Area 1 Election for 2025
ELECTIONS ARE HELD ONLINE. The voting period will be open from May 1 to May 31, 2025 at 11:59 PM.
Every two years, elections are held in Area 1 to elect people to the following positions: Chairperson, Treasurer, and Secretary.
Chair-elect serves for 2 years and then moves to Chair for 2 years and ends as Past-Chair for another 2 years. This is a 6-year commitment.
Treasurer of Area 1 handles all financial transactions and reports to the board regularly.
The Secretary takes notes at board meetings and keeps all information filed and stored electronically.
Please read all biographies and mission statements below.
Chair Elect (will become chair at time of next election)
Below, you will find out more information about each chair elect candidate to inform your vote.
Andrew Wallace
North Stonington, Connecticut
Andy Wallace is a handbell director and educator active in HMA Area 1. He has been involved in handbell ringing since 1991 and serves as the Music and Worship Arts Director at Dunn’s Corners Community Church, Presbyterian, in Westerly, Rhode Island. In 2023, he was named Music Director of the Shoreline Ringers. Andy has also been a clinician and director at numerous Area 1 handbell events, teaching a variety of classes at the Area 1 Festival Conference and other events. He was selected to direct at the National Seminar in Hartford in 2024, further demonstrating his leadership within the handbell community. In addition to his work with handbells, he is a middle school history teacher in West Greenwich, Rhode Island. His background in both music and education allows him to bring enthusiasm and leadership to the groups he directs. Andy continues to share his love of handbell music through directing, teaching, and performing.
Vision Statement:
Area 1 thrives on collaboration, transparency, and leadership to uphold the mission, vision, and values of HMA. Clear and consistent communication between the Board and Standing Committees ensures informed decision-making and a strong, engaged membership. I will actively participate in state and national events to strengthen advocacy efforts and foster growth within the organization. I am committed to responsible financial stewardship, ensuring the stability and sustainability of Area 1. Inclusivity and engagement drive leadership efforts, and encouraging diverse voices to contribute meaningfully strengthens our organization.
Erica Shaw
Medford, Massachusetts
Erica Shaw lives in Medford, MA with her husband, Sam, and their cat, Cheddar. She started ringing handbells in high school at South Church in Andover. After taking a break from ringing during college, Erica started ringing again at Old South Church in Boston and soon after joined the Back Bay Ringers. She serves as Communications Director for the Back Bay Ringers and was the events chair for the Cornell Swing Dance club in college. She also works as a model based design specialist for a structural engineering team helping to design everything from bridges to train stations. Valuing strong communication, organization, and teamwork, Erica has been an asset to many groups.
Vision Statement:
Area 1 has a proud history of handbell ringing, community, and education. It will be my priority as chair elect to continue the work of making Area 1 an inclusive, welcoming, and exciting place to make music.
Secretary
Below, you will find out more information about each candidate to inform your vote.
Jeannie Cushman
Proctor, Vermont
I’ve been ringing since 1988! That was in Colorado Springs; then I moved to Peace Dale, Rhode Island; and most recently in Rutland, Vermont. Handbell camp was the best! I had the chance to try solo ringing, and met ringers from all around Area 1. New England Ringers started as “Bronze to Buffalo” in 2000. Lucky me to be a part of all that, and I rang with NER until 2010. Venturing out of Area 1, I’ve rung at 17 Distinctly Bronze events, several Pinnacles and National Seminars, Bay View 3 times, and UK Bronze last October.
As a Physical Therapist, I served as treasurer in CO and RI, as delegate and chief delegate from VT to the national house of delegates, and as president of the VT chapter. (I retired in 2016 to care for aging parents.) Effective communications with board members and the general membership were required in each of these positions. As president, I also set the agenda and moderated the meetings, following Robert’s Rules as best we could. At my church, I step in as clerk pro tem when the secretary is absent. I take my own notes in meetings anyway. It’s an honor to make my notes useful to others!
I would enjoy serving on the Area 1 board as secretary and member of the executive committee. Being open to feedback from members is important to addressing members’ needs. I’m open to hearing from directors and ringers whose contributions help our bell world evolve from where it’s been to where it’s going!
Amelia Wiggins
Littleton, Massachusetts
Amelia began ringing bells 27 years ago in Littleton, MA, and currently rings for the New England Ringers where she serves as the Vice President. Throughout her ringing career, she has attended local events including Festival Conference, Family Handbell Camp, MA Spring Rings, the Boston Handbell Festival, and Oktobellfest. In the last couple of years, Amelia has focused on branching out of Area 1 and has participated in a number of national events including Virtuoso, Distinctly Bronze East, National Seminar, where she rang with the All Star Choir, and she was recently selected to participate in Zenith in July of 2025.
Amelia feels strongly about preserving and spreading the art of handbell ringing and is driven to take on a more direct role in those efforts by joining the Area 1 Board. She brings years of ringing experience at local events and a drive to learn the behind the scenes work required for HMA to support ringers on the national and local level. Amelia is extremely well organized, timely, and reliable, and will serve the Area 1 board with the enthusiasm and gumption required to ring a bronze C2, and then some. As Secretary, Amelia is excited to dive in and give back to an organization that has had, and continues to have a profound impact on her life.
Treasurer
Below, you will find out more information about each candidate to inform your vote.
Charles (Chuck) Arnold
Northampton, Massachusetts
Chuck first started ringing for a church handbell ensemble in Saratoga, California almost 20 years ago. Shortly thereafter, while attending a massed event, he got a nasty glare from an advanced ringer after playing a wrong note and promptly quit. And started up again. And quit again. After a few more false starts, Chuck went on a handbell tour of Italy, where he discovered that handbells could be a way for someone like him with little formal musical training to connect with and entertain audiences. After that trip, there were no more false starts. He was hooked on handbells. Since then he has attended dozens of handbell events across the United States and performed in Italy, Spain, France, and the United Kingdom, as well as at Crescendo and Distinctly Bronze East and West. Chuck currently rings with the Merrimack Valley Ringers and subs at any church that will have him.
Chuck has served as treasurer for two state and municipal political campaigns, as well as treasurer of his condominium association. When not playing handbells, Chuck enjoys traveling (with or without handbells), bicycling, running, and flying.
VISION STATEMENT
As Area 1 Treasurer, I vow to act at all times as a good faith fiduciary of Area 1’s assets with integrity, competence, and openness.
As a member of the Area 1 board, I hope to use my influence to expand the reach of handbells into communities and venues where handbells have not traditionally been seen and heard. I shall work to make our larger Area 1 handbell community more open and welcoming to aspiring handbell musicians, and with luck, minimize other people’s false starts.
Peter Grossman
Waltham, Massachusetts
Peter Grossmann has been ringing handbells for most of his adult life. He has rung with the Back Bay Ringers since 2013, and rings both handbells and tower bells with Christ Church Cambridge in Cambridge, MA. By day he designs microchips for Zero ASIC.
Vision Statement:
As Treasurer of Area 1, I would keep things simple wherever possible, and work with other Area 1 board members to provide consistent, reliable information and services.