NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – The Country Music Association (CMA) named their new chief executive officer.
On June 8, CMA announced that Brittany Schaffer will succeed Sarah Trahern, who announced her retirement earlier this year.
Schaffer will join the CMA organization on Sept. 8 as a part of a transitional plan and will succeed Trahern on Jan. 1, 2027.
According to CMA, Schaffer joins CMA from Belmont University where she serves as dean of the Mike Curb College of Entertainment & Music Business.
CMA said her leadership at Belmont has brought momentum to the college, deepened industry engagement and launched “transformative initiatives,” such as the 90,000-square-foot Curb College on Music Row expansion as well as the Center for Mental Health in Entertainment.
Before her time at Belmont, CMA said Schaffer spent over a decade in the industry as an entertainment attorney at Loeb & Loeb LLP and later as Head of Artist & Label Partnerships, Nashville at Spotify where she reportedly helped shape the strategy for Country, Christian/Gospel and Americana genres.
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