The 2026 IBMA Leadership Bluegrass class – photo courtesy of IBMA
The International Bluegrass Music Association has shared a photo, and their congratulations, to the 2026 class of their Leadership Bluegrass workshop. This year marks a quarter century of offering this educational and networking seminar, held each spring in Nashville for a specially-chosen group of future bluegrass leaders, now totaling more than 500 graduates.
Participants are selected through a competitive process with class members covering their own travel and accommodation costs, and IBMA providing everything else.
Leadership Bluegrass ’26 took place March 2-4 at the Country Music Association, with Jeff Westerinen serving as course facilitator and Nancy Posey as assistant facilitator.
Included in this year’s class were:
- 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 also shared a photo of their 2026 IBMA Leadership Bluegrass Planning Committee, who they thank for their diligent effort. Shown are Greg Blake, Jeff Burke, Dustin Boyd, Dave Howard, Jordan Laney, Erin Moorman, and IBMA Staff Liaison Haley Grimm.
