Heidi Wilbur is an attorney at Fox Rothschild LLP, where she represents and advises employers on a wide range of employment issues, helps them understand their obligations under federal and state law, and crafts inventive solutions to problems arising in the workplace.  Heidi’s love of music and the arts began at a very young age.  Growing up outside DC, she has very fond memories of listening to the National Symphony Orchestra and various military bands at outdoor concerts in the summer.  In fifth grade, she started playing the clarinet.  For the next eight years, Heidi immersed herself in band, youth orchestra, jazz band, marching band, drumlines, woodwind ensembles, and as many opportunities to make music as she could find.  After spending a summer at a performing arts camp, she got bitten by the acting bug and went on to New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in theatre.  After several years pursuing an acting career and working for a commercial production company in Los Angeles, Heidi moved to Denver to attend law school at the University of Denver.  Heidi recently completed the Colorado Business Committee for the Arts’ Leadership Arts Network program and is very excited to serve on Inside the Orchestra’s Board of Directors.  She lives in Central Park with her husband and two sons, and loves spending time with her family experiencing all the wonderful cultural activities Denver has to offer, including Tiny Tots concerts!

Joshua Neugebauer’s love of music began at the age of three when he took his first piano lesson. Originally planning to be a concert pianist, his career path ended up leading him into the world of finance. He currently is on the investment team at the Colorado Public Employees’ Retirement Association (PERA), where he oversees compliance, risk, and performance of the investment portfolio. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in international management with minors in German and music from Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, MN. While at Gustavus, he spent a semester abroad in Vienna, Austria, where he attended masterclasses at the world renowned Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien. He has earned the right to use the Chartered Financial Analyst designation and is a member of the CFA Institute and the CFA Society of Colorado. In his spare time, Josh enjoys running, traveling, exploring the numerous breweries and restaurants the Denver area has to offer, and fostering rescue dogs. He and his wife Elise live in Lakewood with their two sons, who keep them busy with a myriad of activities and events.

Cindy found her love of music at the age of 3 when she began learning classical violin and piano. She hopes to pass this love onto her daughter and is grateful for Inside the Orchestra for providing enchanting opportunities to connect together around music. Cindy’s passion for social justice and equity motivates her to be involved with Inside the Orchestra’s efforts to bring culturally diverse music to all children. Cindy is the Executive Director of Groundwork Denver, a nonprofit organization dedicated to environmental justice and improving the health and well-being of all residents in metro Denver. Cindy earned a Bachelor of Arts from Tufts University and a Masters in Business Administration and Masters in Environmental Studies from Yale University

Janet Yenter is currently the Director of Community Engagement for the International School of Denver where she oversees community events and volunteer programming. Her experience spans higher education, working in donor relations, events, board management and constituent engagement most recently at the University of Denver as the  Assistant Vice Chancellor for Alumni Engagement. She has held leadership roles with the Colorado School of Mines Foundation, University of Colorado – Boulder, and Academy of Art University in San Francisco.  Prior to working in higher education, Janet gained significant experience in the performing arts administration world, planning large-scale fundraising events and managing boards and volunteers for organizations such as Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York, Lyric Opera of Chicago and Ravinia Festival. 

Born into a family of musicians, Janet began her musical journey at age 3 learning violin via the Suzuki Method, transitioning to piano and ultimately earned a music degree in Vocal Performance with a minor in Arts Management at Miami University.  Post-college, Janet sang with and served on the board of directors for Ars Nova Singers in Boulder, performed with the Juilliard Choral Union, most notably at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, and now teaches voice lessons at the International School of Denver. She and her husband Chris are big fans of the Tiny Tots program and attend performances regularly with their two young children.  

Jason Green hails from the great state of Colorado and currently resides in Denver with his wife Rebecca and daughter Ellington. Jason attended Colorado State University where he earned a Bachelor’s of Arts degree in Social Sciences with minors in Political Science and African American Studies. While attending CSU, he had the honor of serving as president of the student body. After graduation, Jason worked as a recruiter for the Job Corps program for several years where he followed his passions of working with youth and advocating for post-secondary education. Though passionate about serving youth, he decided to follow his dreams of living abroad and moved to Prague, Czech Republic, where he became an English teacher and helped start a tourism company. Currently Jason is a sales and outreach manager for Elite Entertainment. He is also professional DJ and MC and is able to live his life being creative, orchestrating events and being engulfed in music. Jason is also a board member for WeeCycle. Music has always played an important role in his life since the time he can remember and he firmly believes in the power of music education. When he is not making people move their feet to the rhythm, Jason loves being a father, traveling, running, gardening, attending concerts and performances with his wife, being social and considers himself a foodie!

Carlton “CJ” Willey is an attorney, business development specialist, and father of three boys. He is passionate about arts education and a believer in the power of music to inspire young people. CJ is General Counsel & Sr. Director of Business Development at Havenly, an online interior design startup based in the RiNo neighborhood of Denver. Prior to Havenly, CJ worked at three Bay Area law firms, helping startup clients to raise funds and grow, and he hopes to bring those skills to help Inside the Orchestra. CJ is originally from Akron, Ohio, and has a BA from Northwestern University and The Moritz College of Law at Ohio State University. He has lived in New York, San Francisco, and Beijing, China, and has now settled in Colorado. On weekends you’ll find him chasing the boys (JJ, Max, and Sammy) around Park Hill with his wife Christina, playing tennis at Denver Tennis Club, and of course enjoying the magic of the orchestra at Tiny Tots!

Becca is a lawyer, a Denver native, and–most importantly–a mom.  Becca saw the magic of Tiny Tots and was hooked.  Music was an important part of her childhood, and she is excited to apply her skillset to help Inside the Orchestra grow its impact.  As a former public school teacher, Becca has seen the trend to prioritize academics over arts education within schools accelerate.  She hopes to help all kids across Colorado and beyond gain access to the wonderful world of music education.  Becca is a graduate of Emory University School of Law, Bank Street College of Education, and Brandeis University.  When she is not working at Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath on construction and real estate litigation, she is chasing after her daughter Naomi, gardening, and fixing up her 90-year old house.

Del’Shawn is an award-winning musician, author, educator, and arts equity advocate. As a soloist, he has won awards from competitions such as American Prize and the Metropolitan International Music Festival, while making solo debuts on national and international stages. In January 2023, he premiered the role of George in Tim Hick’s and Kendra Leonard’s new short opera Water Rising with the Chattanooga Opera and symphony musicians. 

As composer, he has premiered new works within and outside of the U.S.  premiered with numerous organizations and ensembles like the Julius Quartet, the Cincinnati Song Initiative, Really Spicy Opera, Babεl, and White Snake Projects to name a few. Recently, Del’Shawn had four new art songs premiered at the Operation Opera Festival at Gonzaga University and a new art song premiered (in addition to his setting of Dunbar’s “We Wear the Mask) apart of the Source Song Festival under the tutelage of Grammy award-winning composer Libby Larsen and David Evan Thomas. Del’Shawn was one of ten black composers that was selected to participate in the inaugural NATS Composer Mentoring Program by acclaimed composers Tom Cipullo and Lori Laitman, during which he was mentored by celebrated composer Juliana Hall. Currently, he is the composer for Cook Shack (librettist Samiya Bashir), a new opera that is premiering with the one of the leading American opera companies, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis’ New Works  Collective in March 2023. Upcoming composition projects for 2023/2024 include the following: Serial Killers and The City with Experiments in Opera, a new musical with Rajendra Ramoon Maharaj (Fire Shut Up in My Bones Metropolitan Opera, Factotum at Lyric Opera),  a new work for symphony, and a large choral work, Hymn to the Forgotten celebrating the historical legacy of Black veterans. 

As a former educator and children’s book author (Do You Know What Makes a Man), Del’Shawn passionately works with community arts organizations to ensure that children regardless of socio-economic background have access to the transformative power of the arts. He is a board member of Art Song Colorado (program and finance committee) and serves on the board DEI committees of the South Bend Symphony Orchestra and Thompson Street Opera Company.

Kristi Franko began working in Early Childhood Education in 2004 and has consistently been witness to the power music has had on children. She currently is the Director of Washington Park Early Learning Center, a cooperative school in Denver where she works with a group of passionate teachers and parents to encourage not only a love of learning, but also connection and community in children. Kristi has a M.A in Educational Psychology and has worn many different hats throughout her career including mentoring and coaching teachers.  She is thrilled to join an organization with such a strong mission to serve children by increasing access to music and the arts. Kristi is a Colorado native and mom of two girls. In her free time enjoys spending time in the mountains and going to see as much live music as she can.