I just returned from a week in Nashville where I attended Leadership Bluegrass, a program produced by the IBMA. Roger Siminoff, Joe Weed, Jacob Groopman, Dana Thorin, Yvonne Tatar and Maria Nadauld are the three CBA member Leadership Bluegrass graduates I knew personally and all suggested I apply for the program and I finally decided it was time. This was the perfect year because the graduating class of 2016 was the best class ever in my view and filled with awe inspiring women leaders. It was a whirlwind three days held in the BMI Conference room on Music Row in Nashville. Early in the morning through late night events 26 of us were immersed in the business of bluegrass. I knew a few of my classmates and a few of the seminar leaders and instructors before the week and now know three dozen smart and powerful people in the bluegrass world. These new friends and colleagues are already actively participating in projects we identified for our group at the conference. I was honored to be selected to participate with such an impressive bunch of people who all, in their geographic and organizational worlds, make a difference. The energy in the room was palpable and I have new resolve to give back to the music.
May CBA President’s message
Day one found me marveling at the number of women in the room both as participants like me or as leaders of the event. I am used to our CBA Board Room being mostly men and I have always wished more women would stand up for election to our Board. In the “lifetime” I have served on the Board only Lisa Burns, Deb Livermore and now Maria Nadauld and Mikki Feeney have shared spots at the table with me (come on Handsome Ladies). To meet a dozen strong, smart, powerful women and spend a week with them was amazing. These women produce major events (think Wintergrass and Grey Fox among others) and founded record companies (Rounder Records), play in award winning bands (Della Mae, Flatt Lonesome, Gold Heart), are heads of Bluegrass Organizations in Colorado and Pennsylvania and are movers and shakers in this world we love. I wish I had met all of them years ago (of course some would have been infants then).
The other half, the male component, were equally impressive and represented mainstream bluegrass businesses but also included the Executive Director of the Folk Alliance and some publicists and media people who include bluegrass and old time as a small part of their music universe. I was happy to meet David Morris again. David writes for Bluegrass Today, has written an award winning song “Weeds” which was performed on the Father’s Day Stage in 2015 and delivers a bass down from Washington DC for our KOB to use at the World of Bluegrass.
I have spent a lot of time thinking about the women participants in the CBA since my return from Leadership Bluegrass. We have very powerful women in our midst (now and in the past) but most operate below the radar and our membership probably doesn’t know who they are. I want to acknowledge the group of women I currently work with and introduce them to you. I have worked with Lisa Burns the longest and, although she retired from the Board several years ago, continues to find corporate sponsors and donors for the instrument raffle for IBMA. I sit at meetings with both Maria Nadauld and Mikki Feeney so they are known to the membership. Colleen Hogan is the CBA Secretary and is the force behind many of the activities that occur in the Sonoma County Area. Valerie Cornejo has administered the Youth Program and been the assistant CBA Treasurer for a number of years. Deb Livermore continues to run the Vern’s Beer and Wine concession and manages the festival volunteers (a huge job) and never says “no” to anything asked of her. I work closely with Kathleen Rushing (KidFest and FunGrass) and Sharon Elliott (KOB) and Janet Peterson (CBA Summer Music Camp Co-Director) for the festival week. Theresa Gooding is the new Backstage Manager for Father’s Day, Lucy Smith is the CBA Director for our presence at the World of Bluegrass in Raleigh annually and does a remarkable job with that and with presenting events in her geographic area: Chico. I have developed my own Youth Program Posse which includes Amy Sullivan and Kali Nowakowski (both Area VPs Central Coast and owners of Straight Up Strings), Maggie Sokolik and recently Deanna Kerr and Mariaelena Quale. I have started working with Sharon Dolan and Renee Gaumond of the Freight & Salvage in the last year and hope to see those relationships grow and produce results for the CBA. I would love to see more women step up to positions of power and responsibility in the CBA, women are certainly more of a presence in the IBMA.
The final question asked of me at the end of Leadership Bluegrass was “given what you have learned this week, what kind of leader do you aspire to be” my answer was “retired” and that may be possible now that more women are stepping up to the plate to lead the CBA into the future.
