Board Members
Officers
Eric Jung - President
Eric Jung is an alumnus of the Purple Silk Music Education Foundation program. Eric is a passionate advocate about education and social equity. He has experience in the nonprofit, public, and private sectors and has worked in sustainability, policy, IT, and risk management. Eric previously served on the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab’s Community Advisory Group and is a board member of Berkeley Community Scholars. He received his BA from UC Berkeley and MA from Columbia University.
Susan C. Tom - Vice President / Secretary
Retired teacher and family liaison, OUSD; Former director of Hip Wah Summer Program;
Former director and teacher of Chinese Language Program. Passionate about sharing the Chinese culture to all who are interested. Enjoys putting together Lego sets.
Judy Huang - Treasurer
Judy is a Great Wall Youth Orchestra Alum, having played the Hammer Dulcimer for the orchestra for 10 years. She is currently an Executive Assistant at Riviera Partners, a global executive recruiting firm specializing in Engineering, Product, and Design leadership. She graduated from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania with a BS in Marketing and Communications.
Directors
Eric Ding
Eric Ding is an educator who advocates for the power of music and connections to cultural heritage. During most of the year, Ding is the Assistant Principal of Curriculum and Instruction at a Bay Area comprehensive public high school. As a former All-State viola player, he knows firsthand the power of music to improve the lives of young people because practicing music builds determination, resilience, and rhythm. He is honored to be on the board of Purple Silk to contribute in terms of development, organization, and planning for the bright future of our students and community.
Nick Kanozik
Nicholas Kanozik is a multi instrumentalist, visual artist, conductor, and composer. He unifies his skills through arts administration and education. He is committed to promoting multicultural music, interdisciplinary arts education, and reception of contemporary classical music.
Kanozik Chairs the Instrumental Music Department at Oakland School for the Arts (OSA). In addition to his work at OSA, Kanozik is active in the community through El Sistema, Cal Performances, the Kronos String Quartet, and others.
In his free time Kanozik continues to develop his re-invented Light Organ and visual art endeavors through his business, Kanozik Sound Art.
Ken Kawaichi
Retired judge of the Alameda Court; Mediator and Arbitrator.
Tillman Pugh
Faculty member of San Francisco City College and Alameda College; Professor of Finances and Record Keeping.
Tao Shi
Tao Shi has established a highly reputable career as an Erhu soloist, in-demand
educator, and music director in the Bay Area and China in the past three decades.
Recently in 2021, during Chinese New Year, Tao Shi was invited to make his Erhu
soloist debut, performing “Gallop of Warhorses,” with the San Francisco Symphony and
conductor Ming Luke in their Year of the Ox Virtual Celebration Concert. Mr. Shi has
been invited as Erhu soloist with the San Francisco Conservatory Symphony, Oakland
Symphony, and the Pro-Art Symphony Orchestra, and has closely collaborated with
renowned conductors including Maestro Michael Morgan, James Gardner, John Kendall
Bailey, and renowned oboist Elaine Douvas. Mr. Shi’s acclaimed performances have
reached the major concert halls of Davies Symphony Hall, The Juilliard School, San
Francisco Conservatory’s Caroline Hume Concert Hall, KTSF Channel 26, and China
Central Television (CCTV). Since 2003, Mr. Shi has been music director for the
Rongrong Choir and the Great Wall Youth Orchestra and Choir, and enjoys a career
working as an in-demand music educator for the Oakland Laney College, Oakland
School for the Arts, Edna Brewer Middle School, Gordon J. Lau Elementary School,
Alice Fong Yu Alternative School, and Lincoln Elementary School, where he received
high praise as music educator for Traditional Chinese Instruments from National
Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Former Chairman Jane Chu.
Advisory Board
Donn Harris
Retired public educator with San Francisco Unified School District for 31 years; Former principal of Ruth Asawa SF School of the Arts; Former Executive and Artistic Director of Oakland School for the Arts; Former Executive Director for Creativity for the Arts.
Odell Johnson
Retired. Former President of Laney College for 18 years.
Joseph Ryan
Former teacher (4-8 grades); Principal and Former manager of State grants for future teachers in Los Angeles Unified School District and Santa Monica College. My hobby is sailing San Francisco Bay.
Bill Somerville
Founder and Executive Director of Philanthropic Ventures Foundation. The Foundation specializes in finding outstanding people and trusting them.