Meet our Volunteers

Meet Our AIRS Volunteers

AIRSLA is an entirely volunteer organization. We welcome you to enjoy learning about our wonderful team. Thank you to those many volunteers who donate so many hours of their time and serve our mission in many capacities such as as readers, technicians, board members, and leaders.

Volunteer Hall of Fame

	Max Flehinger is our former Board Chairman, and has a long resume in public service. He was past Chairman of the Board of the Los Angeles unit of Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic, Director of Volunteers for the Los Angeles Radio Reading Service (LARRS) for ten years, and a founding member of the Board of Directors of the Tarzana Neighborhood Council and the Tarzana Community Center. Along with other former volunteers at LAARS, he founded AIRS in 2005. He currently reads the Store Ads and Audio Description podcasts for Southern California. Max has been a model of dedication and service.
	Joe Jurca was AIRS Chief Engineer for 16 years (2005-2021). He has 40 years experience as an Aerospace and Sonar Systems Engineer, 15 years of which were spent managing military contract proposal teams. He was named Engineer of the Year at The Bunker-Ramo Corporation and, at Bendix Ocean Systems won a special award for excellence running a losing proposal effort (Really! – Ask him about it. It was like winning second place in a tug-of-war.) After his retirement, he became a volunteer reader at Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic (RFBD), in Reseda, CA and jumped aboard AIRSLA shortly after its founding. In addition to managing the AIRS web site and studio, he recorded a series of podcasts featuring scientific articles from popular journals. Words cannot express our appreciation for Joe’s service and dedicatiom.
Volunteer	Readers
	Roger Baker has lived all his life in beautiful western North Carolina. “I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else,” he says. He got his start in voiceover in 2006 by producing a local church radio program and as a DJ on a Christian radio station. He was also a reader for the Illinois Radio Reader Association on “The News from the WWW” and later migrated to AIRS. He is now a full-time voiceover artist and produces audio for Pearson Education reading Psychology, History, Health and Humanities textbooks. He is also involved with the University of Minnesota editing their e-learning curriculum for grades K-12. In the past he was the morning news reader for USA Today and produced magazine podcasts for Men’s Fitness, Country Weekly, LA Times, Detroit Free Press, and AFP US Sports. He has been involved in many radio and TV commercials worldwide, e-learning projects, corporate presentations, employee training and museum tour narrations., hehas also narrated multiple audio books as well. He loves voiceover work and has enjoyed the transition from the electronics industry as a Metrology Specialist, to full-time voiceover artist. When he’s not doing voiceover, he loves writing and producing his own music. To learn more about Roger you can visit his website here.
	Dave Capper is an Ohio native who moved to North Carolina in 1980. He is a real estate broker author, and volunteers in various ways, from giving over 3 gallons of blood at the local blood bank to helping others on their journey. Recently he has been learning Braille and has taken up audio production, narrating audiobooks. “Giving back is an important part of life. It allows us to share whatever talents we have with others to make a difference in their lives,” says Dave. While the world events of the past few years have been problematic for travelers, Dave loves to travel and plans to do more traveling now that those restrictions are behind us. #ConsumerReports
	Alyssa Carlson is a trained voice actor and recently performed solo at the Music Teachers Association of California’s convention as a state honors winning soprano. She is especially proud to voice Chi, a superhero for the Medikidz comic book animation series, which teaches children about their medical conditions. She has also voiced commercials for radio, television and the internet, corporate and university public service campaigns, and eLearning and corporate narration for domestic and international clients. Alyssa is delighted to read excerpts from Forbes magazine for AIRSLA!
	Dr. Nathan Carlson is a board-certified Family Physician with experience in multimedia production, voice over and radio broadcasting. Prior to medical school he could be heard on radio stations in Seattle, Washington, and Anchorage, Alaska. In addition to seeing his own patients and teaching resident physicians and medical students, he produces medically-related educational content for patients, as well as co-workers and physician colleagues in Southern California. He lends his voice to AIRSLA reading excerpts from Men’s Health Magazine.
	Jason Davis has been working behind microphones since 1995, including 7 years as the afternoon drive host at WQMZ-FM in Charlottesville, VA and part-time work with WWFS-FM in New York City and WMGQ-FM in New Brunswick, NJ. Currently, Jason works as a full time voice over artist, doing commercials, corporate and documentary narrations, TV station promos, dubbing English for foreign language films and TV shows, e-learning, phone systems and more. He also hosts team trivia nights at several NJ restaurants and sometimes works as a DJ/MC at weddings, corporate and charity events and other parties. In his spare time, Jason enjoys spending time with family and friends, pop culture, trivia, music, social networking, and baseball. He’s a proud member of AIRSLA’s Daily AIRS crew.
	Joyce Davis was born into a pioneer Texas family and was one of the first women to graduate from Texas A&M University. After college she taught high school until her retirement, after which she found a class in voiceovers in 2007. Being an eager lifelong learner led to further study of voiceovers. Lately her interests have turned toward volunteering. “I enjoy volunteering and really do not want to work very hard anymore”, she says. This led to reading for the visually impaired in Houston and for AIRSLA. She also voices for her church and other volunteer efforts. Volunteering is so rewarding; however, I do work for pay when asked. She is honored to be included in both of these areas and to hang out with the voiceover group in Houston.
	Ava DeVoe is a high school student attending the Orange County School of the Arts, Acting Conservatory. She is also a working actress and has had the opportunity to work on some great shows like This is Us and Grey’s Anatomy. In her spare time, she enjoys writing short stories, creating and editing digital shorts, and riding horses. She is excited to be reading National Geographic Kids for AIRSLA.
	Annie Dinh is a writer, documentary filmmaker, and audiobook narrator/producer with a passion for making the world a better place to live in. She loves the thrill and competition of sports with basketball and tennis being her favorites. Reading for AIRSLA is an opportunity she sincerely appreciates.
	Carrie Gibson is a professional actor, singer and writer. She has founded two touring theater companies that toured original plays on social issues to schools, major corporations, and government agencies including NASA, the FBI, and the Pentagon. Carrie’s credits include Bones, Scream Queens, Superstore, All Rise, Hollywood, This is Us, Grey’s Anatomy, Lucifer, ACS: Impeachment, FBI Most Wanted, a recurring role on the Netflix comedy, The Politician and Barry, and a supporting role in King Richard. She has co-written six screenplays that are in development.
	Kathy Jacinto, a native Californian of Mexican-Irish descent, had the privilege of raising four children and then resuming her career in education, retiring from both “careers” with her last child’s graduation from college. Years of storytelling and public speaking as a bilingual teacher and administrator in the Los Angeles Unified School District piqued Kathy’s interest in someday doing voiceovers. Now, after taking some time to study the art and to launch her own website, she’s begun a new career, and practices her voices with her grandchildren! She feels honored to be working with AIRSLA and to be in the company of such talented voiceover artists who volunteer their time for the podcasts.
	Prem Kishore is host of the 2 hour Saturday radio program Music All The Way, where she shares seventies music stories and memories (12 pm Pacific 3 pm Eastern time). In India, she taught English Literature to college students, and hosted music programs for All India Radio. She won a scholarship to the BBC, moved to Dubai to present classical programs on FM radio, and was assistant editor at Motivate, a publishing firm. She migrated to Los Angeles, California, where she worked as Occupancy Specialist for a Housing Urban Development program and was involved in audio projects for airlines and narration work. She is the author of two books, “India: A Culinary Journey,” and “The History and Culture of India” (Hippocrene Publishing). She narrated her first book for Audible and has a second book on the way. She lectures frequently on India at Pierce Community College and has organized Indian music, dance events, and poetry readings for Pacific Asia Museum. She reviews books and writes on travel, dance and food for various magazines including the Washington Times.
	Dawnn Leary is a budding voice over talent originally from Novato, California but has been residing in Washington, DC for over 15 years. She has been working in the field of community development for over 10 years, helping to rebuild and revitalize distressed neighborhoods and has just started the journey of turning her love and experience in voiceovers into a business. She is excited to record the Women’s Health magazine podcast for AIRS LA!
	Brian Lemon has a lifelong connection to all things voice, from singing during his school years, to public speaking throughout his management career, to his current work in voiceover and narration. A childhood cancer survivor who grew up in Detroit, he earned his BS in biology at Notre Dame before completing his MBA at the University of Detroit and pursuing his 40-year career in health systems and hospital administration. Brian is blessed with a large family of six siblings, nine children and eight grandchildren. Having spent most of his career in Chicago, he now lives in the St. Louis area and is grateful for the opportunity to “give back” via his volunteer work with AIRSLA.
	Sandra Martial has always enjoyed using her voice from a young age which has included singing in choirs, praise teams, to storytelling. Her passion for storytelling and bringing life to various characters really amplified when she began reading to her children. With a Masters degree in public health, Sandra decided to finally pursue her desire of working as a voice over artist. She completed her voice over training with Such A Voice, a voice over training and demo production company. As a voice over artist, her end goal and commitment is to be able to provide a voice to various projects to share the story or message. When Sandra is not honing in on her skills for doing voice overs, she enjoys spending time outdoors biking and visiting various parks with her family.
	Shane Masterson is a student at Palisades Charter High School. When he isn’t reading for AIRSLA, he’s probably participating in his school’s Junior State of America chapter, competing in high school debate, writing for the school newspaper, or playing first violin for Los Angeles Youth Orchestra. He enjoys reading U.S. News and World Report for AIRSLA every Thursday, and using his skills in journalism, speech, and political literacy. He is thrilled to be part of AIRSLA..
	Patty Mattson, I am a singer, songwriter and voice actress. I head up my businesses Madison Music & Voice Over and Studio19 Songs/BMI. I’ve been in the studio or performing most of my life. My resume includes voice over, animation, satirical soundalikes, studio session work, and on-Camera roles. I’ve recorded 2 records, produced by Grammy winner Rob Chiarelli, “The Road”, & “All The Wonders Of This Holiday”, both of which contain my original songs. I love animated characters, songwriting, singing, creating my records and being a part of so many great commercials, video games, apps, and the like. I’m also delighted to be a part of the AIRSLA family, sharing with you all. If you’d like to see my resume, bio’s, blog or hear some of my work, log on to my website. Thank you so much for checking it all out – and for listening here at AIRSLA!
	Darla Middlebrook is a transplanted Ohio girl who has lived in Saskatchewan Canada most of her life. She usually shares her home with a cat or two. Originally from Mansfield, Ohio; Darla recently retired from 40 years as a Speech Pathologist (SLP) working with children. While working as an SLP, she found time to perform on stage in operas, musicals and dramas. Retirement has allowed Darla to re-invent herself as a voiceover talent specializing in narration of audio books. She brings to this new career a background in speech, language, singing and acting. Since retiring, Darla has also been able to devote time to volunteer work. She volunteers through the local hospital in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan to deliver meals to out-patients and reads to residents at one of the local nursing homes. Darla is happy to be able to lend her voice to AIRSLA.
	Kat Muñoz is an Instructional Designer who creates online educational experiences for a variety of learners. She develops all kinds of content from webpages to interactive activities. Her favorite part of being an Instructional Designer is, by far, creating video and audio content. She hopes as a Volunteer Reader, she can use her experience in voice-over and narration to share interesting and sought-after stories with AIRSLA listeners. Kat is also a bit of an information junkie. Reading for AIRSLA feeds her drive to know more, while also sharing more. Kat lives in Sacramento, CA, with her husband and their cat, Sniffles.
	Jody Olson grew up on an acreage, five miles from the middle of nowhere in North Central Iowa. He joined the Navy straight out of High School and spent the next 20 years traveling the world, serving on four different submarines and various shore commands. After that He bounced around the Defense Industry, in various rolls to protect our men and women in uniform. He is proud to be a part of the AIRSLA’s Scouting Magazine Project.
	Mike Paul is a voice actor from Sacramento, California. In 2016 his technology consulting career was cut short due to health concerns. With that sudden life change, Mike needed a job that worked around his health challenges; he’s grateful to have found work in voiceover, where he focuses on commercials and someday hopes to make a splash in animation. In between, he does light operations work for a few health and wellness franchise locations in Northern California. Mike’s background and passion for being in-the-know led to his choosing of recording the Ars Technica podcast for listeners of AIRS-LA. He appreciates the opportunity to serve and credits his first voiceover coach, Marc Cashman, for turning him on to the idea of volunteering for AIRS-LA, which vibes well with his altruistic nature. Mike’s work can be found at speakingofmike.com
	Michael Piotrasch has lived in San Francisco and the Bay Area for forty years, but has been known to occasionally roll out some of his inherited Midwestern/Motor City charm. After a stint in the US Army, and then obtaining a University degree, he spent many years in various professional IT positions. Then, he spent many more years as a public school teacher, sharing his joy of English, Social Studies and computers with middle schoolers. Since he was a teenager in the 60’s, he has always had a love affair with all things “Voice”, and one of his favorite activities in the classroom was reading aloud using different character voices. As he approached the end of his teaching career, he undertook training at Voice One in San Francisco, and then began narrating and producing a number of audio books, as well as providing narration for some corporate training videos. Now, fully retired, he enjoys using his voice to give something back to the community. Recording articles weekly from Popular Science Magazine for AIRS-LA has provided a perfect opportunity for him to do that. He is very proud to be a member of the Volunteer Reader team.
	Nancy Porter, with two degrees from Stanford, has had several careers: Las Vegas showgirl, actress, singer, dancer, musician, college professor, middle school math/English teacher, and TV assistant director. Now widowed and retired, she lives in the Los Angeles area with three little dogs, serves on four non-profit boards, is an active Rotarian, performs with a local repertory theatre group, plays handbells, takes communion to patients at the Motion Picture/TV nursing home, interacts with global leaders as a member of the International Circle of the World Affairs Council, was awarded 2017 Volunteer of the Year by a large metropolitan hospital, can be heard live every Thursday morning on LA’s radio station for the blind (LARRS), records podcasts for AIRSLA, and enjoys her daughter, two granddaughters, and a great-grandson who live nearby.
	Annette Roe is the producer and host of the AIRSLA weekly podcast, “This Week in History”. She is a change agent, mentor and zealous observer of human behavior. Annette’s career includes management, finance, technology, personnel operations, organizational improvement and leadership. Outside the office, Annette is a runner and marathoner. She has pioneered and anchored social and environmental justice initiatives to restore the Salton Sea. Annette is a Southern California native. She was educated at the University of Southern California with a major in English.
	Derek Ross is a returning AIRSLA volunteer, who is excited about reading ESPN Cover Stories and ESPN+ Series of articles. He is a native of Germantown, Maryland and a graduate of Omega Recording School Music Business and Artist Management programs located in Rockville, Maryland. Derek received voice-over training from Such A Voice and looks forward to opportunities to merge his audio visual expertise and music producing skills into a phenomenal AIRSLA podcast. Derek is also an avid runner and obstacle course racing enthusiast, inspiring ukulele player, and brand ambassador with Davidson’s Organic Teas. Volunteering with AIRSLA has been awesome and a boost regarding voice-over experience. Checkout the AIRSLA ESPN+ Series podcast with Derek and follow him on Instagram @reallyderekross.
	Quincy Ross is a military veteran who served four years in the Navy. Additionally, he has spent over 20 years in the insurance industry. He is currently a commercial underwriter. His co-workers have labeled him a Craft Beer enthusiast as he has visited at least 50 different breweries in central Texas. Camping on the beach is one of his best stress relievers. Quincy is an aspiring Audiobook Narrator. He enjoys reading Ebony magazine for you!
	Judith Rubino was born in Manhattan and moved to Los Angeles in her mid-twenties. In her first life, she was an elementary school teacher and enrichment specialist. Of course, her favorite thing was reading books aloud to the children. She has always loved the written and spoken word, and swears that Books On Tape (yes, tape) saved her from going brain dead on those long stroller walks with her infant daughter. About 5 years ago, a friend who was on the Board at AIRSLA suggested that she become a volunteer reader. She’s been doing a weekly podcast ever since. She currently reads from Newsweek Magazine. This sparked Judith to start her second life – as a voice over artist. Please visit her website.
	Nate Schinnerer is a high school student and in the vocal music department at the LA County High School for the Arts. He also has been in many musical theater productions, starring in roles such as Marius (Les Miserables) and Winthrop (The Music Man). Nate also plays piano and guitar. In his spare time he also enjoys crocheting, making crafts, and playing video games with his friends. Nate is incredibly proud to have the opportunity to read selections from Wired Magazine for you.
	Merrick Schneider selects his articles from what he considers the best newspaper in the country – The Wall Street Journal. He enjoys putting on a headset and being cued to speak into a microphone. Broadcasting has been an interest and hobby for many years. He hosted a sports show and did play-by-play at the University of Michigan. Then radio was put on hold for his satisfying career as a radiologist and now our listeners are happy he’s back.
	Tim Simek is a working actor for 30+ years doing film, TV, stage, web series, immersive productions, voiceovers and comedy improv. He moved to Los Angeles in 1996 from Austin, Texas where he was also a working actor. He is founder, director and producer of the award-winning comedy improv troupe, Slow…Children at Play (S…CAP). He founded the group in early 1998 and the troupe continues with monthly comedy improv shows in North Hollywood. S…CAP performs at the Whitmore-Lindley Theater Center in North Hollywood. Tim is also a performer and host of the improv shows. Besides performing and directing improv, he facilitates comedy improv classes at the Whitmore-Lindley Theater and through the extension program at L.A. Pierce College. He narrated books, novels and short stories for four years with Reading for the Blind services located at the Texas State Library in Austin. Tim has been with AIRS-LA since 2018 and he currently reads from Esquire magazine. He is passionate about providing his voice talent for AIRS-LA and thoroughly enjoys producing the podcasts. Please visit his acting link at https://resumes.actorsaccess.com/timsimek and his improv troupe at www.slowchildrenimprov.com, www.facebook.com/scapimprov and on Instagram @scapimprov.
	Dan Woren for the last two decades has made his income primarily as a voiceover artist. He has been heard commercially as the spokesman for Pacific Life Insurance, Hertz Car Sales, the National Realtors Association, and Robinsons-May. Recently, Dan started recording books-on-tape for Random House; titles include: “Brother One Cell,” “Under The Baseball Moon,” “The Inner Game Of Tennis,” and “Three Signs Of A Miserable Job.” Dan is also very active in the cartoon/anime world, providing voices for numerous characters, including the tragic-hero Roy Fokker on the “Robotech” series, Jagi in “Fist Of The North Star,” and Wilbur D’Anclaude in “Armitage Poly-Matrix.” Currently, he can be heard as the voice of Byakuya Kuchiki in the anime series “Bleach.” Dan spends some of his free time writing poetry, prose, and the occasional happy song.