Founder & Creative director

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Dre attended Lafayette College and later received her art education degree from Bank Street/Parsons.  She taught Kindergarten and third grade in NYC where she was reintroduced to the power of music and children. In 1998 she partnered with a fellow teacher to write, illustrate and record a children's album. After fine tuning her monkey noises she continued as a solo artist in 2003. Five CDs and two holiday singles later, Dre received four Parents’ Choice Awards, was chosen as a finalist by The John Lennon Songwriting Awards and selected as a 2014 IMA Nominee. In 2022, she dropped her first "adult" album under her band name, Loomis Grove. In 2023, her song, "The Earth" (was made for you and me) was selected as a winner of the New England Songwriters Competition.

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Dre's main inspiration are her own three children who all attended Norwalk Public Schools.  Now a journalist, an artist and her youngest studying to be a

nurse.  

Co President

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Patrick Wayland is a private wealth manager in Darien, Connecticut. He grew up in Westchester, NY and on Nantucket Island, earned BS and MS degrees from Johns Hopkins University, both in Electrical Engineering. After his Master’s thesis work at JHU Applied Physics Labs, Patrick segued into finance and spent the next 12 years in energy trading and technology, media and telecom hedge fund investment roles before opening his wealth management practice in 2009. 

Patrick has held board roles at Snell Properties (2009-2014), Rowayton Little League (2016-2020), Shakespeare on the Sound (2018-2022), Junior Arts and Music (2023-Present) and the Nantucket Conservation Foundation (2016-Present). He has played the piano since age 7 and soon thereafter picked up percussion, guitar and bass. He lives in Rowayton, CT with his wife Sarah, three daughters Julia, Bess, and Charlie, and yellow Labrador Bowie. 

Co President

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Juliana (Lou) Belcastro spent her childhood in Sea Cliff, NY where she could routinely be found drawing, painting, and seeking out creative endeavors. She graduated from Amherst College where she majored in Fine Art. Juliana spent much of her professional career working with children both as an Outdoor & Environmental Education Leader and as a Lower School Art Teacher, and later worked in the corporate offices at Dean & DeLuca, NYC in their catalog and internet division. Juliana and her husband moved to Rowayton in 2005 where they raised their two children. She and her daughter formed SameDiff Designs, a small bag company, during Covid. SameDiff was founded in celebration of the “sames" that unite us as humans and the “diffs" that make us each uniquely beautiful. A portion of proceeds go to supporting non-profit organizations that share these values. Juliana continues to explore the arts and crafts at every opportunity, and believes they are essential to everyone for a healthy and fulfilling life. 

Treasurer

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Originally from Brooklyn, Adam grew up in Short Hills, NJ, and graduated from Colgate University in 1987  with a major in Mathematical Economics and a Minor in French.  Adam began his career at JP Morgan before attending UCLA and earning his MBA.   After a successful career as an investment analyst and portfolio manager, Adam retired in 2016.  He now spends his time in New Canaan, CT.  Adam has three grown children.  He is an accomplished musician, currently performing as a drummer in a professional band, and volunteering as a piano teacher to middle-school students in Bridgeport, CT.  He also volunteers with SimplifyCT as a tax preparer for impoverished individuals and families in the Fairfield County area. And lucky us, here at Jam.

Secretary

Lara has a successful career in technology sales and training, working for Fortune 500 companies such as IBM, Motorola, and GE.  She graduated from Boston University with a degree in Broadcast Journalism and moved to Rowayton in 1996.  Lara raised two daughters within Norwalk public schools, volunteering and supporting the classroom and the community. She continues to be an avid supporter of causes for children and the arts.

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PorchJam Director

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John Leslie has been playing in bands for over 20 years including Rowayton's own Funke Your Face.  He is a firm believer in the power music has to calm, inspire and excite the mind and body.  The opportunity to give others even small amounts of the joy he has received from playing the guitar is what drives his dedication to Jam.

Member

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Ray Cashen and his son, Henry, have been Norwalk residents 10 years.  Henry and Ray have been avid Jam disciples since Jam’s awesome residency at Liberty Square, South Norwalk.  Ray is the General Counsel for William Raveis Real Estate, Mortgage & Insurance since 2003 as well as President of William Raveis Insurance since 2006. Prior to joining William Raveis Real Estate, Ray practiced law in Washington D.C. with the firm of Webster, Chamberlain & Bean. Ray received a Bachelor of Arts from Brown University and a Juris Doctor from Tulane University Law School.

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Member

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Andy is a Clinical Psychologist with over 30 years of experience as a therapist in private practice and as a school psychologist in a private elementary school in NYC.  She has extensive experience working with children, parents and educators on issues related to social and emotional development.  She received her BA from Brown University in Rhode Island and her MA and PhD. from The Derner Institute @Adelphi University in Garden City NY. Andy is also a trained mediator and continues to contribute her time to the New York Peace Institute, a non profit based in Brooklyn NY that specializes in conflict resolution and offers free mediation and consulting to communities and organizations around the country. 

After stepping down from her role as a school psychologist in 2021, Andy and her husband left NYC and moved to Rowayton CT for more trees and space. Andy continues to see patients and enjoys having more time to travel, play the piano, read and write. 

Educator & Special Needs Advocate

member