With decades of experience in education, youth development, and the performing arts, IMPACT Percussion is proud to have these outstanding educators, designers, and administrators on our team.
Our 2025 Staff:
Administrative Team
Josh Peterson / Director : Josh has been an active administrator, educator, and performer for various performing arts programs for the past 20 years. In 2003, Josh was introduced to drum corps as a member of the Vanguard Cadets. He aged out of the activity in 2006, marching bass drum with the Santa Clara Vanguard. Over the past two decades, Josh has helped teach, establish, and direct multiple performing arts programs across the California Bay Area and in Washington State. In 2014, Josh created IMPACT Percussion with friend and fellow instructor Chase Waller. Currently, Josh is the Chief Marketing Officer for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Benton and Franklin Counties. He also serves as the Vice President of the Columbians Drum & Bugle Corps Board of Directors, and he is the NWAPA Vice President of Percussion. When he’s not at work, Josh enjoys spending time with his wife and two kids, traveling, and playing basketball.
Tyler Figueroa / Director of Operations : Tyler has been an active performer, educator, and administrator for various marching arts programs since 2012. Tyler was part of the Columbians Drum & Bugle during its inaugural season as a member of the front ensemble. After finishing that groundbreaking year, he began to instruct front ensembles across the Tri-Cities area and he joined IMPACT Percussion as a member of its inaugural season in 2015. After aging out of WGI, Tyler became IMPACT’s Front Ensemble Supervisor. In 2022, he began serving the ensemble as the Director of Operations. Currently, Tyler works for Columbia Distributing in Kennewick. Outside of work, Tyler enjoys heading to a bowling alley or finding a new trail to ride his bike on.
Merisa Pfau / Director of Ensemble Development : Merisa has been an active performer and educator for various music programs since 2015. Merisa first started with IMPACT Percussion as a member of the front ensemble during its 2018 and 2019 seasons. After graduating, Merisa taught front-ensemble at Richland high school and Kamiakin high school. Merisa returned to IMPACT percussion in its 2023 season as the Administrative intern. After the rewarding season, Merisa is returning as administrative support. Currently, Merisa is the Referral Coordinator for Kadlec Clinic in Richland. Outside of work, Merisa enjoys nights out with friends and family that are full of dancing.
Eric Chavez / Director of Member Development : Eric has been an active performer for various music programs since 2014. He was a member of IMPACT Percussion for several years as part of the Front Ensemble through the 2019 season. After graduating, Eric taught the front ensemble at Richland High School before moving to Spokane. The 2024 season marks Eric’s first year returning to IMPACT Percussion since aging out. Currently, Eric currently works as a CAD Technician for Cabinets Plus in Spokane. Outside of work, he enjoys playing video games and watching movies.
Design & Ensemble Management Team
Maximilian Logan / Ensemble Coordinator & Visual Supervisor : A Portland native, Maximilian is an active designer, adjudicator, clinician, and servant leader in the Pacific Northwest’s athletic arts activities. Maximilian became educated and certified as a Pharmacy Tech but has left that profession behind to pursue his resonant passion of pageantry design. Founding and operating his company; Melody Productions, Maximilian now provides design and educational services to many scholastic and independent ensembles. He was a member of the Oregon Crusaders Drum & Bugle Corps from 2008-2012, then was on visual staff there from 2013-2015. Maximilian became involved with the Seattle Cascades Drum & Bugle Corps in 2017 on the visual team, then as Caption Supervisor for 2018. He joined the IMPACT Percussion visual team in 2022 and continues to lead in that capacity. Maximilian shepherded the WGI Winds presence in the Pacific Northwest as Director of Sherwood HS Winter Winds for four years, as well as in an elected position on the NWAPA Board as Vice President-Winds for two terms.
Matt Hahn / Design Coordinator & Front Ensemble Designer : Matt Hahn is an active designer and percussion educator in the Dayton, OH area. Matt is currently the Front Ensemble Designer for the Madison Scouts Drum And Bugle Corps. In 2012, Matt founded Resonant Music Design, a company specializing in marching arts design and education of all kinds. Matt was a member of Rhythm X from 2005 – 2008 and was a staff member from 2009 – 2015. Matt also was a member of the Bluecoats Drum and Bugle Corps from 2006 – 2007 in the front ensemble, and was a staff member from 2009 – 2012. Matt graduated from Miami University (OH) in 2008 with a Bachelor’s of Arts in Music Education degree. In 2013, Matt was elected to the Board of Directors of the Mid East Performance Association (MEPA) circuit and was recently elected as Vice President of Percussion for the circuit. Matt is a proud sponsor of Innovative Percussion, Zildjian Cymbals, and Evans/Planet Waves products. He currently lives in Springboro, OH with his wife Sara, his sons Micah and Ezra, and their dog Remi.
Eliud Ayala / Battery Designer : Eliud Ayala Jr. is a percussion educator, instructor, and arranger in the Tri-Cities area, currently holding positions with the Pasco School District where he teaches World Drumming, General Music, and Band. Eliud has worked with IMPACT Percussion since 2016. He was also an instructor and the Battery Percussion Music Designer for the Columbians Drum & Bugle Corps from 2013-2023. Eliud holds a Masters in Teaching from Washington State University and a Music Liberal Arts degree from Eastern Washington University. There he actively participated in various ensembles, including the Jazz Bands, Wind Symphony, and Orchestra, Drumline, and Percussion Ensemble Studio. Additionally, Eliud has performed alongside artists such as Ray Brinker, Brad Dutz, Gregg Bissonette, Alex Acuna, Dave Samuels, and Gordon Stout. Beyond the university, Eliud’s performance experience extends to orchestras like the Washington Idaho Symphony, Coeur d’Alene Symphony, and Mid-Columbia Symphony. Additionally, Eliud participated in Drum Corps International with the Blue Knights Drum & Bugle Corps from Denver, Colorado.
Tori Farias / Lead Choreographer : Tori is an educator, choreographer, and visual designer across the marching arts. She has been a performing member of Imbue Winterguard, The Blue Devils Drum & Bugle Corps, Infinity Percussion, Braddock Independent, Florida International University Color Guard, and the Flanagan High School World Guard. Additionally, Tori spent two summers in the cast of Mix it Up! at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, and performed across the west coast with Collabor8 Dance Company based out of Los Angeles, CA. Tori’s training and choreography have been performed by IMPACT Percussion, POW Percussion, The Seattle Cascades, The Blue Devils B Corps Color Guard, FIU Indoor Percussion, Cascadia Winterguard, and other notable independent and high school programs across Florida, Texas, California, Oregon, and Washington. She has also been a teaching artist for The US Bands Summer Education Series and the WGASC Circuit Clinic. Outside of the marching arts, Tori is a group fitness instructor who is passionate about bringing movement to all experience levels through Barre, Yoga, and Dance.
Tim Mitchell / Sound Designer : Tim Mitchell has served in development of the Pacific Northwest marching arts scene beginning with the startup of his company in 2016. Tim has worked locally as a Sound Designer and Audio Engineer, coordinating the development of sound reinforcement and audio playback techniques to help scholastic programs compete nationally within the fast-paced development of electronic implementation in the marching arts activity.Tim brings experience from his time engineering for former and current DCI corps Blue Devils, Oregon Crusaders, Seattle Cascades, and Columbians. Tim brings creative experience from his career as a freelance Sound Designer for marching arts programs. Serving over 200 scholastic programs nationally in the field of sound design creation and implementation, he has published arrangements in collaboration with Jeff Chambers Music, Marching Show Concepts, Standing “O” Marching, The Music of Alex Thode, and SoLee Music. He continues to serve marching arts programs locally as the Audio Caption Head for the Columbians Drum & Bugle Corps.
Ellie Peterson / Graphics & Aesthetics Designer : Ellie has spent more than 15 years bringing ideas to life and telling stories through graphic design and illustration. Ellie worked as a freelance graphic designer taking on various projects in America and Japan before opening up her own event design and decor shop on Etsy. As a drum corps alum (Santa Clara Vanguard bass drummer, 2005), Ellie also understands the nuance of the marching arts which helps guide how she tells stories through graphic and visual design on the WGI stage. Ellie has been designing graphics and guiding production aesthetics for IMPACT Percussion since 2017.
Benjamin Strever / Battery Caption Supervisor : A native to the greater Portland area, Ben currently lives in Beaverton, OR. He has been working with IMPACT Percussion since 2023 as a snare technician. His previous teaching experience has had him with Southridge HS, Skyview HS, Glencoe HS (co-director), and he is currently the Director of Percussion at Mountainside High School. Ben also taught at the Seattle Cascades from 2019-2023. During his time as a performer, he marched with the Oregon Crusaders (2016-17) and OC Indoor (2016-18), and he currently holds a Bachelor’s in Music Composition from Portland State University.
Jessi Vaughan / Front Ensemble Caption Supervisor : Jessi Vaughan is a percussionist and educator originally from Austin, TX. After graduating from Dripping Springs High School, she relocated to Portland, OR where she received a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education, and a Master’s Degree in Education at Portland State University. Jessi is currently the Director of Bands at North Marion High School and Middle School. In addition to teaching, she has been an active performer over the last nine years. She was in the front ensemble with The Cadets, Oregon Crusaders, OCI, and Guardians. She also performed for five years with the Portland State Wind Symphony. Jessi is currently working at Skyview High School as the Percussion Director. She has also taught at Shadow DBC, the Seattle Cascades, and currently works with IMPACT Percussion, the Oregon Marching Band, and the Columbians. She currently lives in Vancouver, WA with her partner and their corgi Bongo!
Zach Mullis / Electronics Caption Supervisor : Zach is a keyboard player, live audio engineer, and sound designer from the Seattle area who played synth for RCC Indoor Percussion in 2013 and 2014, and Blue Devils from 2013 to 2015. Zach has been working with IMPACT Percussion since 2023. He has also worked with the Seattle Cascades, the Blue Devils A and B corps, and he helps create sound design packages for marching bands across the country.
Education Team
Esteban Dominguez / Cymbal Instructor : Coming from Moses Lake, WA, Esteban has been involved with music for the past decade. He started his drum corp journey in 2018 with the Columbians Drum & Bugle Corps, where he also marched in 2022 and 2023. Esteban also marched cymbals with IMPACT Percussion in 2023 and 2024. While marching, he also taught at his local high school. Currently, he helps teach one of the northwest’s newest ensembles, Viking Percussion. Ready to take on a new challenge, Esteban is excited and honored to work with IMPACT Percussion in 2025 to help grow a strong cymbal culture in the northwest.
Ashley Hilfer / Cymbal Instructor : Originally getting into music as a clarinet player, Ashley began playing cymbals in her sophomore year of high school as a part of Glencoe High School’s indoor percussion program. She marched cymbals through the rest of high school; additionally, in her senior year she was also a part of the WGI World Class group Oregon Crusaders Indoor as a cymbal player. Since graduating in 2017, Ashley has taught at various schools in the Oregon and Washington area. Currently, along with working at IMPACT Percussion, she is the Lead Cymbal Technician for the Columbians Drum & Bugle Corps and Glencoe High School. Ashley also works as the Visual Caption Head for Glencoe High School’s fall marching band and winter drumline programs.
Matt Huffman / Bass Drum Instructor : Matt Huffman is a Pacific Northwest native, born and raised in Beaverton, Oregon. Matt is an active marching arts educator and designer in the Portland area, having worked with several high school programs in the area as well as the Cascades Drum & Bugle Corps. He began his involvement with DCI and WGI performing with the Oregon Crusaders and OC Indoor. Afterwards, he went on to age out with Broken City Percussion and The Bluecoats, winning a DCI silver medal. Matt is also a proud alumnus of Pacific University, where he earned his Bachelors of Science in Mathematics. He is currently working at Glencoe High School in Hillsboro, Oregon as both the Percussion Director and a full-time math teacher. 2025 be Matt’s fourth year working with IMPACT Percussion.
Jeremy Jacobs / Front Ensemble Instructor : Jeremy is a percussionist from Miyazaki, Japan. He studied percussion at Western Oregon University, and has performed with the Blue Devils and Rhythm X. He has taught percussion at various high schools in the Portland area, as well as the Columbians Drum and Bugle Corps, and is currently teaching the front ensembles at IMPACT Percussion, the Oregon Marching Band, and Mountainside High School. He lives in Beaverton with his two cats.
Jacob Kendrick / Snare Drum Instructor : Jacob is a northwest native from Beaverton, OR. Jacob has been an active performer in the marching arts for the last several years. He has performed with The Academy, Seattle Cascades Drum & Bugle Corps, and he has spent the last five years as a performer with IMPACT Percussion. Currently, Jacob is an active marching arts educator around the northwest, teaching at Mountainside and Glencoe high schools as well as the Seattle Cascades and the Columbians Drum & Bugle Corps.
Alex Patterson / Electronics Technician : Alex is a Kennewick native, and an active educator and sound designer in the Tri-Cities. He performed with IMPACT Percussion during the 2019 season – the ensemble’s first year in PIO. In addition to working with IMPACT, Alex has taught at Richland High School, and he is currently teaching and doing sound design work for Pasco High School. Outside of music and sound design, Alex spends time with his fanceé, LaNae and their cat, Kharjo.
Aaron Yewman / Battery Instructor : Aaron has been involved with the marching arts for the last decade as a member and instructor, teaching at groups of every level from Washington, Oregon, and California. Currently he teaches the marching band at the University of Oregon, where he is also a full-time student finishing up his BA in Sociology. As a performer, Aaron marched with the Oregon Crusaders and Blue Knights Drum & Bugle Corps for a combined five years. He also marched a season at Oregon Crusaders Indoor and four seasons at Broken City Percussion, where he earned two bronze medals and a World Championship gold medal in 2019. Since aging out, Aaron taught two summers with the Blue Knights, and is now looking forward to his second summer teaching at both the Columbians Drum & Bugle Corps and Carolina Crown. Aaron enjoys spending his time drinking coffee, practicing drum set, and petting his cat Shadow, and is ecstatic for the opportunity to give back the Pacific Northwest band scene.
Media Team
Kade McKeever / Digital Media Manager & Design Consultant : A Tri-Cities native, Kade has been involved with IMPACT Percussion since its inception. Starting as a charter member in 2015, Kade quickly became part of the instructional and design team after aging-out. Over the last 10 years, Kade has been an integral part of every IMPACT Percussion season, helping the organization to grow each year. Currently, Kade works as a Content Producer and is a freelance Photographer and Videographer.
Jake Batts / Content Producer : Jake is a percussionist, originally from Sultan, WA. A recent age-out of the marching arts, he marched cymbals at IMPACT Percussion, the Columbians Drum & Bugle Corps and the Seattle Cascades Drum & Bugle Corps. Jake has also been an avid photographer for several years. In 2025, he looks forward to helping to capture important moments throughout the year. Currently, Jake also plays cymbals with Blue Thunder, and is a percussion instructor at Cascade High School in Everett, WA.
Adam Harris / Content Producer : Adam Harris is a Murrow graduate from Washington State University who majored in Broadcast Productions. Adam has done hobby photography and videography for more than eight years. Recently, he worked with WSU’s CougVision media team to cover multiple sports, and he was a member of the Spokane Velocity Soccer Team’s media team. Adam was also a member and section leader of the WSU Cougar Marching Band Drumline’s bass line for the last three years.
Lia Severson / Content Producer : Lia joined the IMPACT family during the 2017 season as a member of the Front Ensemble. They performed with the group for five years, wrapping up their time with the group as a performer after the 2022 season. Throughout their life, Lia has also been passionate about photography, and is extremely excited to be on the Media Team in 2025. Currently, Lia is pursuing a double bachelor’s degree in Economics and Law, Societies, and Justice at the University of Washington.