Say hello to our team! 

Lawrence J. Cohen (Larry) is currently the bookkeeper for Guitars Over Guns.  Larry was born in Miami Beach and grew up in Philadelphia. Following graduation in 1976 from American University in Washington, D.C., with B.A. in accounting and urban development, Larry moved back to the west coast of Florida to work for Lehigh Corporation, a land development and time-share company.  Upon leaving Lehigh Corporation, Larry became Vice President of Romivest, Inc. and subsequently Preferred Equities Corp., both land development and time-share companies. Larry owned and operated five Subway locations in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties after departing the corporate world. In his spare time, Larry plays golf, enjoys the theater and spending time with his five grandchildren.

Born in South Florida to Nigerian immigrant parents, Starve Marve is an exemplar of the first-generation American. Teacher by day, musician by night – consistently torn between American and Afro cultures, Starve finds his only balance in the sounds he creates. Greatly encouraged by the individuality of Outkast, Marve traverses cross-genre territory influenced by road trips with his DJ father’s collection of Bob Marley & Fela Kuti, the Boom Bap 90’s he grew up within, and the 8O8’s that have taken over.

Calli Scofidio came to Guitars Over Guns straight from the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Neurologic Music Therapy and hopes to continue on to become a board-certified music therapist (MT-BC). A dedicated mentor by day and performer by night, Calli is a prolific songwriter and keyboardist who gigs all over Miami. Both her mentorship style and unique, emotive music reflect the same principle: music helps to heal us.

Caleb Alcime has been playing drums since the age of nine. Skilled in genres ranging from jazz and gospel to hip hop, R&B and Latin, Caleb is in high-demand, performing with multiple bands across Miami. An alumnus of Guitars Over Guns and Young Musicians Unite, two programs serving Miami-area youth through the power of music education, Caleb is passionate about youth development and giving back to his community. With the Guitars Over Guns alumni band, Unistiq, Caleb has twice been a featured performer at TEDxCoconutGrove, an independently organized TED event, and has headlined at the annual Choose Your Sound Benefit Concert, performing for an audience of esteemed donors, community stakeholders, and public officials. “Drums have somewhat become a part of me,” Caleb says. “I can’t let it go no matter how hard I try.”

My name is Sarah Stephens but I’m also known as SJ or Sarah Jean. I was born is colorful Colorado, traveled a bit and have called Miami home for five years. I’ve been passionate about music since I first found rhythm as a toddler. I’ve been singing since I could talk and never wanted to stop.

Although I studied vocal performance formally for over 10 years, my formal education is in Cultural Anthropology. I graduated from the University of Northern Colorado and ever since have loved visiting cities around the world, finally ending up in Miami. I was fortunate enough growing up to have music classes both in school and outside of the classroom. I’m proud to share music with children in Miami schools. The best part about the gift of music is that it is meant to be shared, and sharing builds community.

I’ve had many amazing opportunities in life, including working with children in Brazil, Colorado and Miami. I’m currently a singer and songwriter for myself as well as for a band in the Miami area. I love to create and share stories with others through music and to watch what happens when people connect. As long as there is something left to say, there’s a song to sing.

Phil Jacobson is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist hailing from Chicago, IL. Phil attended University of Miami (FL) where he received a degree in Jazz Vocal Performance from the Frost School of Music in 2008. Since then, he has been performing as an independent artist throughout the U.S. and Canada. In 2018, Phil was accepted into the Recording Academy (GRAMMYs) as a voting member and is an active participant in the Chicago chapter.

Phil began his journey with Guitars Over Guns in 2015 as a Mentor and Site Coordinator at Evergreen Academy Middle School in Chicago. Although his focus is on Guitar, he brings his experience with Piano, Drums, Bass and Vocals to the classroom. In addition to being a mentor, Phil has organized multiple networking events that bring together members of the music, education and non-profit communities in Chicago. In 2018, Phil was recognized as the Guitars Over Guns ‘Mentor of The Year (Chicago)’ due to his contributions both in and out of the classroom. As of 2020, Phil officially joined the Guitars Over Guns Leadership Team as the Community Partnerships Coordinator of Chicago.

Outside of his work with Guitars Over Guns and performing solo, Phil can also be found writing, recording and performing with the pop trio, The Shades. The Shades consists of Phil, his brother Mark and Guitars Over Guns’ Regional Director (Chicago), Andrew DeMuro. The Shades have performed at some of Chicago’s most renowned venues such as Navy Pier, House of Blues, City Winery, The Second City, Lincoln Hall and many more. Their most recent EP entitled ‘DRAW’ premiered on Billboard and is available for streaming on all major platforms.

Raised on Chicago’s Southside, Dennis Thompson’s musical education began at the age of 4 with the piano, transitioning to the violin then alto sax and finally drums though his college career. During his undergraduate years at NIU, Dennis began to develop his production skills, working with local artists and finally focusing on producing the group he co-founded, H2O Soul. Upon graduating from NIU, he attended Columbia to pursue his Masters in Music Business. Dennis worked in music advertising at a Chicago Production House called Genuine Music, creating original compositions and sound design for major brands from 2006-2011. Now focused on teaching production and engineering at the Haven Studio, collaborating with other artists and serving the local music community through his nonprofit, Khemistry, Dennis hopes to work through music to make his voice heard and make a positive difference.

Since the release of his mixtape Tale of Two’s City Vol.2 in 2008, Add 2 has been captivating listeners’ and tastemakers’ ears and imaginations with his unique blend of hip hop, jazz and soul. Through his acrobatic wordplay, his detailed storytelling and his no holds barred social commentary, Add 2 has emerged as a respected voice of clarity in a chaotic world.

After years of perfecting his craft, Add 2 has earned a list of accomplishments many emcees dream of. Having appeared on MTV 2, MTV U, FUSE, HOT97, and Shade 45, he is currently sponsored by major clothing company LRG, has performed alongside legendary hip hop band The Roots and is one of Common’s favorite new emcees. Common had this to say:

“Add 2 […] is somebody who seems like he really cares about the culture and cares about uplifting people, and that’s inspirational to see; I get inspired by people that do that. No matter what age you are or where you’re from, when you’re really trying to do something good, I see that and I’m like, ‘man…’  It’s a good reminder of what I should be doing.”

Add 2 grew up on Chicago’s notorious South Side surrounded by an environment that exposed him to many harsh realities at an early age, from gang violence to drug use and poverty. Born the second of three kids, Add 2 found refuge in his writing, determined not to suffer the mistakes of his friends and peers. Through song, Add 2 began telling his story – a story that he felt wasn’t told often but was desperately needed. A story about survival.

After releasing several critically acclaimed projects such as Save.Our.Souls, More Missed Calls and Between Heaven And Hell, Add 2 gained the attention of Grammy Award-winning hip hop producer 9th Wonder. In October 2013, Add 2 officially signed to 9th Wonder’s music label, JAMLA Records.

Natasha Santana-Viera is a Florida native who has a deep passion for supporting others to heal, and strongly believes in the power of young people. As a Social Worker and certified youth facilitator,  Natasha has dedicated her career to supporting young people and creating social change in the realms of educational justice, juvenile justice and social services. Natasha also manages a restorative justice based leadership development and healing program for systems-involved girls, femmes and non-binary youth with S.O.U.L. Sisters Leadership Collective. Additionally, Natasha has operated a nationally-recognized, evidence-based dropout prevention program while working as a Site Coordinator with Communities In Schools, and dedicated two years of service as an AmeriCorps Member with City Year Miami. She has also facilitated an Intergroup Dialogue course on Race and has over 7 years of experience providing individual and family therapy, group facilitation, individual case management, social justice education, college readiness support, curriculum development, and youth leadership development. Natasha holds a Master’s degree from New York University Silver School of Social Work—focusing her studies on adolescents, group work, criminal justice and organizational leadership. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Florida in Sociology with a minor in Theories and Politics of Sexuality.

Sasha Aaronson is a career social worker with more than 20 years of experience working within the social service, non-profit and education landscape. As a clinical social worker, Sasha spent seven years working with children and young adults in the child welfare system in both Rhode Island and Florida. Following her tenure in the child welfare system, she embarked on a career in secondary and higher education. As a school social worker, Sasha witnessed the gaps in the public school system that were not being addressed in the current climate of accountability and standardized testing. Hoping to make a difference, she joined City Year Miami where she served as both a Program Director and Clinical Director supervising full-time AmeriCorps Members, Program Managers, and clinical interns. During her tenure at City Year Miami, Sasha started the clinical program and was crucial in the site’s expansion from 83 AmeriCorps Members to 213. At the same time, she began her academic career as a social work educator. Currently a Clinical Assistant Professor at Sacred Heart University, Ms. Aaronson’s teaching focuses on social work policy, advocacy, and social justice. Ms. Aaronson is originally from Providence, RI where she attended Moses Brown School and graduated summa cum laude with a BA in sociology from The University of Massachusetts. She earned her Master’s in Social Work in 2006 and her Master’s in Public Administration in 2017, both from Barry University.

Amanda Hale has joined the team at Guitars Over Guns to support in marketing, communications, and development. Amanda has over fifteen years of experience in managing all facets of marketing. Amanda worked for The Standard hotels for almost a decade, starting in Miami Beach and then moving cross country to oversee marketing for hotels in Downtown LA and Hollywood. Amanda is skilled in building complex marketing plans with a creative yet calculated approach. She’s known for being collaborative, adaptable, and hard-working.

Marte Siebenhar, founder of Cultured Innovations, creates success on purpose. A classically trained musician and strategic planner, she sparks creativity to catalyze innovation. Marte is a speaker, facilitator, author and consultant with a knack for translating vision into value. Among her achievements are the creation of New World Symphony’s annual Open House program, later adopted by a six-figure sponsor, and Bakehouse Art Complex’s triple-digit increase in annual attendance, funding growth in excess of six figures and the U.S. premiere of a Pablo Picasso exhibition, during her tenure as Executive Director. At the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, she created strategic plans and training resources used by hundreds of organizations worldwide, and she led elementary education programs at Carnegie Hall. An alumna of Manhattan School of Music and fellowships with the Kennedy Center and The Miami Foundation, Marte also coaches leaders worldwide and social impact accelerators including the Watson Institute and Radical Partners.

Olivia Lehman is a Midwest native fascinated by connecting people with purpose. After graduating from Indiana University with a degree in Event Management, she’s worked nearly a decade towards philanthropic ends in international sustainability, disaster relief, and the arts. 

Olivia lived in various cities across the Midwest before falling in love with Chicago a few years ago to only discover interesting people, projects, and innovations shaping the future of this place — and has been involved in community building ever since. 

As a part of her connection to the city, she is the Brand Experience Director of CreativeMornings, a free monthly breakfast lecture series that brings creative thinkers together in Chicago—and connects them to other creative communities around the world. In January 2018, Olivia launched her own chapter, in partnership with the global organization, and a coalition of regional sponsors, to help bridge the gap between creative siloes and people of color in the NE Indiana region.

Today, Olivia brings experiential donor strategies, innovative best practices, and sustainable models to her development practice at Guitars over Guns as the Manager for Donor Impact. 

Olivia lives for a good oat milk latte, perfecting her quarantine pasta sauce recipe, and practicing on her electric guitar.

Follow her on LinkedIn or Instagram

With over 20 years of experience in both corporate and non-profit, Michelle Mavorah has been building brands, building relationships and building community.

Michelle was born and raised in Miami, and at an early age wanted to live and work in New York. After college and post-graduate schooling, she spent six years pounding the pavement in NYC, fine tuning her skills in business, marketing, merchandising and finance. When Michelle returned to Miami, she took her passion and drive to the non-profit world. For the past eight years, Michelle has been Director of Community Engagement & Special Events for the Miami Beach Jewish Community Center, working alongside executive leadership, lay leaders, private and corporate donors in all aspects of fundraising and development.

She (and her husband) are proud parents of two amazing boys, who are already tackling our communities’ socio-economic challenges through fundraising and awareness initiatives.

Tiffany Cannava is a seasoned nonprofit executive with a proven ability to build and lead dynamic development programs, including major gifts, capital campaigns, galas, peer-to-peer fundraising and government/private grants. She specializes in donor and staff relations, excels in the ambassador role and has over 20 years of experience with nonprofit education and social service organizations in board development, operations, staff restructuring, budgeting, strategic planning and program management. Tiffany is a collaborative team-builder working alongside board members, volunteer committees and all levels of staff.

Most recently, Tiffany successfully created and executed all aspects of a feasibility study on behalf of the Church by the Sea to assess and determine the overall viability of the creation of a church-funded nonprofit foundation, while she simultaneously expanded the church’s volunteer network and community engagement efforts. As Director of Advancement, Major Gifts and Capital Campaigns at The Cushman School, Tiffany launched Cushman’s first-ever capital campaign, raising over $6 million. Before joining Cushman, Tiffany served as Vice President, State Operations & Programs for Best Buddies International, where she oversaw the organization’s expansion and operations of 21 state offices across the country with a combined annual budget of $14 million and a department of 180 employees.

Tiffany currently facilitates a monthly nonprofit forum with The Commonwealth Institute, serves as a volunteer on the Executive Committee for the Northeast Corridor Together for Children Coalition, and as the Development Chair on the Early Learning Foundation Board.  She holds a B.A. in Special Education and Psychology from the University of Miami, and lives in Miami with her husband and three children.

An innovative collaborator both on stage and behind the scenes, Carly Gordon enjoys a multifaceted career as an oboist and arts administrator active throughout South Florida and Canada. Lauded for her “warmly phrased” playing (Classical Voice of North Carolina), Carly has performed for two seasons as Second Oboe with the Palm Beach Symphony and Florida Grand Opera, joining the Miami City Ballet orchestra in the 2019-20 season.

Carly is passionate about blending research, storytelling, and new media with creative performance. Specializing in contemporary music, she is an alumna of the Toronto Creative Music Lab, Labo de musique contemporaine de Montréal, and Banff Centre for Arts & Creativity. With Against the Grain Theatre, Carly was part of the “awe-inspiring” 2017 debut (Calgary Herald) of a new production of Claude Vivier’s Kopernikus, rejoining the “heroic” instrumental ensemble (Bachtrack) for the opera’s 2019 Toronto premiere and receiving a Dora Mavor Moore Award for her role.

As an administrator, Carly completed a Public Relations internship at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. After two years serving a roster of nonprofit clients as a copywriter/strategist for Miami-based communications firm theAOinsight Group, Carly now works as Special Assistant to the President/CEO of Guitars Over Guns. Here, she implements innovative administrative practices to support the organization’s nationally recognized music education programming.

Carly completed her undergraduate degree in Oboe Performance at the Eastman School of Music, simultaneously pursuing a dual-degree in Brain & Cognitive Sciences at the University of Rochester. In 2017, she completed a Master of Music degree at the Schulich School of Music of McGill University.

Walker Moseley was born and raised in Boone, North Carolina, a small town located in the Appalachian mountains. After graduating from North Carolina State University in 2010, he moved to Miami to complete an AmeriCorps year of service with City Year. Upon completing his year of service with City Year, he accepted a Program Manager position with the organization and oversaw City Year’s implementation in Allapattah and Liberty City public schools.

In the fall of 2014, Walker moved to Philadelphia to attend graduate school at the University of Pennsylvania and completed a master’s degree in Public Administration and Organizational Development. While in graduate school, Walker was a Lipman Fellow with the Wharton School of Business and worked for the Committee of Seventy, a think tank focused on ethical governance, where he launched a successful pilot program that engages juniors and seniors in Philadelphia high schools through elections-focused service learning.

Upon completing his graduate degree, Walker accepted a position at the School of Education at Drexel University. At Drexel, he oversaw the creation, development, and implementation of a pilot program called DragonsTeach Middle Years, which aims to expand the middle school teacher pipeline in Philadelphia by creating a pathway for Drexel undergraduates from any major, to add a teacher-certification track to their plan of study without changing their major.

Andrew DeMuro has long balanced a “double life” between music and education. As an undergraduate at the University of Miami’s School of Education & Human Development, he logged over 700 hours in Miami’s low-income schools and communities, including a culminating student- teaching experience at Booker T. Washington Senior High School which earned him UM’s “Excellence in Student Teaching” Award in 2012. He also put his musical talents to work at the renowned Frost School of Music, and became the first freshman non-music major selected for the Jazz Vocal 1 group. 

After graduation, Andrew moved to Chicago to join Teach For America, and was employed at an all-boys charter high school on the city’s West Side. While teaching, Andrew developed a passion for shifting and rebuilding adult mindsets around students from marginalized backgrounds, particularly those with disabilities. He also started his charter network’s first sustained extracurricular choir, UPliftment, which twice earned superior ratings at the Illinois “Trills & Thrills” Music Festival at Six Flags: Great America.

In an effort to better combine his two passions, Andrew joined the Guitars Over Guns family in the fall of 2015 as a founding mentor and site coordinator at Evergreen Academy Middle School on Chicago’s South Side. During this time, he wrote and played music extensively with his acoustic trio, The Shades – a trio University of Miami alumni – and was honored with the unique opportunity to represent “Team Adam” on Season 11 of NBC’s The Voice.

Following his time on The Voice, Andrew immediately returned to the Windy City to begin working as Chicago’s founding Regional Director for Guitars Over Guns. While managing  the experiences of nearly 350 students, fifteen mentors, and four local school partners, he was recognized by his alma mater as one of the University of Miami’s “30 Under 30.” Through his work with Guitars Over Guns, Andrew hopes to continue to strike a balance between his two passions.

Jono De Leon earned a Master’s degree in Education and Social Change from the University of Miami in 2011 after joining Teach For America in 2007 to help close the achievement gap for high-need students in Miami-Dade County. He joined the Guitars Over Guns family in 2012, acting as a mentor, Site Coordinator and Director of Education before stepping into his current role as Chief Operating Officer. 

During his eight years in the classroom, Jono co-founded a guitar program that reached over 2,000 students. He pursued several leadership roles within his school community, serving as the Activities and Athletics Director and the Enrichments Department Chair. From 2011-2015, De Leon was also Director of the Museums and Communications Magnet Programs, planning and overseeing the implementation of magnet curriculum through academic and enrichment courses, and co-facilitating all countywide recruitment efforts along with the school’s International Baccalaureate program. 

Passionate about civic engagement, Jono is an active member of the Miami chapter of Miami’s Next Leaders – an organization focused on training and engaging our nation’s next generation of progressive leaders. After completing his fellowship in 2013, he remained a fixture at the MNL Institute, serving on the Curriculum Council in 2014 and as Capstone Director in 2015 and 2019. Jono also joined Miami’s Next Leaders Executive Board in 2019.

Chad Bernstein is a husband and father of four amazing kids, the co-founder of Guitars Over Guns, and a professional musician who has been instrumental in the evolution of the “Latin Funk” sound of Miami. Through the universal language of music, Chad galvanized the artist community to use music as a bridge to reach and empower Miami and Chicago’s most vulnerable youth. 

Chad received a Doctorate of Musical Arts degree from the University of Miami in 2012, turning the focus of his academic studies to Guitars Over Guns in his dissertation, “The Effectiveness of Music Mentoring for At-Risk Youth Through the GOGO Program,” published in 2012. This paved the way for Guitars Over Guns’ research-based methodology and set the stage for Chad and his father, Bob, a Chicago investment professional, to collaborate on the organization’s creation in 2008.  Chad took on Guitars Over Guns as a full-time career upon graduating (while continuing a rigorous performance schedule) and was named CEO in 2012.  Today, Guitars Over Guns has a $2,000,000 budget with 90 musicians serving nearly 1,000 students a year in 30 sites between Miami and Chicago. In April of 2015, Chad was honored as a CNN Hero for his work and has since been featured on the Steve Harvey Show and in People Magazine. Most recently, Chad received the Ruth Shack Leadership Award, an honor held in Miami’s highest regard.

Chad remains one of South Florida’s premier Latin, jazz, and funk artists. While trombone remains his primary instrument, he also plays conch shells, sousaphone, and keyboards with multiple bands.  He performs most prominently with the Latin Grammy-nominated Spam Allstars, with whom he has toured throughout Europe and the U.S., and the highly popular Miami-based Latin-funk band, ¡Suénalo!, the inspiration for Guitars Over Guns.  He has also worked with Pitbull, Shakira, will.i.am, Natalie Cole, Frank Sinatra, Jr., Chaka Kahn, John Legend, Phil Ramone, and many more. 

Chad is currently serving his second term as a Governor on the board of the Recording Academy (GRAMMYs), where he co-chairs their Education Committee. In addition to his work with The Spam Allstars and ¡Suénalo!, two groups that have pioneered Miami’s signature Latin-Funk sound, Chad also works with James Brown’s long-time musical director, Pee Wee Ellis, and Latin pop star, Jencarlos Canela.

Chad released his first full-length CD, Suite for 2nd Lieutenant, in 2012, an original body of work he wrote in dedication to his brother, Max Bernstein, upon his first deployment to Afghanistan as a U.S. Marine Corps combat platoon leader.  He released that CD after his brother completed his very distinguished service as a Captain and Company Commander in 2014.