Meet our New Board! FY27
Board Orientation at the Annual All-Choir Cookout, August 1st 2026
Fiscal Year 2027 began July 1st with a new slate of leaders, having welcomed three new members.
Annemarie Roberts Taja Sumpter Gail Lillian
Presenting the full FY 27 Slate:
Josh Gamson
Sharon Hymes-Offord
Gail Lillian
Annemarie Roberts
D. Mark Wilson
Christina Zou
LilaBailey - President
Isaac Hanson - Vice President
Jim Fisher - Secretary
Taja Sumpter - Treasurer
Wil Wright - Immediate Past President
Terrance Kelly - Ex-Officio
About our newest members:
Meet Gail Lillian!
Gail has been part of the OIGC family, singing with our Community Choir for several seasons. She is vibrant, charismatic, and one of those people who naturally brings energy and connection wherever she goes. She’s also become a wonderful ambassador for OIGC, talking about the choir, bringing people to our concerts, and sharing her enthusiasm for what we do.
Professionally, Gail brings a fascinating mix of experience in human behavior, communication, leadership, conflict resolution, and business. She is an entrepreneur and East Bay Realtor, a certified mediator, a leadership and communication coach, and a facilitator of Interpersonal Dynamics at Stanford Graduate School of Business. Gail understands people—and she understands the systems and relationships that help people work well together. She brings a direct but warm communication style, a strong problem-solving instinct, and a real commitment to making sure people feel included and connected.
As OIGC continues to grow, that perspective matters. We are a community built on relationships, collaboration, and bringing people together across differences. Gail brings both the lived experience of being part of that community and the professional expertise to help us strengthen it.
I’m so happy to have her bringing that energy, experience, and perspective to the Board. Welcome, Gail! ❤️
#OIGC #BoardLeadership #CommunityArts #ArtsLeadership #Oakland #MusicThatMoves
Meet Annemarie Roberts!
Annemarie has been singing with OIGC since 2024, and she’s been the kind of volunteer you can count on. She’s helped promote performances, edit materials, take photos, scan tickets, usher, prepare food, dress the stage, set up, clean up, and even make Costco runs and physically lug supplies in and out of our Holiday Concert. She’s already been serving this organization in all kinds of ways, and now she’s bringing that same spirit of service to the Board.
Professionally, Annemarie is a Field Marketing Specialist with 18 years’ experience in marketing, events relationship- and community-building. Her work has connected her with hospitality businesses, event venues, brands, and community leaders throughout the Bay Area and beyond. That experience is directly relevant to OIGC. We are an organization that brings people together through performances, events, partnerships, and community outreach. As we continue growing our audiences, developing sponsorships, and building relationships across the Bay Area, having someone at the leadership table who understands how to create connections and make events happen is incredibly valuable.
And I love that Annemarie knows OIGC from the inside, too. Not just from the risers, but someone I know can be counted on, who has shown up behind the scenes and done the work. I’m thrilled she’s answered the call to take that commitment to the next level. Welcome to the OIGC Board, Annemarie! ❤️
#OIGC #BoardLeadership #CommunityArts #ArtsLeadership #Oakland #MusicThatMoves
Meet Taja Sumpter!
Taja came to OIGC as a singer, completed her first full season with the choir, and then answered the call to serve in a different way. I love that she is choosing to bring her talents and perspective to the leadership of an organization she has seen from the inside. And, she has agreed to dive right in, taking up the reins of Board #Treasurer!
Professionally, Taja brings a wealth of experience in financial management, public administration, nonprofit management, and grant administration. She is a Finance Manager with the City and County of San Francisco and holds a Master’s in Public Administration and a Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management.
That expertise comes at an important time for OIGC. From our few conversations, I can tell that Taja is already thinking strategically about how we can strengthen and diversify our funding, building strong and synchronistic relationships, and create the longer-term financial policies and commitments that will help sustain our institution for many years.
But what I particularly appreciate is the perspective behind that expertise. Taja understands that OIGC is not simply a choir. She understands the power of music to bring people together, build bridges across differences, and create spaces where people encounter one another in new ways. And she understands the importance of developing the next generation of leaders while preserving the institutional knowledge that has brought us this far.
We’re fortunate to have her voice, both literally and figuratively, at the Board table. Welcome to the OIGC Board, Taja!
