2025-26 Board of Directors
OFFICERS
President/Tucson Folk Festival Director – Matt Rolland
Vice-President – Melissa Hall Cohn
Secretary – Jonathan Frahm
Treasurer – Claud Blackburn
MEMBERS-AT-LARGE
Greg Aiken
Mohammed Al-Sammak
Brett Dooley
Aspen Green
Brian Hanner
Ron Pandy
Eric Schaffer
Erika Segura
Daniel Roth
BOARD MEETINGS
Board of Directors Meetings are currently be held virtually the first Monday of every month from 7:30-9:00 p.m.
If you would like to attend the Meetings open to Members, Staff and Volunteers, please request to be added to the ZOOM distribution list by emailing the President , here.
You can contact the officers and/or board members using the contact form here.
JOIN THE BOARD
The Tucson Folk Festival is produced by a passionate group of volunteers and Board members that include a diverse group of professional backgrounds. Being a part of the team who produces the annual Tucson Folk Festival is a rewarding and meaningful experience. We’re always looking for new community members interested in service! The Board is currently made up of 13 members-at-large and 4 officers on three year terms. New board members are elected each summer at the annual member meeting, or to fill a vacancy. Applications are open to the public and due June 30 of each year.
Learn more about joining the Board.
STAFF & COMMITTEES
All Board members sit on at least one project committee, working alongside many passionate volunteer staff to plan the annual Tucson Folk Festival and our year-round programming.
Learn more about our Committees and Festival Volunteer Staff.
BOARD MEMBER BIOS
Matt Rolland enters his fourth year as TKMA Board President and sixth year on the Board. Matt is the bandleader and fiddler for Tucson-based bands RISO and Run Boy Run and is the Deputy Director at SAACA (Southern Arizona Arts and Cultural Alliance). He is committed to cultivating the festival while respecting its roots and community-focused mission, intending on building a strong foundation for the Tucson Folk Festival’s next decade. Among his focuses as Board President is his commitment to building new business partnerships and sponsorship opportunities for TKMA through grantwriting and outreach.
Melissa Hall Cohn enters her first year as TKMA Vice President and third year on the Board. She is a former service center VP, competitive figure skater, and SCCA race car driver who now teaches yoga. She led teams of up to 600 people, managed large budgets, and implemented major process improvements. Over 25 years, she served as a Gold-level figure skating judge and competed in SCCA racing, earning top regional volunteer awards. Now RYT® 500 certified, Melissa teaches yoga at BeFriend, with a focus on gentle movement, breathwork, and philosophy that is often inspired by her lifelong love of music.
Jonathan Frahm enters his second year as TKMA Secretary, serving five years total on the Board. He is also an author, poet, podcast host, and freelance music journalist, marketer, and promoter whose byline includes PopMatters and For Folk’s Sake. He is currently curating monthly TKMA First Sunday Brunches at Monterey Court and is the Committee Chair of the Headliner Selection Committee and the Stefan George Memorial Songwriting Competition, as well as the New Folk Outreach and Festival Photography Committees. He is the Booking Coordinator at SAACA, working with hundreds of musicians, songwriters, dancers, and entertainers of all backgrounds and styles at festivals throughout Arizona. In his “spare time”, Jonathan is working on completing a new fantasy novel starring a talking walrus.
Claud Blackburn, a retired accountant, and TKMA Treasurer for the past nine years. He enjoys traveling to the Folk Alliance International conferences most years. When he isn’t keeping up-to-date records of TKMA finances, he is living his best life in Cottonwood with wife Tieann.
Greg Aiken enters his eighth year as a Board member, and exits as Vice President after three incredible years. Following retirement from his role as Operations Director at Salpointe Catholic High School, Greg continues to assist with festival logistics. For years, Greg has been a true “working member” of the TKMA Board, leading the charge on ground operations for our fest. He hosts Sunday Patio Sets on the third Sunday of each month at Monterey Court, bringing in talent from southern Arizona and Phoenix to perform
Mohammed Al-Sammak begins his third year on the TKMA Board. He first worked as the Festival Volunteer Coordinator in 2023, when he fell in love with the Tucson Folk Festival, and now specializes in on-the-ground assistance of all kinds at the festival. He has experience in community outreach and management in the non-profit sector and is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Arizona in Linguistics specializing in Arabic syntax.
Brett Dooley is an engineer, account manager, and business development representative for Bosch-Rexroth, who has a loving family here in Tucson, with two children aged 7 and 9. Music has always been a part of Brett’s life, but it wasn’t until he left his service in the Navy in 2008 that he discovered a passion for folk music. Since then, he has devoted large amounts of time to writing, performing, managing and promoting original music groups. Today, he is performing solo Americana shows as well as leading the pop punk band, Pop Up Rebellion. On the TKMA Board, Brett lends his expertise in business development to sponsorship and partnership development.
Aspen Green works as the General Manager for the Southern Arizona Symphony Orchestra, and before that worked at Arizona Arts Live at the University of Arizona for over 11 years as an Events and Artist Relations Coordinator. She brings to the board decades of experience working with touring groups, taking care of all their arrangements from contracting to load out. She has served previous terms with TKMA before coming back on for this latest stint, and has handled festival headliner contracts, program design and ad recruitment, fundraiser planning, and the creations many of the posters, flyers and other promotions for the organization.
Brian Hanner, a Texas native and Bachelor of Music, is now a Tucson-based drummer, percussionist, recording engineer, and music producer. He plays with Baba Marimba and is in his third season as Principal Percussionist with the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra. Brian co-owns Hanner House Records with his wife, Syndenn Sweet, offering an accessible, affordable studio space for local musicians. One of their latest projects is the children’s educational album, “I L-O-V-E This D-E-S-E-R-T,” made in collaboration with the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.
Ron Pandy is a beloved singer-songwriter who has been an active part of TKMA since very first year. During the First Annual Tucson Folk Festival, he played along with his singing dog! Now, Ron continues his long-standing role as Board Member, helping to cultivate community events like our member social gatherings. He has also performed in the Tucson Folk Festival’s Family Show, and has a passion for working with young performers, elevating them to a live platform at the festival’s Wildflower Stage.
Eric Schaffer is a songwriter, singer, and guitarist who leads the band, Eric Schaffer and the Other Troublemakers. A long-standing friend of TKMA as a performer, emcee, and more, Eric continues to bring this combined experience to the Board alongside his decades of professional business development. Eric currently leads the Fundraiser Committee, developing TKMA fundraisers and community concerts year-round with venues like Monterey Court, SaddleBrooke, Club Congress, Green Valley CPEC, and more.
Erika Segura is a multidisciplinary artist, performer, and event coordinator with a deep commitment to community. A songwriter, muralist, poet, and designer, she has performed at the Tucson Folk Festival, 4th Avenue Street Fairs, and numerous civic events. Erika helped coordinate festival workshops in 2025 and regularly volunteers with SAACA and Saguaro Hills. Her creative work spans music, murals, and storytelling. “I’m eager to give back through music and service—and help preserve this legacy for future generations,” she says.
Daniel Roth is an engineer, drummer, and community-minded problem solver who assisted with ground operations for the 2025 Tucson Folk Festival and is stepping into a larger leadership role in 2026. With over two decades at M3 Engineering, he brings deep experience in construction, logistics, and design—skills essential for managing festival infrastructure like staging, power, and street closures. He also performs with his wife in their band, Roth D’Lux. “I’m excited to help shape TKMA’s future by combining strategic planning with hands-on support,” he says.