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Meet
Our Board of Directors
Our board
of directors is made of up many talented
professionals and business men and women
from the Bay Area. Each of them brings their
own diverse talents and perspectives to the
group. Their hard work and dedication helps
make our group a successful one.
 Richard
F. Wong - Conductor
Richard F. Wong received his B.A. in Music at U.C. Berkeley, and his teaching
credential and M.A. in Music at CSU, Hayward. In addition to teaching at the
high school level, he has taught elementary band through the Fremont Education
Foundation and remains active as a performer, clinician, and as a lifelong
learner.
Learn more about
Richard...
 Jim Carter
– President
Jim was very active through
his school years playing clarinet, tenor
saxophone, flute, piano, and guitar. He has
played semi-professionally in the area for
many years and is currently playing first
chair alto saxophone for the NSW.
He is a co-mentor of a
traditional (Dixieland) jazz band, called
The “Jazzinators” made up of junior high and
high school students from the Tri-City area.
They perform regularly in the Bay Area.
Jim is active in many aspects
of the instrumental music program within the
Newark Unified School District. He strongly
beliefs that music education, particularly
instrumental music, develops extremely
important skills (teamwork, concentration,
listening, self-esteem) that carry-over to
all aspects of life and contribute
significantly to the development of better
learning skills in general.
He holds a Ph.D. from the
University of California, Berkeley where he
is an adjunct faculty member. He has been an
aquatic ecologist for the National Research
Program in the Water Resources Discipline of
the U.S. Geological Survey since 1981.
 Sheryl
Medford – Treasurer
Sheryl is a versatile
musician, and a vocalist, pianist and oboe
player. She is also a choral conductor, and
has been a piano teacher for 33 years.
Music has been a passion all of her life. In
earlier years she toured Europe with the
prestigious Calgary Youth Symphony Orchestra
as first chair oboist. Until recently, she
was the Director of Music for Cedar
Boulevard Neighborhood Church, overseeing
the choir and worship ministry programs and
participating on a weekly basis in the
Worship Band. She is married and has 5
children.
 Steve
Leitner – Woodwind Group Leader;
Secretary
Steve began studying clarinet
in the 4th grade in Daly City,
and later expanded to tenor saxophone, and
flute. During his college years at
California Polytechnic State University -
San Luis Obispo, he tripled on all three in the
University Jazz Band and its off-campus
alter ego, “The Collegians” dance band. He
is currently 1st chair clarinet
in the NSW.
After graduating with a
Bachelor of Science in Electrical
Engineering and moving into the work field,
he never stopped playing music. He has
performed with the San Jose City College -
Monday Night Jazz Ensemble, spent over 15
years with a Dixieland combo, 23 years with
an area group called the “Santa Band”, and
over 10 years with the Hewlett-Packard
Symphony Orchestra.
He worked with
Hewlett-Packard for over 23 years in various
quality and regulatory compliance
engineering positions. Today he is a staff
engineer with Underwriters Laboratories in
San Jose In his leisure time,
Steve likes woodworking, video transfer and
DVD authoring, digital photography, hiking
and walking the family dog. He’s been
happily married over 25 years and has two
grown sons.
 Clark T.
Denning – Membership Co-Chair
Clark was an active musician
and player all of his school years. After
which he has continued to play in various
adult school bands, and does various gigging
for area community theatre and groups.
He been an professional
Electrician since 1979 , and ran his own
firm for several years before joining the
local Electrical Union I.B.E.W. in 1998, of
which he is now the Vice President.
He and his wife JoAnn have a
daughter in high school who is also a musician
playing flute and sax in the Fremont Youth
symphony, and Moreau Catholic High School
bands. Clark loves to play trombone and in
his leisure time enjoys varied activities,
Science Fiction, and spending time with
family.
 Dave Strand
– Fundraising Co-Chair
Dave learned to play the
Trombone in his elementary school's music
program in Redwood City and continued to
play all through high school. He also became
involved in the drama department which
sparked his first interest in the film
industry.
After graduating in the early
80's, he traveled to Los Angeles, where he
started a successful 14 year career in film
as an Assistant Property Master.
He left the film industry in 1997, and in
2000, he and his wife started the “We CARE”!
- Coffee Company, a fundraising business
that provides fresh-roasted coffees, gourmet
products and innovative fundraising programs
to help schools, bands, and sports programs
raise the money they need.
Dave currently lives in Newark, with his
wife Monika, and their two daughters, Alyssa
and Kayla.
 Dave Smith
Dave began playing
trombone in the sixth grade, and when he
was a senior at Calumet (Michigan) high
school, he was selected to be the
student conductor of the Calumet High
School Band. After a bit of a hiatus,
Dave began playing trombone again so he
could participate in the Alumni Band
when Calumet High holds their
All-Classes reunions.
Currently employed as the
Executive Director of the Ohlone College
Foundation, he is also serving his 15th
term as Mayor of the City of Newark.
At 30 years of service, he is the 3rd
longest-serving Mayor in the Nation.
The City’s participation was important
in helping resurrect the music program
in Newark’s schools.
Dave loves to play
trombone with NSW, and also plays in “YOWZA!”…a
band comprised of current and former
City of Newark employees. Dave also
enjoys golf, cycling, and fishing. He
is married to Marsha, and has 2
children, 2 stepchildren, and 5
grandchildren.
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