Elections for Area 11 Board

The 2026 Election will run from May 1 – May 13th.   

Voting Instructions
Ballot

Candidates for Chair Elect

The Chair-Elect Position is a six-year term of office: a 2-year term as Chair-Elect, a 2-year term as Chair, and a 2-year term as Past Chair.  Duties as Chair-Elect include but are not limited to serving as the Membership chair, Area Historian, and Chair of the Ring of Fame Selection Committee.  Duties of the Chair include but are not limited to liaison between Area 11 and the Handbell Musicians of America Executive Board and staff, prepare the Area 11 budget with support from other committee members, sign contracts on behalf of Area 11, conduct meetings of the Area 11 Executive Committee, appoint Committee Chairs, and ensure final event reports and documentation are archived. Past Chair serves as an advisor to the Area 11 Board of Directors.

Karen Kaneko-Baker

Karen loves handbells and has been ringing for 45 years and counting.  The first piece she rang was Griffin’s arrangement of Handel’s Passacaglia and was hooked!  She has continuously rung in church choirs starting in Las Angeles, California and continuing after moving to Tucson, Arizona.  Karen became a founding member of Sonoran Bells 26 years ago and has rung with the ensemble at two Area 11 Festivals and other events in Tucson.  She has participated in other ringing opportunities that include Distinctly Bronze, the Advanced Ringing track at Pinnacle, and Bayview Week of Handbells.  In addition to ringing, Karen has taught 4-in-Hand and Bell Notation classes at workshops, volunteered at National Events to help move instruments & equipment, and tried her hand at directing a church choir.  
Karen has a B.S. Electrical Engineering degree from California State University, Northridge.  Over her lengthy career, she started as a design engineer before moving into leadership roles that include Program Management, Control Account Management, and Product Team Lead for new technology developments with budgets ranging from $2-$200 million dollars.  Other roles include chairing the company-wide technical symposium with 300 attendees and performing interviews, task assignment, technical training and career development for engineers in the department.
Karen is currently the President of Sonoran Bells and has served in the role 5 times over the years in addition to serving as Secretary and Vice President.  Karen is currently on the board for the Impact of One non-profit and has served on the board of governors for St. Alban’s Preschool and Kindergarten.

Anna Nelson

Anna Nelson is a handbell musician of 24 years and located in Albuquerque NM, where she rings with Enchantment Albuquerque Handbell Ensemble and Mass ApPeal at Central United Methodist Church. Anna has rang with and directed several choirs in Areas 10, 11, and 3. She started ringing in a church group in Boise ID; in Salt Lake City, she was the assistant director of The Wesley Bell Ringers, a touring high school handbell group, and director of a middle school handbell choir, The Asbury Bell Ringers. While in Area 3, she rang in several community and church ensembles in the Triangle area, including the Millbrook Ringers under Dave Harris, and was a founding member of Bell Durham, a community handbell ensemble directed by Mitchell Eithun. She also enjoys massed ringing events and has attended several Area festivals and Area 11 Spring Rings, as well as participates in Area 1’s annual Oktobellfest event. She has also had the privilege of being a part of Virtuoso 2024 and 2026 under Dr. William Payn, sharing the stage with the Raleigh Ringers.
Professionally, Anna has a PhD in mathematics and is an assistant professor at the University of New Mexico, specializing in mathematical biology. She is passionate about teaching, both mathematics and handbells, and spreading her love of handbells to anyone willing to listen.

Candidates for Secretary/Treasurer

The Secretary/Treasurer is a two-year term of office.  Holders of the position are eligible to run for re-election two times for a maximum of six consecutive years. Duties of the Secretary/Treasurer include but are not limited to evaluating and assisting all Committee Chairs and the Board of Directors to decide the best fiscally responsible decisions, identify the best investment return on all Area 11 accounts, prepare an annual review of the Area 11 bank accounts and detailed financial report, and maintain Area 11 documents. 

Shirley Culp

I grew up ringing handbells in my father’s church choirs in Omaha, NE.  For the past 25+ years, I’ve been ringing at Wellshire Presbyterian Church in Denver, CO under the direction of Sue Hahn Boarman.  More recently, I joined the Denver Bronze and have been ringing with them since 2018.  I’ve held the position of treasurer for Denver Bronze for the past three years.  Over that time, I’ve managed all aspects of their financial resources including in-person and online ticket sales, fundraising, and grant applications for the SCFD (Scientific and Cultural Facilities District) which provides grant money for non-profit organizations in the Denver area.  I’ve also established policies and procedures that I hope will ease the transition for those taking over the position in the future.  Although my work experience was not in finance, my job was very detail-oriented as an office manager for the wholesale side of La-Z-Boy, Inc.  I held that position for over 25 years, working for several La-Z-Boy sales representatives across the United States.  Since retiring in 2022, I stay busy ringing handbells, singing in church choir, traveling with my husband, and enjoying our grandchildren.

Irene Brown

I started ringing handbells in 1996 at Trinity United Methodist Church in Idaho Falls and rang  with this choir until moving to Arizona in 2020. I have been ringing with Gold Canyon  Methodist Church since 2021. I attended the Area X events for many years along with the Big  Sky Handbell Conference and then started ringing in National Bronze level events in 2014. I  have held an individual HMA membership since 2014.  

My professional experience in accounting is as follows: 

Animal Services Manager for the City of Idaho Falls PD, Idaho Falls, ID 01/2006 – 6/2020  Financial Responsibilities:  

  • Organize, submit and manage $1,000,000 budget for the division  

INL Project Manager for Desert Sage Contractors, Inc., Idaho Falls, ID 09/1999 – 06/2005  Financial Responsibilities:  

  • Cost accounting and billing for all projects at the Idaho National Laboratory  Officer Manager for Desert Sage Contractors, Inc., Idaho Falls, ID 01/1999 – 09/1999  Financial Responsibilities:
  • All accounting and office functions for the company including accounts Payable,  Accounts Receivable, Payroll and General Ledger

Controller/Officer Manager for Robert V. Burggraf Co, Inc., Idaho Falls ID 07/1984 to 12/1995  Financial Responsibilities: 

  • All accounting functions for company and 2 satellite companies ($50 million+) including  General Ledger, Accounts Receivable, Job Cost and Profit/Loss Statements.
  • Supervision of office staff including payroll, accounts payable, administrative assistant and receptionist.