EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
(Board of Directors)
Charles D. Frost
President
Organist at First Presbyterian Church, Hilton Head Island, SC, and recitalist
Melissa Haupt
President-Elect
Assistant Director of Worship, Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton, NJ
Hilary Seraph Donaldson
Immediate Past President
Director of Music, St. Andrew’s United Church, Toronto, ON
Megan Mash
Secretary
Director of Worship and Music at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church,
Chapel Hill, NC
Stephanie A. Budwey
Director of Research
Assistant Professor of Christian Worship and the Arts, Vanderbilt Divinity School
Matthew Boutda
Member-at-Large
Director of Music at Leaside United Church, Toronto, ON
Maria Monteiro
Member-at-Large
Lecturer in Church Music at Baylor University, Waco, TX;
Music Director at Primera Iglesia Bautista Mexicana, San Antonio, TX
Chris de Silva
Member-at-Large
Associate Director of Campus Ministry, Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, CA
STAFF
J. Michael McMahon
Executive Director
J. Michael McMahon has served as Executive Director of The Hymn Society since September 1, 2018. An ordained minister of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Mike is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, holds a Master of Divinity degree from the Washington Theological Union, a Master of Arts degree in liturgical studies from the University of Notre Dame, and a Doctor of Ministry degree from The Catholic University of America.
From 2001 until 2013 Mike served as President and CEO of the National Association of Pastoral Musicians (NPM). For nearly thirty years he worked in full-time church ministry, most recently from 2013 to 2018 as Minister of Music at National City Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Washington, D.C. Prior to 2001 Mike served churches in Virginia and Delaware as a full-time pastoral minister in the areas of music, worship, and Christian initiation.
In addition to his full-time work as a pastoral minister, music director, and association executive, Mike has taught in the Department of Theology at The Catholic University of America and has been featured as a speaker and clinician for numerous regional church gatherings and national music organizations. He is the author of a book on Christian initiation, has written numerous articles on worship and church music for a variety of journals, and has contributed to several books on music ministry. He served as an advisor to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Subcommittee on Music in developing its national liturgical music guidelines, "Sing to the Lord" (2007).
A native of Pittsburgh, Mike has long been a resident of the Washington area and currently lives in Montgomery Village, Maryland, with his husband Ray Valido.
Brian Hehn
Director of The Center for Congregational Song
Brian is an inspiring song-leader equally comfortable leading an acapella singing of “It Is Well” as he is drumming and dancing to “Sizohamba Naye.” Experienced using a variety of genres and instrumentations, he has lead worship for Baptists, Roman Catholics, United Methodists, Presbyterians, and many more across the U.S. and Canada. He received his Bachelor of Music Education from Wingate University, his Master of Sacred Music from Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University, and is certified in children’s church music (K-12) by Choristers Guild. He has articles published on sacred music and congregational song in multiple journals and has recently co-authored two books on drumming in the church published by Choristers Guild. While working for The Hymn Society as the Director of The Center for Congregational Song, he is also adjunct professor of church music at Wingate University in Wingate, North Carolina and lives in Baltimore, Maryland, with his wife, Eve, and son, Jakob.
Courtney Murtaugh
Operations Manager
Courtney Murtaugh is the principal and owner of CBM Meetings Plus and has been a meeting planner for twenty-five years, Courtney has managed meetings from 10 to 60,000 attendees. She specializes in the management of association and non-profit organization meetings, including budget design and financial management; site selection; contract negotiation; event marketing and brochure production; speaker coordination; registration management; conference logistics; pre-planning and on-site management of A/V; catering and registration staff; post event financial reporting; attendee surveys; customer service; exhibit hall management; coordination and supervision of 3rd party suppliers and service providers.
Carl Bear
Editor of "The Hymn"
Steven Blondo
Administrative Assistant
Steven holds Bachelor's degrees from Southern Adventist University in Music Performance, Accounting and International Studies. He has been sharing his talents as a Tenor in the Washington, DC metropolitan area; Chattanooga, TN and in Florence, Italy, where he spent two years as a student and volunteer. He is eager to be a conduit of the awesome impact of music through his singing and now through his role at The Hymn Society.
General Office
General Office
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