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Staff & Instructors

Tonya N. Suggs

Artistic Director

Certified Music Teacher, Wake County Public Schools
B.S., Marketing, A&T State University
B.M. & Master of Music, East Carolina

Tonya N. Suggs is an Orchestra teacher in the Wake County Public School System. Mrs. Suggs has a B.A in Business Administration and a Masters in Music Education with a concentration in Suzuki String Pedagogy from East Carolina University.

Ms. Suggs is a member of the North Carolina Music Educators Association and American String Teachers Association. Throughout her career, she has served as a string coach for the Raleigh Children’s Orchestra in Raleigh, NC, and the artistic director and conductor for a non-profit music organization.

She is an active member of the Durham Symphony, and has performed with the Raleigh Symphony and Carolina Cool Jazz Orchestra. Ms. Suggs is excited to serve as the Adagio String Ensemble Conductor and Artistic Director of the Wake Forest Community Youth Orchestra.

Mr Suggs

Jesse L. Suggs, Jr.
Board President
Retired, Guilford County Public Schools
[Bio]

Sheila Brown (With Blurr - 2)

Sheila Brown
Treasurer
 [Bio]

Andrew-Markoch

Andrew Markoch
Board Member
Director of Fine Arts and Innovation, Vance County Schools
 [Bio]

Sheila Brown

Treasurer Sheila Brown is the Parent Liaison for WFCYO. She has been involved with WFCYO since 2014, when her daughter began in the orchestra. Because of her love of music and desire to support the efforts of WFCYO, Ms Brown asked how she could be of help. She was able to put her administrative talents and abilities to work and began assisting Ms Booth with sending emails to parents, organizing snacks and coordinating the concert receptions. She also assists her husband with the WFCYO website. Ms. Brown believes music is an integral part of a person’s development and feels playing an instrument as a child has tremendous benefits and can open many doors for the student. Ms. Brown’s biggest regret is that she does not currently play an instrument. As a child Ms Brown has played the piano, violin, clarinet and guitar but did not stick with any of these instruments. She is determined to start playing again as a testimony to others who desire to learn to play an instrument later in life. Ms Brown works in the Learning & Development industry as a Training Manager and has recently obtained her Master’s degree from North Carolina Central University, her alma mater.

Andrew Markoch

Board Member

Board Member
Andrew Markoch

Director of Fine Arts and Innovation, Vance County Schools
Andrew Markoch brings a wealth of experience in educational leadership and youth development to the Wake Forest Community Youth Orchestra Board of Directors.  Andrew Markoch is the Director of Fine Arts and Innovation for Vance County Schools.  He previously served as the principal at Northern Vance High School. Markoch joined Vance County Schools after serving as an assistant principal at Wake Forest High School in Wake Forest. He was the principal of the school’s Ninth Grade Center and served as an administrator at Wake Forest High School since July of 2003.
Mr. Markoch is a graduate of the University of Akron in Akron, Ohio. He received a bachelor’s degree in music education from the university in 1988. He also earned a Master of Arts degree in educational administration from Akron in 2001. In May of 2003, Markoch completed course work for principal licensure, with a focus on curriculum, at the University of Akron.During his time with the Wake County Public School System in Wake Forest, Mr. Markoch had extensive experience in management and school leadership. He facilitated the academic growth of a comprehensive high school in Wake Forest focusing on the instructional and social development of students as they adjust from middle school to high school. From 2007 to 2011, he worked with educators in the Ninth Grade Center as its on-site principal and was responsible for implementing the vision and operation of the center from its origins as an academy to a full-fledged school operating as part of a comprehensive high school. Mr. Markoch then worked with faculty leaders to plan and facilitate the center’s move from an off-site location to become an on-site program serving ninth graders at the high school. The Ninth Grade Center continues today as an on-site facility. In his capacity as principal of the Ninth Grade Center, Markoch encouraged a school culture that was achievement based, student centered and data driven, while parents and stakeholders were welcomed as an integral part of the school environment.