President: Peter Merkle

Vice President: Jay Sims

Jay started to DJ as a hobby when he was in high school. He enrolled at Northwestern University in the fall of 1993, and started his DJ Company as an avenue to help pay his way through school. His initial advertising blitz consisted of going door to door to fraternities and sororities on campus and selling his service for their formal dances. Along the way, he became involved as the DJ for Dance Marathon, an annual 30-hour dance with 500 students that raises on average $500,000 for deserving charities. After graduating in Chemical Engineering in 1997, Jay took up full-time employment in the Chicago area with an oil company. Still being near Northwestern allowed him to perform at their functions and he also started to branch out into other types of events. Also in 1997, Jay married the love of his life Tamara after a six year courtship. In January of 2002 Jay left his job as a chemical engineer to turn his part-time DJ profession into his full-time career and started Something 2 Dance 2. In November 2004, Tamara left her corporate job to work as Director of Marketing for Something 2 Dance 2. Today, Something 2 Dance 2 employs 7 DJs and has an office in East Dundee, IL and performs at over 250 events annually. Tamara & Jay also celebrated 10 years of marriage in June with Jay putting on a Broadway concert for Tamara. Jay will also continues donating his time at Northwestern as the Dance Marathon DJ.

Secretary: Steve Dykstra

Stevie has been in the mobile entertainment industry for a majority of his life. At the early age 14, his love for music and dancing, led him into the lifestyle of being a professional disc jockey. He started his mobile entertainment company, Operation Getdown, in July of 1999. 10 years later, Stevie is still rocking hard in the DJ world and loves it more than ever. His love of the job and passion for the industry has led him into the leadership position of the Chicago Chapter of the ADJA.

Treasurer: Alan Brusich

Alan has been performing as a Disc Jockey, MC, Audio/Visual System Designer and Technician for most all of his adult life. He and his Best friend Ted performed at their first Wedding on February 21st, 1985. His company, Makin'' Music DJ service (www.mmdj.com) was born from that evenings success. Growing up on the south side of Chicago, Alan and a few close friends used to spend their weekends during Grammar and High school singing "acapella" style Oldies while hanging out. "It was clear that music and entertainment was going to be a part of my life very early on", Alan Indicates. After High School, Makin'' Music proved to be a valuable asset to help Alan pursue a degree in Mechanical Engineering. After College and with the business in full swing , Alan Traveled the country as a contract Engineering consultant working for big name companies such as John Deere, Boeing Aircraft, Navistar international and IBM. Eventually he wound up at a speaker company in Chicago on a team that designed sound systems for Chrysler, Ford and other Manufactures. Alan is now in his mid 40''s and his corporation is still going strong. In 2008, they started Makin'' Music Productions inc. doing small to medium size productions. Along with the day to day dealings of the business, he also has 3 Beautiful Daughters who Dance competitively in Hip Hop, Jazz, Tap and Ballet. There is never a dull moment in his household. "One of the best decisions for my business has been joining a local Chapter of the ADJA. It has changed everything about how I run my business and how I challenge myself everyday to get better at what we do. I encourage you to join the ADJA and be involved in a local chapter as soon as possible."

Membership Director: Charlie Caron

Charlie Caron has always been interested in making music. As a youth in the 60s he enjoyed making custom mixes from LP to reel-reel tape and even a few 8-Tracks. He continued having fun with music as a hobby while working a 29 year Federal Law Enforcement career as a U.S. Treasury Dept. Special Agent. In 2003 he retired in order to devote full time to his DJ business. Charlie officially began his career as a Mobile DJ in 1995 when he launched his flagship business Kaptain Karaoke. Working part time he has grown from a modest 12 events the first year to averaging over 200 gigs a year. A big reason for this growth is the Chicagoland ADJA Chapter. The topics presented at monthly meetings as well as the knowledge and support provided by fellow members has been a key to the success of Kaptain Karaoke. As Membership Director, his goal is to grow our ADJA Chapter by recruiting new members and providing support and information to current members. Feel free to contact him at any time for more information about the Chicagoland ADJA Chapter.

Member At Large: Anthony Martorano - Communications

Anthony started his DJ career at a very young age working as a DJ assistant for his father. Developing his entertainment skills and a true enjoyment of the industry has helped his company, Dance Party DJs, stay fresh and continue to grow. Anthony has been a full-time mobile DJ since graduating from Illinois State University in December 2006. Anthony credits the Chicago ADJA, it''s great members, and the vast industry knowledge and networking available at the monthly meetings as a large influence in the success of his company.