Council Members
Christopher Perez (2024-2026), Past Chair
Director of Guitar Studies
Freedom High School
Orlando, Florida
Patrick Callahan (2025-2026), Eastern Division Representative
Guitar Teacher
Franklin High School
Basking Ridge, New Jersey
Jared Waln (2025-2027), North Central Division Representative
Director of Guitar Education
Southwest High School, University of St. Thomas
Richfield Minnesota
Jared Tanner (2024-2026), Northwest Division Representative
Band and Guitar Teacher
Liberty High School, Issaquah School District
Renton, Washington
Rob Pethel (2025-2027), Southern Division Representative
Music Educator, Audio/Video Educator, Lead Technology Teacher
Atlanta Public Schools
Atlanta, Georgia
Gwen Marie Lerch (2024-2026), Southwestern Division Representative
Director of Guitar
Santa Fe Public Schools, Capital High School & Ortiz Middle School
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Darin Au (2025-2027), Western Division Representative
Academy Faculty
Punahou School
Honolulu, Hawaii
Michael Klein (2025-2026), Member-At-Large Representative
Guitar Teacher
Green Valley High School
Henderson, Nevada
Michael McCallie (2025-2026), Member-at-Large Representative
Director of Guitar Programs
The McCallie School
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Ricardo Paz (2025-2026), Member-at-Large Representative
Guitar Instructor at Riverside Arts Academy and Teaching Assistant at UCR
Riverside Arts Academy & University of California, Riverside
Riverside, California
Matt Nastro (2025-2026) Member-At-Large Representative
Master's Student, Music Educator
Eastman School of Music
Rochester, New York




