www.williemaerockcamp.org
Virtual Host Committee
Meet your hosts for the Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls Online Auction!
The virtual host committee includes some of Rock Camp's best friends and supporters.
Chloé Jo Berman (www.chloejo.com) is the star behind the must-read "Girlie Girl" email that keeps 10,000 women in NYC, LA and Atlanta in the know. She is also the Event Planner for Farm Sanctuary, the nation's oldest organization protecting farm animals, and the lifestyle and fashion consultant on Q102 radio in Philadelphia.
Patti Binder works day and night to promote girls and young women's leadership and gender equity. During the day, you'll find her at Girls Educational and Mentoring Services fighting against the commercial sexual exploitation of girls and young women. At night, you'll find her blogging at whatsgoodforgirls.blogspot.com, at Girls Write Now where she is the new Board Chair, or dreaming of summer when the next Rock Camp session starts. Patti was a participant at Ladies Rock Camp last summer; she rocked out with her band Dirty Cherry!
Tara Bracco is a writer/performance poet and the force behind Poetic People Power, an ongoing project that combines poetry and activism. On April 11, 2007, Poetic People Power presented its 5th annual show titled Sick & Tired: A Call for Universal Care. Tara has received awards from the Puffin Foundation and the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council for her work.
Shirley Braha, voted "Best Local Music Groupie" by the Village Voice in 2006, is the producer of New York Noise, the Channel 25 TV show devoted to the local NYC music scene. She also happens to be a volunteer for Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls. Shirley produced the Camp video last summer that was shown at both WMRC showcase concerts and on NY Noise.
Gwynn Cassidy is the rock star behind "the REAL hot 100," an annual list that celebrates and promotes young women who are breaking barriers, fighting stereotypes, and making a difference in their communities. Gwynn also founded "Girls in Government," a nonpartisan group that introduces girls to the cool side of politics.
Neil Curri (www.latifolious.net) is a Beacon, NY-based environmental scientist and self-taught multi-instrumentalist and songwriter. Neil fronted the Boston-based band 71 Sunbeam, and is starting another rock outfit coming soon to a city near you.
Kimya Dawson (www.kimyadawson.com) is a solo performance artist and frontwoman of the Moldy Peaches. Among the folks she has toured with are The Mountain Goats, They Might Be Giants, The Butchies, Herman Dune, Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players, Third Eye Blind, Jeffrey Lewis, Daniel Johnston, and K records founder Calvin Johnson. She is a frequent visitor and performer at Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls.
Kathleen Hanna is a rock star icon for girls everywhere. She's the former lead singer of the riot grrrl band Bikini Kill and is currently one third of the feminist pop rock band Le Tigre. Kathleen is also a band coach for AOI, a band made up of former campers who play at many Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls events.
Joshua Harkavy is a native of New York who recently opened his first store, Red Onion Records & Books, in Washington, DC. The store features a great selection of women writers, artists, and musicians for your reading and listening pleasure. Josh is joined by his partner, Alyssa Best, who serves as the store's Community Relations Advisor. At age 14, Alyssa proudly purchased her first guitar and case with money she had saved. Josh and Alyssa are thrilled to help promote Rock Camp and want more young women to rock out!
Murray Hill (www.mrmurrayhill.com), "Mr. Showbiz," is a beloved entertainer, infamous personality, and renowned comedian and host. He performs in shows, indie films, videos, TV and comedy clubs in his native New York and all over the world. Murray also happens to be THE OFFICIAL Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls live auctioneer.
Rob Krevolin is a producer of events and parties for artists and musicians with the production/design/marketing/management company he helped found called Learned Evolution. Rob has been a Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls fan and supporter from the beginning, booking our very first rock concert fundraiser at the Knitting Factory in 2004.
Mark Nyon is a Harlem-based computer guru who left MTV Networks to start his own internet consulting business called Grand Kru Technologies. He also runs the hip-hop internet radio station Forever True School which is designed to provide some balance to the bling you normally hear on the FM Dial. A popular mix show on the station is "Hip-Hop Loves Women", where artists show respect and admiration to the mothers, sisters, lovers, friends and special women in their lives.
Michelle Riu is a Miami-based singer-songwriter and spoken-word poet. Of Cuban descent, she writes and performs in both English and Spanish. Having released her first CD of all-original material in March 2006, she was the opening act for Juice Newton at last year's Taste of Islamorada Festival. Michelle is also a teaching artist and mentor with Arts for Learning. Listen to tracks from her album, "Up Down and Strange" at www.Grittygirl.com.
Laura Thomas - Funky and fierce, Laura Thomas is a New York singer/songwriter with a sound that combines the power of rock and funk with probing lyrics and emotional songwriting. Textured by a fiery violin and a multi-layered guitar, the Laura Thomas Band is led by Laura's powerhouse vocals. Laura has been a Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls vocal instructor since our very first summer.
Jessica Valenti is the founder and Executive Editor of the popular blog Feministing.com. Her first book, Full Frontal Feminism: A Young Woman's guide to Why Feminism Matters will be published next month. Jessica is a HUGE Rock Camp fan; she makes it her business to post about Rock Camp regularly on Feministing.
Online Auction Chairs
Meet the women behind this fundraising event!
Sonya Balchandani is the talented graphic designer behind the Scholarships for Camp auction site and the Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls website. When she's not working her magic with design, Sonya is the bass player in The Big Sleep, a band that recently toured with The Thermals and played at SXSW. The Big Sleep was nominated for a PLUG Independent Music Award this year for Best Live Act. Among Sonya's biggest talents is her ability to kick butt at Dr. Mario.
Teri Duerr has been a member of the Willie Mae Rock Camp advisory board for the past two years and is honored to be supporting their efforts to inspire and empower girls and women. After a decade in publishing, including posts as Editor in Chief of Tokyo and Osaka Scene magazines in Japan, and four years as Director for the non-profit girls' magazine Chicas in the Mix in Minneapolis, MN, she now co-runs Horse+Dragon, a boutique photo and art production and management company in NYC. In addition to producing fashion/music/art media and events, H+D is committed to providing discounted and/or pro bono services to non-profit arts clients. Teri enjoys traveling to supermarkets around the world.
Suzanne Grossman is a writer, musician and activist who has been working in the field of women's and girls' advocacy for over ten years. She is an Irish music fiddle player and one of the founders of Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls. She is currently Director of Programs and Alumnae Relations for the Woodhull Institute of Ethical Leadership, an organization that trains young women to be ethical leaders and has over 1,300 alumnae across the country. Check out her recent interview with Rock Camp band Magnolia on the Huffington Post. Suzanne lives in Brooklyn but will always be a Jersey-girl.
Emily Landry moved to NYC after graduating from the University of Tulsa just so she could volunteer at Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls. During college, Emily co-founded and led the TU Coalition for Women's Issues, an organization that continues to promote community and advocacy among young feminists in Oklahoma. She discovered the Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls at an AAUW conference workshop, and later created a 'zine exploring rock camp as feminist practice. Her research came full circle when she helped to lead 'zine-making workshops during the second session of camp last summer. By day, Emily works as an associate at Freelancers Union. She can often be seen knitting on the F train.
With special thanks to:
Kiley Bates, Jim Brey, Jeff Elkins, Fran Fay, Lalena Fisher, Topher G., GirlieAction, Gregor Halenda, Tiara Jewell, Emily Moeller, Elise Morgan, Karen Pittelman and the WMRC Advisory Board. All Willie Mae Rock Camp photographs are copyright Kate Milford.