Leadership Music Elects Board, Officers
Sarah Skates
J. Fred Knobloch has been elected president of the board of directors of Leadership Music. Since joining the board in 2003, the well-known songwriter has served as an Event Co-Chair (Leadership Music Digital Summit), as Development Chair and on the Executive Committee. A Mississippi native, Knobloch has had over 130 cuts by artists including Ray Charles, Kenny Rogers, Trisha Yearwood, Delbert McClinton, The Dirt Band, Gregg Allman, John Anderson, Faith Hill and George Strait.
New board members elected to two-year terms include Drew Alexander, Dir. of publishing, Curb Music Group; Mitch Bainwol, Chairman/CEO, RIAA; Fred Buc, GM, Tuned In Broadcasting/WRLT-FM Lightning 100; Garth Fundis, record producer, GMF Music; John Grady, partner, Red Light Management; Jeff Gregg, agent, CAA; Mark Montgomery, CEO/founding partner, echo; and Randy Wachtler, Pres., 615 Music Companies.
In addition to Knobloch, the organization’s officers, elected to one-year terms, include Pat Collins, Pres./COO, SESAC, Inc. as president-elect; Ken Robold, EVP/GM, UMG Nashville as past president; Robin Mitchell Joyce, attorney, Milom Joyce Horsnell & Crow, PLC as secretary; and Jamie Cheek, business manager/partner, Flood, Bumstead, McCready & McCarthy, Inc. as treasurer. As well as the officers, board members serving on the Executive Committee include Ed Benson, chief strategic officer, CMA; Fundis; Ralph Schulz, Pres./CEO, Nashville Chamber of Commerce; and Tim Wipperman, chief creative officer, Equity Music Group.
Board members serving through June 30, 2009 include Lori Badgett, VP, SunTrust Bank; David Bennett, Altura Productions LLC; Benson; Dorothy Campbell, legal counsel, DKC Legal; Caroline Davis, Dir. of communications & special projects, Performing Songwriter magazine; Fletcher Foster, Sr. VP/ GM, Universal Records South; Wayne Halper, attorney, Law Offices of Wayne R. Halper; Kerry Hansen, CEO/personal manager, Big Enterprises; Beverly Keel, professor of recording industry at MTSU, and The Tennessean's celebrity columnist; Tim McFadden, Pres./owner, Tim McFadden Management; Dave Pomeroy, bassist/writer/producer, Earwave Music Group; Dan Raines, Pres., Creative Trust, Inc.; Robold; Ed Salamon, Exec. Dir., Country Radio Broadcasters; Mike Schoenfeld, vice chancellor for public affairs and government relations, Duke University; Schulz; Troy Tomlinson, Pres./CEO, Sony/ATV Music Publishing; Wipperman; and Erika Wollam-Nichols, director of development, NSAI.
Members re-elected through June 30, 2010 include Tom Baldrica, VP, marketing, Sony/BMG Nashville; Collins; Liz Kiley, VP, broadcast affiliations & operations, MTV tr3s; Pam Matthews; Robin Mitchell Joyce; Robert Oermann, owner, R.K.O. Media Products; and Cheek.
Leadership Music’s executive director, Kira Florita, continues to serve as an ex-officio member, and Joyce continues as the not-for-profit educational organization’s legal counsel. For a complete list of the Board of Directors, visit www.leadershipmusic.org.