LEADERSHIP MUSIC ANNOUNCES 46 INDUSTRY LEADERS FOR THE CLASS OF 2026
NASHVILLE (June 10, 2025) – Leadership Music will welcome 46 industry leaders from around the country into its Class of 2026, which begins in October. Leadership Music, a national program based in Nashville, has graduated more than 1,400 leaders since it was founded in 1989 by 12 noted music industry executives. The annual program is designed to create a forum in which music industry leaders can learn about all segments of the music business, explore current issues affecting the industry, and enjoy once-in-a-lifetime experiences while building lasting relationships with their classmates.
The incoming members of the Class of 2026 are:
Charles Alexander, Founder/CEO, ViNIL & Launcher Music
Brendon Anthony, Vice President, Big Loud Texas (Austin, TX)
Aftyn Behn, State Representative, Tennessee General Assembly
Ben Carter, VP, Live Events & Production, Academy of Country Music
Thomas Clees, SVP, Federal Public Policy, RIAA (Washington, DC)
Brent Daughrity, National Dir. Music Entertainment, Gallagher
Sarah D'Hilly, Music Business Partnerships, Apple Music
Stevie Escoto, Senior Managing Director, Girlilla Marketing
Michael Farris, Sr. Director, Business Strategy and Insights, Country Music Association
Kerri Fox-Metoyer, Head of Entertainment Services, Gabb
Anna Frick, Mastering & Restoration Engineer, Ally Sound (Niwot, Colorado)
Eboni Funderburk, Founder & CEO, EFG Promotions & Consulting
Alex Hall, Singer/Songwriter, Blue Harbor Publishing
Mathias John, Principal Designer, The Intellectual Phase Design Group
Ashley Joyce, SVP, Legal & Business Affairs, National Music Publishers' Association (Washington, DC)
Joe Keeley, Principal, Keeley Law and Policy (Washington, DC)
Lauren Kilgore, SVP, Legal and Business Affairs, Sony Music Nashville
Sam Kling, Chief Creative Officer, SESAC Performing Rights (Santa Monica, CA)
Anna Kolander, Senior Artist Manager/Head of A&R, Activist Artists Management
Lee Krabel, Senior Vice President, SMACKSongs
Betsy Lamb, Contractor, Nashville String Machine
Michelle Lewis, CEO, Songwriters of North America (SONA)/The SONA Foundation (Encino, CA)
Wayne Linder, Chief Sales Officer, Pioneer Coach
Sloane Logue, Partner - Head of Client Strategy, WME
Zebb Luster, Executive Vice President & Artist Manager, River House Artists
Fount Lynch, SVP, Publicity, Warner Music Nashville
Xenia Manning, Director of Global Music Policy, Spotify (Washington, DC)
Rick Marshall, General Counsel, The MLC
Maynard, EVP Programming, iHeartMedia
Marne McLyman, Manager, Maverick Nashville
Rev. Moose, Managing Partner/Co-Founder, Marauder (New York, NY)
Kiely Mosiman, Agent, Wasserman Music
Katie Neal, Host of Katie & Company, Audacy
Mallory Pascal, Partner/Business Manager, KBFM, LLC
Jason Plum, Relationship Manager & Vice President, City National Bank
Keyana Pusey, VP and Assistant General Counsel for Intellectual Property, National Association of Broadcasters (Washington, DC)
Shawn Radley, Partner / Lead Buyer, Kendall Booking (Cambridge, MA)
Rachel Rodriguez, CEO/Artistic Director, RR Productions
Marc Rucker, Associate Director, Artist & Industry Relations, SoundExchange
Eric Scott, EVP, Rights & Royalties, BMG
Emily Stephenson, President, Downtown Music Publishing
Bryan Todd, Owner | Producer | Songwriter, BT MUSIC, LLC
Dave Tough, Professor, Audio Engineering Technology, Belmont University
Jeff vom Saal, Chief Operating Officer, Nashville Symphony
Reid Wick, Director, Regional Advocacy & Member Engagement, The Recording Academy (New Orleans, LA)
Carin Zaleski, Director of Development, Ryan Seacrest Foundation