Board of Directors

is a Registered Nurse and a Certified Music Practitioner, with an extensive background in Alternative Healing Modalities. She is a hospice worker, Reiki Practitioner, and a teacher of Therapeutic Touch, trained by Delores Krieger, RN, Ph.D. and Dora Kunz. Additionally, she is a harper, singer, liturgical musician and retreat leader. Prior to becoming Executive Director of MHTP, she was a Community Health Nurse at Camphill Village, Inc. an Anthroposophical community for disabled adults in Copake, NY.

helps clients access their abilities to heal themselves—body, mind, and spirit—through her work as a Reiki Master and Teacher, Certified Music Practitioner, Meditation Instructor, and Certified Birth Doula. She is a member, and master teacher, of the International Association of Reiki Professionals, and serves on the Board of Mind, Body, Spirit Connected, a professional organization of holistic practitioners. Carol holds a Master of Science degree in Zoology, and completed three years of Doctoral studies and research in Wildlife Ecology. She has worked for the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, and for the past 24 years Carol has worked for the National Park Service as a park ranger and manager, in parks around the country and on international assignments.

is a Certified Music Practitioner, and a 4th generation harper, performing publicly and privately. As a CMP, she works with dementia patients, individuals on kidney dialysis and with the dying. Kris has a harp teaching studio in Glenville, PA. She performs with several ensembles, arranges for the harp and has a recording.

Susan is a professional harpist, Certified Music Practitioner and Reiki Master. Susan studied with Laura Erb, Professor of Harp at Baldwin Wallace College and former principal harpist of the Buffalo Symphony Orchestra. Susan currently teaches harp and performs at weddings, funerals and special occasions. Susan volunteers her music to families of local military, police, fire and all safety forces fallen in the line of duty. She is currently working as a CMP at EnnisCourt Skilled Nursing Care and Assisted Living. Susan is also the MHTP Advertising Administrator and the Ohio Area Coordinator.

is a Certified Music Practitioner, employed part-time by Montgomery Regional Hospital in Blacksburg VA to provide therapeutic harp music throughout the facility. She plays often for healing and memorial services, as well as festive occasions, and gives presentations on MHTP and her experiences with healing harping. Debby is a Research Scientist on the Computer Science faculty at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, and is interested in applying her 20 years of academic research experience to add to the growing scientific body of literature on the effects of therapeutic music.

Carol Joy Loeb is a Registered Nurse and a Certified Music Practitioner. She has specialized in Emergency Medicine and Critical Care during her nursing career, and as a music practitioner she sees first hand that live therapeutic music plays an important integral part on the healthcare team. Today Carol Joy focuses her full time career as a music practitioner by working with patients in the Baltimore / Washington area hospitals, hospices, nursing homes and private homes. She also teaches for MHTP and educates the community at large about the benefits of live therapeutic music in the healthcare setting.

Rachel Allen is a Certified Music Practitioner employed full time at Windber Medical Center, a Planetree facility in southwestern Pa. She works in the Integrative Medicine Department applying therapeutic music with voice, harp, guitar and Native American Flute in the hospital and hospice units at WMC. Rachel is also a trained REMO Health Rhythms Group Empowerment Drumming, Yamaha Clavinova Connection and Guided Labyrinth Walk Facilitator. She is also a member of the Interfaith Spiritual Healing Meditation team and a Planetree Ambassador. Rachel was a participating Fellow at the Melodious Accord Institute in Massachusetts with Alice Parker. Rachel performs regionally as a solo artist and with WorldSong, a vocal and percussion based world music ensemble.

Barbara W. Lepke-Sims is a well-known harpist and Certified Music Practitioner in Denver, CO. Since 1978 she has had a successful freelance career and has released 3 recordings of her own. She also teaches harp in her private studio, at Colorado Christian University and Regis University. Barb holds a Master of Music from The Juilliard School having studied under Susann McDonald and an MBA from the University of Colorado in Boulder. She has been active in the American Harp Society and has held many offices, including Chairman of the Board. Her focus now in her career is as an Area Coordinator and CMP serving at Children’s Hospital and other healthcare facilities. Barb loves being a CMP and feels like all of her life’s experiences and skills have come together in order to serve in this capacity.