Staff

Rob Ward is the fifth president and second alumnus to serve the Oklahoma Arts Institute as President. A McAlester native, he attended OSAI as a chorus student three times and has worked an additional 15 summers as a counselor, counselor coordinator, technical director, and faculty member; conducting the chorus in 2019. Ward has taught middle school, high school, and university choirs in Texas and Kansas and has sung with numerous professional choral ensembles across the United States. Rob holds degrees in vocal music education and choral conducting from Oklahoma State University (B.M.Ed.), Southern Methodist University (M.M.Ed.), and the University of North Texas (D.M.A.). He comes from a family of educators and artists who taught him the value of arts education.  He lives in Grapevine, TX with his wife, Lindsey, their son, Karsten, and two amazing golden doodles, Barkley and Luna.

Emily was born and raised in Norman, Oklahoma and graduated from the University of Oklahoma. While she spent a few years in Boston after graduation, she still calls Norman her home. Emily’s artistic experience is well rounded, studying dance, film, photography, and acting at various times of her life. And she prides herself on a well-rounded employment history as well, having worked in retail, accounting, architecture, and healthcare. But she found her true calling when she began working at the Oklahoma Arts Institute in 2005. She delights in creating educational opportunities for Oklahoma’s artists and is gratified to see such tremendous talent each year.

A native of Ponca City, Shana Gibelyou holds a bachelor’s degree in dance management from Oklahoma City University, where she graduated magna cum laude and received the “Outstanding Graduating Senior in Dance Management” award. As a dancer, Shana is an experienced performer, teacher, choreographer, and adjudicator. She has performed at the Jazz Dance World Congress in Wiesbaden, Germany and has performed and taught ballroom, Latin, swing, and country dance at the largest ballroom studio in Oklahoma City. She is also experienced in aerial dance. Shana is the co-founder of a nonprofit organization that provides food, clothing, and medical care to nearly 200 orphans in Sierra Leone, West Africa, and she has visited the orphanage ten times since 2009. Shana enjoys spending time with her husband and their 9-year-old daughter, Elise Joy, who is already discovering her artistic talents in art, fashion, dance, and gymnastics. Shana attended the Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute at Quartz Mountain for three years as a modern dancer in high school. Shana celebrated 20 years at the Oklahoma Arts Institute in January, making this her 21st summer at OSAI as a staff member.

Alyssa has been engaged in the music world since childhood, from playing flute in her local youth symphony to jamming out in different Renaissance recorder consorts to gigging as a professional flutist. She especially enjoys performing new music and was the winner of the Flute New Music Consortium's inaugural Flute Artist Competition. While completing her master’s degree at Florida State University, Alyssa realized her passion for spreadsheets and delved into more "behind the scenes" areas of music and arts. Outside of her position with OAI, she enjoys spending time with her family, baking, and gardening. She lives in Oklahoma City with her husband, new baby, and their gang of cats.

Kara lives with a deep sense of curiosity and wonder. From traveling cross country with her grandparents in their airstream to attending bible school in the Austrian alps to life in NYC, Kara is inspired by a desire to better understand our diverse world and the beautiful people she meets. She grew up in Oklahoma City and graduated from UCO with a B.A. in English Literature. Her career spans from college publishing sales, event planning, HR, to serving nonprofits through gift in-kind acquisitions and leading a sales team of brand advocates in the clean beauty space. In each role she has found ways to serve philanthropically. In addition, Kara is a certified Ayurveda Wellness Coach whose passion is supporting women’s healing journey holistically. In her spare time, you may find her in the kitchen creating nourishing foods, behind a book or exploring local parks & restaurants with her son.

Stefanie is from Canute, Oklahoma and holds bachelor's degrees in both biology and theatre arts as well as an associate degree in film and video production. Earlier in her career she directed, wrote and produced environmental documentary films, including Bokoshe: In the Air We Breathe for the Sierra Club Cimarron Group and the independent feature documentary Where Did the Horny Toad Go? She has also managed several national commercials and the nationwide arts project, Her Flag. Her connection with the Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute began in 2010, and in 2012 she attended her first photography workshop at the Oklahoma Fall Arts Institute. In her free time, Stefanie enjoys life on a 20-acre farm forest with her husband, son, and daughter. She can often be found tending to plants, observing wildlife, or creating nature-inspired watercolors.

Originally from Minco, Oklahoma, Caleb first experienced the magic of OSAI as a member of the flute section in the orchestra in 2009 and ’10. He studied music at Oklahoma City University, has worked in masterclasses with Jeanne Baxtresser, Marina Piccinini, and many more, and received many awards, including the International Crescendo Music Awards Gold Medal in 2013. Caleb now performs with various ensembles in the metro area, including the OKC Philharmonic and Painted Sky Opera. He previously served four years as the Program Manager for the Oklahoma Youth Orchestras, of which he is also an alumnus. When not making music or helping others to do so, he enjoys reading, writing, sewing clothing and quilts, and spending time with his friends and family.