Dr. Angela M. Wellman is a visionary musician, scholar, educator, and activist whose work centers on African Diasporic musical traditions as foundational to the music of the Americas. She founded the Oakland Public Conservatory of Music in 2005, pioneering a public-facing model rooted in community and cultural memory that restores music education as a public good, grounded in the traditions of the people it serves rather than a private privilege. Dr. Wellman holds a Ph.D. in Education and is nationally recognized for her dedication to advancing equity and access to music education for all.