Mrs. Velez is currently in her twelfth year as the Head Director of Choirs at Forest Meadow Junior High in the Richardson ISD, serving previously as associate director for five years. In addition to directing choirs at Forest Meadow, Mrs. Velez works with colleagues and choirs at Lake Highlands High School and the area elementary schools. On her campus, Mrs. Velez is a mentor teacher and was selected as Teacher of the Month in 2009 and FMJH PTA’s Teacher of Excellence for the 2012-2013 school year. In addition, Mrs. Velez was humbled and honored to be named an RISD STARS teacher for the 2015-2016 school year.

Mrs. Velez holds a BBA in Finance, Summa Cum Laude, and BA in Music, Summa Cum Laude, from Texas Tech University. While at Texas Tech, she was a member of University Choir as well as Madrigal Singers and was selected to be an Ambassador for the College of Visual and Performing Arts. Beyond her collegiate studies, Mrs. Velez has completed all four levels of coursework for her Kodály Certification at the West Texas Kodály Institute and is a member of TMEA, TCDA, and TMAA and actively clinics and adjudicates. She also served for 2 years at the Secretary/Treasurer of the Texas Choral Directors Association. When not doing all things choir, she can be found watching 90 Day Fiancé, spending time with her wonderful husband, Edras, or playing with the cutest rescue pup of all time, Gidget Evangeline.