Misty olmstead
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Executive Director and co-founder of Northern Lights Drum and Bugle Corps, Misty has an HR and music background with experience on clarinet, bass clarinet, and as drum major. She 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 chamber music ensembles over the years. Misty has a strong background in Human Relations and sits at the helm of our Board of Directors as President; managing corps relations, as well as overseeing all business operations and strategic planning for the corps. Misty actively plays bass clarinet in the community with the Coopersville Community Band, Beer City Winds, and Forest Hills Adult Community Band. Misty is a band mom through and through with students in both the Rockford Schools and Comstock Park Schools band programs, and has expertly guided the corps through tremendous growth in its formative seasons, overseeing business planning and development of our Board of Directors to cover all aspects of our membership needs. |
DOUG "DUNKLE" OLMSTEAD
CORPS DIRECTOR
Affectionately called "Dunkle" by the corps membership, Doug provides logistics and education pedagogy direction for the corps. He brings with him a solid foundational band experience, having studied tuba performance at Grand Valley State University and music education at Aquinas College. As an educator, Doug is currently the Winds Caption Head at Godwin Heights High School, and has held various positions from section coach to assistant band director with numerous local schools, notably with the GVSU Laker Marching Band, Spring Lake HS, St. Xavier HS, Allendale HS, and Kent City HS where he was Winds Caption Head helping to spark their first ever MCBA State Finals qualifying season. Doug performs as a semi-pro freelance tubist and has performed with the Holland Symphony Orchestra, HSO Brass Quintet, and Grand Rapids Jazz Orchestra on bass trombone. He 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, tuba for Cincinnati Tradition Drum & Bugle Corps in 2022, and was Northern Lights' horn sergeant, baritone section leader, and treasurer for our inaugural season in 2023, filling a bass trombone spot in the corps for the 2024 season as well. He played sousaphone as section leader and a featured soloist for the GVSU Laker Marching Band from 2011-2015, where he was also a member of the Rho Xi chapter of the Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia music fraternity, seated as treasurer and music director. Doug is now seated as Rho Xi's Alumni Relations Officer. Additionally, Doug served for 7 years as a corporal, team leader, staff arranger/conductor, and career counselor for the 126th Army Band playing low brass and percussion. He sits on the Northern Lights board of directors as our Vice President. |
Jordan roberts
PROGRAM DIRECTOR
Jordan Roberts studied at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, Davenport University, and is currently studying at Grand Valley State University where he also works as an arranger for GVSU Athletic Bands, and serves as the Vice President and Treasurer for the Rho Xi chapter of the Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia music fraternity. Jordan has served in the United States Army since 2006 (Active Duty 2006-2017, Michigan National Guard 2017-present). As a performer, he has played 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. Most recently he was hired by Muskegon Community College to conduct and resurrect the Muskegon Honors Orchestra program. Jordan sits on the Northern Lights Board of Directors as our Treasurer. |
albert "Aj" olmstead
SUPPORT DIRECTOR
Email Albert
Albert (AJ) is a Muskegon Community College Alumni with a love for community music. Currently he plays with MCC’s Student Winds, Northern Lights, and Bells Of Glory. AJ is an alumni of Dutch Boy Drum & Bugle Corps (2008), Kilties Drum & Bugle Corps (2012), and the GVSU Laker Marching Band (2012-2014). As a performer, he's played at Carnegie Hall with the West Michigan Concert WINDS, and has served as a low brass coach for local high school programs such as at Allegan HS and Allendale HS. It’s been his dream to start a drum corps with his brother, and Northern Lights has been a massive blessing for him and the community. He considers himself a "forever student", enjoys both learning and teaching, and will probably be taking classes here and there for the rest of his life. AJ sits on the NLDBC Board of Directors as our Secretary, and serves the corps in a Support Director role working with our volunteers overseeing special project efforts. |
Caleb Salame
INTERIM DIRECTOR OF FINANCIAL DEVELOPMENTCaleb Salame comes to Northern Lights with a marketing and accounting background from Acrisure. He has been playing clarinet since the 6th grade, and continued playing throughout the rest of his time in school for the Plymouth-Canton band program on the east side of the state. After high school, Caleb attended Grand Valley State University and graduated with a degree in marketing. Currently, he lives in Grand Rapids with his fiancée, Phoenix. Some of Caleb's hobbies include photography, PC gaming, reading, and 4k Blu-ray collecting. Caleb is very excited to be joining the Northern Lights admin team with an interim spot on our Board of Directors as our Director of Financial Development, and looking for ways to make this activity even more affordable for our members. He also helps out on our media team with photography and videography skills! |
bRANDEN LISTH
ASSISTANT CORPS DIRECTOR
Mr. Listh is the Director of Bands at Newaygo Public Schools, and serves Northern Lights as our Assistant Corps Director. Branden also sits on the Northern Lights Board of Directors in an interim capacity, filling a Director of Community Partnerships role. He received his Bachelors in Music Education at Alma College, and is currently preparing for the American Band College Masters of Music Education program at Central Washington University. As a member of the corps, Branden was a featured soloist and a charter member of the corps' first competitive season in 2023. In 2024, he began the season on staff with the corps as a low brass coach, before being promoted to Assistant Corps Director. |
Marisa Romano
INTERIM EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT
Marisa studied Music Education at Alma College and has experience as a public school band director. She considers herself to be a “Professional Band Nerd”. She is primarily a flute player, but has experience at a competitive level in percussion on cymbals and as a drum major. She received her training at Smith-Walbridge Drum Major Academy in 2014 and has been working as a drum major and teaching drum majors around the state for the past ten years. She has worked with high school bands in a variety of roles instructing in woodwind technique, drum major technique, battery percussion technique, and marching technique. At Alma she was a proud drum major of the Kiltie Marching Band and played tenor drum in the Alma College Pipe Band. She also taught marching technique while she was there and wrote the handbook that the college uses to teach marching.
She is currently a certified Farmers Market Manager and adores spending her Thursdays at the markets and helping bring vibrancy to her community. Her role as a Market Manager includes organizing special events, processing and documenting payments and funds, making sure all parts of the market adhere to various laws, and being a friendly face to brighten people’s day. She is looking forward to bringing these skills into her role as the Interim Executive Assistant for Northern Lights. She is also preparing to apply to graduate school to fulfill her dream of being a musicologist.
She is currently a certified Farmers Market Manager and adores spending her Thursdays at the markets and helping bring vibrancy to her community. Her role as a Market Manager includes organizing special events, processing and documenting payments and funds, making sure all parts of the market adhere to various laws, and being a friendly face to brighten people’s day. She is looking forward to bringing these skills into her role as the Interim Executive Assistant for Northern Lights. She is also preparing to apply to graduate school to fulfill her dream of being a musicologist.
Chase Kapteyn
VISUAL COORDINATORChase 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. |
Jacob Kamradt
PERCUSSION COORDINATORJacob Kamradt recently graduated from Grand Valley State University with a degree in Information Technology. He has been involved in the marching arts since 2015, starting with auxiliary percussion and timpani for his first two years at Belding High School. Then, he switched to bass drum for his last two years. After high school, he spent 4 years at G2, playing Synth, Auxiliary Percussion, and finally Bass Drum. He competed as G2's Bass Drum Section Leader in 2020, and aged-out of WGI with Ascension in 2024. During college, Jacob was heavily involved in the GVSU Laker Marching Band's drumline from 2019 - 2021 and served as section leader from 2020 - 2021. He came back from a brief hiatus for the 2023-2024 season where he switched to snare drum. He's also an active member of the Grand Rapids Gold drumline, playing Snare, Tenors, or Bass Drum. Beyond marching, Jacob started teaching in 2019 at Belding High School, his alma mater. He was a bass drum technician there until recently and now instructs at Hudsonville High School for the Fall and Winter percussion season. Jacob's love for marching arts also extends to arranging percussion music. He's arranged percussion parts for Belding High School, GVSU Athletic Bands, and Hudsonville High School. Excitingly, Jacob is using his experience in all areas of marching percussion to step up as the Percussion Coordinator for the 2023-2024 Northern Lights season. With his enthusiasm, years of experience, and passion, he aims to elevate the percussion section at Northern Lights Drum & Bugle Corps. |
Issa Lewis
COLOR GUARD COORDINATOR
Issa Lewis has been a member of the marching arts community for almost 30 years as a performer and instructor/designer. As a performer, she was a member of the Coachmen Drum and Bugle Corps, the Bluecoats Drum and Bugle Corps, Capital Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps, and Crescendo Winter Guard. As an instructor, she currently serves as the color guard caption head at Otsego High School and directs the Allegan County Ensemble (ACE) Winter Guard. Additionally, she serves on the Board of Directors of the Michigan Color Guard Circuit and is a member of the Evoke Performance Collective, which assists other instructors and designers to grow in their craft.
Wherever she teaches, her goal is to create a space that is welcoming to all, regardless of experience or skill, where anyone can learn and grow to love this activity! She aims to help her performers find confidence, joy, and creativity while instilling a strong work ethic, healthy competitiveness, and attention to detail.
When not writing and teaching fun twirls, Issa is an Associate Professor of English and Communications at Davenport University, a loving wife, and the proud (and tired) mama of two boys.
We're extremely excited to have Issa as #NLCG's Color Guard Coordinator to help build our guard program!
Wherever she teaches, her goal is to create a space that is welcoming to all, regardless of experience or skill, where anyone can learn and grow to love this activity! She aims to help her performers find confidence, joy, and creativity while instilling a strong work ethic, healthy competitiveness, and attention to detail.
When not writing and teaching fun twirls, Issa is an Associate Professor of English and Communications at Davenport University, a loving wife, and the proud (and tired) mama of two boys.
We're extremely excited to have Issa as #NLCG's Color Guard Coordinator to help build our guard program!
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- Brian & Carole Olmstead: Meal Volunteers
- Gavin Barker: Media Intern
- Anthony Candelario: Content Creator
- Brooklyn Chaffee: Content Creator
- Caleb Salame: Photographer/Videographer
- Kim Ball: Uniform Fitting
- Adam Cummins: Uniform Design
- Daphne Fitzpatrick: Medical Professional
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