Download or View The Current By-Laws
NERFA focuses on serving, strengthening, and engaging the Northeast regional folk music community. Our mission is to provide professional development and advocacy for artists, venues, and music professionals within the umbrella genres of folk, roots, and Americana to ensure the vitality of the community and the sustainable pursuit of a life in the arts.
More than 700 performing artists, presenters, promoters, agents, managers, folk DJs, and others actively engaged in contemporary and traditional folk music attend NERFA’s annual music business conference each November. NERFA is governed by a volunteer board of directors that has been engaged in ongoing efforts to make it more of a year-round organization in order to best meet the needs and serve the interests of FAI members from the northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, DC to the provinces of eastern Canada.
The NERFA conference features several jam-packed days and nights of music showcases, song swaps and jam sessions; informative workshops and panel discussions (most pertaining to the business of performing or presenting folk music); one-on-one mentoring and peer group sessions; an exhibit hall; open mics; communal meals, and lots of informal conversation and networking.
Booking gigs may be the primary objective of some performers who attend the conference, and many concert & festival presenters and folk DJs come to scout out new artists and those whom they have not previously heard and seen in live performance. However, the conference experience is much more than that. As a music business conference, it is designed to help attendees forge connections and build community, while also providing learning and performance opportunities that can help enhance their professional and personal lives.
Although it features some wonderful musical performances and is a lot of fun, this is not a music festival. Neither the conference nor its showcases are open to the general public.
Cheryl Prashker (cheryl@nerfa.org)
President (2026)
Cheryl Prashker studied classical percussion at McGill University in her hometown of Montreal, where she landed her first international tour. She honed her skills as an accompanist in New York City, earning tour spots with Eric Andersen, Pat Wictor, Tracy Grammer, Jonathan Edwards, Zoe Mulford and more. She is a founding member of Celtic Roots band RUNA. As an administrator, Cheryl spent 15 years working alongside NERFA founder Dianne Tankle, eventually joining the Board of Directors and serving seven years as President. Cheryl now makes her home in Ontario, where she is Artistic Director and General Manager of the Goderich Celtic Roots Festival, College, and Kids Camp.
Ron Olesko
Vice President (2028)
For nearly 50 years, Ron Olesko has presented folk music on radio, concert stages, magazines, and the Internet. Since 1980, Ron has been the folk music radio host at WFDU-FM in Teaneck, New Jersey and in 2019 Ron launched FOLK MUSIC NOTEBOOK, a 24/7 Internet radio channel devoted to folk music. Ron was the President of the Hurdy Gurdy Folk Music Club in Fair Lawn, New Jersey and has been a writer for Sing Out!.
Jayne Toohey
Secretary (2027)
Jayne Toohey is a nationally known freelance photographer who for more than four decades has specialized in capturing folk music performers and events. She has a BFA in Photography from the School of Visual Arts. In 2018 Jayne was the photo editor of "Smiling Banjo", about the Philadelphia Folk Festival. She has been active for many years in Folk Alliance and NERFA conferences and events, including as editor of the NERFA conference program book. From 2005- 2009 Jayne produced the “Naked Folk Calendar” as an effort to promote health insurance for folk musicians. Jayne resides in Media, Pennsylvania.
Carol Lowe
Treasurer (2026)
Carol and her husband Jeff are the founders of Folkus-NYC.org, a family-run initiative that brings singer-songwriters to the stage at Brooklyn Art Haus in Williamsburg, NY. With three generations of the Lowe family involved, Folkus-NYC is a true labor of love for live music. Carol’s passion for supporting musical artists began during her time with the First Acoustics team, led by Coco and Bruce Wilde. She is a devoted champion of touring troubadours, known for greeting artists with a warm hug, a smile and offers something to eat. Professionally, Carol is a seasoned Human Resources professional with over 25 years of experience, primarily serving nonprofit organizations throughout New York City.
Bernie Drury
Board Member (2026)
Bernie is an esteemed music professional and current President of the Skyland Songwriters Guild. With a profound dedication to fostering songwriting talent, Bernie is actively engaged with the music community that supports and inspires artists. His background in business and songwriting, coupled with a passion for education enables him to contribute to an environment where emerging and established songwriters can collaborate and flourish. Before retiring in 2020, Bernie spent 22 years as the VP of Sales and Marketing serving the Aviation Industry.
Kemp Harris
Board Member (2027)
Born in segregated Edenton, North Carolina, and transplanted to Massachusetts, Kemp learned to adapt to whatever world he found himself in, a talent that has come to define him as a person and an artist. Kemp is a dynamic American singer-songwriter, acclaimed for his soulful blend of folk, blues, and R&B. He's also an actor, activist, author, and storyteller, and an award-winning educator who has taught young public-school students for more than 40 years. Known for his powerful voice and compelling lyrics, Harris has captivated audiences across the country with his evocative storytelling and engaging performances. His career spans decades, during which he has released several well-received albums and shared stages with prominent artists. Kemp also serves on the board for Passim in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Amy Putnam
Board Member (2027)
Amy is a New Hampshire based visual artist, folk/acoustic music fan, photographer, writer, and more. She also currently works as webmaster and social media support for Patty Larkin, Anne Weiss, Guy Davis, Mimi Fox, and Michael Fitzpatrick. For the past couple of decades, she has been attending, volunteering, and merching at concerts, festivals, and conferences, allowing her to cultivate relationships around all areas of the folk community. These relationships and experiences have allowed for a constantly deepening understanding of how various parts work together. Amy is also a member of the LGBTQ community and has a hearing disability, providing an even wider base of insights useful to a diverse community like NERFA
Rees Shad
Board Member (2028)
Rees Shad is an award-winning educator and musician and record producer who has, over the course of a prolific 40+ year career, released 32 albums (17 solo) albums that are often both poignant and profound. He is particularly dedicated to crafting short story songs that cross genre lines to serve the spirit of each tale he weaves and engage his audiences in deep and meaningful ways. Shad’s latest release Porcelain Angel (2025) has being lauded for its “grace and elegance” (Americana UK), “all-knowing tonality” (Americana Highways), and for “pushing the boundaries of musical storytelling” (The Rogovoy Report).
Naomi Westwater
Board Member (2028)
Naomi Westwater (they/she) is a Black, queer singer-songwriter from Massachusetts. Their work combines folk-rock music, poetry, and spirituality. Through ritual and storytelling, they hope to aid nature in the end of capitalism and the return to community, creativity, and collective joy. Naomi holds a Master of Music from Berklee College of Music and is part of The Club Passim Folk Collective, producing Reimagining Lilith Fair. Naomi is a five-time Boston Music Awards nominee, and named to WBUR’s 2024 Makers list. They produce We Make Noise Fest, Reclaiming Folk, and recently released a concept album, Cycle & Change.