The International Bluegrass Music Association in Nashville has announced the participants selected to attend their 2026 edition of Leadership Bluegrass. Each year, 25 professionals in the industry are chosen in a competitive process to be part of panels, seminars, and discussions aimed at helping them succeed as future leaders in bluegrass music.
Participants come from every aspect of the bluegrass business, from artists to recording, education to associations, dance to event production, artist representation to talent buyers, radio to social media, and more.
This year’s event will run March 2-4 at the Country Music Association in Nashville, with Jeff Westerinen serving as facilitator, with Nancy Posey assisting.
The 2026 Leadership Bluegrass class includes:
- Chassady Abernathy – Sound Biscuit / Appalachian Road Show / ETSU (Ellijay, GA)
- Evie Andrus – East Tennessee Bluegrass Association, President / University of Tennessee, Lecturer of Appalachian Music / Pellissippi State Community College, Adjunct Music Faculty / Laurel Theater, Managing Director (Knoxville, TN)
- Jessica Blankenship – Kentucky Music Hall of Fame & Museum (London, KY)
- Kathryn Boucher – Spartanburg Philharmonic (Spartanburg, SC)
- Madeleine Cody – The Cody Sisters (Brooklyn, NY)
- Amy Sue Combs – International Bluegrass Music Association (Bowling Green, KY)
- Joe Dan Cornett – North Chapel Music (White House, TN)
- Gina Dilg – Square Dance Agency (Radford, VA)
- Helen Foley – California Bluegrass Association (Sonoma, CA)
- Tanya Guenther – NimblePie Creative Co. / NimbleFingers Bluegrass & Old-Time Workshops & Festival (Mile Ranch, British Columbia, Canada)
- Byron Hill – Byron Hill Music (Franklin, TN)
- Tyler Hughes – The Crooked Road (Big Stone Gap, VA)
- Stephen M. Johnson – Represent / GPA Government and Public Affairs (Owensboro, KY)
- Sarah W. Larsen – Black-Eyed Suzies / Little Fiddle Studio (Stevesville, MD)
- Joanne Ledesma – Musicbizgal.com (Glendora, CA)
- Isaac McCarthy – The Ohio State University / Bluegrass Pride (Gerrardstown, WV)
- Will McSeveney – Skyline Records (Nashville, TN)
- Bridget Rees – Dorrigo Folk and Bluegrass Festival (Megan, New South Wales, Australia)
- Benjamin Russell – Gordon Rees / Delta Hayride Association (Nashville, TN)
- Mark R. Schuster – IBMA Foundation (Langley, WA)
- Elliot Siff – The Bluegrass Journeymen Academy / Elliot Siff Productions (Golden, CO)
- Carly Speno – Bonfire Entertainment (Laval, Québec, Canada)
- Randy Steele – tnjams.com (Chattanooga, TN)
- Shelly Surdoval – The Recording Academy (Franklin, TN)
- Urs-Rainer von Arx – Swiss Bluegrass Music Association / Country Ramblers (Zürich, Switzerland)
- Liz Wolfe – BluegrassJamsNearMe.com (New York, NY)
IBMA Executive Director Ken White says that he is pleased to see the regional diversity this class displays.
“Seeing the Leadership Bluegrass participant list each year gives me real hope for the future of our industry. This year’s class highlights the growing global reach of bluegrass, bringing together industry professionals from Québec, British Columbia, Switzerland, Australia, and the United States. Their diverse experiences and perspectives will help guide the future of bluegrass music.”
More information about Leadership Bluegrass can be found on the IBMA web site.
