Staff
- Board of Directors
- Director
- Administrative Staff
- Music Team
TERRY TIERNEY
Chairman, Board of Directors
Terry has been a proud member of The NCC since June 2007 singing in the Baritone section. Terry returned to singing in 1992 when he was a member of the Portland (Maine) Symphony Choral Group, sang in the Little Rock (Arkansas) Catholic Cathedral Choir and since 1997 with the Hagerstown (Maryland) Choral Arts.
He and his wife, Kathy, of 38 years are proud parents of 5 children and 4 grandchildren. They are active members for the St. Ann Catholic Church in Hagerstown.
Terry is President of a 41-store footwear chain known as Super Shoes. He started out in the shoe business in Cincinnati, OH, selling shoes part time as a college student. Terry served in Wiesbaden, Germany, as an officer in the U.S. Army. Terry holds a Business Management degree from the University of Cincinnati.
"I have received so much by being a member of this wonderful organization. Serving on the Board of Directors is one way I can give back!”
DAVID MENENDEZ
Vice Chairman, Board of Directors
Dave Menendez has been a member of the choir for more than 17 years, singing in the Baritone section. He has served in several leadership capacities: creating the Choir Facebook page, serving as the president, vice president, on the Choir Council, and as a shepherd.
He and his wife Beth have three children and are active members of the Wesley Freedom United Methodist Church in Sykesville, Maryland.
Dave has been a Software Engineer for 20 years, supporting several customers in a wide variety of domains including aerospace, Department of Defense, finance, and pharmaceutical. Dave holds a B.S in Computer Information Systems from Olivet Nazarene University.
SANDY DAY
Secretary, Board of Directors
Sandy Day is a retired middle school counselor who lives in Mt. Airy, Maryland. She has been a singer in the National Christian Choir since June, 1999, and also sings in the ensemble, “NCC’s 2nd Edition.” She currently chairs Sponsorships for the Golf Tournament Committee, and in addition has helped with public relations and with alternate Choir performance wear. She has previously served as Secretary on the NCC Board of Directors for several terms.
Sandy served on the Boards of both the Alumni Association and the Foundation at Frostburg State University for many years until recently. In addition, Sandy has been a member of the Montgomery United Methodist Church in Damascus, Maryland, for more than 40 years, where she sings in the Chancel Choir and belongs to the Heritage Circle. She has served in several positions of leadership on various church committees.
As a member of Alpha Xi Delta National Women’s Fraternity, Sandy has remained an active alumna and volunteered for a number of years as a leader on several levels to support collegiate women. She regularly attends the National Conventions of Alpha Xi Delta and participates in activities with Autism Speaks, a national partner with the sorority.
Being a native Marylander, Sandy enjoys visiting both the seashore and the mountains of Maryland and has traveled to Europe, Canada, the Caribbean and much of the United States.
Sandy continues to be amazed that she is part of such a meaningful ministry, with so many wonderful Christians. Her wish has always been for the Choir to sing in every state, and she hopes to be a part of expanding the Choir’s Psalm 95 radio ministry.
JOHN DALLAVALE
Treasurer, Board of Directors
John Dallavalle has been very active in his community, serving as President of the Frederick Rescue Mission, the Frederick Rotary Club, and Big Brothers / Big Sisters of Frederick County. He has been the Treasurer of the Frederick Community Foundation and is a continuing member of the audit committee of Frederick Memorial Hospital. He has been a member of the Frederick Rotary for more than 26 years and is a member of the Estate Planning Council of Frederick.
John and his wife Kay have one child and three very active granddaughters. John and Kay are active members of The Frederick Church of the Brethren in Frederick, Maryland.
John is the founder of Dallavalle Financial in Frederick, Maryland, with more than 30 years of financial services experience. He is a Certified Public Accountant, Chartered Life Underwriter, and Chartered Financial Consultant. John holds a B.S. in Accounting from the University of Maryland.
JOHN W. CUSHWA,
Member, Board of Directors
John W. Cushwa was born and raised in Berkeley County, WV. He grew up on a dairy farm west of Martinsburg. After graduating from Shepherd College with a B.A. degree in Secondary Education, he taught for one year in Pendleton County, WV.
In August of 1970 he married his wife Jeanie, who is now retired from teaching. In 1971 he returned to Berkeley County to become the band director at Hedgesville High School. After teaching for several years, John resigned to return to manage the family farm and orchard.
In 1982 he purchased the Martinsburg Printing Company, which he operated until 2002 when he sold the business and entered Wesley Theological Seminary as a full-time student in Washington, D. C. from which he graduated with a degree of Master of Divinity in May of 2005.
In March of 2006 he was called to the historic Falling Waters Presbyterian Church, where he served as pastor retiring in September of 2013. In May of 2008 he was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Divinity Degree.
John continues to preach several times a month and is currently serving on several Shenandoah Presbytery committees and is a Commissioner to the Synod of the Mid-Atlantic of the Presbyterian Church (USA). John and Jeanie are the parents of three sons and seven grandchildren.
LINDA ROWE
Member, Board of Directors
Linda Rowe has been a member of the choir for more than 25 years, singing in the Soprano I section. In addition, she has faithfully served as the choir music librarian for 22 years.
She and her husband Bill have been members of the Redland Baptist Church for 37 years, where she serves in the office and on a variety of supportive committees.
In addition to her work with the music library, Linda has shared her organizational skills with the National Christian Choir in a number of other capacities: volunteering in the office, coordinating fundraising events, and assisting with marketing and press releases.
DR. DAVID NIEBUHR
Member, Board of Directors
David Niebuhr is a physician and educator, serving as the Medical Officer for Evidence and Practice Improvement in the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Department of Health and Human Services. David and his wife Stacey have three daughters and four grandchildren.
David and Stacey attend L3 Church of Maryland in Germantown, where David serves as a Church Trustee and Small Group Leader.
David’s wife Stacey has been a member of the choir since 2010, singing in the Alto I section.
David holds a B.A. from Johns Hopkins, Doctor of Medicine from George Washington University School of Medicine, Master of Public Health from Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health and Hygiene, and Master of Science from the University of Washington School of Public Health and Community Medicine. He is board certified in family and preventive medicine.
BRYAN WILES
Member, Board of Directors
Bryan Wiles has been a member of the choir since 2013 as part of the 2nd Tenor section and as an instrumentalist playing the Synthophone (saxophone). His mother’s deep love for music sparked the passion in Bryan early in life. As his skill with the sax grew, he became involved with Jazz Ensemble, where he learned the chord progressions and odd meters of the jazz charts.
For many years after high school, he returned to volunteer in preparing the singers for their all-school musical productions. He was even recruited to direct the pit band when the school’s band director suffered a health emergency.
Bryan developed as a singer in church, teaming with his twin sister for duets and singing with various church and community choirs. He soon transitioned to choir director/worship leader and has served several congregations in that capacity.
Bryan and his wife, Cathy (NCC 2nd Soprano), live in Smithsburg, MD and are members of Antrim BIC in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania.
Bryan currently serves as IT network administrator for AC&T in Hagerstown, MD. His background includes time spent as vice-president of a local bank, vp/controller of an auto dealership, custom programmer/integrator for a software development company, system integrator for a non-profit retirement community, and as a web site developer.
Throughout the years he has volunteered with the local fire & rescue companies as an active firefighter and EMT. He has also served as President and Treasurer of the Smithsburg fire department for many years.
ANN HOLCOMB
Member, Board of Directors
Carol "Ann" Holcomb has been a member of The National Christian Choir since August 2021, singing first alto. She has been involved with church choirs since early childhood. As a widow, Ann believes God has used the music, service and relationships of TNCC to restore her joy.
Ann is an active member of The Crossings Church, a new church plant in Brunswick, Maryland. She resettled in Brunswick as a newlywed in 2015, with the late Rev. Frank Guliuzza III, who was Academic Dean of Patrick Henry College in Purcellville, Virginia. Ann and Frank attended Faith Baptist Church in Knoxville, Maryland.
Ann has four adult children and two children-in-law. Ann and her family were residents of Ellicott City, Maryland and members of Bethany Lane Baptist Church for over twenty years.
Ann works full time as an attorney practicing in the field of immigration law. She served with World Relief, an evangelical Christian humanitarian NGO and refugee resettlement agency, for over ten years and started her solo practice in 2018. Ann handles a wide variety of immigration cases. She is especially proud of representing asylum seekers who faced horrific persecution in their home countries, and of representing churches to bring pastors from abroad to serve new foreign language congregations.
Ann is a native of the Tidewater, Virginia area and moved to Woodlawn, Maryland at age 12. She attended Woodlawn High School (1976), Rutgers College (BA, with honors, 1980) and University of Maryland School of Law (JD, with honors, 1988).
KATHY BOWMAN
Director of Music and Ministries; Host, Psalm 95 Radio Ministry
A native of Washington, D.C., who grew up in Arlington, Virginia, Kathy Bowman (formerly Kathy Miller) has been involved in music as long as she can remember! From singing around the piano and harmonizing in the car with her family, to playing for church services, denominational gatherings, school choruses and music festivals, Kathy has been immersed in music. She studied both piano and violin from an early age and it didn’t take long for her unique gifts in playing by ear (as well as by note) and in improvisation, to become apparent. Recognizing her talent early on, her high school choral director invited Kathy to serve as conducting assistant and also commissioned her to write an original arrangement of Christmas favorites to be performed and recorded by the school’s choir.
Kathy holds a B.A. in Music from the College of William and Mary with an emphasis in choral conducting and piano. While there, she was invited to be music director for the school’s production of “Cabaret” – conducting both orchestra and singers in multiple performances. Receiving a full scholarship to attend graduate school at the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, Kathy went on to receive a Masters degree in piano performance and was subsequently offered a full scholarship plus graduate assistantship to pursue a doctoral degree at the Conservatory, but accepted an invitation to join the music faculty at Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee instead.
Her professional career has taken her from teaching at the university level through over 30 years as a minister of music in Church of God, Assembly of God and Methodist congregations. She is well-known for producing large-scale dramatic-musical performances and has built successful choral programs in several churches. Kathy served as founding co-pastor and minister of music at Potomac Valley Assembly in Germantown, MD from 1987 to 2002 and then in 2003 became organist/accompanist and subsequently Director of Music and Arts at Trinity United Methodist in Frederick, MD. She also added “music teacher” to her many roles in 2000 when she began teaching vocal and general music at Patapsco Middle School in Howard County, MD. There she conducted 3 award-winning choruses involving over 230 students.
Kathy Bowman
2006 was a year of big changes for Kathy. In January she left her teaching position to prepare for a February wedding to long-time friend, Dennis Bowman and in April, they moved to their new home in Gettysburg, PA. In 2009, Kathy began work on a long-awaited project – her debut solo piano album. Entitled “Songs From the Heart”, this collection combines dazzling keyboard skills with a moving and sensitive artistry to reflect the anointed playing style for which Kathy has become so well-known. Unique original arrangements of 13 favorite hymns and worship choruses are included on this CD.
In addition to her musical activities, Kathy has been a sought-after speaker within the Christian community, addressing worship conferences, ladies’ retreats and church seminars. Her frank, often humorous, teaching style has helped many people mature in their faith as she deals with topics related to worship, leadership, women’s issues and general Christian growth. Kathy’s wonderful insights into God’s word and practical Christian living may be heard as she now hosts the NCC’s weekly radio broadcast “Psalm 95”, aired on over 400 stations around the country.
In 2011, Kathy left her positions at Trinity Methodist to become the Director of the National Christian Choir, following the successful 27 year tenure of founding director, Harry Causey. She feels that her entire life of music and ministry has prepared her for this role and she treasures the opportunity to serve God in this capacity. In her own words: “I wake up every morning thanking God for the joy and the challenge of leading The NCC – the day can’t begin early enough or last long enough because I just love what I’m doing now!”
Under Kathy’s leadership, the ministry of the NCC has expanded to include a new ensemble – “2nd Edition”, comprised of 24 auditioned voices from the larger Choir – which is available to minister at smaller churches that cannot accommodate the full NCC. She also initiated the formation of the First Annual NCC Children’s Christmas Choir that participated in the Choir’s 2011 Christmas concerts.
Kathy is Mom to 3 wonderful children: Gavin Miller (and wife, Caitlin), Carrington McDowell (and husband, Ryan), and Aynsley Keller (and husband, Kevin). She is also “Gram” to two grandsons, Deklan and Miles Keller, and one granddaughter, Quinn Miller.
Favorite Scripture: (a hard choice!): "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9
Favorite Quote: “A good leader is a person who takes a little more than his share of the blame and a little less than his share of the credit.” John C. Maxwell
Favorite pastimes: Shopping, cooking and reading
Favorite Song (another hard choice!): "Something Happens” by The National Christian Choir.
ROBERT GERMAN
Business Administrator
Robert German, known for his fun personality and great attention to detail, serves as our full-time Business Administrator, beginning with The NCC in 1992. He loves music, but don't ask him to sing! You can ask him to help with just about anything else, however, because he is always willing. Robert and his wife, Penny, reside in Adamstown, MD. They have 2 children and 1 grandchild.
JULIE LEWIS
Admnistrative Assistant
Julie has been singing in the NCC since 2015 as a Soprano 2.
Prior to joining the NCC staff, she was a registered nurse (and still is!) who was employed by a large healthcare organization in the medical-legal field. She and her husband, John, have 3 grown sons and 6 grandchildren. They reside in Olney, MD and enjoy family time and travel.
Myles Evans
Michael Faircloth
After five years of lessons in his hometown, Michael began studies at the Peabody Preparatory School in Baltimore. During this time, he also started playing regularly at his home church, accompanying the congregational singing and arranging offertories and other music for the services. Gradually, invitations to play came from other churches and ministries, and his concert ministry began.
Michael continued his training at the University of Maryland at College Park where he completed Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in piano performance. During his freshman year at Maryland, he recorded his first solo recording, In Moments Like These. That album began receiving airplay on Christian radio stations across the county, and by the time Michael completed his degree studies, his concert ministry had become a full-time career.
Since that time, there’ve been seven more recordings as well as concert performances around the country, both as a solo pianist and in conjunction with other Christian artists. In addition to the concert ministry, Michael plays regularly at Sandy Cove Ministries in North East, Maryland, and at the church he attends, New Life Community Church in Kingsville, Maryland. He considers it an honor and privilege to include The National Christian Choir in his ministry schedule.
Joan Carlson
Joan was born, raised, and has always lived in Montgomery County, MD, with the exception of the time she attended college. She earned a bachelor's degree in Recreation in 1984. After working at numerous jobs (none of which were recreation-related), she became an office manager for a local plumbing company. In 1991, she joined the Federal Government. Since Joan enjoyed the bookkeeping aspects of her prior job, she went back to school for an accounting degree. Joan is currently an accountant in the Travel Office at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Perhaps when she retires, she will dust off that Recreation degree!
Joan's husband since 1985 is David Carlson who sings Tenor I with The National Christian Choir. They have one adult son, Tony, who is autistic and has a seizure disorder. This provides many challenges in all aspects of their lives; however, Tony has a wonderful personality, and Joan and David have truly enjoyed watching his growth and accomplishments. Two cats, Maestro and Max round out the family. The Carlsons currently reside in Clarksburg, MD
Joan grew up in the Methodist Church, but she has been a member of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church since 1988. While at Good Shepherd, Joan has participated in the Altar Guild, Teller Team, Capital Campaign Committee, Handbell Choir, Praise Band, and various other musical groups as needed.
Cindy Shank
Cindy Shank
Cindy was born and raised in the Baltimore area. Her musical training began at age seven with piano lessons at the Peabody Preparatory in Towson. She learned to play the flute in fourth grade and switched to the clarinet in junior high. Outside of school she taught herself how to play other instruments, including her brother’s trumpet, baritone, and French horn, and a plastic guitar she purchased from Read’s Drugstore and hid under her bed.
Cindy graduated from Towson High School in 1972 and continued to study the clarinet at the Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore. She graduated in 1976 with a degree in music education and began her career as an educator in Maryland. She retired in 2018 with thirty-seven years of service, having taught instrumental music in Howard County and Baltimore County, and secondary mathematics in Washington County. For more than forty years she has served in churches as a pianist, organist, and choir director and has assisted choral directors, vocalists, and instrumentalists as an accompanist.
Upton, PA (halfway between Greencastle and Mercersburg) is where Cindy and her husband, Steve, have lived since 1989. They have two sons, Mike and Zack, and a daughter-in-law, Erica.
Cindy first heard about the National Christian Choir in 2012 and visited the website. The director’s picture and biography seemed to resemble/describe the Kathy Miller with whom she taught in Howard County. Following an email to Kathy and her immediate reply, a friendship was rekindled after thirty-four years. Cindy joined the choir in February, 2013 as an alto. She became a member of the music team in October, 2017.
RB Hooks III
RB was born in Kentucky into the home of a Southern Baptist minister and is the namesake of his grandfather, also a Southern Baptist minister. Cemented in Southern Baptist background, RB has been involved in many areas of church life--Chairman of the Music Committee, Chairman of the Audio/Visual Committee, served the Vision Committee, Church Council, Youth Council Adult Sponsor, and Interim Worship Leader. He has sung in church choirs, participated and soloed in the music ministries of Dulos (male gospel quartet) and Chosen (male trio), as well as The NCC.
RB holds a BS degree in Computer Science/Business Administration. He began working for the Department of Defense as a Mainframe Systems Database Administrator and Senior Systems Programmer/Analyst. In 1988, RB was recognized as one of the Outstanding Young Business Men of America. In 1990, he went to work for Storage Technology Corporation and has held numerous positions - Senior Software Support Representative, Senior Systems Engineer, Systems Engineering Manager, Support Manager, Senior Product Manager, Sales Executive, District Sales Manager. Currently, RB is the CTO of Public Sector for Sun Microsystems (who purchased Storage Tek) and a featured speaker at conferences and seminars across the US. RB joined The NCC in 1984 as a singer and sang with The Choir until his skills led him to be the current Special Event Sound Engineer for The Choir. He mixes all of The Choir's special event concerts and is the recording engineer for The Choir.
In addition to RB's full-time job and other activities, he also runs a complete recording studio (Creative Sound Design) dedicated only to Christian artists from his home. Through that studio, he serves as the engineer for The NCC’s radio program, "Psalm 95." RB conducts audio seminars for churches and does audio system analysis. He and his wife, Judy, live in Aldo, Texas.
Dennis Bowman
Dennis joined the NCC in the spring of 1984 and since then, has served the ministry in various capacities such as Choir Council President and Chairman of the Board of Directors. For the past 12 years, Dennis has chaired the NCC Golf Committee which runs one of the Choir’s most successful annual fundraisers. Since 2011, he has been the Sound Engineer for all NCC rehearsals and 2nd Edition concerts and has been Assistant Sound Engineer for NCC’s full-choir concerts. With the recent move to Texas of NCC’s long-time Concert Sound Engineer – RB Hooks – Dennis has accepted the responsibility of doing sound for all NCC concerts. Dennis’s background in sound reinforcement extends over many years of doing sound in churches and assisting with the purchase and installation of new sound systems in three of those churches. He loves creating a wonderful sound environment for both choir and audience and considers his efforts toward that end to be a real ministry to the Lord.