Guest Speaker:
Ruth Sieber Johnson
Ruth Sieber Johnson is an Epsilon Tau initiate of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, from which she received a Bachelor of Music degree in
vocal performance, magna cum laude. She also attended MacMurray College in Jacksonville, IL, and did graduate work at UALR in teaching the
gifted and talented. After completing her studies, she joined the roster of the Arkansas Opera Theater. Her roles included Rosina in “The Barber
of Seville”, Adele in “Die Fledermaus”, and Lauretta in “Gianni Schicchi”. She has appeared in New York with the Stony Brook Bach Aria Festival
and in St. Louis and Dallas with their respective Bach societies.
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She was a charter member of the Little Rock Alumnae Chapter, served as Mu Province President and President/Vice President, Tau B Province
Officer, and National Newsletter Director and editor of Tempo! before being hired for her current position. She has received the Collegiate
Scholastic Award, Sword of Honor, Rose of Honor, Rose of Dedication, and Ring of Excellence.
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In addition to her full time job as SAI Executive Director at National Headquarters in Asheville, North Carolina, she occasionally directs musical
theater productions for the Asheville Community Theater and University of North Carolina-Asheville, provides lecture/demonstrations for
Elderhostels, has served as a church music director and organist, and gives concert and recital performances. In June 2012, she was presented
in concert at the Nixon Library in California, performing with Dr. Leslie Odom Miller, oboist and SAI National President. In April 2013 she presented
a Masterclass and Showcase Recital for Composers at her alma mater in Little Rock. That same year, she appeared in the Jake Heggie opera,
“Dead Man Walking”, produced by the Modern American Music Project.
Her husband, John Johnson, Friend of the Arts, (March 2, 1938 - March 19, 2011) designed and installed the cabinetry at National Headquarters, and always kept a loving eye on the SAI Harmony Rose Garden. With much gratitude for Sigma Alpha Iota, Ruth celebrated her 28th anniversary in the position of Executive Director on July 1, 2020.
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(Picture and biography retrieved from https://www.sai-national.org/about-sai/officers-and-directors/officers-and-project-directors/18-ruth-sieber-johnson.html)
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Breakout Sessions:
Mary Frances Bushong, Ph.D.
NVP, Alumnae Chapters
Mary Frances Bushong is an initiate of the Delta Phi chapter from Mansfield University, Mansfield, Pennsylvania, where she served as Editor and Music Chair. She received the Sword of Honor while at Mansfield. Mary Frances graduated from Mansfield with a Bachelor of Music in Education degree. She received a Masters of Arts with a concentration in Music Education degree from Rowan University in Glassboro, NJ, and received her Doctorate of Philosophy in Music Education degree from Temple University in Pennsylvania. Mary Frances has taught beginning band in the Washington Township School District in Sewell, NJ for over 34 years.
Mary Frances affiliated with the Philadelphia Alumnae chapter in 1991, where she served as Vice President of Ritual, Vice President of Membership, and President, as well as served on several committees. She received the Rose of Honor and Wreath of Achievement award during her time with the Philadelphia Alumnae. In 2009, she was elected as the Chi A Province Officer, and served the fraternity in this capacity for 9 years. While she was in the Province Officer positions, she was awarded the Rose of Dedication. Other fraternity positions she held were member of the Nominating Committee for the 2018 National Convention, Editor for the Collegiate Comments for the TEMPO, and Summer Scholarship Committee.
Mary Frances plays trombone and baritone in several community bands as well as sings in her church choir, well prior to COVID-19. She enjoys taking longs walks with her dog Zoey, and hanging out with her cat Molly.
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(Picture retrieved from https://www.sai-national.org/about-sai/officers-and-directors/officers-and-project-directors/28-mary-frances-bushong.html)
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Mary K. Thomas
Regional Officer (VI)
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Mary Thomas is an initiate of Iota Zeta at the University of Georgia where she served as Treasurer and Chaplain (VPR). She received the
Ruby Sword of Honor and the 1967 National Collegiate Leadership Award Pendant. After graduating with a Bachelor of Music degree with a
music education major, she began a teaching career that spanned 36 years.
Mary has been a member of the Norfolk (VA) Alumnae and the Washington, DC Alumnae chapters. She has also served as a Province Officer
for Iota Province and Tau B Province. She was chairman of the 1976 Region V Meeting that was convened to address challenges from Title IX
legislation. She served on the 1977 National Bylaws Committee that proposed revisions that added membership categories open to men.
After retirement in 2004, Mary pursued gardening and was able to participate fully in volunteer music ensembles. She is a member of a
women’s acapella ensemble and the Blue Ridge Orchestra (Asheville). She serves as a conductor of the Haywood Community Band in
Waynesville, NC and participates with her church’s chancel choir and handbell choir. She has served as SAI’s Regional Officer for Region VI
since 2011.
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Francesca Veglia
President, Sarasota-Manatee Alumnae Chapter
Francesca Veglia, lyric-coloratura soprano, has been singing in the Sarasota area since 2003. She was a featured soloist for the October 2018 Patricia Stenberg Memorial Concert fundraiser for Sigma Alpha Iota, an international women's music fraternity. She is currently the President of the Sarasota-Manatee Alumnae Chapter of SAI. And, for the last two years she worked for The Church of the Annunciation in Anna Maria Island as their choir director and soloist until quarantine.
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She holds a Masters of Music -Vocal Performance from the Manhattan School of Music in NYC, with a Minor in Piano. She received her BA in Music -Vocal Performance and a Theater Education minor from the University of Wisconsin- Madison and her Music and Theater Education Certification from Alverno College in Milwaukee, WI. Kodaly Level I Certification from DePaul University in Chicago, IL. Kids, Choir, and Drums Level I from Will Schmid's Music Workshops Ltd., Oconomowoc, WI.
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She is a National Board Certified Teacher, teaching elementary music for Sarasota County Schools. Her students had been featured for six years in the MENC sponsored Worlds Largest Concert, then called The Concert. Several grades of students work with students at the Ringling School of Art and Design to create a 'The Story of Our Songs' book with original student stories, art work and songs. This year they used compostions created in Chrome Music Lab.
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Originally from the Chicago suburbs she still travels often to the mid-west, northeast, and Europe to sing for special events. She is a former Outreach Chairperson and faculty member for the Community Music School of Southwest Florida, and former Voice Faculty member from The Wisconsin Conservatory of Music in Milwaukee, WI.
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Jammie Phillips
Tau A, Province Officer
Jammie Phillips is a band director and flutist located in McDonough, GA, a suburb of Atlanta. She is a graduate of Bethune-Cookman University
with a degree in Music Education. She also obtained graduate degrees in Education & Administrator Leadership. She has taught for 14 years in
the Clayton County & Atlanta Public School Systems and was voted Teacher of the Year for the Eddie J. White Middle school in 2017. Her bands
have been superior rated for consecutive years. She is known for her straight shooter, tough teaching style. Her students have consistently made
District Honor Bands and have gone on to colleges and universities as Music Majors. A few students have become professional musicians.
Mrs. Phillips maintains a career as a freelance musician in Atlanta. Her organizations include: Sigma Alpha Iota, Kappa Delta Pi, Georgia Music
Educators Association and Zeta Phi Beta Sorority. She was selected to the 2019 40 under 40 class for Bethune Cookman University. Phillips is a
busy wife and mother of 3 children ages 14, 11, 7, and has an Orange Tabby.
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