BREAKING: CMA Taps Brittany Schaffer As Next CEO
Brittany Schaffer. Photo: Matt Andrews
The Country Music Association has tapped Brittany Schaffer as the next Chief Executive Officer. Schaffer will join the organization on Sept. 8 as part of a strategic transition plan ensuring continuity for CMA’s staff, Board and members, and will officially succeed current CEO Sarah Trahern on Jan. 1, 2027.
Schaffer joins CMA from Belmont University where she serves as Dean of the Mike Curb College of Entertainment & Music Business. Prior to her time at Belmont, she spent over a decade in the industry as an entertainment attorney at Loeb & Loeb LLP and later as Head of Artist & Label Partnerships, Nashville at Spotify, where she shaped strategy for the Country, Christian/Gospel and Americana genres and cultivated key industry partnerships.
“Country Music meets people where they are, and it changes lives every day. That starts with songwriters and artists and everyone who carries this music to fans around the world,” shares Schaffer. “Serving them is the honor of a lifetime. Sarah Trahern will leave CMA and this community stronger than she found it. I’m grateful for her mentorship and friendship, and for a transition marked by the same professionalism and intentionality that defined her tenure. Together with CMA’s talented staff and members, we’ll build on that foundation. We’ll reinforce the connectivity within this community, bring renewed energy to our signature events, and find new ways to connect Country Music with fans around the world. And if we get that right, somewhere a song will find somebody who needs to hear it. That’s the heart of this work, and I can’t wait to get started.”
Trahern announced her retirement earlier this year following 13 years leading the organization.
“Leading this organization for 13 years has been the honor of my life, and I have this community to thank for that,” says Trahern. “I’m grateful to our search committee for the time, care and integrity they brought to this process, and I trust the thoughtfulness they poured into it. I wish Brittany every success as she steps into this role, and I look forward to cheering this entire industry on for many years to come.”
“Our search committee set out to find a leader who understands the responsibility of representing this industry, not just the opportunity of it,” says Jay Williams, CMA Board Chairman and WME Nashville Partner and Co-Head. “We met with an exceptional group of candidates, and we believe Brittany is exactly the leader to carry this organization into its next era, and to make sure Country Music’s influence continues to expand well beyond Nashville.”
