SANTA MONICA, CA (CelebrityAccess) – The Recording Academy has elected four National Officers and 19 leaders to its 2023-2024 Board of Trustees, effective Thursday (June 1). Tammy Hurt has been re-elected to serve as Chair of the Board of Trustees, Dr. Chelsey Green was elected Vice Chair, Gebre Waddell is now Secretary/Treasurer, and Christine Albert has been re-elected to serve as Chair Emeritus.
Hurt is a drummer, music producer and Emmy-nominated TV producer who is an openly out LGBTQ+ officer – a landmark for the Academy and the third female to hold the position. Her boutique entertainment firm Placement Music, which she founded in 2010, has been commissioned for various projects including FOX Sports, Paramount Pictures, CBS, MTV, HBO, BET, Sony, the NFL, and NASCAR, among others. Hurt led the campaign that successfully passed the state of Georgia’s first standalone music tax incentive, the Georgia Music Investment Act, and was commended by Governor Brian Kemp for her impact on the music industry.
Green is a multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, entrepreneur, and educator who combines classical and contemporary to make music uniquely her own. Dr. Green and her ensemble, Chelsey Green and The Green Project, have released five studio projects and actively perform concerts, music festivals and educational workshops around the world. Committed to music education, advocacy and youth arts access, Dr. Green is an associate professor at Berklee College of Music and also serves as a member of the Program Council of NewMusicUSA.
Waddell is a tech entrepreneur, accomplished mastering engineer, and published author. As CEO and co-founder of Sound Credit, he played an instrumental role in the creation and growth of the platform, driving innovation in the field of music fintech and credits. With over 20 years of experience as a professional mastering engineer, he has made contribution to works of prominent artists such as Ministry, Public Enemy, Lil’ Wayne and Rick Ross.
Albert is an independent recording artist and founder/CEO of Swan Songs, an Austin, Texas-based nonprofit that fulfills musical last wishes. She has released 12 independent albums as a solo artist and as part of the folk/Americana duo Albert and Gage. She has appeared on “Austin City Limits,” was honored as Female Vocalist of the Year by the Kerrville Folk Festival Music Awards, and was awarded Superstar of Austin Music by the Austin Chamber of Commerce for her community service work. Albert was inducted into the Austin Songwriters Group “Texas Music Legends Hall of Fame” in 2018.
“I’m pleased to introduce and welcome the new National Officers and Trustees to our Academy family,” said Harvey Mason jr., CEO of the Recording Academy. “This great, new group reflects our eclectic music community and will carry forward our mission of serving all music people. I look forward to working alongside this esteemed group to continue the evolution of our Academy.”
In partnership with Mason, the National Officers lead the Trustees and Academy senior staff to strategically guide and shape the mission and policies of the Academy and its affiliates. The Board of Trustees works to uphold the Academy’s mission to serve and represent the music community at-large through its commitment to promote diversity, equity and inclusion, fight for creators’ rights, protect music people in need, preserve music’s history, and invest in its future.
2023-2024 Recording Academy Board of Trustees
Yolanda Adams
Chuck Ainlay
Christine Albert^
Marcella Araica^
Nabil Ayers
Julio Bagué^
Larry Batiste^
Marcus Baylor^
Jennifer Blakeman
Evan Bogart^
Alex E. Chávez
Doug Emery
Anna Frick^
EJ Gaines
Kennard Garrett^
Tracy Gershon^
Dr. Chelsey Green^
Jordan Hamlin
Jennifer Hanson^
Tammy Hurt^
J. Ivy^
Terry Jones
Andrew Joslyn
Thom “TK” Kidd
Angélique Kidjo^
Mike Knobloch
Ledisi^
John Legend
Eric Lilavois^
Susan Marshall^
Donn Thompson Morelli “Donn T”^
PJ Morton
Natalia Ramirez
Michael Romanowski
Falu Shah^
Von Vargas
Gebre Waddell^
Paul Wall^
Wayna^
Jonathan Yip^
^Elected or re-elected this year.
