Meet Our Board

Alice Bell
Executive Director

Alice co-founded the Detroit Women’s Chorus in 2017 and has helped guide its growth from a small grassroots ensemble to a sixty-member chorus known for its community partnerships and social justice focus. Alice is a lifelong musician and is passionate about the power of singing to build community and enrich the lives of all people. She’s currently a practicing attorney, but previously taught piano and voice from a private studio, and held several church music positions. She sang for seven seasons with the UMS Choral Union at the University of Michigan, under the direction of Dr. Jerry Blackstone and Scott Hanoian, and was a member of the CU Chamber Ensemble which performed Charles Ives’ 4th Symphony at Carnegie Hall with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in May 2013. She was also a board member of Opera MODO, a Detroit-based nonprofit dedicated to diverse casting and non-traditional performances to make opera more inclusive and accessible. Alice currently sings with the Detroit Women’s Chorus and is a member of the Christ Church Detroit Choir.

Education: Proud product of public schools: graduate of Trenton High School, Trenton, MI; studied piano, voice, and theater at Central Michigan University; received her law degree from Western Michigan Thomas M. Cooley Law School.

Erin Scheffler Franklin
Chair of the Board

Erin is a founding member of DWC and has served as Board Chair since 2017. As a Lead Digital Product Manager at UnitedHealthcare, she oversees the Medicaid and Dual Special Needs member portals. Erin sang for nine seasons with the University of Michigan UMS Choral Union under the baton of Dr. Jerry Blackstone, and was a member of the CU Chamber Ensemble performing Charles Ives’ 4th Symphony at Carnegie Hall with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in May 2013. A graduate of the University of Michigan with a degree in Voice Performance, Erin also sings with the American Spirituals Intensive at the Bay View Music Festival each August, performing as both an ensemble member and a soloist. She resides in West Bloomfield with her husband and their two French Bulldogs.

Patricia (P.J.) Lindemann
Treasurer

PJ Lindemann holds a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from Valparaiso University. Born and raised a Hoosier, she has spent more than 25 years living and working in the Detroit metropolitan area. Although her professional career has centered on the automotive industry, with leadership roles in materials management, sales operations, and finance. she has remained deeply engaged in the regional arts community. She sang for many years with the UMS Choral Union in Ann Arbor under Dr. Jerry Blackstone, which connected her with numerous exceptional musicians. She answered the first call from the DWC founders for board members, and has served as the organization’s treasurer since its inception, driven by a shared commitment to choral artistry, social justice, and uplifting women’s voices in the community. PJ currently sings in Detroit Women’s Chorus, and with the choir at Bethlehem United Church of Christ in Ann Arbor, where she also serves as treasurer.

Elizabeth Parker
Secretary

Elizabeth began singing with DWC in 2016-2017 and joined the Board soon thereafter. Unlike many of our singers, post-high school choir, her only singing experience was in her car! Joining DWC was a bit scary and took Elizabeth outside her comfort zone, but once the first rehearsal was over, she knew she was hooked! Elizabeth holds a B.A. in Political Science from Wayne State University and a J.D. from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law.

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Anne Heminger 

Board Member

Anne Heminger is a lifelong choral singer and founding Board Member of the Detroit Women’s Chorus. She holds a B.A. in music from the University of Chicago, an MPhil in musicology from Cambridge, and a PhD in historical musicology from the University of Michigan. A specialist on music of the English Reformations, she is currently Assistant Professor of Music in the College of Arts and Letters at the University of Tampa. Her work has been published in edited collections on print culture, early modern performance, and religious reform, and has also appeared in the journals Early Music History and Reformation. Her first monograph, Reforming Community: Music, Religious Change, and English Identity in Mid-Tudor London, was published in 2025 in the Clemson University Press series Studies in British Musical Cultures.

Shannon Miller 
Board Member

Shannon joined the DWC Board in September 2025. She worked for Amazon in both field and corporate roles for 13 years prior to becoming a stay-at-home mom and Talent Acquisition consultant in the summer of 2025. Shannon holds a B.S. in Business and a B.A. in Spanish from Indiana University. While at IU, she sang with the International Vocal Ensemble through the Jacobs School of Music. Shannon also volunteers with Breakthrough T1D (Type I Diabetes) as part of the Nomination Committee for the Michigan chapter’s Board of Directors. She lives in Clarkston with her husband, Brian, and kids Ramsey (8) and Gabriella (5).

Allison Prost
Board Member

Allison is a professional singer and founding Board Member for the Detroit Women’s Chorus. She completed two music degrees at the University of Michigan in education and vocal performance, and especially enjoys performing new works by living composers. Allison currently works as a Development Manager at ArtOps, where she helps fundraise for 6 local classical music non-profit organizations. She enjoys cuddling with her two cats and traveling around the world.

Jennifer Busser
Board Member

Jennifer started with DWC in March 2025 due to her passion for music and for fundraising.  She doesn’t have any professional ties to music outside of this organization, but has always enjoyed different genres of music. She loves listening to music and singing in her car! She played the recorder in grade school (you probably did too!) and played piano for 8 years.  Jennifers owns and manages a regenerative medicine clinic and enjoys spending time with her son, water sports, and taking impeccable care of herself. Jennifer holds a B.S. in Horticulture and a B.S. in Botany & Plant Pathology from Michigan State University. 

Member at Large

Becky Stange

2025-2026 Board Fellows, University of Michigan

Schila Labitsch– Schila is a graduate student at the University of Michigan’s Ford School of Public Policy and a Fulbright Austria scholar passionate about community engagement, arts, and civic life. As a nonprofit board fellow for the next year, she is excited to support the Detroit Women’s Chorus in advancing its mission and creative community impact.

Maria DaSilva