Board Of Trustees
The Mid-Columbia Symphony is a 503(c)3 nonprofit managed by an all-volunteer, unpaid Board of Trustees. The Board sets the vision, mission, and strategy, and is responsible for funding and managing the nonprofit, including hiring and managing staff.
Mid-Columbia Symphony Board Meetings are held
the third Tuesday of the month from 7:00-9:00 PM.
Phil Townsend
President
Phil Townsend is a mechanical engineer, with a master’s degree in engineering management. Formerly a submarine naval officer, he moved to the Tri-Cities in 1993 and fell in love with the area. After working 30 years at Hanford for various companies, he’s now working for TerraPower on the Natrium Reactor project, currently being designed, with intent to construct in Kemerrer, WY. He’s a graduate of Leadership Tri-Cities class VII, and supports the community in many ways, including as a classroom volunteer for Junior Achievement, occasional constructor with Habitat for Humanity, and currently serving on the City of Richland Planning Commission
While not a musician himself, Phil’s enjoyment of classical music led to joining the symphony board a little over six years ago, but he didn’t imagine the he’d be presiding over the board during a time when the symphony couldn’t perform live music. Phil has served as President and now Vice President. Now that we’re performing again, he is looking forward to the day when the Tri-Cities has a performing arts center that the symphony and other arts groups can call home.
Todd Samuel
Vice President
Todd has been enjoying the MCS for over 40 years and joined the Board of Trustees in September of 2024. Todd is a Group Leader and Project Manager at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory where he has worked for 30 years. In addition, he is an Adjunct Professor at City University of Seattle teaching classes on Organizational Leadership and Organizational Communications for over 25 years. Having earned his Masters and Bachelors Degrees in Business Administration, Todd is active in the community having graduated from Leadership Tri-Cities. He is currently serving as a Planning Commissioner and Code Enforcement Board Member for the City of Richland and is Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Benton Franklin Workforce Development Council.
Zack Shaff
Treasurer
Zack joined the board in September of 2022. He holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Washington State University and is the General Manager at Nutrien, an agri-chemical manufacturing plant in Kennewick. He has worked in the field of process engineering for 15 years, and in operations management for over 10. Zack has also been active in the Tri-Cities performing arts community as a volunteer with groups such as Mid-Columbia Musical Theatre, Academy of Children’s Theater, and Tri-Cities Academy of Ballet. He is currently the Treasurer for Mid Columbia Arts Fundraisers and Mid-Columbia Symphony, and previously served as the Secretary of the Mid-Columbia Symphony.
Christine McKinnon
Secretary
Christine McKinnon joined the MCS Board in 2022. She holds a master’s degree in education and a bachelor’s degree in biology-botany, and German teaching. She previously taught full time for the Richland School District and is currently a high school substitute teacher. She is an active volunteer in the Mid-Columbia region. Her community service includes decades as a WSU Master Food Preserver, FIRST Robotics Tournament Director, FIRST robotics coach for FLL & FTC, a regional science fair judge, and Benton-Franklin County Fair-preserved food judge. She is also involved with the Mid-Columbia Youth Orchestras (MCYO) when it restarted in 2015. She serves as the Parent Chair of the MCYO. She is passionate about supporting and enriching lives through music in the Mid-Columbia Region.
Boyce Burdick
Board Member
Boyce Burdick has served on the Mid-Columbia Symphony Society Board of Trustees since 2013. He is a theoretical physicist/nuclear engineer who retired from AREVA in 2010. Since arriving in the Tri-Cities in 1978, he has enjoyed singing with the Columbia Chorale, Oratorio Chorus, Yakima Valley Opera Company, and is currently a member of the Mid-Columbia Mastersingers Symphonic Chorus and the Shalom United Church of Christ choir. Before coming to Richland, Boyce was a Senior Theoretical Physicist at United Technologies Research Center in East Hartford, Connecticut. He has previously served as the president of Mid-Columbia Symphony, as well as that of the Vernon Connecticut Youth Hockey Association, and the Mid-Columbia Center for Theological Studies. Boyce holds an MS and doctoral degree from Yale University and a BA in physics from Carleton College.
Don Baer
Board Member
Don Baer joined the MCS board in 2023 and has attended MCS concerts since his arrival in the Tri-Cities over 45 years ago. He is an emeritus Laboratory Fellow at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and holds a BS degree in physics from Carnegie Mellon University and a PhD from Cornell University. His interest in symphonic music started as a trumpet player in high school in Ohio. Because of his interest in the stories around music, including those related to specific pieces of music, composers, conductors, and musicians, he had been preparing the Backstage Notes included in MCS programs. His volunteer activities include the MCS, the Columbia Basin Badger Club and serving as a Meadow Rover at Mt Rainer.
Sheila Gephart
Board Member
Sheila Gephart holds a bachelor’s degree in piano performance from Whitworth College and a master’s degree in music from Washington State University. She taught K-8 general music at Christ the King and St. Joseph’s Catholic Schools for 15 years. She currently teaches Class Piano at Columbia Basin College.
Sheila maintains a private piano studio and currently serves as secretary for the Tri-Cities Music Teacher Association. Her greatest passion is accompanying. She has played for several shows with CBC Summer Showcase, Mid-Columbia Musical Theatre and Richland Players and accompanies choir and orchestra students at several area high schools.