Luis “Chico” Portillo currently serves as the Director of Fine Arts for the Liberty Hill Independent School District. Prior to that appointment, he served for eight years as the Director of Fine Arts for the Bastrop Independent School District and eight years as the Coordinator of Fine Arts for the Pflugerville Independent School District. 

Previous to his administrative positions, he was a high school and middle school band director for twenty-one years. The students in his bands consistently maintained a high level of excellence as they received numerous U.I.L Sweepstakes and “Best in Class” awards for both marching and concert band performances. Under his leadership, the John B. Connally High School Marching Band earned the bronze medal in 2003 and the silver medal in 2007 in the biannual UIL 4A State Marching Band Contest. The John B. Connally Wind Ensemble was twice a state finalist in the 4A TMEA Honor Band Competition.   

He is an active band and orchestra adjudicator and clinician and provides many professional development opportunities for school districts and universities across the state. He has served on numerous UIL and TMEA committees and recently served on the State UIL Standing Committee on Music. He served on the Board of Directors of the Texas Bandmasters Association for seven years and was President in 2018.    

Mr. Portillo is a member of the Texas Music Educators Association, Texas Fine Arts Administrators Association, Texas Music Adjudicators Association and the honorary band fraternity Phi Beta Mu. He holds a Bachelor of Education degree in Music from the University of Texas at Austin and a Masters of Education degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Concordia University Texas. 

Keith Lancaster is a native of Kyle, Texas and graduated from Hays High School. He attended Southwest Texas State University where he earned a Bachelor of Music Education degree in 1989. While at Southwest Texas, he was principal tuba in the Wind Ensemble and Drum Major of the Bobcat Band. Mr. Lancaster was a Texas music educator for 29 years. He taught at Weslaco High School, Woodsboro High School, and Mathis High School before taking his final position in 1998 with the Dripping Springs school district. After 20 years of service as Director of Bands in Dripping Springs, Mr. Lancaster retired in 2017. Under Mr. Lancaster's direction, the Dripping Springs High School band received numerous accolades at various concert and marching band contests. The Wind Ensemble consistently received superior division ratings at the UIL Concert and Sightreading Contest and was awarded Best in Class at many festivals. In 2009, 2011, and 2015 the Wind Ensemble was named a TMEA Honor Band finalist. The Tiger Marching Band consistently received superior ratings at the UIL Region Marching Contest and has been a class champion and finalist band at premiere invitational contests across Texas. The Dripping Springs Marching Band was named the UIL 4A State Champion in 2009, the 4A State Silver medalist in 2011, and the 5A State Silver medalist in 2017.

Keith Zuehlke graduated from Tarleton State University with his Bachelor of Music degree in 1995. He obtained his Master of Education degree, with emphasis in school administration, from Tarleton in 2001 and his Superintendent Certification from The University of Texas at Arlington in 2016. He currently serves as the Director of Fine Arts for Belton ISD.

Keith served as the Director of Bands for Clifton ISD from 2002-2018. While director of bands at Clifton, the Clifton High School Band marched in the Texas State Marching Band Contest finals in 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2017. The Clifton High School Band placed second in State and was awarded the Silver Medal in 2009 and 2015.

Keith is a member of the Texas Music Educators Association, Texas Music Adjudicators Association and the Texas Music Administrators Association. He judges festivals and UIL competitions across the State.

Joey Lucita retired from Moe & Gene Johnson High School (Hays CISD) as the Head Director in the summer of 2024. He opened Moe & Gene in 2019, and during his five-year tenure, his marching bands achieved remarkable success. Under his leadership, the bands earned UIL Sweepstakes awards every year' were UIL Area D Finalists in both 5A and 6A divisions, and earned titles including Class Champion in numerous invitation Marching Contests.  Additionally, during that period the Moe & Gene Johnson Jaguar Band was named Class Champion in four BOA (Bands of America) Regionals, Finalist in six BOA Regionals, Overall Grand Champion for two BOA Regionals, and was a BOA Grand Nationals Semi-Finalist.

Before opening Moe & Gene Johnson High School, Mr. Lucita served as the Head Director at Lehman High School (Hays CISD), which he also opened in 2004. Prior to that, he was the Assistant Director at Jack C. Hays High School (Hays CISD). Throughout his career in Hays CISD, his ensembles received numerous Invitational Festival and UIL Sweepstakes awards, consistently participated in UIL Area Prelims and Area Finals, competed in the UIL State Marching Contests and UIL State Marching Finals.

In addition to his career as a director, Mr. Lucita continues to contribute to the marching arts as an active consultant and adjudicator. He currently holds the position of Sales and Events Coordinator for Perform America, TX-LLC and Next Level Initiatives which provides him the opportunity to continue to be involved with music and the incredible impact it has upon students.

Garnet Gilbreath began her dance experience at studios in Wichita Falls at the age of 3. She began spinning and performing at 12 with Henrietta High School and went on to dance under the direction of Meghan Prior at Oklahoma Baptist University. Mrs. Gilbreath has also performed with Insignia World Guard and Black Gold World Guard and has competed multiple times at WGI World Championships. She has taught colorguard for over 21 years in 17 different programs, including Genesis Drum and Bugle Corps. She has served on the boards of North Texas Colorguard Association and ATX Winterguard. Under her direction, her guards have gained success at Bands of America, UIL State Marching Contest, NTCA & TCGC Championships and WGI. 

Lance Brightwell, a native of Beckville, TX, is a graduate of Northwestern State University, LA with a BA in Music Education and Music Theory. While in school he served as Section Leader multiple years for the Wind Ensemble, Orchestra, and Marching Drumline where he also acted as an arranger.  After graduating NSU in 2005, he lived in Nashville, TN working as a freelance percussion instructor and private lesson teacher for Wilson Central High School, where he was involved with WGI and TCGC competing nationally.

In 2006 he began his full time Music Education career in Texas. Lance designed for, worked with and taught various successful PASIC competitors.  These include High School Snare Championship solos for the 2009-2011 1st place award winners as well as the 2010 PASIC Multi-Percussion Champion and 1st Runner Up Compositions.

In 2008 Lance was hired as Assistant Director of Bands / Coordinator of Percussion for Lake Travis ISD in Austin, TX.  Here he worked with all percussionists from 6th-12th grade including Lake Travis and Hudson Bend Middle Schools and also conducted the high school Symphonic Band. In his time in Austin, Lance has been part of the following accomplishments:

 2011 Lake Travis HS -  UIL 4A  State Marching 5th Place in Finals

 2012 Lake Travis HS - UIL 5A State Marching Contest 

 2014 Dripping Springs HS - BOA Atlanta Super Regional 5th Place

 2015 Dripping Springs HS - UIL 5A State Marching 5th Place

 2020 Lake Travis HS - 6A State Marching Contest

 2021 Lake Travis HS - 6A State Marching Contest

While under Mr. Brightwell’s direction the Percussion section at Lake Travis also experienced many high achievements including 2012 PASIC Silver Medalists in the marching stand still division and winning “Best Snare Line” and “Best Cymbal Line”. In 2012, the LT Winter Drumline was the Scholastic Marching A Campion in the Texas Colorguard Circuit.  In 2013 they were the WGI Houston Regional Champions and the Scholastic Marching Open Champions in TCGC.  In 2014, the Winter Drumline finished 3rd place in the TCGC State Competition solidifying themselves as a consistent medalist in the circuit. Lance also served as Percussion Chair on the Executive Board for TCGC from 2017-2019. 

Lance is an active adjudicator and clinician in Texas and Louisiana for UIL and Percussive Arts Society and is Educationally Endorsed by Innovative Percussion.  He has been an instructor all over TX since 2010 for “RATAMACAMP”, a series of Summer Percussion camps, beginner level – 8th grade with founder, Paul Garretson.  It is here that he continues his pursuit of teaching and developing the young percussionist, one of his greatest passions.  Associations include PAS, TBA, TMEA, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. Lance lives in the hill country of Austin, TX with his wife Hannah and 3 year old daughter Stevie.