Our Players...
Rob Klevan
Music Director
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Rob Klevan served as the Jazz Education Director for the Monterey Jazz Festival, Director of Bands at UC Santa Cruz and Director of Music and Fine Arts at the Stevenson School.When he is not conducting the DMB, MPC Vocal Jazz Ensemble, or MJF Middle School Honor Band and High School All Star Vocal Jazz Ensemble, he is enjoying time with his family which includes his six grandchildren and two dogs Jeter and CC.
Kip Route
Business Manager
Flute
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Kip is a Navy (retired) spouse, has been involved in military spouse education for 30 years, and is a board member of the Navy’s Wounded Warrior Foundation. She loves traveling, chocolate, and is flabbergasted she can still play her flute after all these years!
Jenna Hillhouse
Librarian
Flute, piccolo
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Jenna is a Research and Instruction Librarian at the Dudley Knox Library and plays the flute, piccolo, and is learning—slowly—how to play the banjo, saxophone, and piano. She enjoys hiking and crocheting in her spare time.
Lori Lerman
Treasurer
Keyboard
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Lori is a retired nurse and health educator who also served as music director and stage manager for a children's theater company in Massachusetts. Lori has performed as a vocalist and piano accompanist as well as onstage in musical theater. She taught piano and voice for many years and also enjoys traveling, baking, watching classic TV, and spending time with her family.
Doug MacKinnon
Steering Committee Member
Percussion
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Dr. Doug MacKinnon is a Research Associate Professor here at NPS since 2007, teaching probability and statistics, wargaming, and simulation and advising graduate students. He is also a retired Naval Officer of 20 years, having served in 4 ships with over 8 years at sea. He also loves to play drums! He plays in multiple bands in town in just about every genre from Big Band to Rock & Roll!!!
Steve Lerman
Steering Committee Member
Clarinet
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Steve served as Dean of Graduate Education and Vice Chancellor at MIT, and then as Provost of the George Washington University before coming to the Naval Postgraduate School and serving as Provost from 2016 to 2020. He now works as a consultant for a higher education search firm, is a member of the board of the NPS Foundation, and enjoys travel, hiking, and playing bridge.
Ron Friedman
Flute
Ron Friedman is a semi-retired ophthalmologist. A resident of Monterey Peninsula for over 40 years, he’s been happily married, raised two children, and now has two grandchildren. He plays classical guitar, ukulele, and flute. As president of the Carmel Guitar Society, he arranges concerts, and performs at hospitals and nursing homes under a grant called Healing Guitar grant. When not working and playing music, he enjoys bike riding, walking his 3 dogs, skiing, and reading.
Gary Stotz
Flute
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During a career of over fifty years as a music teacher Gary has given private lesson in woodwinds, brasses and bass guitar. Twenty-five of those years were spent teaching instrumental music at every level of private and public schools. He also hosted many honor groups for the California Music Educators Association-Central Coast Section and camps and camp administrator for the Monterey Jazz Festival. Gary also repairs woodwinds and brasses for professional musicians.
Georgia Hughes
Bassoon
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Georgia is editorial director at independent book publisher New World Library, where she has worked since 1999. She has played bassoon with many orchestras, bands, and chamber music groups in Northern California for the past thirty years. In addition to editing books and playing music, she enjoys hiking, biking, and traveling.
Rick Neely
Saxophone
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Rick is a retired finance executive who spent 37 years working in various Silicon Valley high-tech companies, primarily in the semiconductor industry. Like many band members, Rick put his sax aside for many years, but picked it back up 7 years ago and thoroughly enjoys making music again. He encourages all former players to give it a try!
Bill Whipple
Saxophone
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Bill is an enthusiastic amateur musician who has played in bands more or less continuously since jr. high school. Bill is a retired Air Traffic Controller of 25 years and spends most of his free time providing granddad day care for his two granddaughters.
D.L. Johnson
French Horn
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D.L. Johnson was a high school band director for 42 years His high school bands performed all over the world including five concert tours to China, two performances in Washington, D.C. for President Clinton Inauguration and the Dedication Ceremony of the World War II Memorial, concert tours in Italy, Canada, and Hawaii. D.L. has also served music education as CMEA President (1996-2002).
Mary Ellen Eglington
Trombone
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Mary Ellen started playing trombone in high school and went on to complete a Bachelor in Music, Music Therapy which required proficiency in trombone, piano, voice and guitar. Since then she has also picked up the euphonium and ukulele. Her zig zag career began as a Board Certified Music Therapist, then in Product Safety, Quality at AMES ARC supporting Life Sciences and the International Space Station ending as a QE in Medical Devices. Along the way she obtained an M.S. in Organizational Behavior and played at Reno, Las Vegas and San Jose Jazz festivals as well as in numerous community groups.
Otto Neely
Euphonium
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Otto grew up singing with family around the piano. Music was always a big part of his life, singing in church and school choirs, and playing trumpet and trombone in the 5th grade thru High School marching band. ROTC band in College. Otto directed and sang in Chapel Choirs during 20 years in the Army as a Green Beret and intelligence officer, and learned some banjo, guitar and ukulele. After retirement, he picked up the trombone again and played and sang in Monterey Community Band and the MPC Jazz Band. He has played trombone and euphonium in the MPC Concert band and tthe Del Monte Brass. Despite failing eyesight (he is often seen with enlarged music and one eye closed while playing) he still loves this group because of the camaraderie, and harmony that the leaders and director inspire.
James Russell
String Bass
James is currently an associate professor in the Department of National Security Affairs at the Naval Postgraduate School, teaching courses in US foreign policy, strategic theory and military innovation. He has been playing both the electric and string bass since he was 15 – all genres of music, ranging from jazz, funk, fusion, punk, reggae, blues, bluegrass and rock and roll. In his spare time, he goes wine tasting, plays golf and hikes the many trails of the lovely California central coast.
