ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC® ANNOUNCES NEW BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS FOR 2025-2026

ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC® ANNOUNCES NEW BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS FOR 2025-2026

NASHVILLE, TN (October 29, 2025) - The Academy of Country Music® announced today its officer roles and newly-elected Board of Directors for the Academy of Country Music for the 2025-2026 term. Officers include Chair Cris Lacy, President Jeff Krones, Vice-President Becky Gardenhire, Treasurer Carmen Romano, Sergeant-at-Arms Gayle Holcomb, Parliamentarian Duane Clark, and Secretary Haley Montgomery.

"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," said 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."

This year qualifying professional categories were elected by the Academy's membership. In addition to those elected, director-at-large positions have been appointed by the Chair, Vice-Chair, and Vice-President. Directors are elected from each category based on the number of members in that category. Each director serves a staggered two-year term.

Newly elected members of the Board of Directors include:

1. Scot Calonge
2. Dave Cohen
3. Katie Dean
4. Enzo DeVincenzo
5. Bob Durkin
6. Martha Earls
7. Kerri Edwards
8. Shannan Hatch
9. Jackie Jones
10. Ashley McBryde
11. Annie Ortmeier
12. TJ Osborne
13. Carly Pearce
14. Kevin Ream
15. Troy Vollhoffer
16. Jen Way
17. Derek Wells
18. Stephanie Wright

Newly appointed director-at-large members of the Board of Directors include:

1. Jake Basden
2. Ryan Beuschel
3. Amy Bryan-Fosgate
4. Jodi Dawes
5. Rusty Gaston
6. JoJamie Hahr
7. Meghan Kehoe
8. Sara Knabe
9. Beth Laird
10. Tom Lord
11. Patrick Moore
12. Ryan Redington
13. Shannon Sanders
14. Randi Tolbert
15. Brian Wolf
16. Erika Wollam Nicols

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