Jeffrey Loeffert is very proud to serve as Executive Director of The College Music Society.

Loeffert graduated summa cum laude from Northwestern University with a Bachelor of Music double major in Saxophone Performance and Jazz Studies. A Frank Huntington Beebe Scholar, Loeffert studied in Paris at the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional de Cergy-Pontoise where he received the Médaille d'Or à l'Unanimité - Saxophone, and the Médaille d'Or à l'Unanimité - Musique de Chambre. Loeffert also studied at the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional de Boulogne-Billancourt where he received the diploma Cycle d'Orientation Professionnel. Loeffert completed graduate studies at Michigan State University (MSU) as the recipient of a University Distinguished Fellowship. He received a Master of Music degree and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Saxophone Performance as well as a Master of Music degree in Music Theory Pedagogy.

Loeffert is a very active chamber musician. As a founding member of the h2 quartet, Loeffert has won numerous chamber music prizes including First Place at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and First Place at the North American Saxophone Alliance Quartet Competition, among others. Loeffert is featured on seventeen commercially available discs and a DVD, as well as on a PBS television episode of Backstage Pass. His recording of Groove Canon by Marc Mellits was recently used as the monologue theme music for the Broadway show The Heidi Chronicles, starring Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men) and Jason Biggs (Orange is the New Black).

Loeffert previously served as Professor of Saxophone and Director of the Michael and Anne Greenwood School of Music at Oklahoma State University and currently serves as Professor and Director of the School of Performing Arts at Virginia Tech. During the summer months, Loeffert teaches at the Great Plains Saxophone Workshop (Oklahoma) and the Asia Pacific Saxophone Academy (Thailand), and previously served on the instructional faculties for New Music on the Point (Vermont), Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp (Michigan), and the Cortona Sessions for New Music (Italy).

Hannah Pearson joined CMS as Director of Operations in May 2022. Originally from small-town Dahlonega, GA, Hannah holds a bachelor’s degree in clarinet performance from the University of Georgia, where she studied with Dr. D. Ray McClellan and performed in the Hodgson Wind Ensemble under the direction of Dr. Cynthia Johnston-Turner. Hannah received her MM in clarinet performance from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY, studying with Kenneth Grant and Jon Manasse, and performed in the Eastman Wind Ensemble, Eastman Philharmonia, and Musica Nova, Eastman’s premiere contemporary music ensemble. Hannah earned her MA in Music Leadership from Eastman in 2020, studying the ins and outs of music nonprofit organizations via the mentorship and instruction of Rachel Roberts (Director of the Eastman Institute for Music Leadership).

Prior to her appointment with CMS, Hannah worked as Director of Operations and Production with Fifth House Ensemble (5HE) in Chicago, IL. In this role, Hannah worked closely with presenting partners at universities across the country to coordinate the production of 5HE’s collaborative and multidisciplinary music programming, including “Undertale LIVE” and “Journey LIVE,” two unique programs that incorporate live video game play into musical performance. During 5HE’s 2021-2022 season, Hannah implemented logistics for these shows in venues across the country, including the Wilbur Theatre in Boston, MA and Sweetwater Sound in Fort Wayne, IN. In the summer of 2021, Hannah spearheaded logistic planning for Fresh Inc Festival, a new music festival geared towards supporting the career development of emerging artists.

Hannah has also held administrative positions with the Eastman Theatre Box Office, the Geva Theatre Center Box Office, and the Gateways Music Festival, all based in Rochester, NY. This summer, Hannah joins Wildflower Composers at Temple University in Philadelphia, PA for the organization’s summer music festival that aims to amplify the work of young composers who identify as female, trans, queer, and/or nonbinary. Hannah will also be relocating from Chicago to CMS headquarters in Missoula, where she’s looking forward to exploring the beautiful mountain trails (and maybe go looking for dinosaur fossils!). In her spare time, Hannah reads as many books as she can, watches reality TV of a questionable caliber, and searches for fun clothes from local Goodwills and vintage clothing shops.

Shannon Devlin has worked in the CMS national office since 1994. Two years as Office Assistant, two years as Receptionist, and the past twenty-three years as Director of Membership Services. She is a graduate of Missoula’s Hellgate High School, and has other work experience in local food service and entertainment businesses. Shannon is a dedicated runner, mountain biker, and hiker. She also enjoys horticulture and her latest role as cat-lady-in-training:    

Julie Johnson has worked in the CMS national office since 1994, including a year as Administrative Assistant, two years as Administrative/Collections Assistant, and the past twenty-one years as Director of Information Services. She studied music at The University of Montana in Missoula, and she performs frequently as a collaborative pianist. During the 1991-93 school years, she worked as a staff accompanist for the Brownsville (TX) Independent School District.

Brianna Buck joined CMS in June 2022. Brianna received her bachelor's degree in music performance from Bowling Green State University where she studied with Dr. John Sampen, and she earned her master's degree in music performance from Oklahoma State University under the tutelage of Dr. Jeffrey Loeffert. In addition to her work at CMS, Brianna is an active performer and collaborator who believes in championing new music for the saxophone. In her free time, Brianna enjoys hiking, kayaking, and spending time with her three pets.

David Schafer has worked as the CMS national office’s Director of Information Technology since 2007. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from The University of Montana. Past professional experience includes eighteen years of C++ programming on Windows platforms and work on GIS based applications and imaging tools for the OEM market. Dave enjoys technology, cycling, and happy hour with his wife Deanna Schafer.

Charlie Chadwell is an active saxophonist, chamber musician, music theorist, and educator. He currently serves as Assistant Professor of Saxophone at Western Illinois University and is completing a DMA in saxophone performance at Michigan State University, where he studies with Professor Joe Lulloff. Throughout his career, Chadwell has championed a variety of musical mediums and styles, and his performances have taken him across the U.S., to England, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, and China. Well-versed in both classical and jazz, he has regularly participated in saxophone quartets and large ensembles, jazz bands, jazz combos and new music ensembles at Michigan State University, Oklahoma State University, and The University of Texas at Austin. He's also performed with the Austin Symphony Orchestra, the San Antonio Symphony, and the Lansing Symphony, in addition to performing as a concerto soloist with the UT Symphony Orchestra and Oklahoma State Symphony Orchestra.

An advocate of new music, Chadwell regularly commissions new works for the saxophone. Most recently, he premiered two new works at the 2020 National NASA Conference, Economic Shorts by Spencer Arias for saxophone duo, and Cathedral of Particles for saxophone duo and electronics, by Kakia Gkoudina. In July of 2020, Chadwell collaborated with composer Keaton Garrett and premiered Wandering, a work for solo tenor saxophone, which was performed remotely for the New Music On the Point's 10th Anniversary Commissioning Project. Chadwell has enjoyed participation in numerous award-winning chamber ensembles, from winning second place at the 2015 MTNA National Chamber Music competition with the Indarra Saxophone Quartet, to appearing as a finalist and semi-finalist in the 2018 and 2020 NASA Saxophone Quartet competitions respectively, with the Leaq and Sycamore saxophone quartets.

A native of Austin, Texas, Charlie has taught extensively in the central Texas area as a private lesson and master class teacher, as well as a band clinician. He holds a BM in Music Education degree from The University of Texas at Austin with a Performance Certificate, where he studied with Harvey Pittel and Stephen Page. He also holds a MM in Saxophone Performance from Oklahoma State University, where he studied with Jeffrey Loeffert and Tommy Poole.