The TEPAC group, clockwise from left to right: Doug Madar, DCI's Sue Kuehnhold, John Noonan, Chuck Junek, Bruce Brown, Claudette Wire, DCI's Dan Acheson and Beth Schindel.
Among the throngs of people who work behind the scenes to ensure a wonderful DCI show are Tour Event Partners, who work hard all year to promote drum corps shows. Tour Event Partners get together once per year (in January, to coincide with DCI board meetings) to share valuable insight into putting on the best possible show. The Tour Event Partner Advisory Committee (TEPAC for short) is responsible for helping DCI in setting up this seminar. TEPAC also acts as an advisor to the Drum Corps International executive director on all matters pertaining to the scheduling and operations of tour events. They're meeting today at DCI headquarters in Addison, Ill. All members of the advisory committee -- Beth Schindel (event partner for Toledo, Ohio), Bruce Brown (event partner for Cincinnati), John Noonan (event partner for DesPlaines, Ill., and Michigan City, Ind.), Doug Madar (event partner for Charlotte, N.C.) and Chuck Junek event partner for (Pascagoula, Miss.) and Claudette Wire (Rome, N.Y.) -- are volunteers.