2026-27 SO Steering Committee
Valerie Taylor, chair
Janet Fisher, First Lady, ABA President’s SO
June Holder, former First Lady
Dee Dee Caneva
Teresa Francis
Kelly Heidel
2026-27 SO Subcommittee Chairs and Co-Chairs
Biography Committee – Susan Schuman & Robyn Chapman
Communication Committee – Dee Dee Caneva & Abby Fansler
History Committee – Tracia Austin & Carol Zeisler
Memorial Committee – Carol Zeisler & Pat Bianchi
Midwest Committee – Dorinda Nance
New Members Committee – Laura Schofield
Biography Committee
The Biography Committee will collect SO biographical information from every SO and make sure the Bios on the SO web pages are updated. The Committee will also preserve the three SO biography books and create other opportunities to share this information with the SOs.
Susan Schuman co-chair
Robyn Chapman, co-chair
Jennifer Moder-Bell
Julianne Doyle
Phil Laden
Susan Schuman
Jessica Walker
Elizabeth Walczyk
Communications Committee
The ABA SO Communication Committee’s primary role is to assist the ABA President’s Significant Other in communicating information to the entire SO group. Additionally, this committee seeks to foster connection among SOs by creating and/or facilitating opportunities to communicate. This Committee will be responsible for creating and distributing content, utilizing a variety of channels including, but not limited to, email, social media and the ABA SO web pages.
Dee Dee Caneva, co-chair
Abby Fansler, co-chair
Pat Bianchi
Karen Gookin
Susan Hicken
Meredith Seifert
Tammy Shistle
History Committee
The History Committee is responsible for providing the historical background of the ABA SO group. The members of this committee will be responsible for taking pictures at the ABA annual convention, working with the Biography Committee in collecting pictures of each SO, creating a slide show of current and past pictures/memories from previous conventions, talking to past president SOs and those involved in creating the SO Committee.
Carol Zeisler, co-chair
Tracia Austin, co-chair
Robyn Chapman
Jana Gephart
Kay Hermann
Beth Kaufman
Jessica Walker
Midwest Clinic Committee
The Midwest Committee organizes an activity for all SOs who attend the Midwest Clinic International Band & Orchestra Conference which is held every December in Chicago. The goal is to increase social interactions and build life-long friendships.
Last year, a small group met on Thursday afternoon at the Hyatt hotel. We visited for a couple hours and had a lot of laughs. It was relaxing and fun. If you are interested in helping us plan other opportunities while at Midwest, we are open to other ideas/suggestions. Please contact any Midwest Clinic Committee member for more information.
Also, please notify Dorinda Nance if you are interested in joining the group in Chicago this year. Dates for the 2026 Midwest Clinic dates are December 16-18.
Dorinda Nance, chair
Nancy Colburn
Megan Covey
Julianne Doyle
Abby Fansler
Kathy Kaminsky
Stacy McKee
New Member Committee
The New Member Committee is responsible for ensuring that all new members are introduced at the annual convention during the SO meetings. This committee assigns a primary sponsor to each new member. The sponsor then contacts the new member to collect personal information which the sponsor shares with the group while introducing the new member at the upcoming convention. The Committee will also maintain the records of all new members to ensure the Biography and Communication Committees have appropriate contact information.
Laura Schofield, chair
Frank Brechting,
Molly Cramer
June Holder
Flournoy Humphreys
Beth Kaufman
Phil Laden
Judy McInturf
Jennifer Moder-Bell
Outreach/Remembrance Committee
The Memorial Committee will reach out once a year to ABA SOs whose Significant Other has passed away. The committee will also stay informed about the passing of SOs, prepare a brief memorial to be posted on Facebook and shared at an SO meeting during the annual ABA Convention, and communicate with various sub-committees who need to record the loss.
NOTE: As of now, Surviving Significant Others receive two pieces of communication from ABA: a letter about the convention and a notice about who has passed away.
Carol Zeisler co-chair
Pat Bianchi, co-chair
Teresa Francis
Jana Gephart
Tracy Leslie
Judy McInturf
Darlene Pratt
Service Committee
As needs arise, the Service Committee facilitates a project.
Janelle Brennan
Heather Cook
Megan Covey
Karin Davis
Janet Fisher
Kathy Kaminsky
Kelly LaBounty
Dorinda Nance
Susan Schuman