For the past 23 years, Woody has been the writer of the classic syndicated newspaper comic strips, Rex Morgan, MD and Judge Parker. Daily estimated readership is 30 million people in North America and 16 foreign countries. During his more than 35 years as a professional writer and creator, Woody has worked as a newspaper reporter, columnist, feature writer, editor and media relations consultant.

Also a die-hard jazz fan, Woody is founder and president of the Lakeshore Music concert series at the Tempe Center for the Arts in Tempe, Arizona. Lakeshore Music was created in 2009 as a non-profit jazz concert producer and has presented dozens of the world’s finest jazz, blues and classical artists at TCA. Lakeshore Music’s Cuban Rhythm & Views program evolved from a cultural collaboration with Neil Birnbaum and the Northwest Sinfonietta to bring a chamber music orchestra, the Concierto Sur of Cienfuegos, to the Tempe Center for the Arts in 2012.

“Going to Cuba the first time and being exposed to this remarkable music and the artists who perform it changed my life,” says Woody. “It did the same thing for Neil and that’s how meaningful collaborations are made. For us, it’s about exposing Americans to a marvelous culture and the alternate reality of creative expression in Cuba.”