Administrator

As an administrator, Chaz is currently the Music School Director for Community School for Music and Arts (CSMA), which is Northern California’s largest nonprofit school for arts education. CSMA proudly serves 28K+ students and employs over 70 music faculty members across the San Francisco Bay Area. Previously, he served as Dean of Education and member of the faculty at Opus 1 Music Studio located in Mountain View and Palo Alto, where he helped double student enrollment and supervise over 40 faculty.

Previous to his time in California, Chaz worked in many capacities across nonprofit and for-profit sectors throughout the Midwest in Minneapolis and Milwaukee. He founded and led K&S Conservatory’s Passport to the Arts, an initiative aimed at connecting the community with the school’s faculty performances and local visual artists. He served on the board of the Minnesota Philharmonic Orchestra, the Crescendo Project of the Minnesota Orchestra, and volunteer for Citizens League’s civic committees. He had a substantial role as board member and VP of Education for Young Professionals of the Twin Cities, ensuring professional development opportunities for over 2,500 members through local seminars and lectures.

Chaz is proud to have worked as an executive-level assistant for the Saint Paul and Minnesota Foundations, which currently stewards $1.7B in charitable assets, impacting equitable and community organizations across all of Minnesota. During his time there, he was part of the team to develop GiveMN, which was one of the country’s first online donor portals, connecting nonprofits with generous donors passionate about their area of impact. Preceding his time with the Saint Paul and Minnesota Foundations, he served as the Operations Manager for The Twin Cities Community Gospel Choir where he worked directly with the artistic director Robert Robinson and board members to organize concerts, events, and logistics.

Chaz received his Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from Augsburg College where he was the proud and gracious recipient of the Shika Addo Memorial Scholarship for his dedication to community and civic leadership. In addition to his contributions as an administrator, Chaz has volunteered for several organizations

Community

Chaz is a proud supporter and donor of nonprofit community organizations. He seeks out new opportunities at every step to contribute his services and show support. Continue reading below to learn about a few of the organizations he’s grateful to contribute to, and encourages others to join.

Are you an organization looking for volunteers? Please send a message by clicking below.

  • Aeon Connect

Since 1986, Aeon has worked to serve the growing number of people in the Twin Cities who struggle to afford housing. With a vision that every person has a home and is interconnected within community, Aeon’s mission is to create and sustain quality, affordable homes that strengthen lives and communities. Strong communities start with the individuals and families who live within them—and we believe that home is at the center of a successful life. Learn more.

  • Boys and Girls Club

Spanning the world, the Boys and Girls Club provides programs and services strategically designed to help create confident, educated, and informed leaders out of every member they serve by ensuring every child has mentors and champions in life. Their focus is on advocating for the existence of opportunities for youth in every community to enable success for all. Learn more.

  • Citizens league

The Citizens League is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that empowers people to engage in civic life and public policy to make Minnesota a better place to live and work for everyone. Leading with a multi-partisan approach, the organization develops leaders in public policy, builds awareness of issues, and creates strong public policy. Learn more.

  • Don Edwards San Francisco Bay Wildlife Refuge

In the heart of California's high-tech industry lies a wildlife oasis in an urban sea with 30,000 acres of habitat for millions of migratory birds and endangered species. Established in 1972 through local activism, the refuge provides not only critical habitat for threatened and endangered species, but opportunities for people to enjoy the benefits of nature. Learn more.

  • Junior Achievement

Junior Achievement is a national program that works to help young people discover what’s possible in their lives. They do this by helping them connect what they learn in school with life outside the classroom, letting them know it’s possible to invest in their future, to gain a better understanding of how the world works, and to pursue their dreams. Learn more.

  • Rainbow Health

Rainbow Health is the consolidation of several human services initiatives, including the MN AIDS Project. Combined, they work for equitable health care access and outcomes for people who experience injustice at the intersection of health status and identity. Their work centers on individuals and communities at risk of and living with HIV or facing barriers to equitable health care access and outcomes because of their identity as gender, sexual, and/or racial minorities. Learn more.

  • Leukemia and Lymphoma Society

Dedicated to curing leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma, and other blood cancers, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) is the world's largest voluntary (nonprofit) health organization dedicated to funding blood cancer research and providing education and patient services. Since 1949, they’ve invested nearly $1.6 billion in groundbreaking research, pioneering many of today’s most innovative approaches. Learn more.

  • Minnesota Orchestra

The Minnesota Orchestra is a Grammy Award-winning orchestra known for acclaimed performances in the state and around the world, a storied history of recordings and radio broadcasts, innovative educational engagement programs and a commitment to new orchestral music. Among the ranks of the world’s top orchestras, they’ve been host to some of history’s most recognized conductors and musicians. Learn more.

  • MN Philharmonic orchestra

The Minnesota Philharmonic Orchestra seeks to provide diverse arts entertainment of the highest quality, resulting in increased visibility for the musical talents of the LGBTQA community. Learn more.

  • U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

The history of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service can be traced back to 1871. They are the only federal government agency whose primary responsibility is to manage fish and wildlife resources in the public trust for people today and future generations. Learn more.

  • Valley outreach

Valley Outreach provides people with a wide range of support – whether they need food, clothing, or help to navigate resources during challenging times. Their programs include a food shelf, clothing program, and client support services. Learn more.

  • Robert Robinson

    “I had the pleasure of working with Chaz at the TCC Gospel Choir office. Charles was such a wonderful asset to the choir office. He was thorough, supportive, driven and always willing to give 100% to make the program come together. What I enjoyed most about working with him was his positive energy. He was always coming up with new and unique ways to help promote the choir's work and find wonderful ways to do fundraising, while yet remaining true to our mission. He was a delight to supervise and I wish him well in all his future endeavors.”

  • Ben Brueshoff

    “Chaz has been a tremendous and vital member of the Board. Since his being elected, he has spearheaded a new educational series, Auxesia, and through this new venture he has shown both creative thought and professional initiative. Furthermore, I am highly impressed by the level of enthusiasm and commitment that he has brought to our organization!”