GAB’s Board Of Directors
Chair: Paula Chase Hyman
Paula Chase Hyman is a longtime advocate for inclusion in the Arts. The author of eight children’s books, Chase Hyman is also the Co-founder of the award winning blog, The Brown Bookshelf, a site designed to highlight the myriad of Black kidlit voices. Her love for Ballet extends back to childhood, sparked by an elementary school production of The Nutcracker. That love and a quest to ensure the world of Ballet is an accepting and safe place for dancers of color drives her support for Greater Annapolis Ballet. Chase Hyman holds a B.S. in Communication from James Madison University. She resides in Maryland with her husband, Ted. Together, they’ve raised two daughters.
Vice Chair: Michele Hall
Michele Hall's first love was ballet, and she is honored to serve on the Board of Greater Annapolis Ballet. Born and raised in Annapolis, Michele began her ballet training at the age of four, becoming a student apprentice with Ballet Theater of Maryland as a teenager. Michele was one of GAB founder Margaret Russell's first students when Russell first arrived in Annapolis. Michele is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis with a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science and African & African-American Studies, and received her law degree from Harvard Law School. She is an attorney at Brown, Goldstein & Levy, with a practice in criminal defense and civil rights law. Michele lives in Prince George's County with her husband and dog, Molly.
Member: Marci Dawson
Marci Dawson began her serious ballet training with Michelle White at Harford Ballet Studio at ten years old, and attended one of the first summer study programs at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet with Marcia Dale Weary. She continued her studies in ballet, jazz, and modern dance with Dr. Helene Breazeale at Towson University.
She spent several years with Harford Dance Theatre, performing both classical and contemporary works there. Later, Marci was a member of various performance groups in Delaware and Maryland, and eventually worked with Ballet Theatre of Maryland, where she performed with the company, coordinated and rehearsed child performers for company productions, and taught ballet in the school.
At Prince George’s Community College, Marci was instrumental in the establishment of a Dance Performance and Choreography Associate of Arts program at the college, where she collaborated in the development of the program’s ballet curriculum and worked with University of Maryland and Towson University to articulate transitions from the PGCC two-year program to those four-year degree programs. Additionally, she served as Artistic Advisor to PGCC’s inaugural student dance company and created the “Ballet for Every Body” wellness course.
A lifelong student of ballet, she continues to hone technique and artistry through the vibrant adult ballet program at Maryland Youth Ballet. Her proudest accomplishment, however, is supporting her two daughters, both of whom have successfully achieved professional careers in ballet.
Member: Amelia Matthews
Amelia grew up in North Carolina where she found her love for dance in her Mother’s ballet studio. She had the pleasure of dancing with notable programs such as the Charlotte City Ballet and the North Carolina Dance Theater. Amelia graduated from Appalachian State University with a Bachelor of Science in Anthropology and a minor in dance. Besides dance, Amelia’s other passion is land conservation. She has spent most of her career with The Conservation Fund helping to conserve land across the nation. Amelia is a member of the Maryland Bar and a sustainer with the Junior League of Annapolis. She lives in Annapolis with her husband Steven and her 4-year-old daughter Hendley Rose.
Member: Cecelia Merritt Wyatt
Cecelia Merritt Wyatt holds a BA degree in piano performance from Wake Forest University and a Masters degree from St. John's College. She played with the duo-piano team Wyatt and Lebar for more than 20 years giving concerts in schools throughout the Baltimore-Annapolis area. She also worked with the Hungarian pianist, Denes Agay, for several years performing his works.
She has been president of both Anne Arundel Music Teachers Association and Music Educators of Greater Annapolis; she was a Founding Member of MEGA. She also was the first president of the Board of Directors at Compass Rose Theater in Annapolis, MD. She has been a music educator her entire life.
She owns a Piano Studio and Conservatory in Annapolis where students range from preschool to retirees. The Conservatory also sponsors concerts and masterclasses annually featuring world renown pianists.
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