2025 Area 5 Board Member Elections
Every two years, the membership of Area 5 has the opportunity and obligation to choose their leaders. Our members have the responsibility to learn about the candidates and cast their votes in order to ensure the continuing level of service and events that Area 5 offers.
Handbell Musicians of America introduced online voting for national board elections in 2014. To ensure each member only votes once, and to maintain the security of the voting process, only votes submitted through the online ballot will be accepted.
Click here for voting instructions. Online voting begins April 15 and runs through May 15, 2025. Results will be announced on or before June 1, 2025.
Each candidate is presented below by office, in alphabetical order by last name. Please read the biographies of each candidate and their answers to questions asked by the board. This should provide some insight into how each candidate sees the work of Area 5 and what they hope to bring to their respective offices, if elected.
We appreciate your careful consideration. Thoughtfully choosing good leaders is the future for Area 5, and your vote is important!
Between April 15 and May 15
the following button will be live
and you will be able to vote.
CLICK HERE for voting instructions.
Chair-elect candidates
Christopher Bowling
Christopher Bowling serves as organist and director of music and worship arts at Church of the Master United Methodist in Westerville, Ohio. Originally from the Ashland, Ky., area, Chris received his undergrad from Marshall University where he studied voice with Dr. Larry Sticker, organ with Albert Zabel, and choral conducting with Dr. David Castleberry. Chris found his musical calling in church music but also maintained an active voice studio, directed community theatre, and served on the boards of several local arts organizations. After many years of serving churches in the Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia tri-state area, Chris, and his partner, David, moved to Columbus in 2016, where Chris attended Trinity Lutheran Seminary at Capital University and received a master of theological studies in congregational ministry. Besides his responsibilities at Church of the Master, Chris is the community engagement coordinator for the Columbus Symphony Orchestra.
What special skills and/or experiences would you bring to the office of chair-elect?
I share the same passion and joy for handbells as many of you. Over my years in music ministry, I have found myself serving in churches of all sizes and worship styles. I believe that it is the diversity of church I have served that would be one of my most valuable experiences: the understanding that handbells can have a place in any church, or institution, no matter the size. We all love ringing in a full choir, but we also need to encourage those who have bells, no matter how many ringers you have. I have had the great joy of growing full choirs from small ensembles and would love to encourage others to not lose faith. When numbers are small, the bells will still ring!
What do you hope to see Area 5 accomplish in the near future?
I would love to see Area 5 offer opportunities for smaller organizations and ensembles. All these opportunities considering cost of event or clinician(s). Using these occasions as a way to encourage those who have bells in storage to get them out, polish them up, and start ringing again. All the while being cost-conscious and finding ways to fund workshops or festivals so that all groups can afford to participate. The overall accomplishment being the revival of handbells that have long been silent in their cases while educating new musicians in the art of handbell ringing.
Ann Wood
Ann Wood has served as director of music at First Presbyterian Church in Escanaba, Mich., where she conducts vocal and handbell choirs, since 1989. She graduated from the University of Michigan with a bachelor’s in speech/theatre and from Concordia University Wisconsin with a master of church music/choral conducting/handbell degree. Ann is accredited to teach Level 1 Music Theory Handbell Certification classes at the national level and has completed all three levels of handbell certification. She maintains a large private music studio in the Escanaba area, teaching music theory, piano, voice, and Suzuki and traditional strings. She has two handbell compositions in print. Ann lives in Escanaba with her husband, Brian, who shares her love of music, and has three grown children, one of whom is a professional classical singer.
What special skills and/or experiences would you bring to the office of chair-elect?
I have prior Area 5 board experience, having served two terms as Michigan state chair and two terms as secretary. I attended, worked at, and taught at many Area 5 festivals during my time on the board. I also served as site chair for the most recent festival on Mackinac Island. I have planned a number of state and regional education events and have extensive experience in planning concerts. I have attended numerous National Seminars over the past 20 years and enjoy continuing to learn about our instrument.
What do you hope to see Area 5 accomplish in the near future?
I hope to see Area 5 continue to provide education and inspiration to its members. I’m particularly interested in continuing education for both ringers and directors, and hope to see more events that will focus on improving skills for all handbell enthusiasts. I also hope to see the Area 5 leadership reach out to members everywhere in our area to discover needs that could be fulfilled by Area 5.
Secretary candidates
Joyce Armentrout
My name is Joyce Armentrout and I am from Charleston, W.Va. I was first introduced to handbells in the mid-1980s, and I have been ringing ever since. Over the years, I have played in a variety of church and community handbell groups as well as in an auditioned community choir. I even participated in a virtual handbell choir during the COVID-19 pandemic, which drew members from both Canada and the U.S. These experiences have served to transform handbell ringing from a fun little activity I did at church into a full-fledged passion, which in turn inspired me to actively strive to improve my musicianship and knowledge of the art, as well as to branch out and explore different forms of handbell ringing. This exploration eventually led to a particular interest in 4-in-hand ringing; I currently enjoy learning and performing 4-in-hand duets with a friend and ringing partner based in Indianapolis, Ind. All in all, handbells have been a big part of my life for most of my adult years and I am very excited about the possibility of being given an opportunity to serve in the organization that promotes and supports handbell ringing in our region.
In my professional life, I work as a developmental specialist with WV Birth to Three, our state’s early intervention program under IDEA, which provides services and supports to infants and toddlers with developmental delays or disabilities. I returned to graduate school in 2014 and completed my master’s degree in special education in 2019.
What special skills and/or experiences would you bring to the office of secretary?
I am organized, detail-oriented, and have strong written communication skills. I also bring leadership experience derived from serving on the local church’s Session (governing board), the Presbytery of WV’s Mission Committee (including one year as chair), and Presbytery Council. When I take a job as an officer or committee member for any organization, I take that responsibility very seriously and strive to give it my best effort.
What do you hope to see Area 5 accomplish in the near future?
I hope to see Area 5 identify and reach out to a greater number of ringers, both by making sure that our repertoire of special events has something to offer to all levels of ringers, from beginning to advanced, and by finding ways to serve and support those who are typically not able to attend the large, centralized events or even the smaller regional workshops. I would especially like to see Area 5 explore ways of providing support to ensembles with fewer ringers. Many churches have bells going unused because they do not have enough ringers for a full choir and perhaps are not aware of the large and rapidly growing body of resources available for smaller groups of ringers. I would like to see Area 5 develop an outreach program for teaching churches how to use smaller numbers of ringers creatively and effectively to enhance their worship and perhaps support for helping to get smaller community ensembles off the ground. I believe this, in turn, would increase awareness of the organization and promote belief in its relevance to all ringers in our area.
Jane Snow
Jane Hicks Snow’s handbell adventure began 47 years ago when she was introduced to handbells at Aldersgate UMC in Fort Wayne, Ind. The following year she attended a weeklong workshop for handbell directors and became director of middle and high school bell choirs while continuing to ring in an adult choir. She began the Three Rivers Handbell Festival in Fort Wayne under Don Allured’s tutelage. The community witnessed a tremendous increase in bell sets, from five to 33, in just three years, and the festival grew from 13 to 49 choirs in the same amount of time.
Contemporaneously, Jane began elementary handbell and chime choirs at Haverhill School. Her adventure continued when hired as director of music at Forest Park UMC, where she had a multi-choir program in addition to teaching handbell pedagogy and conducting the handbell ensemble at the former Indiana University–Purdue University Fort Wayne, now PFW.
Jane served as interim handbell director at First Wayne Street UMC while serving as handbell director at Trinity English Lutheran Church, both in Fort Wayne. After a move to Augusta, Ga., she rang with and substitute directed for the Ringers of the Church at Resurrection Lutheran Church. Upon her return to Indiana, Jane continued ringing at Trinity English and directed the adult bell choir at Waynedale UMC. Currently, Jane rings with Trinity English and substitute directs for colleagues.
What special skills and/or experiences would you bring to the office of secretary?
Jane currently serves as Area 5’s secretary, and has previously served as Indiana state chair. These were the years when Area 5 had two summer festivals with 700-1200 ringers at each site. She has taught at National Handbell Festivals and National Directors Seminars from coast to coast and from Minneapolis to Houston. Jane has conducted festivals in three states and was the bronze choir director at the Area 5 festival in Fort Wayne. Further, Jane has served as site chair at several Area 5 festivals, most recently as site chair for the 2023 Inspiring festival in Fort Wayne.
A Six Sigma Black Belt, Jane holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and has worked in business process improvement for a Fortune 500 company. She believes Six Sigma is not just a methodology, but a way of life, as she is tapped to facilitate meetings where important decisions must be made for the right reasons using data to support the decision, not just deciding because it feels like the right thing to do.
What do you hope to see Area 5 accomplish in the near future?
Area 5’s focus should be on both ends of the age spectrum. As we attempt to reach all age levels, it is important to think about and address the aging ringer: the ringer who has difficulty with sight, standing, weight of bells, the pain of 4-in-hand or surgical rehab. This is especially important to those ringers who have enjoyed ringing for many years and should not have to give it up for any physical reason. We need to tap those who have been through this and share their experience and knowledge, because we don’t want to lose seasoned ringers. Another near-term focus should be bells/chimes in schools, where we work in collaboration with elementary, middle school and high school music teachers to create ringing possibilities for their students.
Treasurer candidates
Lisa Huston
Lisa first met a handbell in college when she subbed in a church choir almost 40 years ago. She is a charter member of the Hallelujah Handbells of Perry UMC, and she also rings with the Collins’ Bells and Carol’s Bells at Painesville UMC, where she is a member. Most recently (August 2024), Lisa participated in Into the Forest, a three-day intensive bell tree workshop sponsored by the Handbell Musicians of America. When she is not at a bell rehearsal or reading a book, she works as a district administrator for the East Ohio Conference of The United Methodist Church. Lisa is married to Michael, and they have two adult children.
What special skills and/or experiences would you bring to the office of treasurer?
I have served as the treasurer or finance chair of various nonprofit organizations: a local food pantry and Salvation Army post (currently serving), a local church, the administrative office in the UMC organizational structure, and a school PTA. In my current position as district administrator for the Northern Waters District of The United Methodist Church, I have helped organize leadership training events and district gatherings for 100-200 people.
What do you hope to see Area 5 accomplish in the near future?
I would like to see Area 5 continue its educational outreach, and continue to host quality handbell festivals, as well as smaller regional events.
Sherri Stoffer
Sherri Stoffer has been involved in music all her life. She began playing violin, piano, and handbells in kindergarten and later adopted oboe as her instrument of choice. She received her bachelor’s degree from Kent State University and her master’s degree from the Ithaca College Conservatory of Music, both in oboe performance. She learned handbells under the tutelage of Marilyn Hines in Slippery Rock, Pa., and through her time there, was introduced to the wonderful events of HMA. She settled in the Akron, Ohio, area with her husband, Mark, and was brought back into handbell ringing by the late Dorothy Sarver, through a venture to start a community handbell ensemble in the Stow, Ohio, area. Shortly thereafter, Sherri started attending the annual Bay View Week of Handbells, under the direction of Donald Allured, and her vision was expanded to the wider scope of what handbells can do. She has been ringing and directing ever since. In 2000, Sherri was promoted to artistic director for Stow Heritage Ringers, Inc. She is a member of the Donald E. Allured Original Composition Committee and has served as a clinician and festival conductor at local, area, and international events. Sherri currently serves on the Area 5 board as treasurer.
What special skills and/or experiences would you bring to the office of treasurer?
I have been honored to serve as the treasurer for Area 5 this past term. As a ringer and director, I have both attended and organized festivals. I understand the needs of the choirs and the labor of love that goes on behind the scenes. In addition to HMA Area 5, I proudly co-chair the North Hills Handbell Association events. Professionally, I work in promotional marketing, where I navigate ever-changing specifications to meet the event deadlines of our clients. These skills, combined with my passion for ringing, blend well in service to the Area 5 Board and their work to organize HMA events that help your ensembles grow.
What do you hope to see Area 5 accomplish in the near future?
My time on this board has expanded my understanding of how incredibly diverse and unique our area is. We have a large and wonderful area and there is some incredible work being done! Large festivals are fantastic, and I do hope that our membership will continue to support large events like the Area 5 festivals. In addition to these large events, it would be wonderful to see smaller, more local events happening. I‘d love to encourage the use of our traveling clinician program and to see smaller events established that focus on specific skills or interests like conducting, bell trees, small ensemble ringing, community ensembles, focused techniques, etc. These smaller events could provide outstanding opportunities to connect with our fellow handbell musicians and support our art form with more hands-on education.