Ryan Demkovich (Houston, TX) is currently the Director of Bands at Pearland High School in Pearland, Texas. Under his direction, the Pearland High School Band has been a Bands of America (BOA) Regional Champion, Super Regional finalist, and Grand National finalist. The Pearland High School Band is also a consistent finalist at the University Interscholastic League (UIL) State Marching Contest. Prior to his position at Pearland, Demkovich was the Director of Bands at Stephen F. Austin High School in Fort Bend ISD. In his time at SFA, the band was a consistent BOA Regional and Super Regional finalist. The band also consistently qualified for the UIL State Marching Band Contest. He was privileged to direct the SFA Symphony Orchestra in 2018 and conduct the SFA Percussion Ensemble in 2021, both at The Midwest Clinic.

Demkovich is originally from Jenison, Michigan. He has a bachelor’s degree in music education from Western Michigan University and a master’s degree in conducting from the University of Houston. Demkovich marched in the Glassmen Drum & Bugle Corps in 2003 and was a two-time World Champion with The Cavaliers between 2004 and 2006. His drum corps experience continued as a member of The Cavaliers Brass Staff from 2007 to 2009, and the following 13 years as a visual instructor at the Santa Clara Vanguard. Demkovich is a clinician for SASI Leadership and the Breakdown Camp and is also an active adjudicator for BOA, UIL, and other state organizations.

Demkovich currently resides in Houston, Texas, with his fiancée, Cyndi, and his dogs, Biscuit and Marshall. He spends his free time as a season ticket holder for the Houston Rockets and enjoying Houston’s amazing culinary scene.

Ron Hardin serves as the Regional Sales Manager of Stanbury Uniforms for the North Central and North West portion of the United States and Hawaii. Born and raised in the Midwest, Ron now resides on the Big Island of Hawaii and spends about half the year on the mainland working for Stanbury, teaching high school bands, drum corps and adjudicating. Ron’s uniform designs can be seen on bands throughout the country. As a drill designer, Ron is very active and closely connected with the pageantry activity. Ron has designed hundreds of shows for bands, drum lines, winter guards and drum corps. His visual designs have appeared in several BOA regional finals, won numerous state championships, circuit contests and have won three WGI Percussion Gold Medals. Ron is in demand as a clinician and adjudicator throughout the world, having done many clinics throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia.

Since 1999, Ron has served as a visual judge for Winter Guard International, annually adjudicating for many circuits, regionals and world championships. Ron has performed judging clinics for numerous state circuits, WGI and local indoor percussion circuits.. Ron has produced several instructional videos, and has appeared in WGI's "Meet the Judge" and “Top Secrets” series. He has also recorded several podcasts with Marching Roundtable. Ron has led instructional sessions in Japan, Thailand and in the Netherlands.

As an instructor, Ron has led visual teams earning six DCI World Championships and ten High Visual Awards, most recently including the 2012, 2013 & 2016 John Brazale Best Visual Award, and the 2013 & 2015 Steve Brubaker Best General Effect Award. Ron's experience in the drum corps activity is extensive, spanning over twenty years. As a performer, he spent the 1991 and 1992 seasons with the Star of Indiana. Upon the completion of his performing career, Ron joined the Blue Devils as a member of their visual staff. After eight seasons, he then spent five years as the Visual Caption Head of the Santa Clara Vanguard, and four years as Visual Caption Head of the Canton Bluecoats before his last stop as Visual Caption Head of the World Champion Carolina Crown, where he led the caption from 2012 to 2018.

In addition to instructing, Ron has designed visual programs for several drum corps, and mentored staff at many others. Ron has served as an instructor representative on the DCI Instructors' Task Force, Rules & Systems Task Force, the DCI Medical Project Advisory Board and WGI Percussion Advisory Board. Before his career with Stanbury, Ron Hardin served as the director of Bands at Papillion - La Vista South High School. Ron took this position in 2014, and quickly led the program to national level recognition over two years. Prior to that appointment, Ron was the director of Bands at Bellevue East High School for 14 years and led the Chieftains to many successful performances in all areas, including Concert Band, Wind Ensemble, Marching Band, Jazz Bands, Indoor and Concert Percussion, Chamber Ensembles and Indoor Color Guard. Under his watch, the band programs have performed in ten different states. Ron spent the first six years of his career as the Director of Bands at Clayton Valley High School in Concord, CA.

Ron also has extensive history as a professional music educator and performer. He was the founder and past conductor of the Diablo Wind Symphony, and the Principal Conductor of the Omaha Symphonic Winds. In addition, he was the recipient of the Jack R. Snyder Young Band Director Award. Ron spent two terms as the Nebraska State Bandmasters Association Marching Band Chair. He has also served as president of the Contra Costa County Band Director's Association and Vice-President and Contest Coordinator of the Western Band Association. His greatest pride and joy is his family: his wife, Molly, and their daughters, Emma and Celeste.

Gregory (Greg) Llacer (Placitas, NM) has been a pageantry arts adjudicator and clinician since 1989, judging field show, winter guard, and percussion competitions nationwide, most recently affiliated with Bands of America, Drum Corps International, Winter Guard International Winds, as well as regional/state organizations across the US. He has taught color guards and has written field show drill and choreography for large high school and university programs in southern California and the greater southwest. He also has served in leadership roles across the pageantry arts, as a member of the Board of Directors and Color Guard Chief Judge for WGASC, from which he is recipient of the Order of Excellence and Hall of Fame honors; Color Guard Chief Judge for the Texas Color Guard Circuit Judges Association, and recipient of the TCGC Randy Julia Service Award; and member of the Field Adjudication Steering Committee for the Southern California School Band and Orchestra Association. Llacer lives in the mountain highlands town of Placitas, New Mexico, and works at Harvard University as the Global Director of the Amgen Scholars Program, a consortium of 25 of the world’s most prestigious higher education institutions offering biotechnology training and research experience to exceptional undergraduate life scientists.

Marlieta Matthews, from Chicago, Illinois, is one of the premier color guard technicians in the United States. Her ability to teach students how to effectively execute color guard choreography through proper technique and strong expressiveness has gained her national acclaim in the marching band, winter guard, winter drumline, and drum corps arenas. As a performer, Ms. Matthews, marched with the 27th Lancers Drum Corps, Guardsman, and State Street Review Winter Guard. Her teaching career, spanning over 38 years, has included staff positions with State Street Review Winter Guard, Capitolaires, Bluecoats, Center Grove High School, Marian Catholic High School, The Pride of Missouri State Winter Guard, James Bowie High School, Hebron High School, Cavaliers Indoor Percussion, and other programs throughout the United States. Ms. Matthews has been on the color guard staff of the Santa Clara Vanguard for over 10 years. Santa Clara Vanguard was the 2018 DCI World Championships Champion.

Colin McNutt has instructed and arranged for the Star of Indiana Drum and Bugle Corps and the popular stage production Blast! He has also written for and instructed the Crossmen Drum and Bugle Corps, the Glassmen Drum and Bugle Corps, Magic of Orlando, and the Madison Scouts. Colin has served on the faculty of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, where he is an alumnus and received degrees in Classics and Music Education. He was the Percussion Caption Supervisor and then Caption Head for the nine-time DCI World Champion Cadets Drum & Bugle Corps.

Currently he is the Caption Head for the Boston Crusaders.

He hasn't only instructed, as McNutt started marching drum corps his junior year in high school in 1988 with the Boston Crusaders of Boston, Mass, then aging out with the Santa Clara Vanguard of Santa Clara, California, in 1992.

McNutt has made a career out of his passion for music and percussion, while in between completing his double major of music education and classics from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in 1998. When not instructing drum corps, McNutt conducts clinics for the percussion companies Avedis Zildjian Co., REMO, Inc., and Vic Firth. He also writes music for marching bands in the United States, Canada, Thailand & Japan.

Robert Selaiden is currently an active composer, arranger, and designer for band programs across the country through his company Selaiden Music. Most recently, Mr. Selaiden served as the Director of Bands at Leander High School in Austin, TX for 14 years. In that time the Leander Band became one of the preeminent programs in the country, receiving consistent finalist and medalist awards at the UIL Texas State Marching Contest, BOA Region Championships, and named a 2-time Bands of America Grand National Finalist and 3A National Champion. In 2021 the Leander Wind Ensemble was invited to perform at the prestigious Midwest International Clinic and Convention in Chicago.

Before coming to Leander High School, Mr. Selaiden attended The University of Texas where he received his Bachelor’s degree in Music Studies and Human Development, studied saxophone under Harvey Pittel, and served as the Drum Major of The University of Texas Longhorn Band. During each summer, Mr. Selaiden has been active as a facilitator for the SASi Drum Major and Leadership Camps for the last eleven years and remains active as a clinician for TMEA, TBA, and successful band programs across the country.