Staff & Board

Meet the Team

Meriça Whitehall
Meriça WhitehallInterim Executive Director
Meriça Whitehall brings over 25 years of experience empowering teams, strengthening organizational operations, improving financial performance, planning infrastructure reinvestment, and planning and implementing long-term strategy. She is a seasoned nonprofit executive with a passion for the performing arts and has championed the integration of DEIJ into organizational values, culture, planning, and operations. Meriça’s arts consulting experience includes Seattle Theatre Group, Seattle Center Festal, Seattle Children’s Museum, Intiman Theatre, SEEDArts, and Hugo House. Meriça has also toured nationally as a performing artist and the managing director of a music and dance ensemble.
Janice Halfon
Janice HalfonDevelopment and Communications Director
Janice Halfon is a nonprofit strategist with expertise in fundraising, communications, and organizational leadership across the arts, advocacy, and public health sectors. She has secured major gifts, sponsorships, and foundation support at the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle, NARAL Pro-Choice Washington, and Northwest Parkinson’s Foundation. Her leadership includes service with the American Sephardi Federation, United Way of King County, and Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle. She also brings experience working with tribal communities—including the Coushatta and Muckleshoot Tribes—on initiatives supporting sovereignty, culture, and economic development.
Karen Caropepe
Karen CaropepeOperations Manager
Since 2005, Karen Caropepe has been the mechanics behind the scenes; administering grants, keeping the books, raising funds, handling memberships, selling tickets, supporting productions, coordinating volunteers, creating and organizing publications, getting the word out through marketing and publicity, mentoring interns, and training and supporting staff. If something needs to be done, she does it. Caropepe relishes her opportunity to directly help artists and bring attention to their work. Caropepe’s dedication to arts education led her to join the founding board of Jazz Night School 2012. She served as an officer, including two years as president until 2016. Currently, Caropepe serves as Treasurer on the South Hudson Music Project board. Caropepe graduated with a BA from Texas A&M University.
Lucienne Grace
Lucienne GraceMembership & Community Engagement Manager
Lucienne Grace is excited to support a vibrant jazz community in her role with Earshot Jazz. She joined Earshot Jazz in April 2018 and has held various titles with increasing responsibilities over her time. Her current role encompasses managing the PatronManager CRM database, which includes organizing and maintaining member and donor records, analyzing data, designing reports, and orchestrating the ticketing for year-round concerts. Tracking and organizing artist contracts is also part of her position. Her other major role is to manage front of house at concerts and to co-ordinate the Earshot Jazz volunteers. She is involved in community engagement through fostering relationships with artists, audiences, and community partners. Passionate about supporting the local arts community, Lucienne has volunteered for various Seattle arts organizations.
Kristina Kenney
Kristina KenneyMarketing and Communications Manager
Kristina Kenney, a native Seattleite, is a versatile marketing and communications professional with experience across print and digital platforms. She began her career in marketing before expanding into graphic design, working with travel and healthcare companies on email campaigns, brochures, print ads, and promotional materials. She brings a creative, strategic, and organized approach to showcasing Earshot Jazz’s mission, programs, artists, and events. A lifelong music lover, Kristina enjoys travel, crafting, running, and discovering new cultures and sounds. She is excited to help honor jazz history, culture, and community.
Rayna Mathis
Rayna MathisEarshot Jazz Editor
After moving to Seattle in 2014, Rayna has dedicated herself to serving Seattle’s youth & arts scene and is forever in awe/gratitude for the communities she’s found within them. She is a graduate of the University of Washington and was named The Washington Art Education Association’s 2018 Outstanding New Art Educator of the Year. She’s presented nationally on the following topics: Questioning the Progress: Millennial Women Discuss Gender, Racial Equity, and Inclusivity (American Alliance of Museums) and Career Days: The Un-Sugar-Coated Version of Working in Art Museums (National Art Education Association). Rayna currently serves on KEXP’s Community Advisory Board, Seattle Music Commission’s Youth + Community Committee, and the Seattle Jazz Fellowship Board.
Halynn Blanchard
Halynn BlanchardFestival Talent Buyer & Events Programmer
Halynn Blanchard has been behind the scenes of 1,000 concerts and events in Seattle since 2017. Inspired by the vibrancy of the global music community in the Pacific Northwest, she brings a deep knowledge of local venues and passion for partnership to her role as programmer of the Earshot Jazz Festival. She’s organized events and led artist relations for AEG, The Triple Door, THING Festival, Capitol Hill Block Party, Summer Meltdown, and Cascade PBS. She’s worn a few other hats, too: big band vocalist, burlesque show-caller, grant writer, and DJ. A graduate of Seattle Pacific University, her background in journalism—including time as editor of the Kenyan news startup Habari Kilifi—grounds her approach to storytelling and artist advocacy, from the page to the stage.

Board of Directors

Maurice James
Maurice JamesPresident
Maurice James is a 2nd time resident of Seattle, drawn to the city’s vibrant and energetic scene, encouraged by its love of the performing arts & culture, and its thriving volunteer community. He is a Marketing Executive with T-Mobile having worked in the telecommunications field both here in the US and abroad in South Africa. In addition to serving on the board of Earshot Jazz, he also serves on the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Puget Sound Board of Directors. When he’s not taking in a local performance or checking out a new-local dining experience, you’ll find him hopping a plane traveling to some international destination ready to take in a new experience.
Jazmyn Scott
Jazmyn ScottVice President
Jazmyn Scott is the Executive Director of ARTE NOIR, former Director of Programs & Partnerships for LANGSTON, co-founder of 50 Next: Seattle Hip-Hop Worldwide, a digital “time capsule” highlighting Seattle and Northwest Hip-Hop, and co-curator of The Legacy of Seattle Hip-Hop exhibit at the Museum of History & Industry; which won the 2016 American Association for State & Local History (AASLH) Leadership in History award. She currently serves as board vice president for Earshot Jazz and The Residency, as well as several community arts advisory boards.
Chris Icasiano
Chris Icasiano
Christopher Icasiano is a Filipino-American percussionist and composer. He grew up in Redmond, Washington and has been playing drums since he was eight years old. While studying jazz at the University of Washington, Christopher developed an interest in free-improvisation, experimental, and avant-garde music, which has informed his musical approach ever since. As a curator, he creates mind-expanding experiences featuring unconventional music in club environments. He co-founded the Racer Sessions, a weekly performance series, and the arts organization Table & Chairs. His chicken adobo is delicious, he has run three marathons, and his current karaoke song is Luther Vandross’ “So Amazing.”
Kelly Clingan
Kelly Clingan
Kelly Clingan is the former education director at Seattle JazzED. A graduate of Roosevelt High School and the University of Washington, she is rooted in Seattle’s celebrated tradition of music education. In 2016, Kelly was named the University of Washington GWSS Alumni of the Year for her work on gender equity in jazz and in 2018 she served on the ‘Expanding Opportunities to Learn Jazz in After-School’ Taskforce at Jazz at Lincoln Center. Kelly plays trombone in Banda Vagos, a traditional Mexican Banda, performing through the Puget Sound area on a Weekly Basis.
Ruby Love
Ruby Love
Ruby Love is a transformational business leader who was honored to be asked by a friend to support Earshot Jazz. She is an entrepreneur and strategist known for advocating for socially responsible business and community organizations. Her career has afforded relationships that have brought much needed philanthropic support to the arts, education, STEM, social services, and advancing philanthropy. She enjoys advising emerging entrepreneurs to unlock the keys to building a better world with racial equity and social justice always front and center. Her love of artists in live performance, jazz, a great book, golf and her active family fill her days.

Emeritus Board Members

Karen Caropepe, Lola Pedrini, and John Gilbreath photo by Daniel Sheehan

Clarence Acox
Sue Coliton
Taina Honkalehto
Viren Kamdar
Hideo Makihara
Kenneth W. Masters
Peter Monaghan
Lola Pedrini
Richard Thurston
Paul Toliver
Cuong Vu