Board of Directors

Jeff Bradford currently serves as the Executive Director of Fine Arts for the Richardson Independent School District.  Prior to this position, he served 9 years as Director of Bands at Lake Highlands High School and Fine Arts Coordinator for the Lake Highlands Cluster in Richardson ISD.  Before coming to RISD, Mr. Bradford was the Director of Bands at Sherman High School and Cooper Junior Senior High School. 

Bands under Mr. Bradford’s direction have performed at the Texas State Marching Contest, consistently earned superior ratings at UIL events, achieved numerous concert band festival Best in Class finishes, achieved national recognition through the Mark of Excellence Foundation, and been named the TMEA Honor Band.  Mr. Bradford has presented at the TMEA, TBA, Midwest, and CSI Conferences, adjudicates music ensembles across the US, and mentors groups across Texas consistently.  Mr. Bradford is honored to be a part of TMEA, TBA, Phi Beta Mu, TMAA, and currently serves as President for TFAA.  Jeff was named Phi Beta Mu Young Bandmaster of The Year in 2004 and Lake Highlands Exchange Club Teacher of the Year in 2012. 

As an arts advocate, Jeff serves on the AT&T Performing Arts Center Community Engagement Committee and works closely with the Charles W. Eisemann Center on community arts engagement for the City of Richardson and Richardson ISD.  In his free time Jeff enjoys being a father, fishing, being outdoors, scuba diving, and cheering on his beloved New England Patriots.  Jeff is married to the love of his life Kylee, who also works in Richardson ISD.  They have two kids, Cooper and Brooklyn, and reside in Richardson.     

TFAA equips leaders to advance high-quality fine arts education for all. TFAA is an organization dedicated to empowering leaders in the Fine Arts educational community. We provide conferences, workshops, training, and resources for Fine Arts administrators.

Manuel "Manny" Gamez serves as the Educational Support Manager for the Southwest Region with Conn Selmer's Division of Education. With more than 30 years of experience as a music educator and fine arts administrator, Manny is passionate about developing sustainable music programs, mentoring educational leaders, and creating opportunities that positively impact students and communities.

A Past President of the Texas Fine Arts Administrators and Founder of the Fine Arts Leadership Alliance (FALA), he is committed to advancing fine arts education through collaboration, innovation, and servant leadership.

Peter J. Warshaw retired in 2022 as the Fine Arts Director in Leander ISD, after a 44-year career in public school music education. Previously, Mr. Warshaw served as the Coordinator of Fine Arts in Bryan ISD, as well as Director of Bands at J.J. Pearce High School in Richardson, TX from 1993-2002. During his tenure at Pearce, the band performed twice by invitation in Carnegie Hall, was awarded the Sudler Flag of Honor in 2000, and was selected as the TMEA Class 4A Honor Band in 2001. While serving as Fine Arts Director in Leander ISD, he was named Music Administrator of the Year by the Texas Music Administrators Conference in 2014 and received the TBA Lifetime Administrator Award in 2016. Additionally, he was selected to the TBA Hall of Fame in 2024.

He is a life member of the International Percy Grainger Society and received the Grainger Medallion in 1998, in recognition of his distinctive contribution to the music of Percy Grainger. In retirement, he is active in the Texas Fine Arts Administrators, Inc. (TFAA) and serves as the group facilitator of the Austin Survivors of Suicide. He is a frequent presenter at TMEA, TBA, CEDFA, the Midwest Clinic, and the Sam Houston State University Center for Music Education, and has served as a guest lecturer at Sam Houston State University and The University of Texas at Austin. He is in great demand as an adjudicator, clinician, and speaker throughout the state and is a published writer, music transcriber, and poet.  

Kim Blann is the Director of Fine Arts for Keller ISD, where she oversees a comprehensive fine arts program supporting hundreds of educators and thousands of students across music, theatre, visual arts, dance, and speech/UIL academics. A respected statewide leader, Kim served as President of the Texas Fine Arts Administrators Association (TFAA) and is the founder and past president of the former Texas Theatre Administrators Conference (TTAC). She also serves as Director of the TFAA New and Aspiring Administrators Leadership Cohort, helping develop and mentor the next generation of fine arts leaders across Texas.

Kim began her career as a high school theatre educator after earning her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting and Directing. She also holds a master’s degree in Educational Leadership and Organizational Change and is certified in the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument (TKI) and Gallup CliftonStrengths, which inform her work in leadership development, team dynamics, and organizational culture.

Her contributions to arts education have been recognized statewide. She was named Administrator of the Year by both the Texas Educational Theatre Association (TETA) and Texas Thespians and is a recipient of the TETA Founders Award. Under her leadership, Keller ISD has been named a “Best Communities for Music Education” district for 12 consecutive years. Kim has also received the “Woman Who Shines” award and has been named a Change Maker by Big Thought.

Kim is a passionate advocate for arts education and believes the arts are essential to developing creative, confident, and connected young people. Outside of work, she enjoys life with her husband, Josh, their 14-year-old son, Beckett, and their two dogs, Fitz and Jeffrey.

LaKeisha McGowen has dedicated more than 25 years to dance and fine arts education and currently serves as Assistant Director of Fine Arts for Katy ISD. She began her career as a dance educator and dance team director before moving into campus and district leadership, including serving as an assistant principal and as Alvin ISD’s first Director of Fine Arts.

Throughout her career, LaKeisha has championed program growth and increased access to arts education. Her work has included developing district-wide dance programs, expanding elementary music opportunities, and creating innovative assessment opportunities for dance and drill teams.

At the state level, LaKeisha is a past President of the Texas Dance Educators Association (TDEA) and currently serves as TDEA Advocacy Committee Co-Chair and Administrator Strand Co-Chair. She helped launch statewide dance and drill assessment initiatives that have grown from 40 teams to more than 450 teams and 10,000 participants. In 2025, she became the first dance educator elected to serve on the Texas Fine Arts Administrators Association (TFAA). Her honors include the 2026 TDEA Lifetime Achievement Award and induction into the TDEA Hall of Fame in 2027.

LaKeisha holds a B.S. in Dance from Stephen F. Austin State University and a Master’s in Educational Administration from Prairie View A&M University. Her greatest joy is her family: her husband, Tracy, and their children, Bradford and Briley.