Hall of Fame
The mission of the ETPAA Hall of Fame is to honor excellence and preserve our evolving history. We aim to acknowledge individuals who have significantly contributed to the organization, expanded the appeal of its activities, and served as sources of inspiration, education, and exemplary leadership for all ETPAA participants.
Leza Carver
2024 Hall of Fame Inductee
Leza Dege-Carver has been with ETPAA since its inception in the fall of 2014. As a founding member of the circuit she helped shape the values and procedures that we still carry with us today. She has served in many different capacities including instructor, director, board representative, board president, and contest coordinator (and the unofficial historian). Leza has always been first and foremost an instructor. She values relationships with students and works to make their space for competition and development one that is worthy of their time. Leza has continuously worked to improve the programs she works with in a way that has impacted hundreds of students directly by way of her leadership. Once Leza began taking on leadership roles within ETPAA, everyone saw the circuit grow in ways that were nothing short of inspirational. Her organization skills and dedication to the well being of the circuit can be seen at the tabulation table, in warmup, and in frequent meetings with the all levers of membership within the circuit. Under her guidance we have seens Leza is an East Tennessee native who has been involved in band and color guard since she was 12 years old. She is an alumnus of Maryville HS (1998). Leza attended the UT - Chattanooga where she was a member of the color guard, guard captain, and color guard tech in The Marching Mocs. Adjudicating/Teaching: She has served as a director, designer, choreographer, and technician for many groups throughout the area, including Hixson HS, Red Bank HS, Dalton HS, Maryville HS, Intensity Winter Guard, Fuel Winter Guard, Attraction Winter Guard, and several other local groups. She currently serves as the director of color guard at Heritage HS, a position she has held since 2004, and Alcoa HS. She has contributed to individual groups and the circuit in so many ways, and we honor those contributions with a well deserved spot in our Hall of Fame. Leza was added to the Hall of Fame at the conclusion of the 2024 competitive season, and ETPAA would be hard pressed to find someone who has added more to our programs.
Jim Idol
2024 Hall of Fame Inductee
Jim Idol has been working with various color guards and bands for decades. He is a founding member of ETPAA, and he continues to serve the circuit in varying capacities. Those who have spent any amount of time in this activity lovingly refer to him as the “Guard Father.” ETPAA will be familiar with Jim as our tried and true Timing and Penalty Judge. He effortlessly controls the flow of each show, and he is always ready to help solve problems no matter how big or small. There are many roles that Jim has served in throughout his time with ETPAA, and these include judge, educator, instructor, coordinator, and board member. Jim was an integral part of the inception of the circuit in the fall of 2014. He helped define the values and philosophies that remain with us each season that the circuit persists. He is an advocate for education first, and he assists in the fulfillment of this mission for both adults and students alike. Jim has worked very hard to create an environment of friendly competition in ETPAA where all levels of performance are valued. He has provided resources for instructors, students, judges, and circuit affiliates over the years. Jim began his work with indoor visual ensembles in 1978 as an adjudicator. This led to fielding his first competitive indoor winter guard in 1980 while WGI was still in its infancy. Since that time Jim has accrued over thirty years of directorial experience in the indoor performing art activity he has consistently been an integral part of producing and creating many competitive regional and national programs. Jim was welcomed into the Hall of Fame at the close of the 2024 competitive season. ETPAA is honored by his presence in the circuit, and we can think of no more deserving of the honor.
Jana Hansen
2022 Hall of Fame Inductee
Jana is a graduate of William Blount High School and The University of Tennessee where she performed with her first color guards. She has also performed with Legend and Nuendo Independent Winter Guards. While marching at UT, Jana was named a black suit for the color guard and began her path of instruction and education. Jana went on to serve on the UT Alumni Board. Jana has instructed several groups including Legend Winterguard, Bijoux Winterguard, and the UT Winterguard. Jana has been a vital part of the ETPAA circuit. She was a founding member of the East Tennessee Performing Arts Association. She has served as secretary, treasurer, contest coordinator, and helped additional administrators in countless other roles. Jana’s attention to detail and commitment to the circuit kept us running properly. On competition days you could see her making sure everything was going smoothly and bringing clarity to every detail. Her contributions helped shape the circuit in those beginning years, and we are ever indebted to her for laying that groundwork. We quite literally could not have done this without her. Please help us in thanking Jana for all her contributions to ETPAA and for being our first inductee into the ETPAA Hall of Fame.
