Board of Trustees

Laura Garcia-Culler, President

Ms. Garcia serves as executive vice president and chief operating officer at the Georgia Historical Society.

A graduate of the University of Virginia, she has almost 20 years of experience in the nonprofit sector. Prior to her work in Savannah, she was deputy director for operations with the National Immigration Forum on Capitol Hill; an English professor in Spain and a consultant for a firm handling Department of Defense contracts in Washington.

“I’m involved in the SCC because I believe in helping small nonprofits to be well-run and compliant in terms of financial, legal, operational, development and other business matters. Strength in these areas leads to increased financial support which makes it possible to create additional programs and opportunities for the children we aim to help.”

Ingrid Lelos, Vice-President

Ingrid Lelos, a native of Austin, Texas, has lived in Savannah for seven years. She has taught German at the University of Texas and English at Savannah State University. She previously taught English and History at Memorial Day School. She is now the proud mother of two small children.

In 2009 Ingrid earned her Ph.D in Comparative Literature from the University of Texas at Austin. She received her M.A. in English from Georgia Southern University and an M.A. in German Literature and Theory from King’s College, University of London. She earned her B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin.

Ingrid’s own love of choral singing and performance has drawn her to the Savannah Children’s Choir. She currently sings with I Cantori, a local, professional a capella ensemble and occasionally sings with the Hilton Head Symphony Chorus. While pursuing a graduate degree in London, she joined the Threshold Theatre Company to perform Handel’s opera, Acis and Galatea, and had the opportunity to sing at the London Royal Academy of Music.

Jason Gallegos, Treasurer

Jason Gallegos is a vice president of business banking with Wells Fargo Bank.  He is responsible for managing complex relationships for Savannah area businesses.  He has a degree in Finance and Accounting from Salisbury University in Maryland, where his is from.

In addition to his work with the Savannah Children’s Choir, Jason serves on the advisory council for Environment Georgia, is an active member of Rebuilding Together and works with various other local and national civic organizations.

Beth Robinson, Secretary

Beth Robinson is the Human Resources Director for the City of Savannah, Georgia. She is responsible for a full-service centralized human resources department, serving a workforce of 2,600 employees. She has a master’s degree in Public Administration from the College of Charleston, South Carolina and her two decade career has been entirely in the area of public service. Beth holds the designation of Certified Professional by the International Public Management Association for Human Resources.

In addition to her work with the SCC Board of Trustees, Beth is the parent of one the choir’s original members. She is also an active member of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, the facility which provides rehearsal space for the Choir.

Curt Bryant

Curt Bryant, a California native, moved to Savannah with his family in 2005.  He has worked with Delta Air Lines since 1991 managing various departments including Los Angeles Reservation Sales as well as the airport operation in Paris, France.  He is currently the Delta Station Manager at the Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport.

He is married with three artistic and musical children, a son studying at SCAD, a daughter at Savannah Arts Academy, and another daughter, a member of SCC, at Esther F. Garrison School for Visual and Performing Arts.

Curt Graduated from California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) with a Bachelor of Arts in French.  He studied choral music under the direction of the late Dr. Jane Hardester.  While living in France he studied vocal performance with Christophe Mauvais at the Conservatory of Music, Versailles.  He is an active member of the Savannah Philharmonic Chorus where he performed Njegus in The Merry Widow and has performed in numerous productions with the Savannah Children’s Theatre.  He has also begun working on a MFA in Performing Arts at SCAD.

Jamey Espina

Jamey is Hospice Savannah’s Community Liaison, and has worked for Hospice Savannah for over seven years. He has a Masters Degree in Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling, and is a licensed Professional Counselor. He previously served as the Director of Full Circle Center for Education and Bereavement Support at Hospice Savannah.

He is originally from Tampa, Florida where he was a therapist for Tampa Aids Network, taught psychology at the International Academy of Design and provided private practice counseling to individuals who suffered from traumas from the medical system. He is also on the board of Savannah Small Business Chamber and serves on the Georgia Hospice and Palliative Care Education Committee.

Jody Espina

Jody Espina is the founder and president of JodyJazz Saxophone & Clarinet Mouthpieces, and is a highly regarded jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, and educator.

Mr. Espina served as the Director of the Jazz Department at the Hoff Barthelson Music School in Scarsdale, New York, and was adjunct professor of Saxophone and Clarinet at Concordia College in Bronxville, New York. Prior to this, Espina was professor of saxophone, clarinet and flute, and the Director of the Big Band at the Aula de Musica i Moderna Jazz in Barcelona, Spain. Additionally, he is a conductor in the musical sign language system called Sound Painting.

Mr. Espina has been involved with the Grammys In The Schools program, bringing performing artists to inner city schools and has written and performed “What Is Jazz?”, an educational concert for children.

After majoring in classical clarinet at the University of South Florida, Espina transferred to Berklee College of Music, Boston, Massachusetts, where he won a Phil Woods Performance Scholarship. Espina graduated magne cum laude with a degree in Performance.

Shonah Jefferson

Shonah P. Jefferson is an attorney with Hunter Maclean. Before joining Hunter Maclean, Ms. Jefferson worked as a lawyer in Atlanta, Georgia, where she represented commercial banks and insurance companies as providers of municipal reinvestment products. Ms. Jefferson also worked at AT&T for several years, where she was responsible for managing various financial processes.

Ms. Jefferson represents for-profit and non-profit developers in the area of multi-family housing development. She helps them finance and develop affordable housing projects funded from a variety of sources, including low income housing tax credits, HOME funds, conventional loans and tax-exempt municipal bonds. Ms. Jefferson also represents hospitals and universities as borrowers of tax-exempt bond proceeds and as purchasers of municipal reinvestment products.

Ms. Jefferson has a B.B.A. in Finance and a B.A. in Plan II Honors Liberal Arts from The University of Texas at Austin, where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa. She also has a J.D. from Georgia State University College of Law.

Originally from Houston, Texas, Ms. Jefferson currently resides in Savannah. She is a member of the State Bar of Georgia, the Savannah Bar Association and the American Bar Association.

Mary Morrison

Mary Morrison is originally from Atlanta, Ga. During her years in Atlanta, Mary was involved in various volunteer organizations, including Atlanta Speech School, a school for children with hearing impairment, the Atlanta Botanical Garden and was chairman of the Atlanta Flower Show.

When she and her husband moved from Atlanta to Savannah, she got involved with the Savannah Music Festival, serving on the board for the festival, as well as serving on the board for the Telfair Museum of Art. Mary became involved with the Savannah Children’s Choir from its inception. She is a former winner of the SCC’s “One Small Voice” award for her contributions to the lives of children.

“The youth are our future, and if you can do something for a child and turn their lives around, it makes a large impact. You can volunteer or give monetary support, but it’s all so important for them to get this experience in music.”

Mary serves as a judge for flower arrangements for the Garden Club of America and spends much of her free time decorating and planting gardens. Mary is also an active member of First Presbyterian Church in Savannah.

Brian Murray

Brian has a diverse background with salient experience in business start-up, managing teams and projects, scheduling and warehousing gleaned from being Founding Partner of Biltmore Contracting (Commercial Construction), the third member and equity partner of King Tut Archives later purchased by Iron Mountain, and the fourth member and equity partner of Cleanoffer.com, Director of Business Development.

Additionally, Brian has 10 years experience in the Banking Industry including Risk Management, Strategic Development and efficiency improvement consultation. Brian has also held various positions with Fortune 500 companies specializing in analytical and outsourcing solutions for the institutional lending marketplace.

Sue Reilly

Sue Reilly is a native of Chicago Illinois. After graduating from Saint Mary’s College of Notre Dame, Indiana she met and married her husband, Tom.  They lived in Connecticut, Boston and London, England before deciding to divide their year between Boston and Savannah in 2004.

While living in London, Sue served on the board of the American Women’s Club of London, and upon returning to Boston, joined the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program’s Philanthropic Advisory Council, where both she and her husband have been involved for 26 years.

Sue worked for INA Insurance, retiring when their daughter Katherine was born.  She then became active with the Junior League, the Dana Hall parents organization, and the League of Women Voters (Sherborn, MA chapter) where she served as Vice-President.

In Savannah, Sue is active in TAG (the Telfair Art Guild), and supports the Telfair Museums, the Savannah Music Festival and Second Harvest.

Sue began volunteering for the SCC last year during their weekly practices. “I remember I tried out for a small choir at my grade school, Saint Lambert’s School, when I was 12 years old. I derived so much pleasure from singing those songs. I was also in the choral group in high school. Music makes me happy. I see so much joy in the faces of the children in the choir as they learn and sing together. Singing, music and the arts are so important for the future of these children.”