Leadership Music Names 49 Industry Leaders

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