staff
Sam Burnett
DIRECTOR
(she/her)
Originally from Las Vegas, Nevada, Sam Burnett began her color guard journey in 2010 at Arbor View High School. She has since performed with notable ensembles including Academy Drum and Bugle Corps (2016 & 2017), Blue Stars Drum and Bugle Corps (2018), and UNLV Winterguard (2016-2018). Over the past decade, Sam's teaching and choreography experience spans various programs in Nevada, Oregon, and California, including Foothill High School (2016-2020), Pinecrest Cadence Marching Band (2018-2021), Southridge High School (2021-Present), Pacific Crest Drum and Bugle Corps (2023-Present), and Century High School (2024-Present).
Sam relocated to Portland, OR in 2021 to earn a master's degree in public health from Oregon Health and Science University, and she now serves as a senior partner in quality improvement and project management at a local non-profit. This is Sam's third year with Cascadia, where she has served as an instructor and is excited to step into the role of Director for the 2025 season.
Sarah Aimonetto
LEAD INSTRUCTOR
(she/her)
Color Guard has played a part in Sarah Aimonetto’s life for as long as she can remember. Sarah began her career in color guard as a freshman at Westview High School in 2013. After high school, she appeared in Cascadia Winter Guard for three seasons, from 2019 to 2023, and led the guard as captain for the 2023 show “More Than Words,” earning 10th place A Class finalists at WGI.
She enjoys sharing her love of color guard with others through teaching and volunteering. She has performed with the Beaverton Stars since 2015 and taught at Meadow Park Middle School. Outside of color guard, Sarah is working toward a degree in dental hygiene.
Zach Dye
INSTRUCTOR & CHOREOGRAPHER
(he/him)
Zach Dye is an Indiana native of Greenfield, Indiana where he began his color guard career with Greenfield Central Color Guard. Zach then continued his studies at Indiana University where he earned a degree in Sociology and Anthropology. While pursuing academics, he furthered his color guard experience marching with Zydeco World Color Guard (2012 & 2013) and Carolina Crown (2010-2013 and Japan tour in 2014).
Zach has choreographed and taught various groups such as Center Grove High School, New Castle High School, Northeastern High School, Juxtaposition Winter Guard, Legacy Performing Arts, Interplay Winter Guard, Phantom Regiment, Music For All Summer Symposium, IHSCGA Clinics, Seattle Cascades, Cascadia Winterguard and more. Zach currently lives in Portland, Oregon and acts as the standing Color Guard Caption Head at Century High School.
Mason Genduso
INSTRUCTOR
(he/him)
Mason Genduso is born and raised in San Diego and started his color guard experience with Fallbrook High School for four years, leading the team to two division promotions and medals during his junior and senior year.
Moving to Las Vegas for college, Mason then began his teaching career, working with six different high school programs as both a technician and director, including at Bonanza HS, Clark HS, and Foothill HS, as well as directing programs for Canyon Springs HS, Las Vegas HS, and Green Valley HS. Presently Mason works for an airline, and his favorite thing to do outside of work is travel the world.
Henry Price
INSTRUCTOR
(he/him)
Henry Price has spent most of his adult life marching in the PWN and is excited to join the staff at Cascadia! He started his color guard journey at Capital High School in Boise, Idaho, where he graduated in 2016. From there, Henry marched at the Oregon Crusaders Drum and Bugle Corps (2016 & 2017) and the Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps (2019). Henry was a founding member of Cascadia Winterguard, where he marched in 2018 and 2019 and was the team captain in 2020.
Currently, Henry resides in Northeast Portland and works as a bartender. Academically, he studies Community Development and Sustainable Urban Development at Portland State. In his free time, Henry loves to explore the incredible food and hiking scenes in the area. Henry is looking forward to a great season with the home team!
Ryan Valencia
INSTRUCTOR & DESIGN CONSULTANT
(he/him)
Ryan Valencia was raised in St. Augustine, FL. He has performed with numerous winterguard ensembles – including Coast One Winter Guard, Ancient City Ensemble, Northeast Independent and Northern Lights. He also marched for 4 years with The Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps. Since moving to the Northwest, he has worked with several HS and independent teams throughout the region. He was the lead designer and choreographer for Skyview HS 2010-2018.
He also taught multiple drum corps – including Oregon Crusaders, 5 years with Spirit of Atlanta, and recently with Seattle Cascades Drum & Bugle Corps. Ryan graduated from Portland State University with a master's degree in Global Supply Chain Management. He currently works for a natural food distributor as a Supply Chain Director.
Kassie Vasquez
CHOREOGRAPHER
(she/her)
Kassie is a recent California State University, Fullerton graduate, having received a Bachelor of Arts degree in dance and minor in journalism. She started performing color guard in high school and continued to perform in Drum Corps International.
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Kassie spent two summers spinning with The Academy Drum and Bugle Corps in 2018 and 2019. She later went on to complete her final season with Carolina Crown in 2021. Recently she helped choreograph and teach with the Bands of America honor band for the Rose Parade in 2022. Kassie continues to pursue a dance career in the Orange County and Los Angeles area.
Eric Simpson
DESIGNER AND CHOREOGRAPHER
(he/him)
Originally from Perris, California, Eric Simpson is the current Color Guard Director at Foothill HS in Las Vegas, Nevada. In addition to his role at Foothill High School, Eric is a designer and choreographer for several programs across the Las Vegas valley and works as a Color Guard Technician at Pacific Crest Drum and Bugle Corps. He also serves on the advisory committee for the Winter Guard Association of Southern California. Outside of the marching arts, he is a recent graduate of the University of California, Riverside, where he earned a BA in Education, Society, and Human Development with a minor in Public Policy. He is currently pursuing a master's degree in School Counseling at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
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As a performer, after graduating from Citrus Hill High School, Eric went on to march with Watchmen Drum and Bugle Corps in 2018, Gold Drum and Bugle Corps in 2019—where he earned the DCI Open Class bronze medal—and the Troopers Drum and Bugle Corps in 2021. During his age-out season, he marched with the Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps, earning a gold medal at the 2022 DCI World Championships. Eric also spent five seasons with Vox Artium Winterguard from San Diego, CA, including three as captain, culminating in their victory at the 2023 WGI Open Class World Championships.
