Sigma Alpha Iota

36 Fall 2026 | sai-national.org Franklin DeHoyos Fleming-Gifford Davenport earned a Master of Science in Educational Leadership and a Bachelor of Music Education in Instrumental Music from Florida State University. Dr. Jesus DeHoyos Dr. Jesus DeHoyos was initiated as a Friend of the Arts by the Kappa Upsilon Chapter at Kansas State University in May. Dr. DeHoyos is an active researcher, voice teacher, and Italian Diction professor at Kansas State University. As a baritone singer, he has performed in concert and operatic works and is an avid recitalist. His programs focus on underrepresented composers and social issues, including race and gender. Previously, Dr. DeHoyos taught applied voice and vocal pedagogy at Texas Christian University, where he was active in the College of Fine Arts Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Programming Committee. He was also elected as a Graduate Student Senator and to the Global Outlook DEI Committee. He has taught private voice lessons at Coppell Conservatory and Fort Worth ISD's Visual and Performing Arts High School, and presented at the Texas Music Educators National Conference and the National Association of Teachers of Singing National Conference. Dr. DeHoyos is currently finishing his Doctor of Musical Arts at Texas Christian University, and earned a Master of Music from the University of Texas–San Antonio and an undergraduate degree from the University of Miami. Jeannie Fleming-Gifford Jeannie Fleming-Gifford was initiated as a Friend of the Arts by the Cleveland Alumnae Chapter in May. Fleming-Gifford is experienced in education and non-profit leadership. She is Director of Advancement and Strategy at the Andrews Osborne Academy, where she leads all advancement functions including alumni relations and grant writing. She has consistently created music-based science curricula in various roles, including as Vice President of Programming at Lakeside Chautauqua; Executive Director at Fairmount Center for the Arts; and Director of Education and Lead Director at The Fine Arts Association in Willoughby, Ohio. She is affiliated with the Arts Commission for the City of Willoughby; Lifeline Inc., Lake County's Imagination Library Advisory Committee; and the ArtsFest Committee with the Willoughby Western Lake County Chamber of Commerce. Fleming-Gifford is author of The Gift I Never Wanted, a memoir and caregiver's handbook, and SymFunny, which introduces children to orchestral instruments. Fleming-Gifford earned a Master of Arts in Family and Consumer Sciences and a Bachelor of Arts in Music from the University of Akron. Nicole Franklin Nicole Franklin was initiated as a Friend of the Arts by the Beta Psi Chapter at East Carolina University in May. Franklin joined the East Carolina University Voice Faculty in 2016, where she teaches applied studio voice and graduate vocal pedagogy. She frequently hosts pedagogy workshops for music educators in Eastern North Carolina, collaborates vocally with the school's most prestigious ensembles, and leads mindfulness sessions for theater and music students. Franklin is an active member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS). Franklin's students have participated in young artist programs around the world, pursued advanced degrees at prestigious schools of music across the US, and have won prizes at State and Regional NATS (North Carolina and Texas). Franklin is an active adjudicator, serving for State and Regional NATS, the Music Teachers National Association, Texas State UIL Solo and Ensemble, and the Texas State University Aria and Concerto Competition. As a performer, Franklin has appeared in numerous operatic roles, including Titania in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Norina in Don Pasquale, and Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro. She sings the role of Laetitia on the first professional recording of Menotti's The Old Maid and the Thief with Lone Spring Arts in Dallas, Texas. She has performed with various groups across the country, including the New Jersey Concert Opera, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Helios Ensemble, NY Philomusica, and the Bach Choir and Orchestra at Duke Chapel. Franklin has done concert work that includes Mendelssohn's Elijah and Mozart's Great Mass in C minor, where the Dallas Morning News hailed her as "superb," with a "bright" and "tangy" sound. Franklin holds degrees in vocal performance from Baylor University and The Shepherd School of Music at Rice University. Dr. Kurt Gartner Dr. Kurt Gartner was initiated as a Friend of the Arts by the Kappa Upsilon Chapter at Kansas State University in May. Dr. Gartner teaches Applied Percussion and Percussion Methods at Kansas State University, where he also directs the Latin Jazz Ensemble, percussion ensembles, and keyboard percussion quartets. Prior to his appointment at Kansas State, Dr. Gartner was Associate Professor of Bands at Purdue University. At the University of Northern Colorado, he directed percussion and jazz ensembles, taught jazz history, and was the Assistant Director of the UNC/Greeley Jazz Festival. He has received the Graduate Dean's Citation for Outstanding Dissertation for his research of the late percussion legend, Tito Puente. As a Tilford Fellow, Dr. Gartner coordinated an interdisciplinary study of Cuban arts. Previously, he was a Big 12 Faculty Fellow, collaborating with the percussion studio and jazz program at the University of Missouri. He has performed in realms of orchestral, chamber, jazz, world, and commercial music, and is the technology editor for the journal Percussive Notes. Dr. Gartner earned a Doctor of Arts at the University of Northern Colorado. Dr. Victor Márquez-Barrios Dr. Victor Márquez-Barrios was initiated as a Friend of the Arts by the Epsilon Pi Chapter at Truman State University in May. DISTINGUISHEDMEMBERS Gartner

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