Board of Directors

Lois Craig, Acting President
Lois became involved with the Everett School District Music4Life Chapter in 2018. After retiring from 40 years as a public-school teacher, she continued serving on the Everett Music4Life Board and witnessed the benefits and impact of providing playable instruments to students in need. Watching musical opportunities for hundreds of students receiving donated instruments guided her belief in the importance of Music4Life.

In October of 2025, Lois joined the Music4Life Parent Board and stepped in as acting President in January of 2026. Assuming this leadership role, Lois continues to guide the organization to develop the systems and policies that will enable Music4Life to remain an important influence in providing musical education for students in need. Her enthusiasm for Music4Life and her unwavering commitment to the students served is infectious, inspiring everyone around her to share in the Music4Life mission.

Cliff Lenz, Vice President
Cliff has been on the Music4Life™ Board since 2022. He is known to audiences throughout the Puget Sound region as an Emmy Award-winning host, composer, and producer for King Broadcasting for 22 years. He was the co-host of King TV’s Seattle Today for 17 years and also hosted and produced the children’s television program about music called Music Magic. Cliff currently teaches piano and guitar in both the Edmonds and Monroe school districts, as well as in a private capacity.

Gary Ryno, Treasurer
Gary has been Music4Life’s Treasurer twice before. Following David’s passing, he graciously agreed to return to the Board of Directors to ensure financial stability during the interim leadership period. As the fearless leader of Morgan CFO, Gary wears many hats. In his 40-year career, Gary has deftly negotiated the roles of CFO, CEO and EVP within the banking and finance worlds.

Colleen Armstrong, Director
With the passing of her dear friend David Endicott, Colleen saw the danger of losing the valuable Music4Life organization. To ensure the continuation of David’s legacy, she stepped in as Music4Life’s Interim Managing Director to steady the ship until a new Executive Director is in place. Colleen has served on Music4Life’s Advisory Board since its establishment and is a past chief of staff for the Seattle Opera.

Dean Petrich, Director
Dean joined the board in 2023 and continues to serve as a Director. He is spearheading and leading Music4Life’s new piano tuning program which aims to tune approximately 200 pianos a year for area school districts. One of the region’s most experienced piano technicians with a database of over 3,000 piano customers, Dean has held every office in the Seattle Chapter of the Piano Technicians Guild (PTG). He maintains the library and archives of the Seattle PTG seminars, conventions, and technical presentations in addition to training and mentoring apprentices throughout the region.

Cathy Thompson, Ed.D, Director
Prior to retiring and serving as President of the Highline Music4Life Chapter, Cathy was the Chief Curriculum & Instruction Officer for Highline Public Schools, a teacher, and elementary school principal and Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning in Seattle Public Schools. In addition, she also worked for the Center for Educational Leadership as an adjunct teacher for UW Bothell’s principal preparation program. Cathy earned a Doctorate in Educational leadership from the UW in 2010. During her 25-year career, she had the opportunity to support students, teachers and principals with the goal of ensuring a quality education for ALL students. Cathy believes that helping students gain access to musical instruments is a way to carry on her strong belief in the right of a quality education for all, combined with the importance of the arts in a well-rounded education.

Managing Director

William Zander, Managing Director
William Zander joined Music4Life™ in March 2026 after retiring as Safety Chief from a 39-year career with the Seattle Fire Department. After retiring, he completed a master’s degree in composition in 2021 and remains an active member with the Seattle Composers Alliance. A selection of his work can be heard at Sound Cloud. He is also a piano technician and serves as Secretary of the Seattle Chapter of the Piano Technicians Guild.

William's own journey into music began through his school district's instrumental music program. Starting in elementary school and continuing through college, he learned and performed on multiple instruments — opportunities that would otherwise have been financially out of reach. The lessons he learned through music — listening carefully, working as part of a team, and showing up prepared for others who were counting on him — became the foundation of a successful career in the fire service and shaped his lifelong belief in the transformative value of music education and the importance of making those opportunities accessible to every student.

Advisory Board

Advisory Board members are highly skilled, senior-level people. They provide expert guidance to the Music4Life™ President and Governing Board members upon request.

Admiral Bill Center, US Navy retired
Bill retired from the U.S. Navy as Rear Admiral in 1999 after 35 years of service and not long afterwards assumed leadership of a Seattle-based trade advocacy group where he worked for the next seven years. He also lectured at the University of Washington’s Daniel J. Evans School of Public Policy and Governance. A specialist in security policy and strategic planning, he was General Colin Powell's deputy for international negotiations and served in the same role for General John Shalikashvili. In his final assignment, from May 1996 to May 1999, he commanded Navy Region Northwest. Bill is a 1968 graduate of the Naval Academy. During his career he commanded three ships and served three years as chief engineer in USS Midway. Since retiring from the Navy, he has devoted himself to nonprofit leadership, education and volunteer work.

Paul Heppner
Paul is president of the Encore Media Group, and has been named a new member of the Music4Life Advisory Board.

Marli Iverson
Marli is a pianist, retired real estate professional, and a long-time member of the Rotary Club of Seattle (a.k.a. Seattle Downtown Rotary or Seattle #4). She served as Chair of Seattle Rotary’s Music Committee for many years. Marli also taught junior high school choral music in the Highline and Tacoma Public Schools. She and her late husband, John, have been involved with Music4Life since it was founded in 2007.

James A. Kraft

Murl Allen Sanders
Murl Allen Sanders is a musician, composer, teacher and recording artist who is active in the Seattle area music scene and across the United States, Canada, England, Brazil and Japan. Murl has worked with such diverse artists as Chuck Berry, Etta James, Il Divo, Glenn Yarbrough, Seattle Symphony, accordion virtuosi Frank Marocco, Chico Chagas, Stas Venglevski, Alex Meixner, Gary Blair and Cory Pesaturo, Leroy Bell, Peter Duchin, Alarm Will Sound, Seattle Modern Orchestra, Cascade Symphony, Everett Philarmonic, Orchestra Seattle/Seattle Chamber Singers, The Von Trapp Children, Theodore Bikel, Leslie Gore, Barbara Lamb, Susan Pascal, Warren Rand, Pearl Django, Michael Tomlinson and Kelly Harland, among many others. Murl teaches piano and accordion privately and is also adjunct faculty at CornishCollege of the Arts and Shoreline College in Seattle.

Beth Wojick
Beth is the retired CEO of Washington Special Olympics. Previously she served as CEO of Seattle Seafair and as a senior-level executive of the Seattle Mariners baseball club.

Past Presidents

Dr. Gary Cohn’s Music4Life Leadership Transition — 2025
From its inception in 2007 until his unexpected passing in the spring of 2025, Music4Life™ had only one President — its founder, David Endicott. His leadership and dedication were at the heart of the organization and its mission.

At the time of David’s passing, Dr. Gary Cohn was completing his third year on the Music4Life Board of Directors. During that time, he had been working closely with David on a strategic plan for the future of Music4Life. Although his Board term was ending, Dr. Cohn agreed to continue his service until December 2025 and stepped into the role of President, becoming only the second President in Music4Life’s history.

That knowledge of David’s vision for the future, combined with Dr. Cohn’s own experience and leadership, proved invaluable. He brought stability at a critical time as the Board faced the difficult question of Music4Life’s future without its founder. Under his guidance, the Board worked through the immediate challenges and ultimately committed to ensuring that David’s mission and Music4Life’s important work would continue without interruption.

In June 2025, the Board elected new officers, beginning the transition from David’s stewardship, through Dr. Cohn’s crucial period of stabilization, to a new, long-term leadership team prepared to carry Music4Life and its mission forward.

David Endicott, Co-Founder and Chairman/CEO (2007-2025)
Another fitting tribute to David's work with Music4Life was published in Seattle Magazine, which can be read here.

Remembering David Endicott
On May 29, 2025, the Puget Sound region lost an individual whose resounding influence on countless young people enabled many to discover the joy of music through his tireless efforts. David Endicott's life was distinguished by his unwavering dedication, generosity, and a steadfast conviction in the transformative power of music.

A proud Norwegian from Viroqua, Wisconsin, David encountered significant challenges during his formative years in a small farming community. His band director at Viroqua High School, Emery “Nordy” Nordness, inspired him to pursue his educational opportunities. David attended the University of Wisconsin, where his studies were steeped in music, lifelong friendships, and camaraderie. He was an active member of the Madison Scouts Alumni Marching Band, where his love for music and performance blossomed — earning him the affectionate nickname "Tuba Dave."

David's professional career in public relations led to his appointment from 1982-1987 as press secretary for Senator Slade Gorton. His tenure in government service continued when Governor Lowry appointed him to the Washington State Healthcare Advisory Board. David operated his own marketing consulting firm in Seattle for many years.

Beyond the corridors of government, David became a well-known figure in Seattle’s political, Rotary, and music circles. His passion for service extended into his work with Rotary Club of Seattle (Rotary #4), one of the oldest and most active Rotary chapters in the country. Serving on the programs committee, he helped shape initiatives that supported the city's most pressing needs. In 2016, recognizing the changing landscape of community engagement, district leadership asked David to establish a virtual Rotary chapter — Rotary #5030.