Board of Directors
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Mary Woodmansee Green: Founder/Artistic Music Director/Conductor
Artistic Music Director and Conductor, Mary Woodmansee Green has been conducting professional, community and school orchestras and choruses for nearly 50 years. Whatever the ensemble or genre – symphonic, choral, opera, pops or ballet – she is dedicated to crafting an entire experience with her programming, performing the finest music accompanied by informative and entertaining commentary to engage and stretch both her performers and audience.
Artistic Music Director and Conductor, Mary Woodmansee Green has been conducting professional, community and school orchestras and choruses for nearly 50 years. Whatever the ensemble or genre – symphonic, choral, opera, pops or ballet – she is dedicated to crafting an entire experience with her programming, performing the finest music accompanied by informative and entertaining commentary to engage and stretch both her performers and audience.
Gayle Lang: Vice President/Manager/Library/Website
A voice performance major from The Ohio State University and passionate about the choral and theater arts from a very young age, Gayle Lang has performed professionally with symphony orchestras and opera companies across the US. In addition, she spent 20 years working in musical theater as an award-winning producer, assistant director, actor, and costumer. She continues to perform both on stage and with several choral ensembles in the Lowcountry, including the MGC and the HH Symphony Orchestra Chorus. Gayle is a frequent soloist for St. Luke's Church and also performed with the HH Choral Society for 12 years. She has been employed by the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra since 2006 and currently serves as Special Projects Editor and the Manager of the HHSO Chorus after retiring as the Director of Operations for the Hilton Head International Piano Competition in 2012. Gayle has also served her various communities on executive boards and committees as President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and Marketing Consultant. |
Henry Brown: Secretary/Director, Legal Henry Brown is a retired attorney who specialized in energy and corporate law. He was previously licensed to practice in the states of Colorado, West Virginia and the District of Columbia, before state and federal courts, including the United States Supreme Court. He served as an officer of two major corporations, including Vice President, Secretary and General Counsel. Henry has also served on numerous non-profit Boards throughout his career, a service he continues after retirement. His formal education includes degrees from Hope College, Holland Michigan (B.A., 1965), Georgetown Law Center, Washington, D.C. (J.D., 1968) and the University of Colorado, Denver, Colorado (M.B.A., 1983). After taking a 50-year break from singing in choral groups, Henry enjoys singing in the Mary Green Chorale. |
Jeff Birk, Director, Finance
Having received his B.S. degree in Accounting and Masters in Taxation from Indiana University, Jeff Birk worked in Chicago for the accounting firm of Arthur Andersen in the early 1970s. After moving back to Indiana, he founded his own accounting and consulting firm in 1979 and was Managing Partner of BGBC Partners, LLP until 2005. He transformed BGBC Partners, LLP into one of the best and larger firms in Indianapolis. Since moving to Hilton Head Island, he has been elected to the Board of Directors of the Indigo Run COA and serves on its Finance Committee, serves as a member of The Children’s Center Finance Committee, and continues to serve on two Board’s in the Indianapolis area, utilizing his accounting, finance and strategic planning skills. Jeff has also returned to his first love and his musical roots of early life in performing with the Mary Green Chorale. 
Jan Steffe: Director, Box Office
Since graduating from Kettering University (BEE) and Harvard Business School (MBA), Jan Steffe enjoyed a 35-year career with General Motors in various manufacturing, financial, product and business planning, marketing, and program management positions, encompassing Michigan, Mexico, China, and Germany. A highlight was the negotiation and start-up of the GM/Shanghai Automotive joint venture. His last position was that of Program Management Director, Global Compact Vehicles. Throughout his career, Jan has continued in his love for music, singing with numerous choral ensembles in Northville, MI; Wiesbaden, Germany; Mexico City, Mexico; London, England; and Bern, Switzerland. Most recently, Jan performs with the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra Chorus and the Mary Green Chorale. 
Patricia Smith: Director, Social Media
Pat has a B.A. degree in Interior Design from Columbia College, Chicago. After a lengthy career in custom office furniture, the pandemic forced her into a 2nd career as a kitchen designer. In Chicago, she sang with the Rockefeller Chapel Choir at the University of Chicago, Wheaton Symphony Chorus, as well as a soloist in churches in the Chicago suburbs. While singing with the Downers Grove Choral Society, she served as it’s treasurer and orchestra manager. She went on to co-found Acappellago with her husband, Dennis, in 2002, the only fully amateur a cappella choir in Chicago. Pat served as it’s President for 16 seasons. Since moving to Hilton Head Island, Pat can be found singing with the Mary Green Chorale, the Hilton Head Symphony Chorus, Sanctuary Choir of First Presbyterian Church and at Temple Oseh Shalom in Bluffton. She was a soloist for the Low Country Wind Symphony in 2021 and is scheduled to perform during their 2025-26 season. |
Anne Millhaem: Director, Marketing
Anne is a graduate of Miami University (Ohio) with a B.S. in Marketing. She was employed as a Public Relations Specialist at Mosler Inc. before becoming a full-time mom. While raising two boys with her husband, Bill, she volunteered in various capacities: PTA officer, yearbook advisor, hockey and baseball team manager, and band chaperone/administrator. As a member of Sycamore Presbyterian Church, Anne handled media relations for their Speakers Series and for a 6 million dollar building project. She sang in the Chancel Choir at Sycamore and in the Forest Chapel Women’s Ensemble for over 25 years. She currently sings in the First Presbyterian Church of Hilton Head Sanctuary Choir, and serves the choir as Secretary and Music Librarian, in addition to singing in the HHSO Chorus and The Mary Green Chorale. 
Marcus Walsh: Director, Broadcast Media
Marcus Walsh serves as Broadcast Media Director in charge of promoting the ensemble through radio and television. A 2012 graduate of Ashland University (OH), he is on the executive committee of the Bluffton Chamber Young Professionals Group, an Independent Contract Broadcaster, Announcer and Reporter, Correspondent for WHHI TV since 2013, and a Play-by-Play Announcer for Hilton Head Gator Youth Football since 2014. Marcus has sung with the MGC since the 2015-16 season. He has also sung part-time since 2013 with the St Luke’s Church Choir on HHI during the Christmas and Lent or Easter seasons. A former original member of the Port Royal Sound Vocals from 2012 through 2016, he also has hosted the Marcus Walsh Show Podcast since March of 2021. Marcus also sings with the Hilton Head Choral Society and the HH Symphony Orchestra Chorus. 
Linda Dreisbach: Director, Fundraising Linda Dreisbach is a graduate of the Allentown Business College and was employed by Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA for 32 years as an Administrative Assistant and Center Coordinator for the Sherman Fairchild Center. While at Lehigh she was the recipient of the 2014 Hillman Nonexempt Staff Award. She also served as the membership recruiter for the IEEE Electron Device Society for 20 years. For the past 26 years, she served as organist and choir director at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Bath, PA. Currently, she is serving as organist at the First Baptist Church in Hilton Head, SC, is on the board of the Mary Green Chorale and is an Ambassador for the Women's Association of Hilton Head Island (WAHHI). |
