Who We Are

 Who We Are

Musical Miracles is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated sharing the gifts of music, art and dance to underserved youth and supporting them in their dreams to succeed.

Jane Lee, Founder & CEO

Jane Lee is the founder and CEO of Hills Academy, Palos Verdes Children’s Choir, and Musical Miracles. She started Hills Academy in 2010 and has grown the academy to more than 500 students. The PVCC and Musical Miracles were birthed with the passion of giving the arts to students who would never get the chance. She acts as the Executive Director but also continues to teach many of the programs on a day to day basis. Jane Lee continues to contribute to the community through workshops, classes, and performances.

JaneLee@MusicalMiracles.org

Sandra Chiappari Fuchs, Board of Directors

Sandra is a highly experienced executive with a demonstrated history of working in the accounting, finance, and non-profit industries. Throughout her career, she has demonstrated the ability to lead diverse teams of professionals to new levels of success. Sandra began her career at Ernst & Young, and then moved into Corporate Finance and philanthropic work. She received her Bachelor of Science focused in Accounting from Loyola Marymount University.

SandraFuchs@musicalmiracles.org

Chinyarai Hamilton, Board of Directors

Chinyarai Hamilton grew up in Pasadena, California and now resides in the Southbay of Los Angeles where she finds joy in making positive contributions to her community through her involvement with local non-profit organizations. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing from Clark Atlanta University, and went on to pursue a Master of Business Administration in Marketing Research and Entrepreneurship and Emerging Enterprises from the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University. She has always had a passion for visual and performing arts. As a child, she enjoyed choir and taking classes in dance, art, photography, and various musical instruments. She is very happy to be a part of Musical Miracles and to help create those wonderful experiences for others.

ChinyaraiHamilton@musicalmiracles.org

Mary Chung, Board of Directors

Mary (Miree) Chung was born in Korea and is lives in Manhattan Beach, CA, where she still feels like a tourist at the beach. She studied Journalism at Seoul National University in Seoul, Korea, and obtained an MBA from GSB, University of Chicago. Although her professional background is in accounting and corporate finance, she has a love of music and strongly believes in its intrinsic power. She feels honored and excited to be a part of Musical Miracles, by which she is inspired by compassionate and the sharing of love through music and the arts. “I look forward to working together with the people of MM to bring and witness amazing musical miracles among us.”

MireeChung@musicalmiracles.org

Noriko Sato Ward, Board of Directors

Noriko grew up with music in her life. Growing up in the suburbs of NYC, she had season tickets to the NY Philharmonic and saw many Broadway musicals multiple times (a favorite remains to be Rogers & Hammerstein’s The King & I!). She studied Government and Studio Art at Smith College in Northampton, MA, and obtained an MBA in Marketing and Finance from Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. She has been a dedicated volunteer for educational nonprofits over 20 years and she is honored and excited to be a part of Musical Miracles.

NorikoWard@musicalmiracles.org

Emile Mack, Board of Directors

Emile was an orphan in Seoul, Korea and adopted by an African American family from South Central Los Angeles. As he struggled in an environment of gangs and violence, his mother enrolled him in the USC Music Preparatory Division to learn piano, where his love of music began. Emile is retired from the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) where he rose through the ranks to serve as second-in-command. He now works tirelessly in the community and enjoys collaborating with people doing the seemingly impossible.

Kara Lanham Jassy, Board of Directors

Kara Lanham Jassy has been practicing law for 20 years; she is a shareholder at the law firm Littler Mendelson, PC.  She comes to Musical Miracles as she simultaneously discovers the magic of the arts, music and singing for herself and her two daughters.  “Everyone should have a piece of this pie!”

Christina Wilson, Teacher

Christina is a Los Angeles based vocalist, composer, and arranger. As a performer, she can be heard with Folk/Americana group Honey Whiskey Trio and a cappella quintet HIVE. She is a former member of the choral ensemble Vox Femina Los Angeles. Additionally, she is part of the Vocal Faculty at Musicians Institute in Hollywood, and teaches voice, beginning piano, and choir classes a Hills Academy of Music, Art & Dance.

Sherdale Smith, Teacher

Sherdale is a choral director, educator, vocal coach and singer. He has lent his musicianship to an eclectic community of musicians and organizations. He is a private vocal instructor for students, aspiring artists, groups, and choirs. He possesses the unique ability to invoke confidence in any person who feels unworthy of singing reminding people that, “if you have a speaking voice, then you have a singing voice”.  Although he is a native Mississippian, he has lived in Southern California for most of his life.

James Yoshizawa, Teacher

James Yoshizawa is a versatile drummer/percussionist living in Los Angeles, CA with a BM in Percussion Performance from California State University, Long Beach. While a student, he received the PAS Armand Zildjian Percussion Scholarship, the Fine Arts Affiliates Scholarship, and the Komaroff Scholarship. Since graduating, he has been an active performer and educator in Los Angeles and around the country. Some recent, noteworthy engagements include a 3-month run as the percussionist and bodhran soloist in the touring production of the Broadway musical, “Come From Away,” a guest performance with the band NYCO accompanied by the Alabama Symphony in Birmingham, AL, and the recording of all the percussion tracks for an upcoming show at Tokyo Disney. He has also been a guest artist at the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival  since 2013. As an educator, he maintains a private lesson studio and has taught at many nationally acclaimed high school percussion programs around Southern California.