EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Mariela brings a rich background in arts, humanities, and non-profit management, cultivated through a lifetime of experiences. From her upbringing in Puerto Rico to her college years in Washington, DC and Italy, and teaching English in Japan to sharing the transformative power of art in New York City, Mariela's journey has underscored the profound impact of the arts on self-awareness, understanding, and appreciation for others.

Fluent in Spanish and deeply committed to fostering youth voices, Mariela has consistently advocated for arts education and engaged in advocacy for diverse communities.

With Mariela now at the helm as Executive Director of YEAH!, she is working towards creating more accessibility to the transformative power of art to support young people, foster artistic expression, increase communication and strengthen community. Mariela envisions building a diverse team of staff, instructors, board members, community partners, program participants, and supporters. Together, YEAH! will integrate the Nashville community through progressive arts and music programming in a space where creativity, leadership and collaboration thrive.

PROGRAM MANAGER

Bunny Nunn (she/her) is the Program Manager at YEAH! (Youth Empowerment through Arts & Humanities), where she leads youth-focused programming that encourages creativity and self-expression through music and the arts. From 2010 to 2020, Bunny volunteered with YEAH! as a band manager and workshop teacher, and she also served on the organization’s board from 2018 to 2022. Passionate about fostering youth empowerment, she works to create inclusive, engaging opportunities for young people to explore their talents. In her personal time, Bunny is a multimedia artist, blending her love for creativity and the arts into all aspects of her life.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Melissa has a Masters in Social Work and works as a Child and Adolescent Mental Health Therapist. She has previous experience working with unaccompanied minors detained at the border, trafficking survivors, and with suicide prevention and grief.

Melissa has experience with community outreach, writing and maintaining grants, evaluating community needs through needs assessment reports to determine which way to best direct an organization to reflect the current needs of a community. These skills will be a resource to the Fundraising and Strategic Planning Committees.

In addition to Melissa being a YEAH! parent, Melissa obtained her MSW from Fordham University, and began practicing as a child and adolescent therapist for the underserved community in Nashville working at a federally qualified mental health center. Melissa has a history of advocacy on the macro, mezzo and micro level for children from marginalized communities, and has been a community activist for the past decade. Melissa currently serves as our board secretary.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Donna J. Baker is the University Archivist for Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Prior to this, she was Head of Special Collections and Archives and curator of the Appalachia-Kentucky Collection at Morehead State University in Morehead, Kentucky. She received her MA in History from Eastern Illinois University and her MSLS from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. When not working her day job, her research interests focus on music, the landscape of memory created through music, and cultural institutions.

Donna is a lifelong Queen fan and affirms that everything she ever needed to know in life she learned from Freddie Mercury. She is the number one fan of Koala Interpreter. She can talk (a lot) about the roots of Rock 'n' Roll, but she always wants to know to whom you listen to. Donna firmly believes that if campers ask her to come dance with them that she should do so with enthusiasm. She fully admits to teaching a few campers to sound their barbaric yawp. She wishes she could shred but is happy to find the chords at long last, with a little help from YEAH!

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Over the past decade, Erica Calhoun's diverse work in journalism, film, and non-profits has cultivated her into the skilled director, filmmaker, and photographer she is today.

Driven by a desire to empower youth in Nashville, Erica was immediately drawn to YEAH’s mission. With a background in music performance growing up, she is passionate about ensuring that kids in her community have the same opportunities she did. She firmly believes in the importance of providing young people with a safe space to create and express their true selves.

Erica has served on the board, contributing to events, board governance, and marketing efforts.

Julie Delgado and her husband Manuel have lived in Nashville for the last 20 years creating and building their businesses, Delgado Guitars and Music Makers Stage, in East Nashville where they live with their two daughters, Ava and Lila (and dog Oreo). Julie is a teacher in Nashville Public schools in the area of gifted and talented education. She is also a songwriter in the music community. She has recorded her own solo album called “Poor Girl”. She is a member of NSAI, ASCAP, SGA, MVAN & YEAH board member. Julie is currently hosting a bi-monthly acoustic singer-songwriter spotlight show at Music Makers Stage at Delgado Guitars. 

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Born in South Carolina, Ryan Griffin has been a student of music all his life, from studying piano with his grandmother in elementary school to working as an audio and mix engineer in Nashville.  

Currently Ryan works as the Director of Education at SAE Institute Nashville, a creative media college located in Downtown Nashville.  Ryan holds a BS in Mass Communications and a MBA from Middle Tennessee State University. Ryan wants to use the arts, more specifically music, to help serve the community and better those around him.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Colby is a seasoned leader in customer experience enablement, currently serving as the Global CX Partner Enablement Lead at Cisco. A lifelong musician, he spent eight years touring professionally with the blues band Shaggy Wanda and has been playing music since childhood, from church jazz bands to live performances.

Originally from Indiana, Colby has called Nashville home for the past five years. He is deeply committed to arts accessibility, recognizing the growing need for creative opportunities as school programs diminish. He has worked with organizations like WO Smith Music School and is eager to support YEAH’s mission by bringing his expertise in event planning, emceeing, and outreach to the board’s Event Committee. For Colby, being part of Music City means giving back to the next generation of young artists, ensuring they have access to the same transformative experiences that shaped his own journey.

BOARD CHAIR, BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Janus is the current Board Chair of YEAH!, and lives in Houston, Texas. In her day job, Janus works as a healthcare attorney at Greenberg Traurig LLP, providing regulatory and transactional advice to healthcare providers of all types.

Originally from Danville, Kentucky, Clay earned a BA in Computer Information Systems (CIS) from the University of Kentucky. With 15 years of experience in the technology sector, he has worked across education, healthcare, and the quick-service restaurant (QSR) industries. Currently, he serves as an Integrated Solutions Analyst at CKE. A long-time music lover, William is passionate about the transformative power of music and has been involved with various volunteer organizations. He was drawn to an organization that strengthens the core of what makes Music City unique and enjoys attending concerts while supporting emerging artists. Having missed the chance to pursue music in his youth, he is committed to ensuring others have that opportunity. As a board member, William aims to expand YEAH's impact and opportunities while developing leadership skills that will benefit his professional growth.

CO- FOUNDER, CURRENT FINANCE COMMITTEE MEMBER, FORMER MEMBER OF YEAH! BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Clinical Assistant Professor at Haslam College of Business, University of Tennessee. Kelley graduated from Middle Tennessee University with a degree in Recording Industry Management. She has 10 years of experience teaching music through private lessons and leading workshops in songwriting and recording. Anderson toured internationally for four years as a founding member of the group Those Darlins and later performed under the name The Grand Strand. As a managing partner of the label Oh Wow Dang, she released two albums in the United States and licensed albums to labels in Japan and Australia. Kelley is currently a Finance Instructor at the University of Knoxville.

In 2002, Kelley Anderson taught guitar at the Rock 'n' Roll Camp for Girls in Portland, Oregon, and was inspired to organize a similar camp for young women in the Southeast. As Chair of Women for Women and a student of the Recording Industry program at MTSU, Anderson saw a need for change in both the music industry and the local music community. She organized the camp as a way to empower young women through music while giving them the tools needed to create change.