Ken Sipley holds Bachelors and Masters degrees in music education from Syracuse University, and a PhD in Fine Arts Administration 
from Texas Tech University. He has taught music and theatre in New York, Texas, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Mississippi. He has conducted choirs at all levels from elementary school through adult, and has been involved in church choral music for most of his career.
As the Director of the Fine Arts Division at Northwest Community College, he is responsible for the Visual Art, Music and Theatre Departments. He is the conductor of the Northwest Community College District Honor High School Choir. He is an experienced clinician in the areas of choral techniques, vocal technique, and choral literature.
John Ungurait, a native of northern Indiana, begins his 12th year as director of Bands. An alumnus of Northwest, which he attended in 1983 and 1984, Ungurait received a bachelor's degree in music education from the University of Southern Mississippi and a master's degree in music from New Mexico State University.
In 2006, he was president of the Mississippi Community and Junior College Band Directors Association, and served as past president of that organization last year. Known as a clinician and judge in Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona, Ungurait has also worked as a percussion instructor for several drum and bugle corps, and he served as the front ensemble instructor for the Arizona Sun Drum and Bugle Corps. In Mississippi he has worked as a consultant with high school bands in Pascagoula, Lumberton, Hernando, Oxford and Senatobia. He recently served as clinician for the Memphis City Schools Honor Band.
London-Silas Shavers is Coordinator of Woodwind Studies at Northwest Mississippi Community College and an Endorsing Artist/Clinician for the Leblanc Division of Conn-Selmer, Inc., Gonzalez Reeds, ChopSaver Lip Balm, and Backun Musical Services, Ltd.
In addition to his teaching, festival adjudication, and ensemble conducting throughout the Greater Memphis area, Shavers performs throughout the United States and abroad as a soloist and chamber musician, and is an active clarinet clinician, recitalist, and composer. Shavers has been the featured soloist with the Valparaiso University Chamber Concert Band, Western Michigan University Symphony Orchestra, Dyersburg State College Symphony Orchestra, University of Memphis Symphonic Band, Rhodes College Orchestra, Northwest Mississippi Community College Symphonic Winds, and various youth symphonies and elite high school orchestral and wind ensemble festival programs across the country. As an ardent proponent of music by living composers, Shavers has participated in multiple consortiums to commission new works and has also premiered works by North American composers David Maslanka and Bill Douglas.
Shavers holds degrees from Valparaiso University (B.M.Ed), Western Michigan University, (M.Mus), and has completed additional graduate studies at the University of Memphis. His principal clarinet teachers include Karen Woodworth, Denise Chigas-Kirkland, Bradley Wong, and James Gholson.
London plays Leblanc Concerto II clarinets, Selmer Series III Saxophones, and mouthpieces, bells, and barrels made by master designer Morrie Backun.
Joel King, originally from Purvis, MS, is Technical Director and Adjunct Theatre Instructor in the Division of Fine Arts. Joel has a B.F.A. in Theatre Performance from William Carey University in Hattiesburg, MS and an M.F.A. in Acting from Michigan State University. Some of his acting credits include; Leo in Leading Ladies, Kid in Kid Purple, Berowne in Love’s Labour’s Lost, Caliban in The Tempest, Tom in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Tartuffe in Tartuffe, as well as many more. Joel is a member of the Society of America Fight Directors and an Equity Membership Candidate with Actor’s Equity, a union for professional actors and stage managers. He has worked professionally as an actor and technician in Michigan, Atlanta and Mississippi.
Ashley Chavis is originally from Savannah, Georgia. In 2000, he graduated from Armstrong Atlantic State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Studio Art. He completed graduate school in 2005 at The University of Mississippi and was awarded the terminal degree in Studio Art, the Master of Fine Arts degree, with an emphasis in Ceramics.
Ashley began working for Northwest in 2007. He currently teaches Art Appreciation and all levels of Drawing and Ceramics. He also helps coordinate and maintain the department’s art gallery and is a sponsor of the students’ art club, Les Fauves.
Ashley also enjoys an active studio schedule. Most of his creative energy is devoted to producing functional pottery that has a unique since of tactility and surface design. However, he also experiments with mixed-media and two-dimensional work. His work can be found in various regional and national exhibitions and locally at Southside Gallery in Oxford, Mississippi. He is a member of the College Art Association (CAA), Southeastern College Art Conference (SECAC), and National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA).
Lawayne House grew up in Memphis, Tennessee. It was his third grade teacher, Mary Watson, at Sherwood Elementary, who set the 
path in which he would follow; that of an artist. In 1976, he graduated from the then Memphis Academy of Arts with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Advertising Design. Recruited by the greeting card giant, Hallmark Cards, Lawayne moved to Kansas City, Missouri and began his career as a designer. Over the next 25 years he balanced his art pursuits with a successful career in both illustration and advertising.
Seeking an opportunity to help young artists pursue professional careers, Lawayne began working for Northwest as an adjunct instructor in 2001. And, in 2002 he entered the graduate program at the Memphis College of Art. In 2004 he was awarded the terminal degree in Studio Art, the Master of Fine Arts degree with an emphasis in painting.
Lawayne began working for Northwest full-time in 2004 and became Chairman of the Art Department in 2006. He currently teaches Art Appreciation, Art History, Design and Painting. He is also a co-sponsor of the student art club, Les Fauves, and shares in the responsibility of maintaining and coordinating exhibitions held in the Northwest Art Gallery.
Through his many creative pursuits, Lawayne has designed numerous illustrations and advertising collateral for a variety of corporate and retail accounts. In his studio, he continues to explore the unlimited possibilities of paint and paper.
Bill Maze is a Speech Instructor in the Division of Fine Arts. Dr. Maze holds degrees from The University of Memphis (PhD), Mankato State University (MA), and a bachelor degree from Winona State University. His primary focus will be teaching sections of Public Speaking 1113 and assisting with other departmental functions.
Jeff Triplett is beginning his fourth year as an instructor at Northwest Mississippi Community College. A native of Senatobia, he attended NWCC from 1985-87, receiving his associate of arts degree. He also holds a bachelor's degree in music education from the University of Southern Mississippi and a master's degree in music from Delta State University. In addition to classroom duties, he teaches applied low-brass, applied-guitar, guitar for non-majors, and guitar classes.
Sadie S. Shannon originally from Minnesota, is a Theatre and Speech Instructor in the Division of Fine Arts. Sadie has a B.A. in Music from William Carey University in Hattiesburg, MS and an M.F.A. in Acting Pedagogy from the University of Alabama. Some of her acting credits include; The Bakers Wife in Into the Woods, Daisy in Sideshow, Pegeen in Playboy of the Western World, Popeye in The Miss Firecracker Contest, Pooty in Reckless, June in The Sanders Family Christmas, as well as many more. Sadie has presented at conferences such as the Southeastern Theatre Conference as well as been the guest speaker at several Musical Theatre workshops. She is a founding member of the Alabama Graduate Theatre Alliance and a proud member of VASTA.
Eunika Rogers was born and raised in Trnava, Slovakia. Eunika moved to Ontario, Canada when she was 13 and remains a citizen of Canada. As a young adult, she moved to the United States to attend college at Delta State University of Mississippi, where she received a tennis scholarship.
In 1994, Eunika graduated from Delta State with a double-major in Graphic Design and Ceramics. She then pursued a Masters in Fine Arts with emphasis in Ceramics and Mixed-Media from the University of Memphis, where she graduated in 1997.
Eunika worked as a commercial graphic designer for seven years before becoming an instructor at Northwest Mississippi Community College, where she currently teaches Design and Graphic Design and Computer Arts. She is also a co-sponsor of the student’s art club, Les Fauves, and she also maintains and co-ordinates NWCC art gallery.
In her own studio work, she concentrates on contemporary art, specializing in a form of Clay Painting that she herself developed. She also continues to enjoy competitive athletics, as an ultra runner and adventure racer.
Susanne Spencer VanDyke is in her nineteenth year as Director of Choral Activities at Northwest Mississippi Community College and
recently was named chair of the music department. She is a 1976 graduate of South Panola High School. In addition to beginning her college studies at Northwest, she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Delta State University and a Master of Music in Vocal Performance from Mississippi College, She has taken post graduate courses in conducting with Dr. James Jordan at Westminster Choir College in Princeton New Jersey. She is featured in “Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers” and is a contributor to the book “The Musician’s Spirit” by Dr. James Jordan. She has also received Allie Awards for Best Orchestral Direction of a musical for “Man of La Mancha” and “Fiddler on the Roof”. She is also coordinator of the annual NWCC District High School Honor Choir. Ms. VanDyke holds membership in ACDA and NATS.
Mr. Kenneth Ortlepp is starting his first year as Assistant Director of Bands/Marching Band Director at Northwest. A native of Mississippi, he comes to us from Lake Cormorant High School, a superior rated band, in Desoto County where he was the Director of Bands for the last four years. Prior to that, he was the assistant professor of Horn at the University of Southern Mississippi, a musician with the United States Air Force Band, a free-lance musician, and a middle school band director.
Mr. Ortlepp received his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Southern Mississippi, his Master’s from the University of Mississippi, and did his course work towards a Doctorate’s degree at the University of Northern Colorado.
His performance career allowed him to perform with orchestras in Colorado, Wyoming, Texas, Mississippi, Tennessee and Florida. He is currently the Principle Horn of the Tupelo Symphony Orchestra in Tupelo, MS. He actively teaches privately to students in the community and regularly free-lances in the area.
Jeff Triplett is a native of Senatobia and graduate of Northwest. He holds an Associate of Arts from Northwest Mississippi Community
College, a Bachelors of Music Education from The University of Southern Mississippi and a Masters of Music Education from Delta State University. Mr. Triplett’s primary areas of focus include applied low-brass, guitar, as well as teaching Music Appreciation in both the traditional and virtual environments. He also assists with the marching and concert bands.
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