Nick Williams
Nick has a background in music, sound, live events, and communication and is glad to have found a place in the community to do what he loves.
Nick Williams has been an active member of the Austin swing dance scene for several years. He’s thrilled with the fantastic collection of local jazz music and top-notch community his home town has to offer and wants to keep this core running strong for all to discover and be a part of. He’s ready for another great year at the Austin Swing Syndicate — and as always, ready for some great swing dancing.
Jennifer Reed
Jennifer Reed has been in service to the Austin Swing Syndicate for many years.
She is the current teacher coordinator, and her previous roles include:
* Board Member (2 yrs)
* Volunteer coordinator (5 yrs)
* Teacher coordinator (6 yrs)
* New Years Eve event chair (3 yrs)
Jennifer wishes to join the Austin Swing Syndicate board to focus on:
* Increasing and sustaining our membership base
* Growing the Swing dance community through recruitment, retention, and outreach strategies
* Creating educational opportunities for dancers and teachers to encourage a stronger overall dance scene
* Securing grant funding to contribute to a stable financial future and enable the Syndicate to focus on growth efforts
Jennifer is no stranger to serving on a nonprofit board. She is the current president of the Hot Rhythm Foundation (HRF), the organization that runs Hot Rhythm Holiday and the Riverboat Cruise. In the past two years, Jennifer has secured over $75k in grant funding for HR, and she seeks to dedicate her skills, time, and efforts to The Syndicate.
In addition to her local efforts, Jennifer is the event manager for The California Balboa Classic and is often tapped to consult on events and volunteer in other capacities. She has learned a lot through her years of volunteering and partnering with other communities and feels she is well-positioned to help The Syndicate identify, focus, and enact their growth efforts.
Jennifer brings a spirit of service to the community, and she hopes to see the Austin Swing scene thrive for many years to come.
Phillip Wiemeyer
Phil was introduced to swing dancing in 2008 and has been a part of the scene ever since.
He has traveled extensively to take part in exchanges as far as Seattle, Mexico City, Atlanta, Bogotá and to others exotic locations such as Nebraska. He even has taken 3rd place in competitions at least once! Phil has taught classes in Lindy Hop—including at the Fed—and enjoys spreading the joy that is swing dancing. He is interested in joining the board to continue to have a positive impact on the Austin dance scene. He wants to focus on building an inclusive and welcoming community, especially to beginners. When Phil isn’t dancing he us usually thinking about philosophy and wondering if dogs remember their dreams or if he used the em dash properly in this essay.
Lon Nix
You may have seen me around the Fed as one of the volunteers, being an Ambassador, teaching a class or just having a chat.
Over the past two years I have become more and more involved and I want to continue to do more. Currently I’m serving as the marketing coordinator, helping to reboot the Ambassador program and just recently gave a History of Lindy Hop lesson at a local high school for Black History month.
I really want the opportunity to help the Syndicate increase its community outreach and become known for more than just a Thursday night dance. I would like to see us working with local bands and venues to bring the joy of Swing dancing and its history to more people and places and have fun doing it. I have a passion for getting to know people and working together towards a common goal and I think joining the board will be a great way to get to do that.
Amanda Eakin
Swing dancing and the community around it have brought so much joy to my life.
On the board I’d like to help the Syndicate not just survive but grow, so more people can discover and enjoy what it has to offer. By day, I help young startup companies learn how to sell and scale. I’d love to apply some of the same thinking to the Syndicate so that dancers, musicians and members of the greater community all benefit from swing dancing becoming a bigger part of Austin culture.
Sam Temple
I am excited to be running for the Syndicate board and hope to continue helping the syndicate run and grow
I have been a volunteer since August 2022 and a shift lead since November 2023. Since joining the board as an interim member I have supported the Thursday dances as Houston and know the current processes and inner workings of the Syndicate. Outside of the Syndicate and while in college I have also held roles in the student chapter of AIChE including webmaster and chapter president. Some goals I have in being part of the board include, leveraging data on attendance and classes to help with planning, update processes and organize board records, continue support of current projects on research and marketing, and support the rest of the board in their goals and projects.
Emory Thompson
Lindy Hop to me is the perfect intersection of community, athleticism, and creative expression.
I have been dancing since 2007 when I showed up for a swing dance in college where we were all clueless but so excited. I always try to remember that initial feeling that brought me to this dance. Having a good time, meeting new people, and escaping from whatever struggles you have during the week even if just for 3 minutes at a time. I remain so excited that I found an art form that I love and can continue growing into that art form. It is that intersection of community, music, visual arts, learning, and unfettered joy that I think makes this dance so special and I am excited to play a greater role in helping to maintain and build those opportunities in Austin.