Meet the 2024-2025 AMTA Board of Directors
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Angela M. Snell, MSEd, MT-BC (she/her) – President
Angie is a school music therapist and educational consultant from Monroe, Michigan. She specializes in music therapy services in least restrictive environments, assessment, and special education law. She is an experienced change agent with graduate degrees in Educational Leadership and Special Education Administration. She has served in local, state, regional, and national leadership roles inside and outside of our field. In addition to AMTA President, she serves on the National Coalition of Creative Arts Therapists Associations (NCCATA), Michigan Music Therapy Task Force, Michigan Music Education Association’s Inclusive Instruction Committee, and she is the Professional Development Coordinator for Roman Music Therapy Services.
Jennifer Sokira, MMT, LCAT, MT-BC (she/her) – Vice President
Jennifer is a private practice owner, consultant and educator from Monroe, CT. Founding Director of Connecticut Music Therapy Services, LLC, Jennifer’s clinical work focuses on supporting survivors of individual and collective trauma using music psychotherapy methods. She supervises and consults with individuals and organizations to assist them with disaster response and trauma-informed program development. In addition to writing and presenting, she teaches at Alverno College, Southern Connecticut State University and Quinnipiac University, and is Director of Educational Programming with EnlightenCE. Her previous professional service has included president of New England Region of AMTA, as a member of the AMTA Ethics Board, as well as various committees and task forces.
Lori Fogus Gooding, PhD, MT-BC (she/her) – Past President
Lori is Associate Professor of Music Therapy at Florida State University. In addition to her role as Past President, she serves on the editorial board for the Journal of Music Therapy and is a past president of the SER-AMTA. She has published and presented nationally and internationally and is the recipient of multiple grants, including a Fulbright award to Malaysia. Dr. Gooding’s clinical work has primarily been hospital-based, and she also worked in public school systems. Her research interests include music therapy-based psychosocial care, music therapy education policy and practices, and work-life factors for music therapy practitioners and students.
Leslie Orozco Henry, MM, MT-BC (she/her) - Treasurer
Leslie is employed with Alverno College as the Program Director and Associate Professor of Music Therapy. She has worked in various settings, including behavioral health inpatient hospitals, hospice, multigenerational daycare, a community music school, and physical rehabilitation/skilled nursing settings. Many of these positions utilized non-profit models where Leslie has written grants, sought contracts, and managed and created budgets. In addition, she has also served as her local Marching Band, and Music Parents' Booster clubs President for several years. At Alverno, she teaches a grant writing course for music therapists in their graduate program. Leslie has served in state, regional, and national roles all her student and professional life. Her goal is to help AMTA shift the budget formula to one that is equitable, transparent, accessible, and sustainable.
Amanda Montera, MMT, MT-BC (she/her) Speaker of the Assembly of Delegates
Amanda resides in Philadelphia, PA, and is currently working part-time in hospice care, serving older adults with neurodegenerative diseases and other terminal illnesses. She has worked with older adults in nursing homes/hospice care for most of her career and takes a special interest in community music therapy, quality of life, and holistic team approaches to care. She also contracts out private music therapy and groups for nursing homes independently. Amanda received her bachelor's and her master's at Temple University. She has served as the Treasurer of the MAR-AMTA, currently serves as the President-Elect of MAR-AMTA, and also currently serves as the Treasurer of the World Federation of Music Therapy.
Mia Iliopoulos Krings, MM, CDP, MT-BC (she/her) Assistant Speaker - Assembly of Delegates
Mia resides in Chicago, IL and is the Clinical Supervisor with Greater Chicago Music Therapy, Inc. which serves adults with dementia, neurodiversity and disabilities, various neurological disorders, and end of life care. There, she facilitates individual and group sessions, supervises team music therapists, practicum students, and interns, helps with new program development, and often presents about music therapy in the community. Mia's clinical work focuses on neurodegenerative diseases, such as dementia and Parkinson's disease, in addition to end of life care and other neurologic, vocal, and respiratory functionality. She received her BM and MM in music therapy from Western Illinois University and Colorado State University, respectively. Additionally, Mia serves as President of the Illinois Association for Music Therapy and is the Illinois Representative on the GLR Executive Board. She has also previously served on regional conference planning committees and is a frequent presenter at conferences and surrounding Midwest universities on topics including harmonica protocols, various neurological disorders, hospice music therapy, and becoming a new professional.
Alison Deran, MA, MT-BC (she/her) Assembly of Delegates Representative
Residing in Cleveland, OH, Alison is a member of the Creative Arts Therapies team at MetroHealth Hospital providing music therapy services in both outpatient and in-patient settings. Alison earned her BM from the University of Dayton and MA from Cleveland State University completing research entitled “A Cross-Sectional Survey to Examine Supervision within the Professional Music Therapy Environment”. Alison has acted as a practicum supervisor and internship director. Currently, Alison serves as President of the Association of Ohio Music Therapists and is the Ohio Representative on the GLR Executive Board.
BriAnne Weaver, MM, MT-BC (she/her) Assembly of Delegates Representative
BriAnne is a music therapist at Cadenza Center for Psychotherapy and the Arts in Hollywood, FL. She has a wealth of experience working with individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities, with multiple and varying diagnoses and diverse levels of ability, across the entire lifespan. BriAnne previously directed a National Roster Music Therapy Internship for over a decade, and is currently serving as a co-chair of AMTA’s Workforce Development and Retention Committee. She holds a Master’s Degree in Music, with an emphasis in Music Therapy, from the University of Miami, and a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Psychology from the College of William and Mary.
Chelsea Mabes, MA, MT-BC (she/her) - Council Coordinator for the Council on Association Services
Chelsea resides in Indianapolis, Indiana. She supports hospice patients and people with IDD in north-Indy. She completed her BM at Ohio University, her MA at St. Mary of the Woods College, and is currently studying for her PhD in music therapy at Indiana University. Her master's thesis explored the understanding of trauma-informed care in the music therapy profession, and she has presented her research in various settings over the years. She is also passionate about education, and she has supervised numerous practicum students and interns as a professional as well as teaching a course at the University of Indianapolis. Chelsea serves on the GLR executive board as Chair of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee as well as engaging in regional strategic planning. Chelsea deeply values building relationships with the music therapy community and its stakeholders and prioritizes relational learning in organizational leadership settings.
Megan McCausland, MPA, MT-BC (she, her) Council Coordinator for the Council on Professional Practices
Megan has been a board certified music therapist since 2013 and resides in Cleveland, Ohio. Megan received her BM from the University of Dayton in 2012 and her Master's of Public Administration with a concentration in non-profit management from Ohio University in 2021. Megan currently works for the Cleveland Clinic as the Therapeutic Programming Supervisor for creative arts and recreational therapists in the Center for Behavioral Health as well as continued clinical work as a music therapist and intern supervisor within this role. Megan has worked in school settings, community based music therapy, behavioral health and served on the Ohio Music Therapy Task Force. Megan is passionate about program development, music therapy in mental health, innovation, and supporting the future2. Jeffrey Angell, MT-BC, LCAT (he, him, his) – Secretary of music therapy.
Jeffrey Angell, MT-BC, LCAT (he, him, his) – Secretary
Jeff Angell is a full-time Music Therapist and Creative Arts Therapy supervisor working in forensic psychiatry at Rikers Island Correctional Facility, New York, having led songwriting, Hip Hop, sing-a-long, drumming, listening, and recording sessions since 2018. He holds a Masters in Music Therapy from New York University and has over 12 years of experience, including supervising 5 graduate level interns. He has established partnerships with MOTI (Music On The Inside) and The Jephtha Group in furthering the mission of bringing the therapeutic power of music to the justice-involved. Jeff has been published in Voices: A World Forum for Music Therapy, presented at the 2019 national AMTA conference, and at various other conferences and universities in the United States, Zimbabwe, and Cameroon.
Vacancies currently in the process of being filled:
President Elect
Vice President Elect
Council Coordinator for the Council for Education and Clinical Training
Two DEIAJ Representative Board Positions
Regional Presidents Representative