NASHVILLE (CelebrityAccess) – Pam Matthews, Executive Director of IEBA will retire in Q1 2025 after 45 years in the music industry. Matthews has led the trade organization since 2013. In 2017, the organization established its Educational Outreach Fund. Every year, the Fund awards up to 50 scholarships to students in music business programs across North America.
“Pam Matthews has been a transformative leader, guiding IEBA through unprecedented growth and setting a standard for industry trade organizations,” says IEBA’s Immediate Past Chairman Eric Bresler. “These growth years are part of her legacy, and she should be enormously proud of that. We look forward to building on the strong base she and her team have built for IEBA’s future.”
“Congratulations, Pam, on your successful tenure as Executive Director of IEBA. Your undeniable history of success and dedication has inspired many and has left an indelible mark on our industry,” adds Barry Jeffrey, President of the IEBA Educational Outreach Fund board. “As you embark on this new retirement chapter, may it be filled with joy, adventure, and the fulfillment of all your dreams. Here’s to new beginnings!”
“Thank you to Eric, Barry, and IEBA’s board of directors for their leadership and support throughout my time with the organization,” Matthews shares. “The IEBA staff and our board are some of the finest folks I’ve had the privilege of working with over my many years in this business.”
Matthews began her career as a teenager, working in the box office at Mid-South Coliseum and as a runner for Mid-South Concerts. She worked on the accounting teams for KISS and Ozzy Osbourne in the 80s and was part of the Pace Concerts team that designed, constructed, and managed Starwood Amphitheatre. After four seasons on staff at the beloved amphitheater, Matthews spent twelve years with The Judds and Wynonna, serving her last years as Vice President/Treasurer of their corporations. Her work with the musical icons includes five Grammy wins, their 1991 farewell tour, the launch of Wynonna’s solo career, and their 1999/2000 reunion tour. In 2000, Gaylord Entertainment selected Pam Matthews as the historic Ryman Auditorium General Manager. During her eight-year tenure at the Ryman, the venue received its National Historic Landmark status and became one of the top-grossing theaters in the world. Matthews has been ranked on Billboard’s Top Women in Music lists and featured in Pollstar, VenuesNow, USA Today, The Tennessean, and Nashville Business Journal. She has served on the board of directors of Nashville Downtown Partnership, Opry Trust Fund, Americana Music Association, Music City Music Council, and Leadership Music, where she is in her 21st year as a member of the Live Music Day committee.
