NASHVILLE, TN (Hypebot) — Leadership Music has named forty-nine industry leaders to its 2020 class, which begins in September. Founded in 1989 by twelve music industry alumni of Leadership Nashville, Leadership Music, now a nationwide program based in Nashville has graduated more than 1,200 leaders.
I’m a proud 2016 graduate of Leadership Music, the best class ever.
The annual program is designed to create a forum for recognized music industry leaders to learn as they deep-dive into almost every segment of the music business, while identifying and exploring issues currently affecting the music industry; and to provide once-in-a-lifetime experiences while building lasting relationships with classmates and alumni in all areas within or related to the music industry.
Participants first attend an orientation and alumni welcome reception in September, a two-day Opening Retreat in October, followed by six all-day sessions once a month, ending in May with graduation at a two-day Closing Retreat.
“Since my selection to the class of 2007, Leadership music has meant more to me than words can express,” President Jimmy Wheeler emphasized. “It truly is a life-altering experience. The things I have learned and the relationships I have formed will last long beyond my music business years. Being a member of the selection committee is an honor and a privilege. We take an enormous amount of time and energy to select the next, best class ever. It’s the people that are the lifeblood of this amazing organization.”
Co-Chair and songwriter Stacy Widelitz adds he is always impressed at the incredibly balanced class make-up. “Choosing a group of diverse leaders is vital,” he pointed out. “We consider genre of music, the segment of the music industry they represent, gender, ethnicity, in town and out-of-town, community involvement and service, and more. We always tell class members they are in the class they were meant to be in. It’s such fun to watch wide-eyed ‘freshmen’ develop as the cohesive unit of friends forever more to be known as the Leadership Music Class of 2020.”
Class of 2020
Ken Abdo, Attorney, Fox Rothschild (Minneapolis, MN)
Steve Ambers, Director, International Business Development & Compliance, SOCAN (Los Angeles, CA)
Ana Cristina Cash, Artist/Songwriter, Cash Cabin Enterprises
Josh Billue, President/Co-Founder, JR Facility Management
Erich Carey, Vice President & Senior Counsel, National Music Publishers Association (NMPA) (Washington, DC)
Angelin Chang, Professor, Cleveland State University (Cleveland, OH)
Jen Conger, Business Manager, FBMM
Michael Corcoran, Executive Vice President, Marketing, mTheory
Chip Dorsch, Marketing, Red Light Management
Craig Dunn, Vice President, Collective Artist Management
Ron Fair, Producer/CEO, Faircraft,
Erica Farber, President/CEO, Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB), (Los Angeles, CA)
Ben Goad, Content Strategist, The Tennessean/USA Today Network
Pete Griffin, President/CEO, Musicians on Call
Gator Harrison, iHeartCountry Brand Coordinator/Senior Vice President of Programming, iHeartMedia Nashville
Henry Beecher Hicks, President/CEO, National Museum of African American Music
Liz Kennedy Holman, Senior Vice President, Communications and Gold and Platinum Awards Program, RIAA (Washington, DC)
Donna Hughes, Director, Radio Marketing, Universal Music Group
Emily Hungate, Vice President, Business Operations, Black River Entertainment
JoAnna Janét, Singer/Songwriter
Katie Jelen, Creative Manager, Synch Licensing, Warner Music Group
Michelle Kammerer, National Director of Marketing & Promotion, Big Machine Label Group (BMLG)
Chris Kappy, Owner/Founder, Make Wake Artists
Michael Lemon, Director, Government Affairs/Counsel, Internet Association (Washington, DC)
Jay Liepis, Apple Music Nashville Lead
Joel Lindsey, Songwriter, (Santa Barbara, CA)
Tom Manatos, Vice President, Government Relations, Spotify (Washington, DC)
Katie McCartney, Senior Vice President, Marketing and Label Operations, Monument Records
Catherine Moore, Partner/Business Manager, Farris Self & Moore
Victoria Nugent, Vice President, Strategic Marketing, Warner Music Nashville
Doug Oliver, General Manager, Pioneer Coach
Milly Olykan, Vice President, International Relations and Development, CMA
Silvio Pietroluongo, Senior Vice President, Charts & Data Development, Billboard (New York, NY)
Kelly Rich, Senior Label Relations Manager, Amazon
Katharine Richardson, Partner, Richlynn Group
Rondal Richardson, Director, Donor Services, Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee
RJ Romeo, General Counsel/Senior Talent Buyer, Romeo Entertainment Group
Braeden Rountree, Booking Agent, WME
Ben Roy, Vice President, Programming & Development, Dick Clark Productions (Los Angeles, CA)
Doug Sarrett, Engineer/Owner, uno mas studio
Jeff Syracuse, Associate Director, Customer Relations, BMI
James Slater, Songwriter
Kylen Sharpe, Booking Agent, CAA
Judy Tint, Counselor-at-Law/Clinical Assistant Professor of Music Business, New York University (New York, NY)
George Uribe, President, Guestbooker
Adam Weiser, Vice President, Global Touring, AEG Presents
Jody Whelan, Director of Operations, Oh Boy Records
Travis Wolfe, Vice President, Corporate & Special Events, APA
Holly Zabka, Vice President, Essential Music Publishing
