Staff Members
Matrisha Armitage, Executive Director
Matrisha Armitage graduated from South Eugene High School in 1999 and received an AAOT and Business Management degree from Lane Community College in 2002.
Her passion for volunteering began at the First Place Family Center working with youth in the child care facilities where she could support and understand their struggles after experiencing poverty and homelessness as a child. That position led to working and volunteering at other youth empowerment organizations for at-risk teens including L.E.A.D. (Leadership, Education, Adventure, Direction) where she managed multi year large budget grants and supported the administrative and direct service programs that provided resources to young people in need, studied youth oppression and learned how to treat youth with respect and compassion.
Matrisha has managed, volunteered, and provided administrative and grant support for several nonprofit organizations including The Rainy Day Blues Society, The Dragon Family Foundation, Self-Reliant Center, Healing Harvest and Books to the People. She has been a professional musician with her husband since high school and has played guitar, drums and loved being a vocalist her entire life. Her band, Stereo Minds, supports all the program events with donated time and equipment when needed.
After founding a successful bookkeeping company right out of high school, Matrisha was able to focus on her passion of supporting women and youth in the arts and began a production company to run events for local causes and create safe and supportive environments in which to book bands of all ages. This company led to contracts to manage stages and events for the Olympic Trials, Eugene Marathon and many fundraising events including the Grrrlz Rock Music & Arts Festival, which became her number one passion.
In 2015 she founded MEPAA and combined several local programs that were providing access to music education and arts resources including Grrrlz Rock, Kidz Rock, MuseArt and the newly formed MEPAA Music Center which have all become important and successful programs within the MEPAA umbrella.
Her passion for volunteering began at the First Place Family Center working with youth in the child care facilities where she could support and understand their struggles after experiencing poverty and homelessness as a child. That position led to working and volunteering at other youth empowerment organizations for at-risk teens including L.E.A.D. (Leadership, Education, Adventure, Direction) where she managed multi year large budget grants and supported the administrative and direct service programs that provided resources to young people in need, studied youth oppression and learned how to treat youth with respect and compassion.
Matrisha has managed, volunteered, and provided administrative and grant support for several nonprofit organizations including The Rainy Day Blues Society, The Dragon Family Foundation, Self-Reliant Center, Healing Harvest and Books to the People. She has been a professional musician with her husband since high school and has played guitar, drums and loved being a vocalist her entire life. Her band, Stereo Minds, supports all the program events with donated time and equipment when needed.
After founding a successful bookkeeping company right out of high school, Matrisha was able to focus on her passion of supporting women and youth in the arts and began a production company to run events for local causes and create safe and supportive environments in which to book bands of all ages. This company led to contracts to manage stages and events for the Olympic Trials, Eugene Marathon and many fundraising events including the Grrrlz Rock Music & Arts Festival, which became her number one passion.
In 2015 she founded MEPAA and combined several local programs that were providing access to music education and arts resources including Grrrlz Rock, Kidz Rock, MuseArt and the newly formed MEPAA Music Center which have all become important and successful programs within the MEPAA umbrella.
Phoenix Burns, Administrative Assistant
Phoenix Burns has been involved with MEPAA since 2014, starting as a rocker and playing bass in MEPAA’s program band, Sirens Of the Next Generation (S.O.N.G). Having served as a youth representative on the MEPAA and the Network Charter School boards, Phoenix has a passion for working in nonprofits that provide safe communities for youth to grow, explore, and be inspired.
Their love of spreadsheets and organization has led Phoenix to become our part-time Administrative Assistant. They have been working tirelessly to update and expand MEPAA’s database capabilities as we grow forward through and past the pandemic. Coming from a musically inclined family, Phoenix knows how important art and creativity are for a community. They often spend their free time writing and playing D&D, and enjoy finding new ways to combine their creative passions with their technical skills.
Their love of spreadsheets and organization has led Phoenix to become our part-time Administrative Assistant. They have been working tirelessly to update and expand MEPAA’s database capabilities as we grow forward through and past the pandemic. Coming from a musically inclined family, Phoenix knows how important art and creativity are for a community. They often spend their free time writing and playing D&D, and enjoy finding new ways to combine their creative passions with their technical skills.
Dakota Harris, Staff Music Mentor
Dakota started taking guitar lessons with Sean Brennan at Sean's Music study five years ago. After a few lessons with Sean he was hooked! Sean has been such an inspiring teacher that Dakota has now been in four bands, three of which he's still involved with. They perform as often as possible.
Now 19 years old, Dakota reflects, "MEPAA has opened so many doors for not just me but for so many other youth in our community. I love how they always make each individual person feel like they belong. I am now excited that I get to play a small part in what this organization does. Each team member brings a different strength to the table and I'm finding myself learning something new from them every day. I am so proud to be a part of the amazing MEPAA family."
Dakota's favorite music styles are 50's and 60's, Rock & Jazz, but he loves all types of music. Dakota grew up near Branson, Missouri, where he went to music shows often and believes that's when he started taking an interest in music. Dakota's mother also performed and sang, so music has always been a big part of his life. Dakota's future goal is to become a music teacher. He wants to teach other kids that anything is possible if they put time, heart and dedication into it. His musical goal is to play and perform as many places as possible and as often as he can. As Dakota put it, "If I can make just one person smile with my music I have had a great day."
Now 19 years old, Dakota reflects, "MEPAA has opened so many doors for not just me but for so many other youth in our community. I love how they always make each individual person feel like they belong. I am now excited that I get to play a small part in what this organization does. Each team member brings a different strength to the table and I'm finding myself learning something new from them every day. I am so proud to be a part of the amazing MEPAA family."
Dakota's favorite music styles are 50's and 60's, Rock & Jazz, but he loves all types of music. Dakota grew up near Branson, Missouri, where he went to music shows often and believes that's when he started taking an interest in music. Dakota's mother also performed and sang, so music has always been a big part of his life. Dakota's future goal is to become a music teacher. He wants to teach other kids that anything is possible if they put time, heart and dedication into it. His musical goal is to play and perform as many places as possible and as often as he can. As Dakota put it, "If I can make just one person smile with my music I have had a great day."
Cooper Morris, Staff Music Mentor
Cooper is a singer-songwriter from Eugene, Oregon. Now 22 years old, he has been performing at wineries, breweries, and private events around Eugene and Veneta since early 2017. "I’ve been playing guitar since Thanksgiving day of 2016, but I have been singing my whole life. I’ve always enjoyed playing music and making people dance and smile since I was very young," says Cooper.
Cooper has been in some sort of choir since he was five but even before then, he was singing for family and anyone that would listen. His goals are always to keep bettering himself as a person and in his musical abilities. "I've spent my life learning everything I could get my hands on and I want to continue doing that and sharing it with others so they can have these amazing skills that heal the world."
Cooper has been in some sort of choir since he was five but even before then, he was singing for family and anyone that would listen. His goals are always to keep bettering himself as a person and in his musical abilities. "I've spent my life learning everything I could get my hands on and I want to continue doing that and sharing it with others so they can have these amazing skills that heal the world."
DeForest Wihtol-Rolnick, Staff Music Mentor
DeForest has been performing and volunteering on the MEPAA team for several years and developed our Gender Awareness programs and provides support and advocacy for so many youth in our community as a musician, writer, artist, and activist.
An English and Spanish double major at the University of Oregon, DeForest was also the Executive Committee Director for the UO Slam Poetry Team and stays active in many forms of art. They are bringing their creative skills to the team to support youth to express themselves, spread awareness of LGBTQ+ artists and help young people find their voices. We are honored to have them on the team!
When asked about some of their proudest accomplishments at the UO, DeForest explained, "I published four books of poetry during my undergrad, as well as submitting my work to many literary magazines, including the Siren and Unbound on campus. I even submitted my collection “Wild Horses” to the Northwest Undergraduate Conference on Literature and won an honorable mention. I’m also very proud of the time I spent working as a Humanities Undergraduate Research Fellow and I am graduating from both my majors summa cum laude and from Spanish with honors."
An English and Spanish double major at the University of Oregon, DeForest was also the Executive Committee Director for the UO Slam Poetry Team and stays active in many forms of art. They are bringing their creative skills to the team to support youth to express themselves, spread awareness of LGBTQ+ artists and help young people find their voices. We are honored to have them on the team!
When asked about some of their proudest accomplishments at the UO, DeForest explained, "I published four books of poetry during my undergrad, as well as submitting my work to many literary magazines, including the Siren and Unbound on campus. I even submitted my collection “Wild Horses” to the Northwest Undergraduate Conference on Literature and won an honorable mention. I’m also very proud of the time I spent working as a Humanities Undergraduate Research Fellow and I am graduating from both my majors summa cum laude and from Spanish with honors."
