Alumni Networking Social

Class of 2014, Berklee College of Music, Songwriting

Khiyon Hursey is a writer and composer based in Los Angeles and New York. He was a staff writer for Netflix’s romantic musical drama, SOUNDTRACK and is currently co-writing LOVE IN AMERICA, a movie musical to be produced by Issa Rae at Universal. He is the recipient of the ASCAP Foundation’s Irving Burgie Scholarship, Bart Howard Songwriting Scholarship, and the Lucille and Jack Yellen award, a 2016 NAMT Writers Grant, a 2016 - 2017 Dramatists Guild Musical Theater Fellow, 2017 Space on Ryder Farm Residency, 2018 Johnny Mercer Songwriters Project residency, 2019 ASCAP Musical Theatre Workshop with Stephen Schwartz, 2019 Rhinebeck Writers Retreat, the 2020 Johnny Mercer Writers Colony at Goodspeed Musicals and the 2020 Stephen Schwartz Award. His musical, EASTBOUND (Book and Lyrics) was selected for the 2020 National Alliance of Musical Theatre Conference and he has works in development at New York Stage and Film and Ars Nova. 

Khiyon got his start as the music assistant on the off-Broadway and Broadway productions and the Grammy Award Winning Cast Album of HAMILTON. He's been a guest lecturer at Columbia, Yale and Berklee College of Music on Musical Theater.

Class of 2013, Boston Conservatory at Berklee, Musical Theater

Riley Brack mentors the personal development of youth through the performing arts, mindfulness practices and outdoor/environmental education. Upon graduating The Boston Conservatory at Berklee, he has traveled the U.S. as a performer and mindfulness educator. He has directed hundreds of students in musical performances in Seattle, WA,  studied children’s mental health at The New Earth Institute in Santa Fe, NM, and served as the Dean of Arts and Culture at a school in New Orleans, LA. 

Riley has recently joined Northwest Youth Services, supporting LGBTQ+ youth of color experiencing homelessness. He continues to virtually support students in his hometown of Baltimore, MD and through his own nature-based mentorship program at bracktotheearth.com. He is currently pursuing certification as a mindfulness-based stress management teacher through Mindfulness Northwest to further his mission of expanding wellness practices to underserved communities.

Class of 2016, Boston Conservatory at Berklee, Musical Theater

Zeniba Now (she/her/Z) is an award-winning writer of musical theatre. She is the winner of the 2020 Richard Rodgers Award for cowriting the musical, THE LOOPHOLE.  Her written work has been featured and produced by PBS, The Public Theater, Woolly Mammoth, Dramatist Magazine, and more. 

Zeniba was a residency writer and fellow at #BARS at The Public and The Dramatist Guild Foundation. She has performed internationally, regionally, and Off-Broadway as a vocalist and actress, most recently in INTERSTATE at MIXED BLOOD, afloat at WP THEATRE, and in concert w/ Tony & the Kiki, Joe's Pub, The Greenroom42, Musical Theatre Factory, Ring of Keys, and 54 Below.  

Z aims to tell epic stories with musical fabric as joyfully and sustainably as possible. You can find some of her work on Spotify, Youtube, or at www.zenibanow.com.

Class of 2014, Boston Conservatory at Berklee, Theater 

Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, Francesca Frederick (or “Frankie” for short) is a passionate supporter of the arts and currently works as the Senior Manager of Visitor Services at the Paley Center for Media. After graduating from the Boston Conservatory, Frankie decided to combine her passion for the arts with her interest in its dissemination and transitioned to her current career in arts administration and management. She has enjoyed working at renowned arts organizations like Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival and Manhattan School of Music, to name a few. 

Francesca currently sits on the Board of Trustees for Berklee School of Music and The Boston Conservatory at Berklee. She is a champion for the arts and arts education, and an avid arts supporter.

Class of 2004, Berklee College of Music, Music Business

Joy Daniels is a entrepreneur and creative based out of Los Angeles, CA. A former touring background vocalist, Joy is currently spending their time building a property management company and focusing one songwriting/production. Joy can be found on instagram @joyforthepeople.  

Class of 2018, Boston Conservatory at Berklee, Dance

Jazz Khai Bynum is a professional ballet dancer in Ballet West’s second company. She began training at the age of 5 with Hudson Repertory Dance Theatres’ after school program. She continued her training in Maryland where she danced at Maryland Youth Ballet and Dance Theatre of Harlems’ Residency Program at the Kennedy Center. Jazz always knew she wanted to be a ballet dancer and has never let anything stop her from pursuing her dream. Some of the biggest obstacles she has had to overcome were the 4 major surgeries she recovered from, which she later learned were a result of Ehlors Danlos Syndrome; a hypermobility disorder.

Her goals as a ballet dancer are to become a principal dancer; to be apart of the change to normalize black faces in ballet companies and dismantle micro-aggressions in our workspace; to be an example for young brown and black ballerinas that we do belong; and to create awareness and better care for young dancers and dancers in higher education to have the proper facilities to recover from injuries and daily care. She believes we are artistic athletes and our care should be no different than the professional and D1/D2 etc. athletes.

In addition to becoming a professional ballerina, Jazz wants to publish a few books and open her own Wedding and Event Planning business. She is also an activist and protester, so as much change she is striving for in the dance world she is actively working and fighting for black and brown people to receive the equality we deserve. Jazz lives her life passionately and will always strive to spread love and positivity.

Class of 2009, Berklee College of Music, Performance

Dāna James joined Berklee in September 2018, transitioning from a nonprofit healthcare association, where she spearheaded data and technology strategies for six years and eventually assumed the role of information and systems specialist. She is Associate Director of Alumni Affairs in Los Angele where she oversees alumni programming and activities in the western regions of the U.S.

A Berklee alumna, she completed her degree in performance as a vocalist and continues to work on music projects. Outside of Berklee, she's passionate about social equity, consuming as much film and TV content as humanly possible, and spending time with her chosen and biological families. She has a strong affinity for silver glitter.

Class of 2019, Berklee College of Music, Performance

Jarrell Campbell is a Drummer/Percussionist, Producer, and Artist from Houston TX. He graduated from Berklee College of Music in 2019 and has played with names such as Doobie Powell, Mike Stern, David Fiuczynski, as well as the Blueman Group. Known for his energy and precision, Jarrell's playing inspires and captivates the listener. His goal is to make you "feel how I feel" every time he sits down to play a note. Ever evolving, Jarrell is now taking that same energy and precision and applying it to his production and artistry under the name, Lajone. Dropping his first single, "Only A Man", he continues to push to new heights in his creativity and career.

Class of 2013, Berklee College of Music, Music Business & Management

Rashad currently lives in Los Angeles and operates an Independent Music Licensing agency. The agency represents music from a diverse range of talented creators from around the world. On a daily basis, Rashad does creative music searches, licensing and clearance, brainstorms promotional rollouts, and works to secure partnerships with labels such as Slip N Slide Records, which controls the Masters rights to Rick Ross' early catalogue of music. 

Rashad also has partnerships in place with creative teams and music publishers in 5+ countries. He has pitched music that has landed in projects seen on Amazon Prime, Hulu (FX), ABC, CBS and more.

Class of 2013, Berklee College of Music, Music Education

Melissa Myatt is a Chicago-born, Inglewood-bred singer-songwriter. As a student, the music education major worked as a resident assistant, served as BSU Vice President, and worked with the Diversity and Inclusion Office overseeing and consulting for events, such as the grand opening of the Berklee Africana Studies Center; as well as, helmed a soul band while studying abroad in Greece. Off-campus, Melissa and her band, Melissa Myatt & the Chase, frequently performed at locally known venues such as All Asia, Middle East, Brighton Music Hall, Wally’s, Darryl’s and many more. 

As an artist, Melissa has released two self-produced EPs (2011’s "Defined" and 2016’s "Caution: Love"). She also wrote and produced the soundtrack for the 2016 indie film "Walter Walk with God". As an educator, she has operated her own online and in-home private music lesson school, worked as an elementary school music teacher for the DeKalb County School District in Georgia, and presently serves as a Mental Health Educator with the National Alliance on Mental Illness in Los Angeles. She is also currently studying to become a software engineer, which she hopes will assist her in developing innovative technologies that will merge her passion for music and mental health awareness and advocacy.

Class of 2011, Berklee College of Music, Music Business/Management

Khandeya Sheppard is a steelpan musician, educator, and arts administrator with a wide range of solo and ensemble performance experiences in the United States and Trinidad and Tobago. In 2011, Khandeya became the first female steelpan graduate from Berklee College of Music, receiving a B.M. in Music Business/Management with a minor in Africana Studies: Music & Society. She also holds a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Music Entrepreneurship from UMBC. 

Khandeya was formerly a Preparatory Academy and Faculty Outreach Teacher for the Berklee City Music Boston program. In 2013, she began working for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra OrchKids music education initiative and currently serves as a Senior Program Manager of three sites. She is active as a solo performer, the music director and leader of NEXUS Band and Dynamic Steel Project, and the creator and co-founder of the Black Berklee Network.