Kari Kron
Kari Kron has been passionate about Lindy hop since she began in 2011. She works hard to stay updated in the global community and bring her love of dance to her local scene.
She has served on the boards of the Houston Swing Dance Society and the Austin Swing Syndicate and is the founder of her own group, Lindy Launchpad. Driven by a passion for growth and personal development, Kari strives to attend as many large scale events as possible, believing there is always room for learning and inspiration.
Nik Brauer
Nik has been dancing at the Syndicate since 2009 after discovering swing in 2003, and hopes to help the scene grow and thrive for many years to come.
Nik has built many friendships here and also met his wife while taking lessons and dancing at the Syndicate! A regular on our DJ list, Nik is a fantastic contributor to our Thursday dances. With a great track record of working with dancers, organizers, instructors, and musicians in the Austin and National swing dance scene, the Board is excited to add Nik as our VP.
Thomas Bales
Thomas Bales has been swing dancing since February 2024, when on a whim he decided to attend the Austin Swing Syndicate Thursday night dance. He immediately fell in love with swing dancing, and has since attended most dances at the Fed.
He has been an avid lover of jazz since he first discovered it in middle school, and regularly plays saxophone at jazz jams around town.
Sam Temple
Sam is excited to continue helping the Syndicate run and grow!
Sam has been a volunteer since August 2022 and a Shift Lead since November 2023. Since joining the board he has supported the Thursday dances as Houston (the Board Member On-Call) and knows the current processes and inner workings of the Syndicate. Outside of the Syndicate and while in college he has also held roles in the student chapter of AIChE including Webmaster and Chapter President. Some goals he has in being part of the board include, leveraging data on attendance and classes to help with planning, updating processes and organizing board records, continuing support of current projects on research and marketing, and supporting the rest of the board in their goals and projects.
Luke Allen
A rising star in the Austin jazz scene, Luke Allen discovered swing dancing through fellow musicians at jazz jams. Since then, he has become a devoted member of the community, attending the weekly Fed social dance all but 4 Thursdays since his first class last April.
As a musician, Luke has organized and promoted live music events for dancers with his Luke Allen Duo. One of Luke’s inspirations for joining the board has been witnessing so many high energy, exciting swing events fail to sustain themselves financially. As a board member, Luke hopes to streamline front desk operations at the weekly Fed dance, host and promote a greater number of dance events at public venues, and ultimately grow the community to its true potential.
Matt Knauf
Matt has been an active volunteer with the Syndicate for several years, contributing in a variety of capacities. He also helps on our ALX Committee!
In addition to Matt’s involvement with the Syndicate, he has prior experience working with nonprofit organizations. He has done roles focused on improving operational efficiency and supporting organizational growth. Notably, he led the digitization of processes for a large fundraising barbecue event, which streamlined operations and contributed to significant expansion.
During his time with the Syndicate, he has supported numerous functions, including front desk operations, ballroom closing, and assisting with our Safe Spaces follow up. He is committed to continuing this level of service and contributing to the organization’s ongoing success.
Sam Matthews
Sam was first introduced to swing dancing while taking a social dance class at UT, and has been a regular in the Austin scene ever since.
In addition to dancing, Sam enjoys spending time outdoors, especially camping, and is currently working his way through all the national parks. He also enjoys building things and taking on hands on projects, which carries over to how he approaches volunteering and giving back.
You’ve probably seen Sam checking people in at the front desk on Thursday nights. He believes in building communities and is excited to contribute by joining the board and helping guide the organization through its upcoming transition into the future.