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 CallGator 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
