MEET THE STAFF

Crystal Walker grew up in Winnsboro, Texas, where she discovered her passion for colorguard thanks to a dedicated Cavalier who inspired her journey from performer to director. As an alumni of Northwestern State University, Crystal earned her Bachelor in Communications with a minor in Speech in 2005. During her time at NSU, she was a proud member of the Demon Heat Colorguard. Crystal's academic journey continued with a Master's Degree in School Counseling and Development from Lamar University in 2023. She is currently applying her counseling expertise as the 10th Grade Counselor and Dual Credit Coordinator at Hallsville High School. Outside of her professional achievements, Crystal treasures her role as a wife to Trey and a mother to her three children: Connor, Briana, and Kendall. Her family is her greatest joy and proudest accomplishment.
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Crystal was the director at Marshall High School for thirteen years and created a dynamic program that achieved notable success under her guidance.  Crystal was an assistant director at Northwestern State during one year of winterguard season, and she has since been a key contributor to the NSU Summer Colorguard Camps for over a decade. Fun Fact, it was her team in the early 2000’s that created the name Demon Heat for the NSU Colorguard.

Her dedication doesn’t stop with the students she directly teaches, her roles with North Texas Colorguard Association and her love for adjudication shows her ongoing involvement in the broader colorguard community. Crystal proudly served on the board and worked as a Contest Director for NTCA. She currently serves as a freelance choreographer for dance and colorguard and is known for her ability to inspire students to connect deeply with their performances.

Her passion for colorguard has been the driving force behind helping to create and shape the Four States Performing Arts Association. What began as a love for the activity has grown into an opportunity to serve students from all four regions, and she is truly honored to work with such talented and dedicated young performers. Being able to help develop a circuit that celebrates fun, passion, and camaraderie is one of her proudest accomplishments. In her role as Circuit Administrator, She is committed to supporting programs, empowering directors, and ensuring that every student has a positive and enriching performance experience.

Welcome to Four State Performing Arts Association, we are so excited to grow with you!

Crystal Walker grew up in Winnsboro, Texas, where she discovered her passion for colorguard thanks to a dedicated Cavalier who inspired her journey from performer to director. As an alumni of Northwestern State University, Crystal earned her Bachelor in Communications with a minor in Speech in 2005. During her time at NSU, she was a proud member of the Demon Heat Colorguard. Crystal's academic journey continued with a Master's Degree in School Counseling and Development from Lamar University in 2023. She is currently applying her counseling expertise as the 10th Grade Counselor and Dual Credit Coordinator at Hallsville High School. Outside of her professional achievements, Crystal treasures her role as a wife to Trey and a mother to her three children: Connor, Briana, and Kendall. Her family is her greatest joy and proudest accomplishment.
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Crystal was the director at Marshall High School for thirteen years and created a dynamic program that achieved notable success under her guidance.  Crystal was an assistant director at Northwestern State during one year of winterguard season, and she has since been a key contributor to the NSU Summer Colorguard Camps for over a decade. Fun Fact, it was her team in the early 2000’s that created the name Demon Heat for the NSU Colorguard.

Her dedication doesn’t stop with the students she directly teaches, her roles with North Texas Colorguard Association and her love for adjudication shows her ongoing involvement in the broader colorguard community. Crystal proudly served on the board and worked as a Contest Director for NTCA. She currently serves as a freelance choreographer for dance and colorguard and is known for her ability to inspire students to connect deeply with their performances.

Her passion for colorguard has been the driving force behind helping to create and shape the Four States Performing Arts Association. What began as a love for the activity has grown into an opportunity to serve students from all four regions, and she is truly honored to work with such talented and dedicated young performers. Being able to help develop a circuit that celebrates fun, passion, and camaraderie is one of her proudest accomplishments. In her role as Circuit Administrator, She is committed to supporting programs, empowering directors, and ensuring that every student has a positive and enriching performance experience.

Welcome to Four State Performing Arts Association, we are so excited to grow with you!

Marty M. Newman brings nearly three decades of dedication, artistry, and leadership to the world of colorguard. With 28 years of experience as a colorguard instructor, Marty has made a lasting impact at various schools in the Northeast Texas area.

Under Marty’s instructional leadership, multiple ensembles have earned numerous awards with one even advancing to WGI semifinals. At Mount Pleasant, Marty built a comprehensive and thriving program that now serves 174 students across three campuses. The program includes six
winterguard teams and three fall guards.
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In addition to work in the performing arts, Marty serves as the Director of Reading Language Arts and brings 19 years of experience teaching high school English. This includes Advanced Placement and Dual Credit coursework, reflecting a deep commitment to academic excellence and student development across disciplines.
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Marty’s philosophy centers on students first. Colorguard is viewed as a creative outlet and a safe space where students can express themselves through art. Programs are intentionally designed around student interests and musical connection, ensuring that each production is meaningful, engaging, and authentic. Through this approach, Marty continues to shape programs that value creativity, inclusion, and excellence.

Savanah Potter is an East Texas native. She currently directs the East Texas A&M Colorguard and assists with several high school colorguards in the region. Previously, she served as the Colorguard Director for Marshall ISD. In addition, she is the colorguard director at East Texas Baptist University. Under Ms. Potter's leadership, her teams have received numerous accolades, including Best in Class at marching competitions, Grand National Champions at MA competitions, and medals at NTCA championships.

Ms. Potter has also built a successful career as a colorguard technician and choreographer for various schools throughout East Texas. She has been a colorguard staff member at the Northwestern State University Summer Music Camp in Natchitoches, Louisiana, and has directed the colorguard portion of the East Texas A&M University Summer Music Camp.

Currently, Ms. Potter is the treasurer for the FSPAA and chairman of the Judges and Evaluation Committee.

She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Interdisciplinary Studies, with concentrations in Computational Science, Social Science, and Education. Ms. Potter resides in Longview, Texas, with her kitten, Dolly.

Elliott J. Ayo is the Director of Bands at Rivercrest Independent School District in Johntown, Texas, where he has led the program to unprecedented success since arriving in 2021. A 2016 graduate of Louisiana Tech University, Mr. Ayo holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education and has built a reputation for fostering excellence in music education and student success.Under his leadership, the Rivercrest ISD Band has made five consecutive UIL State Marching Band Contest appearances, earning medals in each of the last three years: 1st place in 2023 and 2025, and 3rd in 2024. The program has also secured three UIL Area Marching Champion titles, consistent first-division ratings in UIL Concert & Sight Reading assessments, and was named a finalist for the TMEA Honor Band competition in 2024.

In addition to his role at Rivercrest, Mr. Ayo is a founding board member and Parliamentarian of the Four States Performing Arts Association, where he advocates for the marching arts and indoor performing activities. His guard programs have earned multiple medals in the NTCA circuit, including top-three finishes in 2018, 2020, 2023, and 2024.

Prior to his appointment at Rivercrest, Mr. Ayo served as Assistant Band Director at Sulphur Springs ISD (2019–2021) and Winnsboro ISD (2017–2019), where he contributed to the success of both high school and middle school programs. Before moving to Texas, he revitalized the band and guard program at Welsh and Roanoke Schools in Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana. Mr. Ayo began his teaching career as a student teacher at Good Hope Middle School in West Monroe, Louisiana, as an inaugural Clinical Education Resident for the Louisiana Department of Education.

An accomplished musician and educator, Mr. Ayo studied saxophone under H. Lawrence Gibbs III and Johnny Walker, conducting under Jim Robken, and music education under Dr. Andrew Hunter. Originally from Gonzales, Louisiana, he graduated from East Ascension High School with a Performing Arts Endorsement under the mentorship of his band director, Patti Roussel.
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Outside of his teaching duties, Mr. Ayo is an active drill designer and show consultant for programs in both Louisiana and Texas, specializing in program coordination, visual design, and drill for both indoor and outdoor ensembles. He has served as a clinician for multiple honor bands and a judge for both invitational and UIL-sanctioned marching and concert assessments. He also enjoys teaching clinics on student leadership and drum major techniques. Additionally, Mr. Ayo serves as the 2A Representative for the UIL SMBC Rules Advisory Committee, the ATSSB SARC Committee, and is proud to serve in various music roles in his church.

Hi, my name is Burgandy Crouse, and I am the Four States Performing Arts Association Secretary. I currently teach world history, Dual Credit US History, and Dual Credit World Civilizations at Hooks High School, where I have also been the Cologuard instructor for 11 years now. I live in Texarkana with my husband, three sons, and three dogs. If we aren’t at a band or guard event, we are spending time together playing with Legos, watching TV, or going to the lake.

I started Cologuard way back in 2005, when I did my first year of Winter Guard as an 8^th grader, and I fell in love.  I did Cologuard all four years of my high school career at Hooks High School, and I was captain my junior and senior year. During my time in high school, we would go to Northwestern State University every year for a marching contest and the first time I saw them perform I knew I wanted to be a part of that guard!

I became a part of the NSU Deam Heat Cologuard in 2010 where I would perform with them for four years. My senior year I was flag captain and section leader. During my time on the Deam Heat we would win gold twice, and a silver medal is the Louisiana Winter guard circuit. My time with this team helped me create lasting memories and friendships that I will keep with me forever.  

After I graduated in 2014, I reached out to Hooks High school to see if they needed a Cologuard instructor while I took a year off before grad school. During that year I fell in love with the teaching guard, and I would create the first winter guard team at Hooks.  I’ve had many students go off to college and do guard, and I’m proud to have students who are now coaching at both Southern Arkansas University and Northwestern State University.

Guard has always been my creative outlet and a place that has always brought me such joy. I hope that with this program we can bring you and your students/teammates the same joy in performing.

Herman Montoya (Jay Jay) currently serves as the Member-at-Large for the Colorguard Division of the Four States Performing Arts Association. He is currently the colorguard director at Texas High School in Texarkana, Texas and began his teaching career in New Mexico in 2016. In 2021, Jay Jay moved to Commerce, Texas to pursue his master’s degree in Clarinet Performance at East Texas A&M University. His performance background includes marching DCI in 2016 and and 2018. Jay Jay, worked with the Wylie East High School Royals  winterguard and traveled with them to compete at the Winter Guard International World Championships in Dayton, Ohio in 2023. Outside of the activity, Herman enjoys spending time with his cat, Carmina, and has a special love for ducks.

I am originally from Kilgore Texas & still live in the East Texas Area with my husband, daughter, & 2 fur babies.I started baton twirling in 2006 & color guard in 2015. As a twirler I was my middle school & high school head twirler & drum major. After high school I attended Kilgore College where I was the Drum Major, KC Twirler, & Feature Twirler. After KC I attended Stephen F Austin State University where I was a Twirl-O-Jack & then as member of the SFA Color Guard.

I currently work at Legacy Athletics as a preschool gymnastics coach & the twirling instructor, at Carthage Junior High as the flag corp & twirling coach, & at SFASU as the Color Guard Coordinator. I also teach twirling, color guard, & military drum major private lessons. In my spare time I enjoy reading, crocheting, & spending time with my family.