Board of Directors

All board members serve on a voluntary basis and receive no compensation or benefits of any kind.

Priscilla Conway, Chair Saint Paul, MN

Priscilla Conway was a close friend of Jessa Roquet’s for over 20 years and in the last few years of Jessa’s life, Priscilla considered Jessa to be her best friend.

Priscilla claims the great city of St. Paul to be her home for herself and her two children. She enjoys watching her kids in their sports and hobbies and gives thanks daily that they are hers!

She is a live music junkie and can’t get enough of the talent that exists! She lives vicariously through the musicians around her and cannot wait to live out the mission and a piece of Jessa’s heart by doing the work of the Jessa Roquet Music Foundation.

Naomi Zupfer, Vice Chair Saint Paul, MN

Naomi grew up with Jessa, as one of her four siblings.

Naomi works at Art House North in St. Paul as Director of Events, and is owner of Clover Arts Management, LLC.

Naomi worked in international concert touring for over 15 years and, prior to that, she worked with the Fitzgerald Theater and MPR, the National Lutheran Choir and the Benson Great Hall at Bethel University.

Naomi grew up singing with her family in the Gamble Family Christmas.

She lives with her family on the West Side of St. Paul. They own and host an artist retreat outside of Hinckley, MN called Crooked Creek Retreat, where Jessa had run two Women’s Songwriter Workshops.

Garry Gamble, Treasurer/Agent Grand Marais, MN

Jessa’s father.

Our family, as some of you are aware, began presenting Annual Christmas Concerts in the Twin Cities in the late seventies. These concerts continued for some thirty years, originating at Orchestra Hall in 1979, a year after Jessa’s birth.

Garry, with his wife, Renée, live in Grand Marais, MN where Garry serves as Cook County Commissioner.

We celebrate Jessa’s life and are privileged, as parents, to have been entrusted with such a child for the treasured—but far too short—forty-two years she was with us.

Adam Swenson, Secretary Saint Paul, MN . 

Adam Swenson was a close friend of Jessa. Adam played on worship teams with Jessa for about 10 years and played electric guitar in the original lineup of Gambler’s Daughter and on the band’s EP. Adam also played in A Thousand Falls with many friends of Jessa - they released the album Midnight in 2012. Adam is a small business owner who has worked in churches, camps, worship space, and led a mission organization. He’s a huge guitar nerd who leans in the ambient direction. He lives with his wife, Maureen, and daughter, Katja, in Saint Paul. He has a small studio at home where he records his podcast and writes his Substack.

Sara Horishnyk, Board Member Fridley, MN

Passionate for music and the arts in the Twin Cities, Sara helps provide performance opportunities for artists through Xylo Entertainment. Sara is a Minneapolis-based drummer, artist manager and marketing professional with a long-standing commitment to supporting local artists and building community through music. Sara performed with Jessa as a part of Gamble's Daughter and currently plays with her longtime group, Bethany Larson & The Bee's Knees. Whether behind the kit or behind the scenes, she’s known for her thoughtful, collaborative approach and her deep understanding of what artists need to succeed. 

Christy Merry, Board Member Minneapolis, MN

Christy Merry was a friend of Jessa’s and she and her husband (Tommy Rehbein of Toilet Rats, who knew Jessa growing up from attending the camp her parents directed, helped Jessa connect with the producers for her EP and album. Christy has also released 2 EPs and 6 poetry collections and has lived and performed in Chicago, Minneapolis, Hollywood and Brooklyn. She & Tommy live in NE Minneapolis with their 2 black cats, Audrey and Ramona, where she works as an Investor Services Associate in private equity. Christy will soon release her next poetry book, “All Your Faces.”