Board of Directors

Michael V. Holdt is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Michael V. Holdt Music Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded on the belief that music can do far more than entertain, it can transform lives, create opportunities, build human connection, and inspire a greater sense of purpose and achievement. He is also the visionary behind the Foundation’s Big Shot Center for Personal Achievement, an initiative dedicated to helping autistic adults and individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities discover their abilities, strengthen independence, build confidence, and experience the dignity and pride of meaningful personal achievement. Michael brings more than four decades of experience as a musician, educator,
performer, mentor, band manager, consultant, inventor, and author to this charitable mission.

Michael’s distinguished musical career includes studying with internationally renowned percussionists George Huttlin, Marshall Maley, Buddy Rich, and Tony Martucci, and receiving First Prize in Classical Timpani at the Vienna International Music Festival in 1983. His career has spanned classical, jazz, rock, funk, Latin, and popular music and has included performing, collaborating, managing, or consulting with recognized artists including Prince, Carlos Santana, James Taylor, Wynton Marsalis, Steve Marcus, and members of the Jersey Boys production. He managed the Choper Jazz Project from 2003 through 2016, authored a comprehensive Career Guidebook for musicians, and has contributed his talents to community service, including performing with the United Service Organizations (USO) for active-duty military personnel and Wounded Warriors.

At the heart of Michael’s charitable vision is his experience mentoring two autistic young adults, through which he witnessed firsthand how individualized musical engagement could foster communication, confidence, connection, self-expression, and personal accomplishment. Those experiences helped inspire a broader mission to create opportunities for individuals whose abilities and potential are too often overlooked. Through the Michael V. Holdt Music Foundation and Big Shot Center for Personal Achievement, Michael is bringing together a lifetime of music, education, mentorship, innovation, and service to use music as a vehicle for opportunity, inclusion, independence, creativity, and human potential. For Michael, this work represents
music with a greater purpose—and a legacy measured not simply by professional accomplishments, but by the lives it helps empower and change.

Michael J. Wyatt is an award-winning singer-songwriter, composer, professional vocalist, educator, and vocal coach who brings decades of experience in music, performance, teaching, and artist development to the charitable mission of the Michael V. Holdt Music Foundation. A former Assistant Director and Master Teacher at the House of Voice in Beverly Hills, Michael has devoted much of his career to helping others discover and develop their voices through individualized instruction, mentorship, and encouragement. An accomplished performer with a rare five-octave vocal range, he has performed across multiple musical genres in concert halls, stadiums, churches, and major venues, while continuing his work as a songwriter, composer, recording artist with Steel Bleau, and co-host of The Business of Music podcast.

Michael’s work is rooted in the belief that music is more than entertainment: it can educate, empower, connect, build confidence, and transform lives. Through the Michael V. Holdt Music Foundation and its charitable programs, he uses his lifetime of professional experience to create opportunities for education, creative expression, mentorship, inclusion, and personal growth. His approach focuses on meeting people where they are, recognizing their strengths, and helping them discover what they can achieve. For Michael, the Foundation embodies what music has always meant to him: a powerful way to connect with others, inspire possibilities, and help people discover their potential.

Rich Gibson brings a lifetime of business leadership, financial expertise, nonprofit governance, and community service to the Michael V. Holdt Music Foundation. His charitable involvement includes serving as Vice President of the Long Beach Rotary Club Board, a board member of the Rotary Charitable Foundation, Treasurer for the Disabled Resource Center Board, and twice as President of the Long Beach Tippers networking club, along with many additional years of board service. Professionally, Rich spent 39 years as a business owner and corporate executive in the ready-mixed concrete industry before transitioning to the financial sector in 2007. As a comprehensive wealth manager, he has built his practice around trust, fiduciary responsibility,
accountability, and helping individuals make informed decisions about their financial futures.

Rich brings this extensive experience to the Michael V. Holdt Music Foundation, helping strengthen its commitment to responsible financial stewardship, organizational sustainability, strategic planning, and accountability to donors and the community. His longstanding dedication to charitable service aligns with the Foundation’s mission of using music, creativity, education, and community engagement to create opportunities and improve lives, including programs serving autistic adults and individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Through his combination of business acumen, financial expertise, nonprofit leadership, and community involvement, Rich helps ensure that the Foundation’s compassionate vision is supported by the sound leadership and responsible stewardship necessary to create meaningful and lasting impact.

Aaron Johnson brings more than 20 years of professional tax and accounting experience to the Michael V. Holdt Music Foundation, where his expertise supports financial integrity, accountability, and responsible stewardship that is essential to advancing its nonprofit mission. As a federally licensed Enrolled Agent, Aaron has built his career on honesty, fairness, transparency, and trust. Known for making complex financial matters understandable, he approaches those he serves as partners and believes financial knowledge should empower people and strengthen their ability to build better lives.

Aaron brings that same philosophy and dedication to the Michael V. Holdt Music Foundation, recognizing that meaningful nonprofit work requires both an inspiring vision and a strong financial foundation. His commitment to sound financial practices and responsible stewardship helps ensure that resources are managed carefully and directed toward sustainable programs and community impact, including initiatives such as the Big Shot Center for Personal Achievement. By combining decades of financial expertise with a genuine commitment to service, Aaron helps strengthen the Foundation’s mission to use music, creativity, education, mentorship, and human connection to empower individuals, create opportunities, and change lives.

Avalon Sky is a fundraiser, artist, and community activist who brings a strong combination of artistic perspective, community advocacy, and fundraising experience to the Michael V. Holdt Music Foundation. Throughout her work, she has been committed to supporting musicians and artists in developing their talents and pursuing their creative goals, while using creativity as a means of bringing people together and strengthening communities. Her fundraising experience
further supports the Foundation by helping build relationships with donors, volunteers, artists, community partners, and advocates, whose involvement is essential to developing sustainable charitable programs and expanding the Foundation’s impact.

Through the Michael V. Holdt Music Foundation and the Big Shot Center for Personal Achievement, Avalon supports a broader charitable vision of using music, creativity, philanthropy, and community engagement to create meaningful opportunities for others, including autistic adults and individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. She believes every person deserves the opportunity to be seen, heard, encouraged, and given the chance to develop their gifts and potential. By connecting the creative community with the Foundation’s humanitarian mission, Avalon helps turn that belief into action, building support, expanding opportunity, and helping create programs that empower individuals and change lives.