ACM Reveals New Board Of Directors & Officers For 2025-2026

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The Academy of Country Music has unveiled its officer roles and newly-elected Board of Directors for the 2025-2026 term. Cris Lacy will serve as Chair, Jeff Krones as President, Becky Gardenhire as Vice-President, Carmen Romano as Treasurer, Gayle Holcomb as Sergeant-at-Arms, Duane Clark as Parliamentarian and Haley Montgomery as Secretary.

“Coming off the milestone 60th ACM Awards, this is a pivotal moment for the Academy as we continue to build a strong legacy while setting our sights firmly on the future,” says Damon Whiteside, CEO of the Academy of Country Music. “The Academy’s influence on Country Music is strong, and with the leadership of our dedicated Board, I’m confident that even greater innovation, reach, and impact are possible.”

Each position was elected by ACM members. In addition to the elected Board of Directors, the Chair, Vice-Chair, and Vice-President have appointed directors-at-large. They are elected from each category, and will serve a staggered two-year term.

Academy Of Country Music Board Of Directors 2025-2026:
OFFICERS
Chair of the Board- Cris Lacy, Warner Music Nashville
President- Jeff Krones, CAA
Vice-President- Becky Gardenhire, WME
Treasurer- Carmen Romano​, FBMM
Sergeant-at-Arms- Gayle Holcomb, WME
Parliamentarian- Duane Clark, FBMM
Secretary- Haley Montgomery, Academy of Country Music

AFFILIATED
Scot Calonge, Richards & Southern
Ward Guenther, Whiskey Jam
Deana Ivey, Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp
Jackie Jones, RIAA
Chris Lisle, CCLD, LLC / Eccho Live

ARTIST/MUSICIAN/PRODUCER/ENGINEER
Dave Cohen
Ashley McBryde
TJ Osborne
Carly Pearce
Derek Wells

DIGITAL MARKETING/ DISTRIBUTION
Cameo Carlson, mTheory
Margaret Hart, Google/YouTube

MANAGER
Enzo DeVincenzo, 377 Management
Martha Earls, Neon Coast
Kerri Edwards, KP Entertainment

MEDIA/PUBLIC RELATIONS
Marcel Pariseau, True Public Relations
Kristie Sloan, The GreenRoom PR

MUSIC PUBLISHER/PRO
Cyndi Forman, UMPG
Shannan Hatch, SESAC
BJ Hill, Warner Chappel Music

RADIO
Charlie Cook
Mike Moore, Cumulus Media

RECORD COMPANY
Katie Dean, Leo33
Annie Ortmeier, Triple Tigers
Jennifer Way, EMPIRE Records
Stephanie Wright, MCA

SONGWRITER
Lee Thomas Miller

TALENT AGENT
Meredith Jones, CAA
Curt Motley, UTA

TALENT BUYER/PROMOTER
Bob Durkin, Southern Entertainment
Adam Weiser, AEG Presents

VENUE
Kevin Ream, Cheatham Street Warehouse
Troy Vollhoffer, Premier Global Production

VISUAL CONTENT
Chandra LaPlume, Sandbox Entertainment

DIRECTORS AT LARGE
Jake Basden, Sandbox Entertainment
Ryan Beuschel, The Neal Agency
Amy Bryan-Fosgate
Matt Cottingham, Lewis Brisbois
George Couri, Triple 8 Management
Benson Curb, Curb | Word Entertainment
Jodi Dawes, Big Machine Label Group
Howie Edelman, Durango Artist Management
Emily Falvey, Songwriter/SMACK
Tim Foisset, Spotify
Rusty Gaston, Sony Music Publishing Nashville
JoJamie Hahr, BBR Music Group
Jeremy Holley, Archetype Music | By Design Music
Meghan Kehoe, Sony Music Nashville
Sara Knabe, Big Loud
Beth Laird, Creative Nation
Tom Lord, Red Light Management
Shawn McSpadden, Range Media Partners
Andy Moats, Pinnacle Bank
Patrick Moore, Opry Entertainment Group
Rod Phillips, iHeart Media
Ryan Redington, Amazon Music
Tim Roberts, Audacy
Shannon Sanders, BMI
Scott Scovill, Moo TV
Sally Seitz, Apple Music
Aaron Spalding, Live Nation
Randi Tolbert, Q Prime
Storme Warren, The Big 615
Candice Watkins, Capital Music Nashville
Erika Wollam Nichols, The Bluebird Cafe
Brian Wolf, Maverick

PAST CHAIRS
Chuck Aly, Country Aircheck
Lori Badgett, City National Bank
Randy Bernard, RWB Management
Duane Clark, FBMM
Ebie McFarland, Essential Broadcast Media
Ken Tucker, Wheelhouse Records
Ben Vaughn, Warner Chappell
Ed Warm, Joe’s Live

EX OFFICIO PAST CHAIRS
Paul Barnabee, FBMM
Rod Essig, CAA
Mark Hartley
Darin Murphy, CAA
Butch Waugh, Studio2bee

Madison Hahnen
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