Our Board
Chair
Terry Thompson
Terry Thompson is a retired partner of Hewitt, an international human resources consulting firm. In addition to chairing the StringTime board, she is currently a member of the National Symphony Orchestra's National Trustees and a trustee of Marymount University.
Terry has a long history of philanthropy with the arts and educational organizations, having served in leadership roles for, among others, the William & Mary Foundation, the Muscarelle Museum of Art, the Raymond A. Mason School of Business at the College of William & Mary, the Wolf Trap Foundation and Voices for Virginia's Children.
Treasurer
Rick Korbel
Rick Korbel is a real estate investor, broker, and hard money lender specializing in foreclosures and trustee sales. He has held a real estate license since 1985 and holds a degree in finance from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. In addition to his investments in Las Vegas, he is currently working on a housing development project in Kansas City, MO.
Rick joined the StringTime board in 2o24. He was a founding supporter to the Smith Center for Performing Arts in Las Vegas and key contributor to the Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth, Students United in Recycling Supplies, and the Community Counseling Center of Las Vegas.
Secretary
Amy Turcotte
Amy Turcotte is the Senior Director of Development at George Washington’s Mount Vernon. Throughout her career, she has served in fundraising and marketing positions for notable DC-area nonprofits, including National Geographic, Wolf Trap, The Washington Ballet, and the Kennedy Center.
A classically-trained pianist, Amy regularly plays the Mount Vernon harpsichord for visitors to the estate, where she has the opportunity to encourage young people to explore their interests in music. In addition to the StringTime Board, Amy is a committee member for the DC chapter of the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America.
Emeritus Board Member
Ruth Cogen
Ruth Cogen is a co-founder of the Levine School of Music. In 1996, she was named a Washingtonian of the Year, along with the other two founders of Levine.
Ruth has devoted her professional life to nonprofits. She was the Director of Development for Sheridan School, among others, and was the Executive Director of Washington Area Lawyers for the Arts. She was President of the Solon E. Summerfield Foundation, a grant-making foundation located in New York City. Though now retired, Ruth advises StringTime and serves on several committees at Ingleside at Rock Creek, an independent senior living community in DC.
Board Member
Warren Williams
Warren G. Williams, III is the former Director of Music Education at the John. F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. He was responsible for advancing the vision and implementation of an education strategy for all of their programs, including the National Symphony Orchestra, Washington National Opera, Chamber, Jazz and Hip Hop.
He launched a partnership with the Oakland Symphony and State of California to provide concert tickets to low-income residents. He has served on numerous grant review panels and holds a Bachelor of Business Administration with an emphasis in accounting from the University of Michigan.
Board Member
Tom Jennings
Thomas (Tom) P Jennings is a retired attorney who specialized in corporate and banking law. For many years he has worked with nonprofits to make the world better for its inhabitants.
He presently serves on the board of the Rixey Street Foundation. He is on the Board of Governors of Opportunity International. In prior years he was a director of the Arlington Community Foundation and the Board of Pensions of the Presbyterian Church (USA). He also served on the Board of Visitors of Wake Forest University. Tom resides in McLean, Virginia with his wife, Shelley.
Board Member
Heather Oster
Heather Oster is a dedicated educator and proud StringTime mom. Passionate about enriching the lives of children, she has actively advocated for programs focused on equine-assisted learning and therapeutic riding. Currently, Heather serves on the leadership team for the IBC Women Conferences, where she coordinates guest speakers.
Since her daughters participated in StringTime music camps, Heather has embraced the joy of music in her home, which now resonates with the sounds of cello, piano, violin, and two ukuleles. She credits StringTime for bringing music into their lives and inspiring her family to grow through the arts.
Board Member
Lynne Klimmer
Lynne Klimmer is a retired high school teacher from the Portland Public Schools in Portland, Oregon. Since coming to Washington, she has been a “Behind-the-Scenes” volunteer at the Smithsonian Museum of American History, Division of Culture & the Arts.
Lynne is a longtime supporter of the Smithsonian Chamber Music Society (SCMS), a concert series that hosts world-class performances using the Smithsonian's rare instrument collection. She serves as House Manager and Volunteer Coordinator during the SCMS concert season and supports their education programs.
Board Member
Elaine Vrooman
Elaine Vrooman is a Senior Director of Development for Mitsui Fudosan America, a Japanese Real Estate Developer. She has a Bachelor of Architecture from The University of Kansas and Masters of Science in Real Estate Development from The Johns Hopkins University.
Elaine is a parent who searched for a safe and fun place for her daughter to test out her interest in the violin since her school did not offer strings. Her daughter had never played the violin prior to attending String Time and after two weeks her daughter asked to sign up for a third week. Eliane's daughter now takes private lessons. She credits StringTime for sparking her daughter's love of violin.
Board Member
Lynn Thomson
Lynn Thomson recently retired from GE Appliances where for ten years she was the Senior Vice President for Government Relations and head of the Washington, DC office. Prior to that she spent twenty years as a senior government relations manager for General Electric. Lynn also worked on Capitol Hill and in the White House.
Lynn serves on a number of boards and volunteers with charities including Runway for the Cure, Lost Dog & Cat Rescue Foundation, the Florida Keys Wild Bird Center, the Wooster Mercer Lofts Association, the Pen Key Club and Reach for Uganda.
Board Member
Louisa Wahala
Louisa Wahala is the Senior Director of Business Quality & Vendor Oversight at Thermo Fisher Scientific with more than 20 years of experience in the Clinical Research industry.
Louisa’s two daughters were introduced to string instruments through StringTime Camp, whose creative and engaging approach she credits with sparking their passion for music. Mary, a cellist and member of the inaugural StringTime camp in 2022, now performs in her middle school’s Symphonic Orchestra, while Esther continues the tradition as a violinist in her elementary school’s Strings program. The Wahala family are proud supporters and advocates of StringTime, with the camps and summer concerts becoming cherished highlight of their year.
Beyond her professional career, Louisa is an active community volunteer. She serves on the middle school Parent Teacher Student Organization (PTSO) board and regularly volunteers supporting programs that enhance student learning in science, technology and the arts.
Board Member
Eric Schnobrick
Eric Schnobrick is the Director of Music at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Alexandria where he has served for over seven years, and the pianist for Beth El Hebrew Congregation for more than a decade. In addition to directing choral and instrumental music at St. Paul’s, Eric also founded and manages a thriving concert series at the church, designed to build connection and relationships within the broader community. Before coming to St. Paul’s, Eric served for nearly six years as the General Manager and Assistant Executive Director of the American Youth Philharmonic Orchestras. He was previously a member of the artistic administration and development teams at the Glimmerglass Festival. As a pianist and keyboard player, Eric appears regularly with the National Symphony Orchestra and has performed as principal pianist with the Washington Ballet Orchestra. He has been engaged by The Kennedy Center Chamber Players, Eclipse Chamber Orchestra, Washington Performing Arts, Minnesota Opera, Fort Worth Opera, Palm Beach Opera, and Alexandria Choral Society. Eric and his wife, Elizabeth, live in Springfield, VA, with their three children, two of whom are proud StringTime alums.
Board Member
Nisha Shajahan
Nisha Shajahan is a Co-Partner and President/Chief Executive Officer at IntegrityM, a women-owned
small business specializing in the prevention and detection of fraud, waste, and abuse in government
programs, and regulatory compliance consulting services, primarily in healthcare programs.
Her passion for helping vulnerable populations is evident through leading impactful initiatives that provide support
for Fairfax County Public Schools, specifically her active involvement in the Lewis Leadership
Program. Nisha volunteers at her children’s school, Linder Academy, advocating for neurodivergent
learners and innovative and adaptive education models. She is a proud StringTime mom of 2 boys.