MEET THE STAFF
ALAIN BARKER – Director
Office: (812) 856-5719 | Email | LinkedIn
MM & DM: IU Jacobs School of Music | BM: Cape Town (South Africa)
Alain Barker has an entrepreneurial career that includes arts organization development, arts policy research, communications and marketing, teaching, and performance. He joined the Office of Entrepreneurship and Career Development as its founding director in July 2014. From 2004-2014, Alain directed Jacobs School of Music marketing and publicity operations. He was executive director of the Bloomington Early Music Festival and has also worked as a consultant to several nonprofits. Alain was principal flute in the Marion Philharmonic and co-principal flute in Oviedo, Spain. He has served on a number of local board and commissions, including the City of Bloomington Arts Commission, the Bloomington Rotary Club (president), the Buskirk-Chumley Theater, WFIU (Public Radio), the IU Innovation Advisory Committee, IU Career Services Council (president), and the IU Arts & Humanities Council.
LISA MILLER – Career Advisor
Office: (812) 856-3256 | Email | LinkedIn
DM: IU Jacobs School of Music | MA (Secondary Education and Teacher): Oakland City University | MM: Indiana State
Lisa is an alumna of the Jacobs school of Music (DM, Voice). She has spent twenty-five years in higher education teaching music in community colleges, teaching voice and music theory. She also has a strong background in academic advising and curriculum development. Lisa’s professional focus has always been about meeting students where they are and to help them get to where they want to be. In her free time, Lisa enjoys cooking and spending time with her husband, children, and grandchildren.
RUTHIE WILLIAMSON – Career Advisor
Office: (812) 855-6032 | Email | LinkedIn
MM: IU Jacobs School of Music | BA in Music: Northwestern College
An alumna of the JSoM and a former teacher and academic advisor, Ruthie Williamson’s professional career has always been about student support and empowerment. After completing her bachelor’s degree in music, she taught English to junior high and high schoolers in southern Japan. When she returned to the US, Ruthie taught and designed several music theory and music appreciation courses as an adjunct instructor while completing a master’s degree and working towards a PhD in Music Theory at JSoM. She then worked in several offices at IU Bloomington before returning to Jacobs as an academic advisor. Now a career advisor in the OECD, Ruthie meets one-on-one with music students to explore career and job opportunities, to assist them with their portfolio, and to empower them as emerging performing arts professionals. She also presents workshops and occasionally teaches the Music Career Development course. In her free time, Ruthie enjoys playing video games, crafting, and spending time with her husband and her two longhaired dachshunds, Bailey and Guinness.
MEET THE 2025-26 STUDENT LEADERSHIP TEAM
Each year, the OECD invites talented student leaders to join the team to help with programming and student engagement.
SOLOMON ABANG – Media
Email | LinkedIn | Website
Born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria, Solomon Temitope Abang has been a professional musician for over a decade. In 2020, he received the international David Baker Scholarship Award from the Jazz Education Network in New Orleans. He has collaborated on projects with composers and chamber musicians, including two albums released by MSR Classics and Albany Records. A passionate visual storyteller, he also works in photography and videography. Solomon is currently pursuing a Doctor of Music in trumpet performance with a minor in education at Indiana University and serves as a 2025 Venture Capital Fellow with the IU Ventures Program.
JULIANNA BANFE – Manager
Email | LinkedIn
Julianna Banfe is a soprano and B.M. student in Voice Performance, with a minor in Business. She co-founded and serves as co-music director of The Bloomingtones, an all-treble a cappella group that has performed at international competitions and IU’s Little 500. Julianna has also performed with NOTUS, the Oratorio Chorus, and Conductors’ Choruses. This summer, she makes her operatic role debut as Celia in Handel’s Silla with Chicago Summer Opera.
CONNOR BITTERMAN – Engagement
Email | LinkedIn
Connor Bitterman is a Minneapolis-based trumpet player and arts administrator committed to building connections between artists, organizations, and communities. He holds a B.M. in Trumpet Performance from St. Olaf College and is currently pursuing his M.M. in Trumpet. Connor has performed with the La Crosse Symphony Orchestra, Bloomington Symphony Orchestra (Minnesota), Dallas Brass, St. Olaf Band, and St. Olaf Orchestra. His arts administration experience includes roles with the St. Olaf Libraries, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Tanglewood Music Center, and Lakes Area Music Festival.
SEHYUN PAIK – Special Projects
Email | LinkedIn | Website
Born in Seoul, South Korea, Sehyun Paik is a jazz DM student, composer, and vocalist whose work spans Asia, Europe, and North America. He blends traditional jazz with avant-garde and contemporary styles, earning recognition such as “Rising Talent” at Austria’s MM Jazz Nachwuchsförderung and a nomination at Ukraine’s Master-Jam Fest. Sehyun holds a Graduate Performer Diploma from IU, a Master of Arts from the Music and Art University of the City of Vienna, and a BA from the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz. He has taught in the IU Jazz department as an Assistant Instructor, directing All Campus Jazz Combo/Ensemble and assisting courses including jazz theory, improvisation, and history.
MARLENA WAGSCHAL – Communications
Email | LinkedIn
Marlena Wagschal is a soprano and first year Master’s student studying Vocal Performance. She enjoys performing a variety of styles, including opera, contemporary vocal repertoire, jazz, and musical theater. At IU, Marlena has sung with NOTUS, Conductors’ Chorus, IU Opera Chorus, and the IU Singing Hoosiers, in which she served as the Director of Social Media and Web for two years. Aside from her musical interests, she also has a passion for design, photography, visual arts, and connecting with local animals! Marlena is a Bloomington native and 2025 graduate of the Jacobs School, from which she received her Bachelor’s in Vocal Performance with an Outside Field in Spanish. She is excited to continue her academic journey at IU and contribute to the mission of the OECD!
Find out about OECD past staff and interns!
Merrill Hall, MU011, IU Jacobs School of Music
1201 East Third Street, Bloomington, IN 47405
Email: jsomoecd@iu.edu