Greg Whitt Joins Board of Directors

Written by Greg Whitt Friday, 16 April 2010 00:00

Back in March at the annual Drum Circle Facilitators International Conference in Myrtle Beach, SC, some interesting things started happening in this field. Several years ago I joined our professional organization:  the Drum Circle Facilitators Guild.  The goal of the guild is to promote the development of and to provide services for professional drum circle facilitators - people who lead rhythm events for a living.

The guild was founded in 2001 by a small group of east coast practitioners including Jonathan Murray, Ken Crampton, and Jacqui MacMillan, who have all grown to be highly regarded facilitators in the DC/Baltimore/Northern Virginia area.  This year Jonathan retired as president of the board of directors to become an advisor.  This offers the opportunity for ushering in a new era of leadership and direction to build upon his great vision.

The Drum Circle Facilitators Guild is a professional membership organization based in Washington DC.  DCFG was established as a 501c(3) non-profit organization and now has members in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, India and Japan. Guild members abide by a code of ethics and are dedicated to serving communities through high-quality rhythm based events. As a professional association, DCFG supports its members through education, marketing, and accreditation.

This year Nellie Hill of Playful Spirit Adventures in Fulton, MD has been elected as president of the guild.  Nellie has a background in teaching and holds an MA in Music Education.  She also has extensive training in facilitation through Arthur Hull's Village Music Circles, Kalani's Drum Circle Music, Remo's HealthRHYTHMS, and Will Schmid's World Music Drumming Program.  Her strong personality and go-getter mindset are sure to lead this organization to new heights!

Since I am always on the lookout for role models and opportunities for professional development, I asked Nellie at the annual conference how I could help out.  This led to unanimous approval of my addition to the guild's board of directors and my subsequent nomination as treasurer for the organization.  I'm joining the likes of many other high-profile facilitators and relish the association with their professionalism, drive, enthusiasm and success.  It is my hope that their high standards become industry best practices.

I sat in on my first board meeting last night and our discussion including our ideas for an accreditation process as well as next year's annual conference location.... already things are shaking and moving and that's what I think drumming is all about!

-Gregory Whitt
Facilitator, Educator, Rhythmatist
Treasurer, Board of Directors, Drum Circle Facilitators Guild