Russ Grazier

Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder

Together with Katie Grazier and Wendell Purrington, Russ co-founded PMAC in response to a call from the city of Portsmouth’s 2002 Cultural Plan. Russ’ passion for music began at a young age when he learned “Dust In The Wind” on guitar. He then transitioned to saxophone and music composition and studied at The Tanglewood Institute, Boston Conservatory, Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University, and the University of Chicago. Russ has taught at many prestigious music schools including the New England Conservatory Preparatory School, the Merit School of Music, the University of Chicago, and Roosevelt University. He began his career as an administrator working for Dantalian Publishing and later served as the manager of the Contemporary Chamber Players of Chicago. When not playing music or teaching, Russ can often be found working on his putting game on a disc golf course with Katie, their two sons, Max and Jake, and their dog Maizie.

603-431-4278 ext 5 | Russ@pmaconline.org

Katie Grazier

Chief Operating Officer & Co-Founder

Katie co-founded PMAC alongside Russ Grazier and Wendell Purrington in 2002 after a varied background working in corporate and non-profit sectors. Her nonprofit experience started by working with the administrative team at SPARC – School of Performing Arts in the Richmond Community alongside her mentor, Jeri Cutler-Voltz. The highlight of Katie’s corporate background included working for Franklin Covey – a leader in time management solutions. At Franklin Covey, she received awards for management and customer service excellence. Katie currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer for PMAC and enjoys her ‘behind the scenes’ role in making sure that PMAC runs smoothly. As a student at PMAC, she studies drumset with Mike Walsh (15 years and counting!) and continues to play in a variety of ensembles. Her highlight of the year was being the surprise guest at PMAC’s Jazz Night! Katie serves as a mentor with GoodWork having recently worked with the Alliance for Greater Good. Outside of PMAC, you can see Katie attending live music shows, walking on the beach and spending time with her grown sons and their families, including the newest addition to the Grazier family – granddaughter Hope!

603-431-4278 ext 4 | katie@pmaconline.org

Michelle Shoemaker

Director of Education

Michelle has over 20 years experience in community arts education as both an administrator and teaching artist, having worked at several schools and colleges in the greater Boston region. She has taught and developed music curriculum for students of all levels from avocational adults to youth beginners, as well as undergraduate and graduate students. Michelle is an accomplished clarinetist, and holds a doctoral degree in clarinet performance from New England Conservatory. She loves being outdoors, whether she is hiking, running, paddling, or camping with her family in their tiny RV. Michelle joined the PMAC staff in 2019.

603-431-4278 ext 8 | michelle@pmaconline.org

Eli Kaynor

Cellist Eli Kaynor is a touring musician who has recently relocated to Portsmouth, NH. As an active teaching artist and performer, Eli’s professional career encompasses the full gamut of musical genres, including chamber, orchestral, solo, ethnic, folk, and rock. Before moving to Portsmouth, Eli served as the Orchestra Committee Chair and Philanthropy Committee representative for the Winston-Salem Symphony. With the move north, Eli subsequently stepped into a new role at Portsmouth Music and Arts Center, becoming Director of Development at a time of immense enthusiasm for PMAC and the entire Seacoast. Through his work, both at and away from the cello, Eli brings to PMAC more than a decade of experience building audiences and fostering community relationships.

603-431-4278 ext 6| eli.kaynor@pmaconline.org

Melissa Schultz

In her current role of Director of Marketing, Melissa leverages over 15 years of comprehensive arts administration and marketing expertise to fuse creative vision and strategic acumen.

An adept storyteller and strategist, Melissa propels organizational advancement by crafting narratives, building resilient marketing systems and infrastructure, and adeptly connecting the dots between intricate details and overarching goals. She is also a skilled project manager and writer/editor.

Previous roles include: Department Administrator for the Department of Theater and Dance at Phillips Exeter Academy; Director of Marketing Communications at Relation Insurance Services; Director of Communications and Development at UC Berkeley’s Department of Theater, Dance and Performance Studies; and Capital Campaign Associate and Arts Leadership Fellow at Chicago Shakespeare Theater. 

Melissa holds an MFA (Arts Administration) from DePaul University, a Professional Editing Certificate from UC Berkeley, and a BFA from Missouri State University. 

603-431-4278 ext 7 | melissa.schultz@pmaconline.org

Kim Alderson

Bookkeeper

Kim was born and raised in Hartford, Connecticut and moved to New Hampshire in 2000. Kim came to PMAC in the second career of her life, after spending 25 years as a professional dancer with many ballet companies throughout New England, including Portsmouth’s former Ballet New England. While dancing she earned a degree in Accounting and Economics. Kim is a 13 year member of the faculty for the New Hampshire Academy of Performing Arts, the current Finance Director for the New Hampshire Academy of Performing Arts, and Finance Manager for Scott Family Chiropractic in addition to her duties to PMAC. When she is not doing all things finance or teaching ballet, she can found hiking, biking, kayaking New England in addition to traveling and exploring her current passion of the American Southwest with her daughter Izzy and husband Scott.

603-431-4278 ext 1 | billing@pmaconline.org

Carrie Hanson

Carrie holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Education, and a Master of Education in Educational Studies, both from the University of New Hampshire. She taught in elementary music classrooms in NH & ME for 6 years. While primarily a percussionist, she discovered a passion for singing and playing the ukulele through her teaching.

lessons@pmaconline.org

Mea Santulli

Mea, growing up on the seacoast, has been with PMAC as an art student since she was little. She grew up and continued pursuing fine arts studies with Great Bay Community College along with interning her summers with PMAC art camps during her high school and college days. Mea moved into her first art studio space with Wrong Brain back in 2019, giving Mea freedom to grow as an artist. Mea’s goals are to continue working with arts integrated nonprofits on the seacoast, providing the community at large with expansive music, visual arts and creative writing programming along with continuing her visual art endeavors through pieces expressing equality, wildlife and self expression.

603-431-4278 ext 1 | mea@pmaconline.org

Ruth George

Ruth is a seacoast NH native who is passionate about using the arts to explore our humanity. A classically trained singer, she enjoys performing both as a soloist and with local choirs and bands, laying down tracks as a session vocalist in the recording studio, belting it out at karaoke night, and otherwise making music however she can. She wears many additional hats, including painter, dog lover, language enthusiast, herbalist, climate advocate, and traveler. Ruth believes that, through the arts, we most directly discover and develop our sense of self and our community, and she is thrilled to help foster that mission at PMAC.