For our inaugural season, we have selected staff from the Michigan musical community who are driven and passionate about bringing an inclusive, all-age drum corps to the Midwest. Almost all of our staff are also marching members of the corps! Below you will find the "prequel" to our story currently being written, if you will.

Misty Olmstead
President, Executive Director
​director@northernlightsmi.org

Executive Corps Director, and co-founder, of Northern Lights Drum and Bugle Corps, Misty has a background with experience on clarinet and as drum major. She has performed with the Kalamazoo Junior Symphony Orchestra from 2003-2005, joined Western Michigan University Marching Band annually from 2002-2007, competed in the Western Michigan University Jazz Festival in 2003, and attended Drum Major Camp at Michigan State University in 2004, Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in 2005, and has sat in with several small ensembles over the years. In adulthood, Misty has a strong background in Human Relations and will sit at the helm as Corps Director, managing corps relations, heading fundraising and community partnerships. She sits on the Northern Lights board of directors as President, and actively plays bass clarinet in the community with the Coopersville Community Band.

Doug Olmstead
Treasurer, Operations Director
​operations@northernlightsmi.org

​Providing operations and brass direction for the corps, Doug comes with a solid foundational brass experience, having studied tuba performance at Grand Valley State University. He has served as an assistant band director and brass tech for area high schools including Fruitport HS, Kent City HS, Allendale HS, and most recently for the St. Xavier HS "Marching Bombers" in Cincinnati, Ohio. As a performer, Doug was drum major for DCI Open Class Finalist Dutch Boy Drum & Bugle Corps in 2008, marched contra for the Kilties Drum & Bugle Corps in 2012 and DCA Open Class Bronze Medalist Cincinnati Tradition Drum & Bugle Corps in 2022 (earning the drum corps' "Outstanding Brass" performance award). He played sousaphone as section leader and a featured soloist for the GVSU Laker Marching Band from 2011-2015, and served for 7 years as a corporal for the 126th Army Band. He sits on the Northern Lights board as our treasurer.

Jordan Roberts
Secretary, Equipment Manager, Program Coordinator
programming@northernlightsmi.org

Jordan Roberts studied at the University of Alabama in Huntsville and Davenport University, and 
is currently studying at Grand Valley State University. He has been in the United States Army since 2006 (Active Duty 2006-2017, Michigan National Guard 2017-present). He has also been playing tuba professionally during this time and has performed with Grammy winning artists Tom “Bones” Malone, Ellis Marsallis, and Rebirth Brass Band as well as performing with the Seoul (Korea) Philharmonic, the Battle Creek (MI) Symphony Orchestra, Huntsville (AL) Symphony Orchestra, and the United States Army Band where he is a staff arranger, regular soloist, and guest conductor.

Chase Kapteyn 
Visual Director
​visual@northernlightsmi.org

Chase Kapteyn studied Music Education and Trumpet at Central Michigan University and has been an active performer and instructor in the marching arts since 2008. He marched mellophone with Pioneer Drum and Bugle Corps in 2015. Chase currently serves as the brass caption head with the Belding High School Marching Band and writes drill for several schools in Southwest and Mid Michigan. He will be serving a role on visual staff for Northern Lights, assisting with drill writing and designing the marching style.

Other Staff Includes:

Jon Wilson: Percussion Director
​AJ Olmstead: food donation coordinator/Brass Staff
​Brittany Holmes: Brass Staff
Eric Postel: Vis Staff

Volunteers and Special Thanks:


Shawn Lee: Brass Arranger
Paul Kamm: Percussion Ensemble Arranger
Prof. Dan Meyers, Director of Bands for Muskegon Community College: rehearsal facilities coordinator and performance staff
Matt Billock and Lukas Schroeder: Organizational Counseling

Without our volunteer staff, what we do would not be possible. These generous people do what they do for a love of spreading music.