Bios of the 2026 TCC Board of Directors
PRESIDENT: Emily Ore, Alto
Emily is a native of Phoenix, Arizona and she joined TCC for the 2022 Fall season (Aug 2022) to pursue her hobby of singing and to meet new people. Emily has served on the TCC Board of Directors as VP in 2023 and President in 2024. She also sings with a women’s A Capella group, Wicked Pitch of the West. Outside of work and singing, Emily’s hobbies include traveling, spending time at the beach, going to sporting events, and theater.
Emily works as a Senior Project Manager in the Financial Industry. Her professional background has developed and honed excellent relationship management skills and the ability to adapt quickly to shifting circumstances. As a highly collaborative, communicative and results-oriented project manager, she is at ease with organizing project milestones, implementing carefully strategized plans and propelling her team to successful outcomes.
VICE PRESIDENT: Sarah Saucedo, Soprano
Sarah joined Tempe Community Chorus in Fall 2023 and was elected to the TCC Board that same season. She currently manages the weekly TCC newsletter, The Voice, creating a regular avenue for the Chorus to communicate and share information with its members. During her first Board term, Sarah also led two initiatives to update the TCC bylaws and oversaw music donation to other community singers.
Sarah previously served on the board of directors for a civil rights organization and a local harm reduction collective fighting the overdose epidemic. In 2019, she joined AmeriCorps NCCC, performing national and community service in California and Hawaii. Currently, she is a policy analyst for the State of Arizona.
Sarah is proud to help uphold and further the TCC mission of making music accessible to all in a safe place. Outside of TCC, Sarah enjoys hiking, reading, and sharing a meal with loved ones.
TREASURER: Meg Lumen, Alto
Meg (they/them) is a full-time staff at the Tempe Center for the Arts who was lovingly pulled by Emily Ore into TCC when the chorus moved in as a new resident company in August 2024. Even though their parents met in choir and they sang with their high school choir in Carnegie Hall their senior year, Meg hadn't really sung other than an open mic night here and there since high school choir. Inclusivity in the arts is a particular passion because they believe art of all kinds informs and transforms people into their best selves.
With hopes of serving the community and being a connection point between different parts of the community, Meg is looking for ways to be more hands-on. Meg's job at the TCA puts them behind-the-scenes of everything you see the city produce as well as being the go-to support on-site for anything else going on around the building.
SECRETARY: Jay Moore, Tenor
Jay has been a member for nine years and has previously served two terms on the board. A Tennessean transplant, who arrived in the Phoenix Valley via the U.S. Air Force, he has called this area home for more than thirty years.
Jay's lifelong connection to music began in his youth, shaped by countless hours of instrumental instruction, competitions, parades, and performances. Although raised around country music and the soft rock sounds of the 1970s, he developed a deep appreciation for blues, jazz, big band, church hymns, and traditional African American spirituals. This enduring love of music led him to lead congregational singing at church—until a fellow member encouraged him to join TCC, where he is now proud to sing in the Tenor section.
BOARD MEMBERS AT LARGE
Kristi Christofferson, Alto
Kristi is a native Of Arizona and joined Tempe Community Chorus in the fall of 2018. She has served on the TCC Board of Directors in 2019/2020 and again in 2024/2025, holding the office of Board Secretary in both 2024 and 2025.
Professionally, Kristi is a Strategic Account Executive at a large Pharmacy Benefit Management company, where she manages client relationships and leads cross-functional projects that foster teamwork, communication, and shared success. With an extensive background in project management and team leadership, she brings strong organizational skills, clear communication, and collaborative problem-solving to both her work and her volunteer service.
Outside of chorus, Kristi sings with the women's A Cappella group Wicked Pitch of the West, where she serves as Business Manager. When she is not singing, Kristi's hobbies include traveling, spending time with loved ones, attending as many concerts as possible, and taking motorcycle trips around Arizona with her riders group
Gabrielle Suttis, Soprano
Gabe joined TCC in the spring of 2025 after moving from Canada to Phoenix earlier that year, finding a choir was at the top of her list for feeling at home in a new city, and she immediately connected with TCC's welcoming community and its mission to make music accessible to all.
Gabe grew up surrounded by music—her mother ran an Orff studio from their home, teaching music and movement to children and adults for over 25 years. Gabe has sung with university and symphony choirs, played in a handbell ensemble, and performed solos and small-group numbers over three years of private voice lessons.
Professionally, Gabe is a self-employed résumé writer who has been running her own business for over seven years. She's a creative thinker and "idea person" Who loves learning about stories and helping them express who they are through words. Her compassionate curiosity and love of connection shape everything she does—whether writing résumés or making music.
Outside of work and choir, Gabe enjoys swimming, hiking, biking, kayaking. reading, playing video games, and cozy, creative hobbies like puzzles and coloring, She loves picnics. patio drinks. and park walks. and she believes in living by her favorite mottos: "Feel the fear and do it anyway" and "Life is dynamic."
Ava Mottahed, Soprano
Music has always been a foundational and joyous part of Ava's life. Since early childhood, she has been a part of countless choirs all over the country, and was known within her religious community for sharing light and love through singing. She began her first season with TCC in 2024. Even with her unique misfit personality, she instantly felt at home with a newfound sense of community. Ava wishes to give back through service to the chorus and hopes to continue TCC's mission in bringing enlightenment and sense of belonging to folks from all walks of life who are looking for a place to sing and share in the joy music brings.
Ava held Vice Presidential & Presidential roles within her high school's theater department while also heavily active in the choir program. She was the youngest animator & coordinator for two youth summer empowerment programs in 2011, where she facilitated and organized community service projects throughout the Mesa/Tempe area. Ava is currently a Quality Assurance Analyst with a specialty in business and finance, a career she has built through hands-on experience over the last decade. Her skills are harnessed through analysis without judgment in order to find the most effective solutions and opportunities for growth. She is relied upon as a listening ear and representative for those who have valuable insights and wish for their voices to be heard.
Outside of TCC, Ava is a part of "A Choired Taste", a small group of friends who meet and sing together for fun. She also enjoys exploring culinary creations, escaping reality through table-top & open-world gaming with loved ones, and living an active lifestyle through weight-lifting and golfing.
Jerimee Aaron, Bass
I am a native of Arizona, raised in the Tempe community, and this marks my first season with TCC. My musical journey began in church, and I have participated in various choral and instrumental ensembles through the years, including many years of playing handbells. I cherish the opportunity to sing with a choral group like TCC, which embodies such a vibrant and diverse community.
Outside of TCC, I enjoy spending quality time with my family, whether we’re cooking and sharing meals, building with Legos, cheering on my kids in their sports, or catching a delightful Hallmark Christmas movie when I can. I look forward to the opportunity to help futher TCC's mission of making music accessible to everyone in a safe space.
"Music can change the world because it can change people."
-Bono
