Board of Directors (2024-2025)

President: Lyn Loewi, Associate Organist, St. John’s Episcopal Church, Lafayette Square (Washington, DC) 

Lyn H. Loewi is Associate Organist at St. John’s Church, Lafayette Square, in Washington, DC. She has been a church musician, teacher, and recitalist for forty years. Her interest in women composers began in 1983 with a DMA dissertation on women composers for the organ. She is a member of the AGO Task Force for Gender Equity, President of the Women's Sacred Music Project, and a contributor to the database of sacred choral music by women, A Great Host of Composers. Her leading role in creating our 2023 Resounding Voices hymnal was born of a desire to honor the founders of our 2003 hymnal Voices Found. She is glad that the project

has focused our understanding of what women (those who identify as women) bring to sacred song: the deconstruction of an exclusively White male view of God and a more complete vision of The Holy One. Loewi has held positions at St. John's Cathedral in Denver, Colorado, St. Mary's Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception and First Presbyterian Church in Portland, Oregon, and Webster Groves Presbyterian Church in St. Louis, Missouri. She has taught at Portland State University and

the University of Minnesota and played recitals at Notre Dame in Paris, in Japan, and in Germany.

Vice President: Tonya Taylor-Dorsey, Director, Archdiocese of Philadelphia Catholic Gospel Mass Choir

Tonya Taylor-Dorsey is currently the Director of the Philadelphia Catholic Gospel Mass Choir, Archdiocese of Philadelphia—Office for Black Catholics, and the Minister of Music at St. Martin de Porres Church, in Philadelphia, PA. Her vocal compositions have been performed at various venues around the United States, including Juilliard, and she is noted for creating the musical score for the stage play ManShop that debuted on Philadelphia’s Avenue of the Arts. She has held workshops and webinars on such subjects as The Importance of Reading Music, Increasing the Music Ministry, and Music in the Catholic Church from an African American and Hispanic Perspective. Tonya was the first woman to serve as Musical Director of the National Black Catholic Congress, for its twelfth meeting. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Texas at San Antonio. For more information about Tonya visit her website: www.TonyaDorsey.net

Secretary: Edward D. Latham, Chair, Department of Music Studies, Temple University (Philadelphia, PA), pro tem

Dr. Edward D. Latham (BA, MPhil, PhD, Yale University) is Chair of Music Studies, Associate Professor of Music Theory, and Coordinator of the DMA in Music Performance at Temple University’s Boyer College of Music and Dance in Philadelphia, PA. A prize-winning teacher and accomplished musician, Dr. Latham has over thirty conference presentations and twenty publications to his credit, most notably his 2008 book Tonality as Drama. He has written on twentieth-century opera (Schoenberg, Britten, Debussy, Korngold), American music (Beach, Gershwin, Weill), canonical works (Bach, Lully, Mozart, Schubert), and, more recently, nineteenth-century music (Brahms, Massenet, Mendelssohn, Schumann, Puccini). As a liturgical musician, Dr. Latham serves as the Director of Music at Daylesford Abbey (a Norbertine community in Paoli, PA), St. Katharine of Siena Parish (in Wayne, PA), and St. Thomas of Villanova Parish (the Augustinian parish at Villanova University). He is the Director of both the Villanova Singers and the Main Line Singers and is a former Research Associate in the Department of Greek, Latin, and Classical Studies at Bryn Mawr College, where he directed the Bryn Mawr Renaissance Choir. He has sung for Pope Francis, had original compositions performed at the Vatican, and toured the world both as a singer and as a conductor. He has been the Executive Director of the Women’s Sacred Music Project since 2019.

Treasurer: Susan Stern, Self-Employed (Radnor, PA)

Susan Stern currently owns an executive services company, working in the Philadelphia region.  She began her career as a registered nurse, taking time to raise her family.  Upon return to the workforce she spent 15 years as a Business Manager of a local church.  Susan has spent over 30 years volunteering for a variety of organizations, using her financial acumen skills to support the mission of the organization.  She is currently serving on the Radnor Township School District Board of School Directors.  First elected in 2013, she served as President for three years during the challenges posed by the pandemic.  She holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Pennsylvania.

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Rosa Abrahams – Associate Professor of Music Theory, Ursinus College

Dr. Rosa Abrahams (she/her/hers) is Department Chair and Associate Professor of Music Theory at Ursinus College. Her research, informed by music cognition and music philosophy, focuses primarily on embodied musical experiences in Jewish liturgical settings and on curriculum expansion and reform in music theory pedagogy. Rosa holds a Ph.D. and an M.Mus. in music theory and cognition from Northwestern University, and a B.Mus. in music theory from the Eastman School of Music. She has served on the Women’s Sacred Music Project board since 2020.

Rev. Sarah Akes-Cardwell – Associate Rector for Parish Life and Family, St. John’s Episcopal Church

The Rev. Sarah Akes-Cardwell, Associate Rector for Parish  Life and Family Ministry at St. John's Episcopal Church on Lafayette Square in Washington, DC, grew up in East Tennessee and moved to the DC area in 2013 to begin her studies at Virginia Theological Seminary. As an undergraduate at Sewanee, Sarah studied U.S. History and International and Global Studies. Sarah served as the Assistant Rector at Middleham & St. Peter’s Parish in Lusby, MD where much of her ministry focused on children, youth, and intergenerational formation. Most recently, Sarah served as the Episcopal Chaplain at the University of Maryland (College Park). While serving at St. John’s, Sarah continues to serve in a part-time capacity as Chaplain to students at Holy Trinity Episcopal School in Bowie, MD. Sarah’s wife, Amanda, is also an Episcopal priest, and together they have a son, Samuel, who brings them immense joy and new learning each day. You can often find them exploring local parks, breweries, and historic sites in their downtime.

Kathy Byrnes – Vice President for the Division of Student Life, Villanova University

Dr. Kathleen J. Byrnes, JD, serves as Vice President for the Division of Student Life at Villanova, bringing to the position a substantial background in all aspects of the student experience. An alumna with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Honors and a master’s degree in Theology, Kathy also holds a Juris Doctor from Duke University School of Law. Kathy returned to Villanova as an instructor in 1989 and joined the Student Life staff two years later. She co-founded Villanova’s learning communities and now oversees numerous departments within Student Life. She has been a member of numerous University-wide committees, including the Parents Executive Committee, the past three Middle States committees, the Sustainability Leadership Council, the Compliance and Ethics Committee, and Villanova’s Presidential Inauguration Committee, for which she served as Chair. She has been an integral part of Villanova’s sexual assault prevention efforts since the early 1990s and was Villanova’s Sexual Harassment Complaint Officer from 1993 to 2020. She was also central in the creation of the Sexual Assault Resource Coordinator (SARC) team and many of Villanova’s Title IX policies. In addition, Kathy has continued as an instructor at Villanova, teaching on several topics including law, leadership and student affairs in Catholic higher education. Kathy is Past Board Chair of the Association of Student Affairs at Catholic Colleges and Universities (ASACCU). 

Cynthia Folio – Composer and Professor of Music Studies (ret.), Temple University

Dr. Cynthia Folio (b. 1954) is a composer, music theorist and flutist. She received her PhD in music theory and Performers Certificate in flute from the Eastman School of Music, where she studied composition with Joseph Schwantner and flute with Bonita Boyd; Robert D. Morris advised her dissertation on the music of Schwantner. She served as Professor and Chair of Music Studies in the Boyer College at Temple University until 2022, where she was honored with the Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching in 1994, the Creative Achievement Award in 2012 and the Faculty Senate Outstanding Service Award in 2021. Philadelphia Inquirer reviewers have described Folio’s compositions as “confident and musical in expressing ideas of great substance,” “intriguing and enjoyable” and “imaginatively scored.” She has received commissions from such organizations as Network for New Music, the Relâche Ensemble, the Mendelssohn Club of Philadelphia, Astral Artistic Services, Ensemble Triolet, Pi Kappa Lambda, and the National Flute Association. She has held composer residencies at The American Academy in Rome, Yaddo, and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. Awards include many ASCAP Standard Awards and the American Prize in Composition: “Judge’s Citation for 'Raising Awareness and Understanding for those Afflicted with Epilepsy.'” 

  Michelle Kardos – Assistant Organist, Pasadena Presbyterian Church (Pasadena, CA)

Dr. Michelle Kardos, DMA, MT-BC, CAGO is the newly appointed Director of Education for the American Guild of Organists. Alongside this, she is the Assistant Organist at Pasadena Presbyterian Church. She obtained her Doctor of Musical Arts in Sacred Music at the University of Southern California, a Master of Music in Sacred Music at Duquesne University, and a Bachelor of Music in Music Therapy along with the Sacred Music Certificate, Pastoral Ministry Certificate, and a Psychology minor at Seton Hall University.

Louise Mundinger – Music Director, Cathedral Church of St. Paul (Boston, MA)

Louise Mundinger is the Music Director at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Boston and the Diocese of Massachusetts.  She won the Frank Huntington Beebe award for musicians, for organ study in Germany, and is a prize winner in the San Anselmo Organ Improvisation Competition. She has been commissioned to write new music by the American Guild of Organists, The American Composers Forum, and the Diocese of Massachusetts.  Her articles have appeared in The American Organist and Musforum. Louise Mundinger was awarded the Talbot Baker Teaching Award at Milton Academy.  She is a past Dean of the Boston Chapter of the American Guild of Organists (BAGO),  and was director of the AGO National New Music committee.

Rev. Jack Reiffer – Pastor (ret.); Treasurer, Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, DC

Jack Reiffer is a retired pastor and current member of St. John’s Episcopal Church, Lafayette Square, in Washington, DC. He served for ten years on a denominational hymnal revision committee in the ‘80s and chaired the text subcommittee of that project. Jack has served as organist and choir member in several congregations. He is also a longtime singer and leader in the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, DC. At St. John’s Church Jack teaches an adult Bible study, chairs the pastoral care ministry team, and fills several roles in worship leadership.

Rev. Victoria Sirota – Chaplain and Canon

  Victoria R. Sirota, an Episcopal priest, organist and author, has degrees from Oberlin College, Boston University, and the Harvard University Divinity School. She       has served congregations in Baltimore, Yonkers and the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in New York City. Former National Chaplain for the American Guild of      Organists and the Association of Anglican Musicians, Rev. Dr. Sirota is the author of articles, reviews and texts for hymns, cantatas and song cycles. She has played   recitals in the United States and Europe, and is recorded on Northeastern, Gasparo, and Albany Records. Her book Preaching to the Choir: Claiming the Role of   Sacred Musician is available from Church Publishing. 

Kaitlyn Waterson – Founder, illumine; Soprano, OperaDelaware 

Kaitlyn Waterson is an American lyric soprano and co-founder of the Philadelphia-based chamber ensemble, illumine. Her opera affiliations include       OperaDelaware, Delaware Valley Opera Company, and West Chester University Opera Company, where she has performed leading roles such as Prince Charmant in Cendrillon (Massenet) and Hänsel in Hänsel und Gretel (Humperdinck). Kaitlyn has been a featured soloist with the Csik Chamber Orchestra of Csíkszereda, Romania (with which she performed two world premieres) and the Sinfionetta Vidin. Her teachers include Randall Scarlata and Elizabeth de Trejo.

Elaine Zajano – Director, Laetate Ringers; Assistant Director of Liturgical Music, St. Thomas of Villanova Parish

Elaine Zajano is the Founding Director of the Laetate Ringers handbell ensemble, and is the Assistant Director of Music at St. Thomas of Villanova Parish in Bryn Mawr, PA. She earned a Master of Arts in the History of Spirituality from St. Charles Seminary in Philadelphia and a Master of Education at Villanova University, with additional musical studies at the Choral Institute at Oxford University and Westminster Choir College, and is a Golden Rose alumna of Rosemont College. An instructor for many years in theology, French, Latin, and voice at Villa Maria Academy, Elaine was also the Choir Director and Founding Director of Handbells at St. John Chrysostom Church, as well as Handbell Choir Director at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Philadelphia. One of her most treasured choral experiences was singing for three popes as part of the Eucharistic Congress Choir and the Cathedral Choir of Philadelphia, and she also served for many years on the editoral staff for Moreana, the bilingual journal of the Amici Thomae Mori, at the Université Catholique de l'Ouest in Angers, France. 

Julia Zavadsky – Artistic Director, Nashirah; Professor of Music Studies, Curtis Institute of Music

Julia Zavadsky is a Ukrainian/Israeli/American conductor and educator who lives in Philadelphia. She joined the Department of Musical Studies at the Curtis Institute of Music in 2019. A recipient of the Elaine Brown Award for Choral Excellence and winner of numerous international choral festival competitions, she has been the Artistic Director of Nashirah, the Jewish Chorale of Greater Philadelphia, since 2015. Dr. Zavadsky’s ensembles have performed in such venues as Carnegie Hall, the New York Theatre Workshop, the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, the Field Concert Hall of the Curtis Institute, and the Temple University Performing Arts Center in Philadelphia. They have also participated in tours to the Middle East and Europe. As director of the Rutgers University Singers since 2006, Dr. Zavadsky has organized and hosted annual choral festivals for high school, university, and community choirs. In 2011 she founded the Singing Hearts Choral Society of Southern New Jersey. Dr. Zavadsky is dedicated to highlighting contemporary political issues through musical collaborations. In recent times, she has worked together with Israeli and Palestinian musicians and, since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, has performed and educated audiences about Ukrainian musical traditions and repertoire. 

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Lisa Neufeld Thomas – Founder and President Emerita of the Board

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