There are 4 nominees and 3 spots open for the FFOTM Board Elections in 2016. Only current FFOTM Members may vote, one vote per member. Votes must be received by Feb. 1, 2016.

There are 3 ways to vote:
• Vote with our online ballot at the bottom of this page
• Email your vote to admin@ffotm.org
• Mail in your vote to FFOTM, PO Box 23366, Flagstaff, AZ 86002

Candidate Bios

Peter Bruce has a career in Broadcasting from 1979-present, including 33 years at KAFF. He has had multiple emcee appearances and duties through the years, including Pickin’ in the Pines and Sedona Bluegrass Festival. Peter is a long time member of FFOTM. He is the host of 2 weekly roots/acoustic/folk music programs: Under Western Skies (Western music and cowboy poetry) & Blue Mountain (bluegrass, Americana, folk). He also hosts a local daily news/music/information radio show. Peter is a volunteer for various community organizations and a strong advocate for the local acoustic music scene. As board member, Peter would further the FFOTM agenda through his connections in media and government. Potential areas he could help with include marketing, Flagstaff Folk Festival and Pickin’ in the Pines. Peter would be honored to be on the board and have the flexibility to serve wherever needed.

Sheila Guida is currently a board member of FFOTM and would like to continue on the board in 2016. She has lived in Flagstaff for 28 years and has always been interested in the wide variety of music that comes through our college town. She has fond memories of Peter Rowan playing in the rain at Heritage Square, seeing Greg Brown for the first time at the Coconino Center for the Arts and enjoying Flying South at the Coconino County Fair. Sheila has been involved in Pickin’ in the Pines since its inception wearing many hats from Facilities Manager to a member of the Organizing Committee. As a member of the FFTOM board, Sheila has been part of the grant writing team that keeps our wonderful programs going strong. She has a great appreciation for all the work that FFTOM has done to promote traditional music and dance in northern Arizona, and would be honored to be member of the board.

Kristin Straka started playing violin at an early age and excelled as a violinist through high school where she was the concert mistress of her senior year orchestra and performed for three consecutive years in the Arizona All-State Honors Orchestra. After moving to Flagstaff and graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from Northern Arizona University, she found herself playing fiddle in an acoustic country-bluegrass-blues band in 2001. She quickly started learning and playing different styles of fiddle music and attended several fiddle camps including Mark O’Connor’s San Diego fiddle camp, Rockygrass fiddle camp in Lyons, CO, and the California Bluegrass Association Music Camp in Grass Valley, CA. Since then Kristin has played fiddle and sang in several bands over the past 15 years including Second Harvest, The Mars Hillbilllies and Voluntary Stringband. Kristin has been an enthusiastic contributor to FFOTM over the years as a fiddle instructor for the Young Jammers program and volunteering, performing, and teaching workshops at the Pickin’ in the Pines Bluegrass & Acoustic Music Festival. Kristin currently works as a biologist with the National Park Service and is a performing musician with Viola & the Brakemen, and seeks to further assist FFOTM and its contributions to our community.

Anne Wittke is currently a board member of FFOTM and would like to continue on the board in 2016. Anne has been a resident of Flagstaff for over 25 years. She started going to the FFOTM contra dances soon after she moved here, and has fond memories of the campouts as well. She has been involved in music one way or another, her whole life, although she made her living as a computer programmer. She took over as program manager of the Flagstaff Folk Festival in 2012 with her husband, Barry Malpas. She has been a liaison to the board in her continuing role as program manager of the Flagstaff Folk Festival.

Please vote for 3 seats. You can vote by mail, email or our online voting.
Votes must be received by Feb. 1, 2016.

Email your vote to: admin@ffotm.org

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