2024-2026 Chapter Leadership
Click on any name below to send an email to our leadership team.
Lee Kohlenberg
Dean
Lee Kohlenberg grew up in Texas, the son of a all-level band and orchestra director and dance band leader, a band Lee played Lowery spinet organ with from 1959-1966. He has played most Sundays for church services since 1959, for 40 years as full-time organist-choirmaster, and for the last 15 as interim or substitute organist in Charleston, Charlotte, and Tyler TX. During his over 50 years as an AGO member he has served on the Boards
and as Dean in Pittsburgh, Chicago, and Charleston. During his 34 years in Charleston he has also been in leadership with Piccolo Spoleto L’Organo, Festival of Churches, Choral Artists, and Spotlight Series. He lives with Elsie, his wife of 21 years, on James Island.
Daniel Damaschke
Sub Dean
Daniel Damaschke began exploring the organ under Prof. Tim Marek in 2017. Since moving to Charleston in 2022, he has continued to expand his repertoire and skills under Lee Kohlenberg. He has served as part-time organist-choirmaster for the past six years and is currently serving full-time at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church in Summerville. He became a member of the Oklahoma City Chapter of the AGO in 2017 and has been a member of the Charleston Chapter since 2022. He was also a member of the Blue Ridge Chapter for four years while living in Brevard, NC.
Allison Boccia-Williams
Secretary
Allison Boccia Williams is Organist and Director of Music at St. John’s Lutheran, Charleston. Prior to moving here in January, 2024, she was member of music faculty at Fisk University in Nashville, teaching piano and music education. She has been Music Associate at West End UMC in Nashville, and Director of Music at Bethany Lutheran in Crystal Lake, IL. She taught elementary music in Virginia, Maryland and Crystal Lake,IL. She holds BS degree from Concordia College, NY and Master in Music Ed from Catholic University, Washington, DC, and Performer’s Certificate from Northern Illinois University. She holds the Colleague certificate of AGO, and is former secretary of Chicago AGO and member Nashville Executive Committee.
Janet Kelly
Treasurer
Janet Kelly has been a part time church musician for forty years and is currently a substitute organist at Holy Spirit Lutheran. She recently retired from the University of Louisville where she was a professor of public administration, teaching nonprofit financial management to Master of Public Administration students and consulting with local nonprofits. In addition to the academic degree, she holds four professional certifications in finance and accounting. She and her husband, Mike Goodin, live close to the fifteenth green of Legend Oaks Golf Course in Summerville.
Justin Wham
Communications
Justin is a native of Charleston, SC. He graduated from St. Andrews High School and attended the College of Charleston and Charleston Southern University as well as private studies in piano, organ and conducting with Emily Remington, Thomas White and Doug Ludlam. Justin moved to New York City in 2006 to pursue his passions of church music (organist) and Broadway (rehearsal pianist/conductor) and returned to Charleston in 2008 to teach music and performing arts for Charleston County School District as well as Bishop England and First Baptist high schools. He has been an Artist in Residence at the College of Charleston and Footlight Players where he served as musical director for their mainstage productions. Justin served as Associate Director of Music at John Wesley United Methodist Church, Director of Liturgical Music/Organist at Sacred Heart Catholic Church and joined the staff of Holy Spirit Evangelical Lutheran in 2020 as Cantor/Director of Music and Organist.
Nancy Lefter
Social Chair/Events
Nancy is a native of Charleston, raised on James Island. She is a voice performance graduate of Furman University and received a masters degree in musicology at North Texas State University. She is a self-taught organist who began playing organ at age 15. After graduate school, Nancy spent 20 years as the organist/choir master at St. Peter's Episcopal Church before becoming a singer and sometime organist at the Cathedral of St. Luke and St. Paul. Nancy has been a featured singer in the local and regional areas and retired after 27 years as the choir director/ organist at the Citadel.
Laura Ball
Membership Care & Development
Laura Ball was first introduced to the organ under the tutelage of Warren Hutton and she has been quoting him to aspiring musicians ever since. She is the Director of Music at Holy Spirit Catholic Church on Johns Island and enjoys tickling the ivories and pulling out most of the stops on the Allen Renaissance Organ weekly. Ball holds an MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts (Goddard College), and a B.A. in both Music (Piano, Voice), and Spanish from the College of Charleston with augmented studies at the Benjamin T. Rome Conservatory of Music where she served as an organist in the Crypt Church of the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception (Washington, DC) and Director of Music for Campus Ministry teams. After returning to Charleston, she served in a variety of musical capacities at St. John the Beloved, Sunrise Presbyterian, Sacred Heart, St. Stephens Episcopal, Stella Maris, Christ Our King, Blessed Sacrament Church, St. Paul's Lutheran and other parishes before making Holy Spirit her home base for the past 20 years. Laura loves collaborating with her friends and colleagues whenever possible - whether as an organist, pianist, soprano, composer or fellow chorister. In her next decade of musicianship, however, she will be focusing on composition and organ technique.
Dr. Anthony Williams
Membership Care & Development
Anthony Williams began as Director of Music and Organist at First (Scots) Presbyterian Church in Charleston in 2024. Prior to coming to First (Scots), he was a member of the music faculty at Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee, where he taught organ and music history and served as University Organist. He also served as Organist and Choir Director at First Presbyterian Church in Hendersonville, Tennessee. From 1990 to 2005 he was a member of the music faculty at Dillard University in New Orleans, Louisiana., and at Fisk University in the late 1980, returning to Fisk from 2005 until 2023. He has a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, the Master of Music degree from the University of Michigan and the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the American Conservatory of Music and has performed recitals in the United States as well as in Central America and Europe including three recitals for L’Organo and the two recitals for the Colour of Music Festival in Charleston. He has also presented workshops on Organ Music of Black Composers for several chapters of the American Guild of Organists and for two of their national conventions. He is married to Allison Boccia Williams, who is also an organist and church musician.