Board of Directors & Officers

Barry Furze joined the Homestake Band in 1961 and the Deadwood Municipal Band in 1972. He has been chairman of the board of directors since 1991. He has a bachelor's degree from Harvard University and a master's degree and Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. Before his retirement in 2001, he served as superintendent of schools in Gettysburg, SD, and Sturgis, SD.

Deb Rawlins joined the Deadwood Municipal Band in 1972. She was elected

to the board of directors in 2011 and now serves as the Vice Chairman. She currently is a Senior Manager at Hitachi Vantara in their Communications, Media and Entertainment Division.

Donna Fletcher joined the Deadwood Municipal Band in 1977. She was elected as secretary in 2011. Donna is a talented french horn player and plays in multiple groups in the Black Hills. She and her husband Jim reside in Rapid City, SD.

Jerry Pontius joined the Deadwood Municipal Band in 1953. He has been a member of the board of directors since 1984. He is retired from Homestake Mining Company.

Gary Swenson first played with the Deadwood Municipal Band in 1967.

He was elected to the board of directors in 1984 and has directed the Band at various times, most recently from 1999 - 2015. He has a master’s degree from the University of South Dakota. He retired after teaching in the Lead / Deadwood School System for 25 years.

Christopher Hahn joined the Northern Hills Community Band in 2001. He was elected to the board of directors in 2011 and became the new band director in 2016. He holds a Ph.D. and is a former music instructor at Black Hills State University in Spearfish.

Andy Iverson joined the Northern Hills Community Band in 1996. He was

elected to the board of directors in 2011. He has a bachelor's degree from Northern State University. He is currently employed with the city of Spearfish.

Jim Fletcher was born and raised in Deadwood and joined the Deadwood Municipal Band at the age of 13. He was elected to the Board in 2020. As a percussionist, he plays with many other musical groups in the Black Hills. He retired as a rural mail carrier in Hot Springs and currently enjoys living in Rapid City.

Kevin Rathert joined the Northern Hills Community Band in 1998 and was elected to the board of directors in 2018. He is owner and technician at EB Communications in Spearfish.

Tara moved to Spearfish, South Dakota in the Fall of 2006 to pursue a music teaching degree from Black Hills State University and has been close to the area ever since. She is currently the Kindergarten through Second Grade music teacher at Mountain View and West Elementary Schools in Spearfish, South Dakota, and has previously taught general music in Hot Springs, SD and Douglas (Box Elder), SD. In 2019, Tara completed her Masters of Music Education from Temple University.

Tara is married to her husband, Christopher. The couple have two daughters, Isla and Elsie. You'll find Tara playing in the percussion section of the Northern Hills Community Band.