NASHVILLE, TN (CelebrityAccess) — The Country Music Association has selected its slate for the 2017 board of directors, with appointments are effective as of Jan. 1, 2017.
CMA Board President Sally Williams, Vice President and General Manager of Ryman Auditorium has been elected to the lofty post of Chairwoman of the Board, stepping in for John Esposito, who will be completing his term this month.
CMA President-Elect Bill Simmons, Partner at The Fitzgerald Hartley Company, will become President. Jody Williams, Vice President of Writer-Publisher Relations at BMI, has been named President-Elect. Kurt Johnson, Senior Vice President of Programming for Townsquare Media, has been named Secretary/Treasurer of the CMA Board.
“It has been my great honor to serve as Chairman of the CMA Board,” said Esposito. “It has been an especially great thrill to have served on this historic 50th Anniversary of the CMA Awards. Working with this Board and the great people who serve on it has been a major highlight of my career. I look forward to continuing to remain very active with CMA in other capacities. The Board is in great hands with Sally Williams as the incoming Chairman. She will further the mission of this organization.”
Williams, who began her career as a promoter in college, took over management duties at the Ryman in 2008 and is only the eighth person to hold the role in the venue's 120 year history. – Staff Writers
