Meet Our Staff
Deb Schaber joined the Armory Arts & Music Center in April 2026 as Executive Director, bringing more than 20 years of experience in large-scale event production, nonprofit leadership, and revenue-generating partnerships. She leads the organization’s operations and the redevelopment of the historic Duluth Armory into a vibrant arts and community hub, anticipated to open in 2027.
Prior to joining the Armory, Deb founded Schaber & Co., where she advised festivals, nonprofits, and corporate clients on event strategy, operations, and earned revenue models. Her work included partnerships with organizations such as Twin Cities Gus Macker, Viking Fest MN, the White Bear Area Food Shelf, and the Minnesota Festivals & Events Association.
Deb previously served as Director of Entertainment at Canterbury Park, where she led venue programming and event operations, launched the Canterbury Park Summer Concert Series, and managed large-scale events, driving significant growth in attendance and ticket revenue.
Earlier in her career, Deb was President & CEO of the Saint Paul Festival & Heritage Foundation, where she oversaw major civic events including the Saint Paul Winter Carnival and Cinco de Mayo. She helped lead the creation of the 2018 Winter Carnival Ice Palace during Super Bowl LII. She also spent more than a decade producing Renaissance Festivals and large-scale events across multiple markets, building deep expertise in operations, partnerships, and community-centered programming.
A graduate of the University of Minnesota Duluth, Deb is proud to return to Duluth and is passionate about creating a welcoming, accessible space where arts, culture, and community come together.
Deb Schaber
Executive Director
Melissa has been with the Armory Arts and Music Center for about 2 years as Marketing and Design Support, community outreach, and building and managing our Music Resource Center Programming. She has been a professional artist and amateur musician for most of her life. She has a degree in Communication Art and Design but alongside art, she has worked for many years in the service industry, as an interior designer, and has volunteered with many local organizations. Melissa owns and helps operate the local art collective< Alt Creative. She has a passion for growing awareness through creating effective and engaging designs, creating fun music and art educational activities for the community and for planning community events. Managing the MRC and seeing the kids thrive is her favorite job of all.
Melissa Weisser
Program Manager
Gabby Tachis
Operations and Administrative
Coordinator
Gabby is the Operations & Administrative Coordinator at the Armory Arts & Music Center. She brings a background in nonprofit operations, communications, and event management, with previous experience at sports organizations including USA Curling and U.S. Ski & Snowboard. She enjoys bringing people and ideas together and being part of projects that strengthen the community.
Gabby is passionate about preserving Duluth’s historic buildings and ensuring they remain part of the city’s future. She is excited to be part of the effort to preserve and reimagine the Duluth Armory as a space for arts, music, and community, and looks forward to helping shape its next chapter.
Music Resource Center (MRC)
Instructors/Mentors
Axel has a background in classical piano, music theory, guitar, bass, recording, and mixing. With experience in a few bands, and in studios, he's been involved in music his whole life. He's currently playing in local bands like Born Too Late, the Hecks and the Beach Hazards. He loves listening to just about anything (New Wave, Motown, 60s/70s rock, grunge, etc). Axel teaches beginner to intermediate piano, guitar, bass, recording and music theory.
Michael teaches improvisation on piano, and is also our trumpet instructor. Originally from Germany, he has 25 years of experience performing on stage across the USA. He's been teaching students of all ages for thirty years and enjoys Jazz, Blues, Rock and Roll, and more. He has a goal of learning to play and teach the ukulele, and hopes to see Bob Dylan play in the Armory when we open in 2027!
Shanna began playing drums in 1996 at age 16 and began giving private lessons a few years ago. Influenced by her dad and sister playing drums and simply having access to a set, she began. Since then she’s played with lots of groups and people including The Keep Aways, Nordic Waste, The Undesirables, Moon Dogs and Neat Neat Neat. Shanna loves supporting others and feels honored to do so through volunteering at PAVSA and working at Essentia’s Center for Personal Fitness where she gets to teach fitness and yoga classes along with offering personal training. Shanna thinks the drums are super rad and that everybody should give them a try! She can also play and teach the flute. She enjoys teaching drums with fun, spontaneity, inclusivity, and creativity as guiding lights.
Traxx joined the MRC as an instructor after years with the MRC as a student. You may have seen Traxx playing on stage, and we are so excited for him to mentor students in guitar, singing, putting together ensembles, and getting ready for gigs.
He is part of the band Born Too Late who performs regularly across the region as well as attending college, teaching dance and baton and curating a weekly open mic night.
Jason Schooler is a musician, educator, and community leader with more than 20 years of experience teaching guitar, bass, music production, and ensemble performance. He founded and operated Groove Street Music Studio for 18 years, where he taught students of all ages and helped grow the studio into a thriving community music program. Jason has also developed music curriculum for schools, led rock bands and guitar ensembles, and brings a hands-on, student-centered approach to every lesson.
In addition to teaching at the Armory Music Resource Center, Jason is the founder and Executive Director of the Duluth Sewing Project, a local nonprofit dedicated to repair, education, and community service. Whether he's helping students discover their first chord or coaching experienced musicians toward their next performance, Jason believes music should be accessible, engaging, and a source of lifelong creativity.