The Executive Board
President | SAS ’25
Nikki is a senior from Boston, who will forever think Boston is the best city, but tries to enjoy Philly… Nikki is currently studying Biology with minors in Japanese & Chemistry. Nikki is living her best life in the Penn Band Drumline playing snare/bass drum and living by the motto: “don’t think, hit drum!”ᵈʳᵘᵐˡᶦⁿᵉ ᵇᵉˢᵗˡᶦⁿᵉ. She’s also involved in way too many music extracurriculars and not enough “premed” ones :))). Outside of band she can be found skateboarding (scraping ALL of her skin off), reading one piece, putting mustard on pretzels, and playing kit.
Vice President & Fanfare Chair | SAS ’25
Aleena Parenti is from outside Pittsburgh in a place so remote that her pet peeves include getting stuck behind tractors and horses while driving. Majoring in linguistics, she loves anything foreign language related. She started playing saxophone in 4th grade but in high school picked up tuba and never looked back (although sometimes she misses the tenor sax). When she’s not doing band related things Aleena enjoys listening to as much foreign music as possible (including Cambodian psychedelic rock and kpop), reading, knitting funky sweaters, and spending time with her six (yes six) cats.
Treasurer | CAS ’26
Jeremiah is a sophomore from Dumont, New Jersey. He is majoring in Biology on the Pre-Med track and has played the clarinet since fourth grade. Jeremiah almost always has the biggest smile on his face, and he brings this energy everywhere he goes, especially to the Penn Band. Outside of the band, Jeremiah enjoys traveling, watching sports, and dancing.
Secretary | CAS ’26
Jacob is a sophomore from picturesque Owego, NY (not to be confused with Oswego!) and is majoring in Neuroscience with a minor in Statistics. After picking up the saxophone in 4th grade, his love has for Music has never ended having gotten to play Alto, Tenor, Bari, and Soprano (favorite being soprano!). If not having fun with the band or furiously at work, you can find him exploring everything Philly has to offer. Coming from upstate NY (the real upstate!) with its rolling hills and expansive farms, Jacob loves the adventure and excitment of city life! Ishkabibble’s anybody?
The Drum Majors
Drum Major | SAS ’25
From the most superior southern state, Sarah is from right outside Atlanta, Georgia making her your favorite southern belle 😉 Besides talking about the great state of Georgia, Sarah is a rising senior pursuing her passions for public service by majoring in Philosophy, Politics and Economics concentrating in Public Policy & Governance and minoring in Legal Studies & History. Just when you thought she didn’t love education enough, this upcoming year she will be starting her Masters in Public Administration. Additional to being Drum Major, Sarah started as a member of the Penn Band’s color guard team, and has been spinning since 10th grade—shoutout to the sexiest section! Outside of Penn Band and school, Sarah is an avid cook, active in pop culture/music and is probably the biggest Beyoncé fan you will meet. She is a boisterous ball of energy and shows it everyday through her Red&Blue spirit and pride!
Drum Major | SEAS ’25
Katie is from some suburb in the middle of Maryland. She picked up the mellophone when she joined the Penn Band and has since been obsessed. If not laughing with her section members or conducting at games, you can find her playing in Penn Chamber’s brass quintet, occasionally music directing and set-building for theatre groups, or fussing over her friends’ sleep schedules in empty Towne lecture halls (not that she sleeps either). Also, playing video games, doodling on scrap paper, reading manga, listening to any and all music, etc etc etc.
The Council
Flute Section Leader | SAS ’26
Carson is from Palm Coast, Florida and is majoring in psychology She has played the flute for the past seven years and also participates in Penn wind ensemble. Her hobbies include reading, listening to music, and watching TV.
Clarinet Section Leader | Nursing ’25
Kristel is from the best state: New Jersey (she will not be taking any slander at this time). It was there in Jersey that she learnt the art of the clarinet. Now, in the Penn Band, she gets to play the clarinet all the time and heckle her heart out during the games. You could often find her crying in the stands after the team loses and yelling at refs! She even goes to extra games as part of the DP and watches sports games in her free time when she should be studying for her next nursing exam. And don’t be surprised if you catch her taking photos on her film camera or updating the stories of @pbclarinets (Follow @pbclarinets. And join the Penn Band!)
Sax Section Leader | SAS ’26
Amelia is from Central New Jersey (yes, Central Jersey does exist!), specifically Long Branch. She is majoring in Health and Societies and is on the pre-med track. Her musical career began in the third grade with the clarinet, but she wanted to try something new and picked up the alto sax her sophomore year of high school, which she continues to play today. In her free time, Amelia loves reading books (at least tries to), watching movies, and exploring Philly.
Low Brass Section Leader | SEAS ’27
Patricia hails from a small town called Williston, Florida, and has plans to major in Architecture and minor in Latin American Studies. Her relationship with the French horn was love at first sight (at least that’s what she tells herself), and has been playing for eight years. She would also go on to pick up the mellophone during high school and hasn’t let go ever since! When she’s not scrambling around Franklin Field or dancing in the stands with the brass section, Patricia enjoys baking sweet treats (loves trying out new recipes:), exploring different coffee shops, and sketching from the comfort of her bedroom.
Low Brass Co-Section Leader | SAS ’26
Raju is a sophomore from New City, New York, and he is majoring in Biology. He’s been playing the trumpet for a decade and has yet to see a piano marking in his music. On Saturdays you’ll catch him at Franklin Field or the Palestra with the Penn Band, and on Sundays you’ll see him whip by on a bike with MERT. Raju also enjoys going to the same three restaurants, taking night walks through University City, and procrastinating his essays by reading Percy Jackson. This year, he is looking forward to spending more time with the band and pestering his friends to join!
Drumline Co-Section Leader | SEAS ’25
Mia was born n’ raised in Naples, Florida, the 6th Best Place to Retire (according to U.S. News)! Mia is a sophomore studying Computer Science with a minor in Anthropology. Within the Penn Band, she plays the bass drum. Outside the Penn Band, you can find her hiding in the Penn Museum, making a 1am Wawa run, or speed-running (speed-piecing?) puzzles.
Drumline Co-Section Leader | CAS ’27
Rodrigo is from a small city called Salinas, California, right off the Monterey Bay. He is planning on majoring in Political Science on a pre-law track but is also minoring in Latin American and Latinx Studies. His musical career began in middle school playing marimba and then clarinet for his two first years of High School but decided to switch to percussion during his junior year and how he snares (off tempo) away in the Penn Band. Outside the Penn Band you can find him on the 4th floor of VP crying his work away, rushing to class on the little things he calls legs, and occasionally scrapbooking or attending the wrong class.
Guard Co-Captain | Nursing ’27
Connor used to be from the largest town in New England (Framingham, MA!), but then it became a city so now he’s just from a plain ol’ tiny city. He is a nursing major who dreams of working in an ER as a trauma nurse. If you get a cool injury during rehearsal, make sure to show him so he can be medically fascinated by it! He has been doing color guard for 4 years, amassing dozens of thwacks to the head but only one concussion–a pretty good track record, if he says so himself. If he’s not on a football field chucking things into the stratosphere, you can probably find him listening to sad music on a late-night walk (I’m ok, it’s just for the vibe), befriending stray cats, nerding out about bones (my favorite is the sacrum!), or gossiping with his roommate.
Guard Co-Captain | SEAS’27
Anya is a baton twirler majoring in Bioengineering with a concentration in Neuroengineering. She hails from “The Happiest Place on Earth” (aka Disney World, aka Orlando) and enjoys living her life as a roller coaster enthusiast at Disney, Universal, and Busch Gardens when she’s at home. Anya started baton twirling in third grade and loves to perform with the Penn Band at football games, basketball games, and community events. In her free time, Anya reads books (particularly of the dystopian kind), writes short stories (one day perhaps longer stories? Perhaps even novels??), and learns new languages (she knows four going on five in total, but don’t tell her to “prove it” or she’ll freeze up and forget all of them).
Recruitment & Retention Co-Chair
and Webmaster | Wharton ’27
Melissa is a freshman from Allentown, NJ (not PA!) in Central New Jersey (yes, Central NJ does exist!). She is a student in the Wharton Business School, planning on concentrating in Accounting & Finance. Outside of band and playing clarinet and piano, Melissa is involved in lots of organizations at Penn including: Benjamin Franklin Scholars/Joseph Wharton Scholars, Common Cents (Personal Finance non-profit), Yarnaholics (crochet & knitting club), Wharton Undergraduate Society of Statistics, Wharton Undergraduate Society of Accounting, and Penn Art & Wellness.
Recruitment & Retention Co-Chair|SAS ’27
Tyra is currently a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences, planning to study Neuroscience. She is from the suburbs of Charlotte, NC– and yes, this absolutely makes her different from everyone else :). Tyra’s journey with music began in the fifth grade when she decided to learn the clarinet, inspired by her deep admiration for Squidward. Ever since, she’s participated in the school band and is glad to continue this trend at Penn. Outside of clarinet, she is learning to play guitar and piano. Usually, you can catch her reading a good book, re-watching Grey’s Anatomy for the fifth time, or devouring the fries from 1920 Commons (why are they so good??).
Recruitment & Retention Co-Chair| Wharton ’27
Abby is from Middletown, Connecticut, a suburb town in a state everyone forgets exists. She is undecided at Wharton but confidently can say she will not be majoring in finance. When she’s not taking pictures and videos for Penn Band’s social media, you can find her in the flute section. She’s been playing the flute since her freshman year of high school after getting bored of her old instrument and teaching herself the flute during the pandemic. In her free time she loves watching TV shows, spending too much at Trader Joe’s, and procrastinating.
Equipment Manager | SAS ’25
Jeremy is a freshman from White Plains, NY who thinks that (compared to NYC) Philadelphia is a really cute little town! He’s played saxophone since fourth grade and is going to major in Urban Studies at Penn. He loves exploring and traveling new places (especially by train) and is forever trying to fill in the scratch-off world map in his bedroom. Outside of band, Jeremy’s a member of the Wharton Undergraduate Finance Club and Penn Outdoors Club, and you can often find him taking walks along the Schuylkill, reading, swimming, watching NFL games, and having a nice cup of English Breakfast Tea (which he thinks is superior to coffee in every way).
Social Chair | SEAS ’25
Cristina is from Needham, Massachusetts and studies bioengineering. She started playing the clarinet in 5th grade, then stopped junior year of high school, and then started again for the Penn Band! Around campus you can find them performing with the Wind Ensemble, lifting at Pottruck, grinding on Stardew Valley, or drowning in work. Cristina also organizes the Penn Band Intramural Softball team (now that you read this, you are legally obligated to join)!
The Directors
Director
Greer has been with the organization for 50 years, serving as Director since 1994. He did his undergraduate work at the University of Pennsylvania and leads the organization both in practice and philosophy. Greer graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1977, but in effect has never left. He was an active member of the band as an undergraduate (Treasurer and Drum Major), became the Assistant Director shortly after graduating, and was elevated to Director in 1994. In his 50 years of involvement with the Penn Band, he has overseen a program that boasts an average annual membership of 100, and those students perform at upwards of 100 events a year, which includes sporting events and official Penn events.
Assistant Director
Kushol (Penn ’97 & ’03) has been with the organization for 30 years. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degrees in Biochemistry & Music and his Ph.D. in Pharmacology. Kushol is an avid arranger and plays the tuba and the trombone. He is intimately involved in the group’s day-to-day operation and oversees the group’s high school outreach efforts, including band day events and the summer camp. In 2006, he was the lead author of Images of America: The University of Pennsylvania Band (Arcadia Publishing), which details the first 100 years of the organization’s history and more recently contributed to the Songs of Penn by Bruce Montgomery (2013). His other “cap” at Penn is as a member of the faculty at the School of Medicine, and he is also a member of the Board of Directors of the 501(3)c Rock to the Future. Kushol resides in South Jersey with his wife Meryl (Penn ’97 & ’01) and his two children, Chloe and Deven.
Assistant Director
Adam has been with the organization for over 30 years. Adam has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History & Sociology of Science from Penn in 1990 and, in 2000, completed a Master of Education, focusing on Higher Education Administration. He is extremely interested in issues in Higher Education and focusing on Leadership Development in undergraduate students. His “day job” is in the Office of the University Registrar as their Director of Crossfunctional Training and a Senior Application Data Analyst. Adam also serves as a Pre-Major Advisor for the College of Arts & Sciences. He has also served as an Academic Advisor and the Registrar in Penn’s School of Nursing and continues to be highly involved with Penn’s Division of University Life and its Student Affairs Leadership Team. Adam is an accomplished tubist and, with his wife (Penn Band grad as well) and daughters, an avid supporter of Penn’s women’s sports programs. Photo Credit Don Felice.
Program assistant
Robin Coyne earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing with a Minor in Music in 2012, and a Masters of Science in Nursing in the Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner program in 2015. She was very active in the Band during her time as a student, serving as a Conducting Assistant, then Drum Major for 2 years. Robin is a proud member of the Flute section, and since graduating has been a member of the Penn Band Alumni Sports Board. She lives in New Jersey with her husband Joe (Penn EE ’10 & GEE’10) and their two sons.