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 2024 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. 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 / Administrative Support : 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 / Administrative Support : 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
Zohein Sharma / Ensemble Coordinator & Battery Supervisor : Zohein’s passion for the marching arts ignited during high school band and continued at Washington State University. He performed with the Seattle Cascades (2011-2012) and OC Indoor (2013-2015). His DCI journey led him to higher levels at the Boston Crusaders (2013 Finalist) and The Cadets (2014 Bronze Medalist).These diverse experiences on the West and East coasts have shaped his unique perspective. Over the past decade, Zohein has taken on design and instructional roles at high schools and independent programs across the Northwest, including Lincoln, Southridge, Mountainside, Westview, and Sherwood High Schools, Seattle Cascades, and OC Indoor. Recently in WGI, he played a key part in Sherwood High School’s 2022 PSO Championship and IMPACT Percussion’s journey, marked by 2019 and 2022 PIO Finals appearances and the 2023 PIO Silver medal. Zohein is dedicated to nurturing the marching arts in the Pacific Northwest and fostering excellence at IMPACT.
Matt Hahn / Music 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.
Maximilian Logan / Visual Designer & Visual Supervisor : A Portland native, Maximilian Logan has been a passionate pageantry educator for a little over a decade. Maximilian has instructed and designed for several high school marching bands and indoor programs within the NWAPA circuit. He has previously been on the instructional teams for the Oregon Crusaders and Seattle Cascades drum corps. Maximilian also had the privilege of directing and designing for the Sherwood Winter Winds program for the four years of its existence. He also served on the NWAPA Board as VP-Winds for two terms.
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.
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 / Lead Graphic 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. Currently, Ellie is the Lead Graphic Designer for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Benton and Franklin Counties, where she creates a wide range of designs for events, fundraisers, and marketing campaigns. 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.
Tori Farias / Lead Choreographer & Visual Instructor : Tori has been an educator, choreographer, and visual designer across the marching arts for over 10 years. As a performer Tori was a member of the Flanagan High School World Guard (2009-2012), the FIU Marching Band (2012-2014), Braddock Independent (2013), The Blue Devils Drum & Bugle Corps (2013-2015), Infinity Percussion (Visual Ensemble 2015), and Imbue Winterguard (2018). She was on the cast of Mix It Up! at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, VA (2016, 2017) as well as the Collabor8 and Illumin8 Dance Companies based out of Los Angeles, CA. As an educator, her previous work includes a wide range of training, choreographing, and creating shows for marching bands, color guards, drum corps. as well as indoor winds and percussion programs all across the country. Tori currently lives in Portland, OR. Outside of the marching arts she does work as a performing artist, yoga teacher, and fitness instructor.
Luke DeDominces / Front Ensemble Supervisor : Luke is an avid teacher, arranger, adjudicator, and performer throughout Washington and Oregon. Having graduated from the University of Oregon with a Masters in Percussion Performance, he currently lives in Bonney Lake, Washington, where he regularly plays in several local ensembles, as well as working for the Jeff Chambers Music team as an arranger and editor. Luke is currently the front ensemble caption lead for the Columbians Drum & Bugle Corps and the University of Oregon Marching Band, arranging for both groups as well. After aging out with Phantom Regiment, he has taught for many marching bands and drum corps throughout the region, including groups such as Oregon Crusaders & OCI, Kamiak HS, Southridge HS, Glencoe HS, and currently teaches the drumline for Graham-Kapowsin HS. In his spare time, Luke enjoys hiking through old-growth forest, hot springs, and mountain biking.
Zach Mullis / Electronics 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. Alongside his inaugural season on staff with IMPACT in 2023, Zach has spent the last year working with groups including the Seattle Cascades and Blue Devils A and B corps, as well as creating sound design packages for marching bands around the country.
Education Team
Benjamin Strever / Battery Coordinator & Snare Drum Instructor : 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 Coordinator : 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!
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, Rex Putnam High School, and Glencoe High School. Ashley also works as the Visual Caption Head for Rex Putnam High School and Glencoe High School’s fall marching band program.
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, currently serving as Percussion Director for Glencoe High School in Hillsboro, Oregon. 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. This is Matt’s third 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.
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.
Cody Renouf / Lead Cymbal Instructor : Cody Renouf is a cymbal educator based in Sherwood, Oregon. With world class experience spanning back over a decade beginning his performance experience with the Seattle Cascades from 2011 and 2012, continuing on to march with the Academy for 2013 and aging out in 2014. Since then Cody has worked with the Seattle Cascades from 2016 – 2023, the Guardians Drum and Bugle Corps 2021, IMPACT Percussion 2022-2023, Sherwood HS 2019 – 2023, and the Academy Drum & Bugle Corps 2023.
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.
Ryan Zeutzius / Tenor Instructor : Ryan is a percussion educator from Portland, Oregon. He is currently completing his Bachelor’s degree at the University of Portland, studying biology and psychology with a minor in neuroscience. Ryan has several years of marching experience in both the DCI and WGI realms. He started with the Seattle Cascades Drum & Bugle Corps in 2018, then marched with the Sacramento Mandarins Drum & Bugle Corps from 2019 – 2022. He also spent his 2020 – 2022 indoor seasons marching with IMPACT Percussion, and finally aged out with Broken City Percussion in 2023. Since aging out, Ryan has returned to both Mandarins and IMPACT as a tenor drum instructor, and has also begun working as a battery educator and designer in Portland at the high school level. During his time as a performer in the marching arts, Ryan was very fortunate to learn from educators such as Taha Ahmed, Mike Jackson, Veronica Wicks, Jonathan Wicks, Nic Rundell, Thomas Claesen, and Roger Carter.
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.
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 2024 documenting IMPACT’s meaningful moments. Currently, Lia is pursuing a double bachelor’s degree in Economics and Law, Societies, and Justice at the University of Washington.