Founder & Executive Producer
As a precocious five-year old in 1968, Jenefer was first thrust into the Bay Area’s rock and roll music scene when she spotted Janis Joplin driving her famous convertible psychedelic bathtub Porche near her childhood home in Marin County, California. Although she did not recognize Ms. Joplin, who smiling widely and was singing at the top of her lungs, she direct eye contact with the stunned, long-haired child standing on the corner with her mouth dropped open in awe. Jenefer’s life was forever changed from that moment forward as she went on to bare witness to the amazing sights and sounds of the Summer of Love in San Francisco and then immersed herself in the regional 70’s and 80’s counter cultural eras of rock and roll. At the age of 15, she discovered who the ‘crazy lady” in the cool car was when she saw an iconic photo of Ms. Joplin in a music shoppe in Mill Valley, California. By then she was a full-on Zeppelin/Hendrix style rock and roll fan – who was discovering the Blues and had fallen in love with life in the fast lane.
As the realities of young adulthood settled in, Jenefer‘s lifelong passion for helping animals and older people segued into a 15 year orthopedic medicine and elder care. 1n 1996 she started community organizing to provide more support for isolated elders struggling to live at home. Discovering that financial exploitation is a major life threat to older people, Jenefer and a group of partners from the banking industry to found the non-profit Elder Financial Protection Network 2002. She then became one of the Nation’s leading voices in the emergent field of elder justice. In 2011, was called to serve when President Obama appointed her a senior position in the US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Office for Older Americans. In January 2025, Jenefer retired from the Bureau leveraging her 40-year career in Elder Affairs as a one of the nation’s leading experts to consult as an event producer, trainer of financial professionals, law enforcement, attorneys and aging network service providers on identifying, preventing, responding to and resolving cases of elder financial exploitation. It was while doing this work that she met Mary Beth Guard. She is thrilled to have had the opportunity to found and lead the annual New Harmony Blues Festival that nurtures her passion for the Blues and especially the immense talent of the women who play the Blues. She co-owns the elegant AC Thomas House Bed & Breakfast Inn, New Harmony, Indiana with Mary Beth, our partners and another partner from the elder justice field. She resides in Snow Camp, North Carolina.
Founder / Guitarist, Historian and Singer-Songwriter
Ruth Wyand is an accomplished guitarist, singer-songwriter and historian known for her dynamic fingerpicking, bottleneck slide and warm alto voice, blending Americana, jazz, blues folk and country with Piedmont and bluegrass clawhammer styles. Ruth’s performances feature well-crafted instrumental arrangements of classics by legends such as Doc Watson, Etta Baker, Jimi Hendrix, Leo Kottke, Thelonious Monk, Duke Ellington and Nina Simone – each imbued with a unique stamp of her style.
Wyand’s songwriting offers timeless, relatable narratives, often witty and poignant, resonating deeply with audiences. Her career includes tours across the US, UK, New Zealand, Kuwait and France. She has won numerous accolades, including the Gamble Rogers Fingerstyle Guitar Competition and the Hank Wiliams Songwriting Award. Her performances celebrate the rich tapestry of folk and roots traditions.
Founder & Associate Producer
Mary Beth Guard is the owner PrettyFood.com, Capers Emporium, Capers Glassporium, and Caper’s Candy & Cards. She is also co-owner of the AC Thomas House in New Harmony, Indiana. After working as a banking attorney for almost 40 years in Oklahoma City, she decided to venture into something new and opened Capers Emporium to offer cooking and crafting classes, and to provide everything needed for beautiful tables, stylish entertaining, and easy meal preparation. Mary Beth is a professional magician, a piano player, and is the chair of the Shinanigans committee on the New Harmony Business Association.
Ron Spinhoven
Founder & Chief Financial Officer
Ron is a co-owner of the AC Thomas House and is an avid Blues enthusiast and walking encyclopedia of music history of many genres. Ron is also a musician who plays the ukulele and the Pūtātara, an ancient Maori tribal instrument. He is neuro muscular therapist that specializes in pain relief and posture realignment. He reside on and manages a 44 acre farm in North Carolina with his wife Jenefer Duane.
Co-Founder / International Award-Winning Blues Guitarist
Bex Marshall is a UK-based blues artist known for her distinctive slide guitar and blues rock style – combining deep soul and rock elements. Her original, emotionally rich songwriting transcends genre labels, showcasing her virtuosic guitar playing and powerful vocal performances.
Co-Founder / Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Guitarist
Douglass started his musical career in the late 1960s with his band The Virtues, which later turned into the acid-rock group Country Weather. He came in contact with Van Morrison and Jefferson Airplane spin-off band Hot Tuna and ended up touring with both of them.
After his departure from Hot Tuna, Douglass founded the group Terry & the Pirates. He got in contact with Steve Miller Band bassist Lonnie Turner in 1977 and co-wrote the song “Jungle Love”[3] as well as playing on Miller’s tenth studio album, Book of Dreams. In 2002, “Jungle Love” became the theme song for CBS-TV sitcom, Everybody Loves Raymond, opening the program for seasons 7-9.
Douglass was a member of the band John Cipollina’s Raven and appeared on 1980 album “Raven”. He joined The Greg Kihn Band in 1983 and played on the band’s hit single “Jeopardy”. After recording Kihnspiracy, Kihntagious, and Citizen Kihn, Douglass left the group and toured with Tom Fogerty and Eddie Money.
Douglass has lived in the San Diego area since 1994, where he remains active as a touring guitarist (Big Brother and the Holding Company, the Electric Flag), a studio player, and a music instructor. He leads his own four-piece group, the Greg Douglass Band, playing concerts, clubs, corporate events. He also spends about a month each year touring Europe, primarily the UK.
Douglass also co-wrote two songs (“Something Special” and “Goodbye Love”) on Miller’s 1983 album Abracadabra, as well as “Maelstrom” for his 1986 album, Living in the 20th Century. Additionally, Douglass’ work with the Steve Miller Band has been reissued numerous times on greatest hits compilations.
Karl Dion Dixon
Co-Founder / Singer-Songwriter / Professor
Karl Dixon is an international jazz, blues entertainer and professor at NYU. For the last ten years he has toured the world as a featured soloist with the Harlem Jubilee Singers which has included appearances at Italy’s Umbria Jazz Festival and France’s Jazz a Vienne festival where he performed Duke Ellington’s “Freedom Suite” with the Laurent Mignard Ellington Orchestra.
Jonathan Lolley
Co-Founder / Stage Manager / Sound Engineer / Master Chef
With 20 years of culinary experience, Chef Jonathon has mastered the art of creating unique fusions of British, Italian, and French cuisine. From winning competitions and cooking for the Chinese Ambassador to traveling the world with “Blues and Stews,” he delivers extraordinary culinary experiences wherever he goes.
Co-Founder / Photographer and Visual Storyteller
Growing up in the unique town of Oamaru, New Zealand—often called the “Steampunk Capital of the World”—I was immersed in the whimsical and imaginative world of steampunk culture, Victorian-era fashion, from a young age. This creative environment shaped my love for vibrant costumes, dramatic settings, and timeless aesthetics. With camera in hand, I explored everything from the charm of small towns to the grandeur of stunning landscapes.
My journey continued in Wellington, where I spent some time capturing the energy of runway fashion shows. I was drawn to the glamour of high fashion and the power of a well-timed shot that could transform a fleeting moment into an iconic image, then later in Sydney Australia, where street and wildlife photography became my passions.
Now, based in the United States for over twenty years, I’ve embraced all of these diverse experiences, bringing a global perspective to my photography. From bold, dramatic portraits to intimate moments, I see each session as an opportunity to tell a unique story.
In addition to my photography, I’ve spent much of my adult life in the corporate world. This experience has honed my ability to collaborate effectively with diverse individuals, deepening my understanding of clients’ needs.
John Wesley Gardner
Technical Adviser
A master acoustician and recording studio designer, retired US Navy tall ship captain, race car driver, ukulele player, (to name just a few of his diverse array of talents). The legendary John Wesley Gardner brings over 60 years of experience in the music industry.
Advisor / Americana Vocalist
New Harmony-based Erin Bode creates music forged from the Americana of her Midwestern roots – infused with jazz grooves and made magic by Bode’s bell-like voice. Sophisticated arrangements and attention to phrasing, both vocal and instrumental, further distinguish her fresh sound. In the decade-plus since Erin Bode began her professional recording career, she has garnered much critical praise for her pure voice and impressive phrasing and style. It is this talent, coupled with her reluctance to accept classification as a purely jazz vocalist that has led to reviews hailing her as “someone you won’t forget”.
Tina Schutte
Co-Producer / Stage Management
Colin Flynn
Associate Producer / Lead Project Director
Julia Powell
Co-Producer/Project Director
Julia joined the NHBF in January 2025 following her retirement as global technical platform and project management professional with expertise designing, implementing, and supporting technical solutions across diverse industries and global companies.
As co-producer of the MHBF, her skills and attention to detail combined with passion for music, women in leadership initiatives, institutional wisdom, keen insightfulness, and strong communication skills ensure that needs and issues are identified, addressed, completed and resolved while keeping projects moving forward and on time.
Skilled in applying technology to benefit clients, employees and the overall business, her aptitudes and abilities are well leveraged for working within teams to inspire, collaborate, learn and challenge each other to achieve the highest possible quality outcomes.
Media Specialist
Until her 2020 retirement, Patty Avery was the program lead for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s Your Money, Your Goals toolkit and training program for a range of intermediaries who serve low-income consumers.
Patty’s career has included more than seven years at Old National Bank, where she served as director of associate communications and as a community reinvestment officer. Prior to Old National, she worked for the Vanderburgh County Commissioners and as a producer and reporter for Fox 7. Before moving to Evansville, she spent fifteen years serving homeless youth and adults in Amsterdam and Brazil. As a national and global volunteer leader in The American Cancer Society, Patty is an experienced trainer in the field of volunteer-driven legislative advocacy and received the Amcerican Cancer Society Cancer Action Network’s highest honor for volunteers in 2024, the Volunteer Award for Excellence in Advocacy. She also serves as a Families for Safe Streets Ambassador and is a member of that organization’s National Executive Committee.
Patty lives in Evansville, Indiana with her husband, retired State Representative Dennis Avery, and holds a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism from the University of Southern Indiana.
