WYoming ACDA Leadership
Wyoming ACDA is a nonprofit organization run by a dedicated group of volunteers, who are passionate about furthering the choral arts in Wyoming. Our team is comprised of elected and appointed members who work hard to ensure our events and programs are of the highest quality possible. We believe that everyone should have access to quality choral music and education, and we work tirelessly to make that happen.
Mandi Steele
President
Mandi Steele is currently the choral director at Campbell County High School in Gillette Wyoming and President of the Wyoming chapter of the American Choral Director’s Association. She holds a Master of Music in Vocal Education from the University of South Dakota and a Bachelor of Music Education from Boise State University.
Mandi has taught music at every grade level, in addition to teaching privately in her vocal studio. Mandi founded the Vermillion Children's Choir and served as the Executive Director of the Sioux Falls Children's Choir. Mandi is currently the directing manager of the Gillette Children’s Choir.
Beyond her abilities as an educator and choral director, Mandi is also a professional vocalist. She sang with the GRAMMY-nominated South Dakota Chorale, and the classical ensemble Transept based out of Sioux Falls. She currently sings with the Gillette Chamber Singers, Skyline Singers and is a sought after vocal soloist for local and regional music ensembles.
Brian C.
Murray
President-elect
Brian C. Murray is the Director of Choral Activities and Assistant Professor of Music at the University of Wyoming. At UW, he leads a program of six choral ensembles, including the Collegiate Chorale, Singing Statesmen, and Happy Jacks. In 2024 the UW Singing Statesmen gave invited performances for the Wyoming Music Educators Association and the Northwestern American Choral Directors Association. Dr. Murray earned his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in choral conducting at the University of North Texas, studying with Drs. Allen Hightower, Jessica Nápoles, Richard Sparks, and Kristina MacMullen.
Prior to beginning his doctoral coursework, Dr. Murray taught high school choir for seven years in Carrollton, Texas. He received a Master of Music Education degree from the Florida State University and a Bachelor of Music degree in choral music education, summa cum laude, from the University of North Texas. He remains connected to his alma mater by returning each summer and serving as an associate director of the UNT All-State Choir Camp and a faculty member for the UNT Choral Conducting Symposium.
Dr. Murray has presented interest sessions for state, divisional, and international choral conferences and has published in ChorTeach and the Choral Journal. He is a frequent clinician, adjudicator, and guest conductor, and his professional affiliations include ACDA, NAfME, TMEA, WMEA, and Pi Kappa Lambda.
Laura Huckin
Secondary R&R Chair
Laura Huckin has been involved in music education and performance in Jackson Hole for over 20 years. She is currently Artistic Director of Cathedral Voices Chamber Choir and has taken her ensemble to Carnegie Hall, Salzburg, and Dublin in recent years. In addition to choral conducting, Laura currently teaches general music (K-8th grade) in Swan Valley, Idaho, serves as Praise & Worship Director at the Presbyterian Church of Jackson Hole, and is a frequent musical director with Off Square Theatre Company. She also serves on the Center Advisory Council for Jackson's Center for the Arts. Laura has a Bachelor's Degree from Brigham Young University in Media Arts. She enjoys gardening, traveling, and spending time with her family.