About Us

Andre Middleton (Executive Director) 

Andre Middleton is a native New Yorker that moved to Portland to attend college. He has many ties to the arts and music scene via friendships that stretch back for at least 2 decades. He is the Executive Director of Friends of Noise. Andre is a community activist on issues of inclusion and equity and a community connector within the arts. He produces Friends of Noise Presents: a weekly hour of radio curated by youth DJs Monday’s 2-3 on XRAY.fm. He’s on the Board of Directors for the Portland Institute of Contemporary Art, where he hopes to have a profound impact on their efforts to connect and share current and challenging art within a broad cross section of our fair city. André also serves on the Portland Parks and Recreation Budget Advisory Board as well as on Literary Arts Youth Advisory Committee

Jonise Orie (Development/Communication Associate) 

Jonise Orie is from NM but has called Portland home for 15 years. She has been a lifelong lover of music, and spent many years making music as a vocalist. With a background in social work she is proud to be part of an organization that cultivates the forces of music and creativity to advance social justice and equity. She wishes that she had access to a program like Friends of Noise when she was young.

Hanuri Kim (Youth Program Coordinatior) 

Hanuri is guitarist/singer who got her start at Friends of Noise back in 2021. After performing with Friends of Noise in her youth, she went on to pursue artist and venue management in Bellingham and Seattle during college! She recently moved back to Portland and now works with the very nonprofit that discovered her at 16, giving back to the youth that she was once part of!

Amy Whitenack  Lead Booker

Amy grew up in Kentucky, where she discovered an early love of live music. After studying Music Business at Columbia College Chicago, she moved to Portland in 2014 and has been working in the local music scene ever since. Before joining Friends of Noise, she served as a Talent Buyer for Monqui Presents and Double Tee Concerts helping book and produce concerts across Portland for over a decade. She’s excited to support young artists and help create opportunities for the next generation to find their place in live music!

Noah “Penny” Penwell (Audio Lead / Venue Assistant Manager) 

Noah “Penny” Penwell is an Oregon native, spending most of his life in Portland. Noah’s life has revolved around music from childhood — Since Noah first picked up the guitar at 6 years old, his talent and love for music has grown exponentially. At 12, Noah began his venture into audio engineering with humble roots in his Mother’s basement, and not long after, joined the team at DB Nation recording studio and Friends of Noise at 16. Noah now serves as an Audio Lead and Assistant Manager at The Off Beat, in addition to writing and performing his own music with Willow Knows my Name. Penwell continues his career in audio engineering, music production, and event management, and continues to foster the vibrant local music scene of Portland.

Rij Dorfman (Venue Assistant Manager) 

Rij was raised in SW Portland and has been involved with music his entire life. Playing the saxophone since he was 10 years old, he has played a variety of bands in middle, high school, and college. He has performed and toured with notable local bands Twistur and Rhododendron. Rij’s passion is music technology. He studied electrical engineering at Oregon State University, where he worked at the recording studio on campus. In addition to his work at The Off Beat, Rij is a repair technician at Echo Audio and is an avid music listener.

Amy Dragon (Board Chair)

Amy moved to Portland Oregon from the east coast in 2008 where she worked in non profits before shifting her focus to audio engineering. In February of 2013 Amy joined the Telegraph Mastering team as an assistant engineer eventually honing her skills to provide full format mastering for digital and vinyl audio releases to her own client roster. She has been a voting member of the Recording Academy since 2015, serving the PNW chapter as governor from 2019-2021 and then chapter Vice President from 2021-2022. She served as co-chair of the P&E wing, Grammy U mentor and District Advocacy Day Team Captain. She’s been a guest instructor at Portland Community College’s Music And Sonic Arts Program as well as Eastern Washington University’s Music Technology & Audio Engineering program. Amy joined the Friends of Noise board in January 2024.

Mike Jones (Treasurer)

Mike Jones, an Oregon native, recently concluded a rewarding 30-year career in the music industry. He founded and led multiple companies, combining his deep passion for music with a commitment to supporting musicians, creative projects, and his employees. Mike also dedicated himself to the broader music community. As a member of the NARAS (The Grammys) Pacific Northwest Chapter Board of Governors, he organized events and outreach across six states and supported initiatives like the Grammy Foundation and MusiCares, providing resources and medical aid to musicians. Today, he serves as treasurer for Friends of Noise, a non-profit empowering youth through music. Mike has two married sons and a granddaughter, all in Oregon, and remains a passionate supporter of the arts.

Rena Marthaler (Secretary)

Mulu Habtemariam

What’s good? I’m Mulu Habtemariam, a cultural producer from Portland, OR.
I was born in Sudan to Eritrean parents, graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a B.A. in Communication, and spent the past few years leading community art projects in my hometown. After a stint in a strategic role, I formerly worked as a production coordinator at Wieden+Kennedy and spend free time being the ultimate hype man during my music buddies shows.

Vaughn Kimmons 

Vaughn Kimmons, affectionately known as Brown Alice, is a multidisciplinary artist born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. Through music and dance performance she celebrates Blackness as the cosmic source of sacred inspiration and gives voice to the connective power of shared human nuance. She is a vocalist and songwriter in Portland based bands Brown Calculus and Cosmos Dark.

Michael Navarro

My involvement in education goes back to 1995 when I started teaching at Open Meadow, now Open School. I have taken on several roles during my time in Portland. Not only do I have over a decade of teaching experience, I’ve also served as principal, dean of students, and coordinated multiple youth support programs. One of the things that has been consistent in my practice and leadership has been my commitment to including arts in my teaching and programs. My local partners include Caldera Arts, the late Obo Addy, and Open Signal. It is my belief that the inclusion of art not only expands the scope of who can reach in an educational setting but also teaches essential skills like giving and receiving feedback, critical thinking, and collaboration. In my spare time you can find me either driving my son and his band to venues or teaching/ playing tennis.

Jason Blumklotz

Jason is a life long Portland resident. He worked in mental health with adults and youth before taking over his families property management business. He has been a long time arts and education advocate, creating the Music for Social Justice program at Irvington School. He is a collector of PNW music ephemera and is working a book about the history of local concert posters. He created a local anti-racist non-profit PDX Love Over Hate to help community members who have survived hate crimes.

Danise Laresa Elijah

Danise grew up in the music scene in Portland, Oregon, the child of a musician and a music historian. She played several instruments in school bands. The Portland music scene holds some of her most cherished memories. Danise also has spent the vast majority of her professional life working with youth or in youth serving organizations. She is the parent of two youth musicians, a pianist and a trumpeter.

Aaron Hartman 

Aaron Hartman has called the Pacific Northwest home since 1992 and has spent over two decades deep in the region’s independent music scene. As a touring and recording artist, he’s experienced firsthand how music brings people together, helps shape who we are, and creates space for voices that don’t always get heard. Grounded in the Northwest’s DIY roots, Aaron is a big believer in all-ages music culture that’s welcoming to all, youth-driven, and fun. Aaron played bass in K Records band Old Time Relijun for 25 years, touring countless DIY venues in the US, Canada and Europe. He brings a musician’s mindset to collaboration, event production, and mentorship, along with strong communication skills built through years of working with creative teams. When he’s not juggling creative projects, Aaron is a local real estate broker, partner to a professional musician, and a parent to two middle schoolers—both aspiring musicians—which makes his commitment to youth access to the arts especially personal. He also hosts a podcast called La Jolla Babylon and is still happily making weird music in his basement..

Sandy Tanaka

Sandy Tanka is a writer, artist, and designer. She has been working in the comics industry for twelve years. Before that, she was an art director, music supervisor, production coordinator for albums, and band manager in Los Angeles. She has a B.A. in film from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and an MFA in creative writing from Warren Wilson College. She was a nominee for the Pushcart Prize. In 2021, she received the Oregon Literary Career Fellowship. She lives in Portland, Oregon with her family.