Staff

Connie Bell  
Executive Assistant: Responsible for the day-to-day administration of all office, clerical and association activities. This includes accurate cash deposit records, reconciling deposits with Finance Manager, taking all season ticket orders, entering sponsorship and advertising contracts, all billing, sending thank you letters for fund drive, sponsorships and advertising pledges. Connie also acts as the liaison between Hammons Hall box office and the Symphony office. Her main objective for the organization is to provide excellent customer service to its sponsors and patrons.  

Connie joined the Symphony in July 2019 as a temporary Executive Assistant. She became a permanent employee in October 2019. Prior to working at the Symphony, Connie worked at a non-profit eating disorder facility in Indiana. She has also worked in the financial field assisting clients with their investment portfolios. Connie enjoys taking long walks, reading, cross stitching and having lunch with friends. 

Kelly Shaner  
Development Manager: Responsible for developing, managing, implementing and evaluating the overall fund raising programs of the Springfield Symphony. The development manager cultivates sponsorship partners, capital endowment, planned giving and fundraising event initiatives with benefits that help to build lasting relationships with individual and corporate donors providing a variety of gifts and in-kind partnerships to support the Symphony.   

Kelly Shaner joined the Symphony in November 2019 as an events coordinator before stepping into the Development Manager role. In this role her primary goals are to foster lasting donor and corporate partnerships that will help to ensure support of the Symphony for seasons to come. Additionally, she hopes to diversify funding initiatives and provide new ways for the Springfield community to support their Symphony! Kelly holds 2 bachelors degrees which included coursework in entertainment and event/business management, as well as non-profit administration. In her free time she enjoys playing tennis and golf, entertaining friends, and is an avid reader. 

Aleksis Zarins 

Operations Manager: The responsibility of the Operations Manager includes all duties of the personnel manager and librarian, as well as to act as the liaison between management and the musicians through the hiring of substitute and extra musicians; through the coordination of auditions; through accurate record keeping and through the interpretation and communication of all personnel related activities.  

Aleksis Zarins is a musician originally from Springfield, Missouri. He graduated from Parkview High School and moved to New York City to explore his passions in music and travel. After eight years of performing with various Broadway musical productions, he returned home to finish his college education at Missouri State University and share his love of music with the communities of Southwest Missouri. He is currently the operations manager at the Springfield Symphony Association and performs with numerous artistic organizations in the Springfield/Branson area. In his free time, Aleksis loves to explore art in nature and is thankful to be in an area rich with such opportunities. He is devoted to his darling Amy and in pursuing a future full of music performance and education in the Springfield metro area.

Marketing Manager: Responsible for planning, executing, and evaluating marketing campaigns for orchestra and special events, and maximizing the visibility of the orchestra, consistent with SSO policies and long-range goals. 

Lexi joined the Symphony in September 2017. Lexi started her position as Executive Assistant for the Springfield Symphony Orchestra, and in May 2018, was promoted to the role of Marketing Manager.  Her main objectives for the organization are building community awareness of the Symphony, building and sustaining media relationships for the Symphony, and managing the grant writing and research process for the Symphony. Lexi holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music and Arts Administration from Drury University. Prior to working at the Symphony, she held a position in 2016 as the Marketing and Development intern for the Symphony. Lexi enjoys getting to work within the field of nonprofit arts and help make a difference in her local community. In her spare time, Lexi enjoys cooking new recipes, knitting and reading books.