Board Members
Board Members
Carol M. Schoch – Founder/Director
cmschoch@detroitchildrenschoir.org
A native of the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area, Carol earned her B.A. in Vocal Music from Lycoming College, and K-12 Vocal and Instrumental Music Education Certification from Moravian College. Two years into her teaching career, her husband, David, started with Ford Motor Company, which took them to Cleveland and then Farmington Hills, where they brought three daughters, now 26, 24 and 20, into the world. The family then accepted foreign assignments with Ford to England, Brazil and South Africa.
Throughout the years, Carol utilized her musical training as a church choir director, teacher, singer and founding director of the International Choir of São Paulo. After returning to the States, she earned her Masters of Music in Choral Conducting and Vocal Pedagogy from Oakland University in 2005, studying under Dr. Michael Mitchell, Dr. Edith Diggory and John-Paul White. Currently, she performs with the Birmingham First Chamber Choir and Cantata Academy Chorale, where she serves as soprano section leader. Her passion for choral singing goes far beyond the music and the applause – it is a dissertation in the making!
Mary Lubera
mlubera@detroitchildrenschoir.org
Mary is a Michigan native. She was raised in Grosse Pointe and currently resides there with her husband, Rob and son, John. Mary has always had a love of music.
Mary is a Certified Public Accountant who earned her Bachelors of Science in Accounting and Finance from Miami of Ohio. Her past professional experience has been in auditing as a Manager with PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP, in corporate accounting with DaimlerChrysler and she currently works in the area of tax planning and non-profit planning with the law firm of Wakefield, Sutherland & Lubera, PLC. She is a member of the Michigan Association of Certified Public Accountants and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
Mary volunteers and supports various non-profit organizations in the Detroit area and has served as Treasurer and Board Member of the Junior League of Detroit.
Mary was first introduced to Carol Schoch and the Detroit Children’s Choir in the fall of 2006. She believes in the positive impact that choral music has on children’s lives and is honored to be a Detroit Children’s Choir Board member.
Mike Robison
mrobison@detroitchildrenschoir.org
Mike was born and raised in Southeast Michigan growing up in Southfield and now living in West Bloomfield.
He and his wife of thirteen years, Deborah, have three children in elementary and middle school – Kyla, Joseph and Brianna.
Mike works at Tower Automotive in Novi, Michigan as Director of Program Management. He helped launch the 2005 Ford Five Hundred in Chicago and launched the 2008 Taurus in Chicago. Mike is currently working on several new products to be produced at Ford’s Chicago Assembly plant. He has been with Tower over five years and in the automotive industry for over twenty years. Mike has a BSEE (1987) and MBA (1997) from the University of Michigan.
Mike played snare and bass drum in his 6th grade band and played some acoustic guitar after that and is a big fan of a wide variety of music.
Mike also volunteers as a soccer and baseball coach and is a Director on the Board of the Lakes Area Youth Soccer League.
Angela Richardson
arichardson@detroitchildrenschoir.org
Angela Richardson currently serves as a Program Associate in Capacity Building and Youth Development at New Detroit, Inc. In this dual role, she assists grassroots community and faith based organizations in building sustainable organizations and facilitates race relations dialogues with high school students that culminate in an annual Youth Leadership Summit on
Race.
Prior to her role at New Detroit, Richardson managed, recruited, trained, and executed an FDA regulated training curriculum for over 500 corporate and community volunteers at the American Red Cross. In addition, she served in program and volunteer management for a national financial literacy organization.
A native Detroiter, Richardson holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Wheaton College and a master’s degree in management from Liberty University. Richardson is currently an America’s Leaders of Change Fellow through the National Urban Fellows, WalMart and Kansas University. She is a member of the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network-Detroit Chapter and a graduate of New Detroit’s Multicultural Leadership Program. Richardson is married with one daughter and in her spare time, enjoys playing classical piano, volunteering, and reading inspirational books.
Denny Sandberg
dsandberg@detroitchildrenschoir.org
Dennis L. Sandberg retired in 2007 from Meritor WABCO Vehicle Control Systems, an automotive supplier company based in Troy, Michigan. He most recently served as president and general manager. His experience in the automotive industry began in 1975, including positions of increasing responsibility in engineering, sales and marketing, and program management.
His background includes significant contributions in the areas of business and organization development, strategic planning and legislative initiatives.
Mr.Sandberg has cultivated a life-long love of music which began with elementary school band. His continuing participation in various choirs and ensembles began in college. A passionate believer that choral singing holds the power to transform lives, he is very excited about the opportunities which the Detroit Children’s Choir will provide.
Mr. Sandberg holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree from Youngstown State University. He is married with two sons who attend college.
Advisory Board Members
Joanne Clark
Dr. Joanne Vollendorf Rickards Clark is the Minister of Organ and director of the Bach Choir at Hartford Memorial Baptist Church and Cooordinator of Sacred Music and Chair of the Music Department at Marygrove College in Detroit, Michigan. A long time musician in the Detroit area she has taught at The University of Detroit-Mercy, and Wayne State University and was formerly the Minister of Music at Christ Episcopal Church-Detroit . Under the direction of Dr. Clark the Christ Church choir performed at Regional American Choral Directors Conventions, and at the Midwest Music Educators Convention. She has been a featured speaker at professional music organizations and community groups all over the country speaking on Russian Orthodox Liturgy, Professional Concerns for musicians, music for special services, and music by women composers.
Linda Lee
For more than 30 years, Linda H. Lee has applied her knowledge and skills in variety of corporate marketing, public relations, communications and business development positions. The majority of her career was spent in public relations assignments at Ford Motor Company, where she also established the first women’s marketing and product department in the auto industry. Following her early retirement from Ford, she worked as a communications and business development consultant for two automotive suppliers. She subsequently served for nearly two years as communications director for Mayor’s Time, Inc., a Detroit non-profit agency addressing children’s health and safety issues by engaging the City’s youth in out-of-school activities. While there, she developed and executed a highly successful grass-roots program which increased participation of Detroit children in the federal Summer Food Service Program. She also facilitated implementation of the Action for Healthy Kids’ ReCharge! healthy lifestyles program in 80 Detroit after-school programs. She presently is a marketing consultant at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.
A New York City native, Ms. Lee holds a bachelor’s degree in life sciences/nutrition from Cornell University and a master’s degree in communications from the S.I. Newhouse School at Syracuse University.
Thomas Wilkins
Thomas Wilkins was appointed as Music Director of the Omaha Symphony in 2005, and 2007/2008 marks his second season with the orchestra. The 2007/2008 season also marks his eighth season as Resident Conductor of the Detroit Symphony. Past positions have included Resident Conductor of the Florida Orchestra (Tampa Bay), and Associate Conductor of the Richmond (VA) Symphony. He served on the music faculties of North Park University (Chicago); the University of Tennessee in Chattanooga and Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond.
Committed to promoting a life-long enthusiasm for music, Thomas Wilkins brings energy and commitment to audiences of all ages. For his significant contribution to the children of Tampa Bay, the Pinellas County Music Educators Association named him 1998 Friend of the Arts and the Hillsborough County Elementary Music Educators recognized him as 1998 Music Educator of the Year. He seeks to cultivate a “vibrant creative imagination” in today’s youth, noting, in a guest editorial in the Richmond News-Leader, “Successful education is not that which teaches our children how to get a job. Education is a success when we teach our children to love learning.”
As Resident Conductor of the Detroit Symphony, he leads the orchestra in a variety of programs, including Classical, Special Events, Pops, Young People’s and educational concerts.
Wilkins actively participates in the life of the community as a frequent guest speaker and volunteer for local community organizations and schools. He has served on the board of directors of such organizations as the Center Against Spouse Abuse in Tampa Bay, the Museum of Fine Arts and the Academy Preparatory Center for Education, both in St. Petersburg. Currently he serves as chairman of the board for the Raymond James Charitable Endowment Fund.
A native of Norfolk, VA, Thomas Wilkins earned his Bachelor of Music Education degree from the Shenandoah Conservatory of Music in 1978, where he now returns each summer to serve as Orchestral Conductor for that institution’s summer performing arts camp. In 1982 he was awarded the Master of Music degree in Orchestral Conducting from the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston.
Thomas Wilkins and his wife, Sheri-Lee, have twin daughters, Nicole and Erica.
