Executive Board

Tom Maiello

Dream Founder & Executive Director

Tom is the Founder and Executive Director of the Dream Performing Arts Academy. He has been involved with the performing arts since joining the Bridgemen’s feeder corps in 1982. Tom joined the Garfield Cadets in 1986. He began his teaching career in drum corps with the Stardust Winter Color Guard and in 1990 with the Raiders Drum & Bugle Corps.

He was the Raiders Director from 2000 to 2016. He was the 2005 DCI Director of the Year for Division 3 and served on the DCI Division 2/3/Open Class Advisory Committee for 10 years.

Tom was also Director of Cadets 2 in 2018, and served on the Board of Directors for Cadets Arts and Entertainment in 2020-21. The NJ Drum Corps Hall of Fame inducted Tom in 2013.

Tom started his own insurance agency and now is co-owner of Maiello & Manzi Insurance Agency, founded in 2010.

He has been an insurance industry professional for 30 years, experienced working with small to large clients in risk management for personal and commercial insurance.

Carlos Esquivel

Dream PAA President

Carlos has a history of educating New Jersey’s youth and providing them access to the world of the performing arts.

Carlos has worked at the Union Township Board of Education since 1998. He served on the Elizabeth High School Marching Band Visual Staff from 1990-1997 and as the Assistant Director/Visual Caption Head of the Union High School Marching Band from 1998-2021.

Carlos has marched with several NJ-based drum and bugle corps. He is a founding member of the Raiders Drum and Bugle Corp, serving as the corps first Drum Major in 1991. After aging out, Carlos served on the Raiders visual staff from 1992-95, 1997-1998, and once again in 2009 and 2010. He also served on the visual staff of the Stardust Indoor Color Guard from 1992-96.

Carlos is originally from Elizabeth NJ and now resides in Colonia NJ.

Phil Melius

Dream PAA Secretary

Phil is a retired IT professional, living in River Vale, NJ. Over the years, Phil has been involved in many activities where he and his wife could aid in the growth and happiness of young people. Phil has two grown children living close by and is blessed to have two grandchildren.

Phil was introduced to the Drum Corps activity when his son decided to join the Raiders organization in 1997. He was privileged to serve as the Executive Director of the Raiders Drum and Bugle Corps from 1999-2008. Phil worked closely with Tom Maiello to ensure quality music and life skill-building experiences for all the members.

Phil is passionate and committed to working for the enhancement of Music Education and the health and safety of the student.

Cheryl J Rogers

Dream PAA Board Member

Cheryl J Rogers is passionate about music and about sharing all the gifts that music hasto offer. Retired from Oswego High School after 35 years in public education, Rogers spent a career encouraging, shaping and molding her students into skilled young musicians and performers. With a Bachelor of Music Education from Edinboro University majoring in Viola and minoring in Percussion and a Masters of Science in Music Education majoring in voice from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Ms. Rogers studied viola with Dr. Clifford Cox, Percussion with Cosmo Barbaro and voice and the Alexander Technique with Dr Pamela Lewis.

After starting her teaching career in music in Wellsville, NY as the 4-12 String teacher for the district, in 1984 Mrs. Rogers was invited to join the Oswego City School District to design and implement a string program for the district to complement the already successful band and choral programs. This program now includes 4 string teachers and over 300 string students. She retired in 2016 as the high school orchestra director and K-12 Music Team Leader.
Having a wide range of musical experiences Mrs. Rogers has been a guest conductor for elementary, middle and high school ensembles at the All-County and Area All-State levels, is certified as a NYSSMA adjudicator, was a member of the Erie Thunderbirds and Rochester Crusaders during her marching career, and was a front ensemble director for marching bands and drum and bugle corps. She has traveled across the country as an event manager and judge for USBands and served as the food program manager and volunteer coordinator with The Cadets Drum and Bugle Corps from 2011 until 2021. She serves currently in the role of support staff coordinator for The Boston Crusaders Drum and Bugle Corps. Mrs. Rogers has been recognized locally and nationally for her outstanding contributions to the community and music education and is a member of Who’s Who in American Teachers, was the recipient of the Golden Apple Award for Teaching Excellence and the NY Woman of Distinction in NY State Award from Senator Patty Richie, the Amelia Earhart Woman of Achievement Award from Zonta International, the 2019 Golden Apple award from the Fulton Teacher’s association, and most recently the 2022 Established Music Educator of the Year from the New York State School Music Association. She is a member of NYSSMA, NAFME, and SAI. Mrs. Rogers is also a tireless advocate for educating people about the horror of puppy mills and has fostered over 50 pups directly from mills.
Not completely embracing retirement Mrs. Rogers presently resides in Oswego, New York where she stays active subbing for the instrumental music departments in two districts, is the director of the Oswego Community Youth Orchestra, and continues to advocate for our public-school music programs.

Scott Farkus

Dream PAA Board Member

Scott Farkas is a music educator, percussionist, and composer based in Tacoma, Washington. He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Washington, where his research focused on inclusive community-centered music-making. Scott began his musical career as a marching member of the Raiders Drum and Bugle Corps in 2001. He marched there until his age-out season of 2007 and later served on the percussion staff in 2011 and 2012. After is marching career, Scott moved to Twin Falls, Idaho, where he began working as the professor of percussion and director of jazz and athletic bands at the College of Southern Idaho, Scott has worked as a percussion specialist and consultant for dozens of rural school marching band programs across Ohio, Idaho, and Washington State. He has also judged marching band competitions regularly in Idaho and Utah as well. Scott continues to strive to empower communities to achieve transformative artistic projects through collaborative leadership and inclusive educational practices. He is excited to work with the board of DREAM Performing Arts to bring impactful artistic experiences to a wide variety of students in the pageantry arts.

George Lea

Dream PAA Board Member

For nearly 40 years George Lea has been actively involved in the performing and pageantry arts community. George has performed with the Garfield Cadets and Caballeros of Hawthorne, NJ, and was honored to be a member during multiple championship seasons with each organization. During his career, he has worked as an instructor with the Raiders Drum & Bugle Corps, The Sunrisers and the Bridgemen Alumni Drum & Bugle Corps along with working with High School Bands such as North Rockland High School and Port Chester High School. George’s dedication to the activity continues as he is currently working as a Scholarship Manager with the “1934 Foundation, An Independent Marching Arts Support Organization”.

Shari Kuzel

Dream PAA Board Member

Shari has been a fixture in the Performing Arts Community since she was 9 years old. Having successful years with the Crossmen Drum & Bugle Corps, LI Sunrisers and Hawthorne Caballeros, Shari continued working as a Visual and Marching Instructor with the Raiders Drum & Bugle Corps, 7th Regiment, Hawthorne Caballeros, Connecticut Hurricanes and currently the White Sabers Drum & Bugle Corps. Additionally, Shari has worked with numerous Marching Band as a Visual Instructor throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey, while also working with indoor Percussion groups too. Her dedication and years of experience has made lasting impressions on every organization she has been involved in.

Mark Treglio

Dream PAA Board Member

Mark is the President of NEP Services, a tech and communications company that provides strategic planning, communications, and fundraising resources to emergency responder and non-profit organizations. He is an original member of the Raiders Drum and Bugle Corp and served on their Executive board from 2014-16. Mark has spent nearly 30 years working in public safety. He was a fire fighter/paramedic in Jacksonville Florida before moving to Washington D.C., where he oversaw Communications, Media, and Strategic Campaigns for the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), He worked on assembling new departments that provide crisis response, strategic planning and digital brand building assistance for Firefighters across the United States and Canada.

eric SabacH

Dream PAA Board Member

Eric is a sales and brand/product marketing professional in the school products industry, specializing in music and arts education for Stanbury Uniforms. He attended West Chester University in West Chester, Pennsylvania, where he studied music education. Soon after college, he was hired by Jostens, Inc as a sales representative in their printing and publishing division. There, his success was marked by working with some of the highest-profile accounts in the company. He has won national awards for creativity in marketing and design. He has also worked with the NFL, MLB, NHL, and many fortune 1000 companies in the NY/NJ area. 

Eric has also been actively involved in the Marching Band and Drum Corps Activity for over 40 years, having marched with the Garfield Cadets during their Drum Corps International championship years. He then became a member of the faculty staff with the Star of Indiana and Phantom Regiment Drum Corps. After working with those organizations, he then became the Director of the Blue Stars Drum and Bugle Corps, gaining national attention for the corps success as they returned to Drum Corps International final status. Next, he was named the Director of Marketing and Business Development for the Carolina Crown Drum and Bugle Corps, helping them further develop their brand strategy while creating new products and markets to support their non-profit programs. Eric has sat on the board of directors of both YEA! and the Cades Arts and Entertainment programs. Eric’s adjudication background includes Drum Corps International, Bands of America, and WGI. He is a designer/clinician across the United States working with multiple State and National Marching Band finalists and Championship programs. 

Greg Cinzio

Dream PAA Board Member

 Cadet Years: (1962-1977) 

  • Pre-Cadet Years: Rookie Drummer (1962-1965); Rookie Bugler (1965-1966) 
  • Cadet Marching Years: Soprano/Trumpet (1967-1976); Drum Major (1977) 

Board Member: 1989-1993; 2021-2023 

Cadet Overview: 

CADET / BOARD MEMBER / HISTORIAN / VOLUNTEER / ALUMNI LEADER 

HIS CADET STORY: 

Greg started his drum corps career in 1962 as a “rookie drummer” before transferring to the soprano bugle in 1965. He performed in a couple of parades in 1966 at the age of ten, and then in 1967, because the Vietnam War had inducted several Cadets into the armed forces, was brought up to the “Big Corps” with several other rookie buglers and drummers who were all under the age of thirteen. 

Greg continued to play soprano through the 1976 season, and then in 1977, when he was promoted to Co-Drum Major with John Hannigan, became the first Cadet Drum Major to also play a bugle during the concert number of “Echano”. 

The Cadets are very special to the Cinzio family. That’s where Greg met his wife (Lynn Eikenberg), his brother (Ken) met his wife (Keren Gordon), and his sister Karen met her husband (Warren Corman). In fact, in 1977 they all marched together with Greg as co-Drum Major and his dad (Dr. Joseph Cinzio) as Corps Director. 

Upon graduating from the Corps, Greg continued to volunteer at various alumni functions, beefsteak dinners, phone-a-thons, assisted with the brass instruction for the Cadet Plebe Corps, helped to create the Corps first database with Dave Shaw in the late 70’s and a few recruitment videos, and even participated in the Corps Alumni Corps from 2004-2006. 

Greg was also the co-author of several Cadet History Books including “Reflections . . . a history of Our Corps”(1976); The Cadet Yearbook “Memories” (1976); The Garfield Cadets – A Tradition of Excellence (1984); Cadets – Established 1934 (2009) 

Ben Regalado

Dream PAA Board Member

Ben Regalado has been a fan of the marching arts since high school, and has found ways to be involved with drum corps and marching bands since he graduated college many years ago!  He has served as a Board Member and Treasurer for Carolina Crown (in its first decade), then in similar roles with YEA! (Cadets/Cadets2), and Ascend Performing Arts (Blue Knights). Ben held that position and other leadership roles in middle and high school band boosters and has helped run marching band contests for USBands since 2006.  He also volunteered with the Blue Stars, served as Board Administrator and transitional/interim COO for Inspire Arts & Music (Boston Crusaders) in 2015, and was Executive Director of the Crossmen in the 2022 season.

Ben supports his music habit as a healthcare administration professional.  He and Babet have four grown sons, two of whom marched 11 seasons of drum corps, nine with the Cadets. He is excited to be working with another start up drum corps that will emphasize the excellence in performance and life skills development he values.

Gregg Gausline

Dream PAA Board Member

Dr. Gregg Gausline has been involved in the marching arts activity since 1988 as a member of the final year of the Garfield Cadets.  He was also a member and soprano soloist for the Cadets of Bergen County 1989 and 1990.

Gregg is currently the Associate Director of Bands at the University of New Haven where he conducts the Concert Band, teaches a variety of music courses, and assists with the 270-member University of New Haven Chargers Marching Band.

He received the Doctor of Musical Arts-Instrumental Conducting from the University of Miami, the Master of Music Education from Auburn University, and the Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Mississippi.  Gregg has been a faculty member at several universities and taught in the public schools of Florida.  He has presented clinics throughout the country, as well as Singapore, Ireland, Canada, Colombia, and Costa Rica.

Gregg has had the pleasure of being an instructor for The Cadets, Cavaliers, Magic of Orlando, and Southwind Drum and Bugle Corps.