vice President for Pulse Percussion, Inc., a non-profit arts

Garrett Lopez Movement Instructor GARRET LOPEZ has been involved with the marching activity for nearly 20 years as a musician, color guard performer, and instructor, and is currently in his fifth year as a visual instructor with Pacific Crest. A graduate of Chino High School (where he performed