NASHVILLE, Tenn., May 2, 2012 - Experienced retail professional Mark De Lelys has been named Director of Merchandising and Retail Development at the Country Music Hall of Fame^® and Museum. 

     Reporting to Vice President of Sales and Marketing Sharon Burns, De Lelys will oversee retail operations, including the upcoming Museum Store expansion and new retail space for Hatch Show Print; merchandise design and development; and related initiatives for the museum.

     De Lelys most recently served as director of retail and visitor services for the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, where he managed all retail and visitor services operations for the art museum and school.  During his 18-year tenure there, De Lelys' accomplishments included developing the concept for the academy's new 1,800-square-foot retail store; and initiating the academy's web store, which features a customized print program that directly engages web store visitors with PAFA's permanent collection of art.

     De Lelys has also worked as an independent retail consultant; his clients included the American Institute of Architects and Philadelphia's Mann Center for the Performing Arts.

     De Lelys graduated from Rochester Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration.  He is a native of Rochester, New York. 

     Accredited by the American Association of Museums, the Country Music Hall of Fame^® and Museum is operated by the Country Music Foundation, a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) educational organization chartered by the state of Tennessee in 1964. The museum's mission is the preservation of the history of country and related vernacular music rooted in southern culture.  With the same educational mission, the foundation also operates CMF Records, the museum's Frist Library and Archive, CMF Press, Historic RCA Studio B and Hatch Show Print^®.

     More information about the Country Music Hall of Fame^® and Museum is available at www.countrymusichalloffame.org or by calling (615) 416-2001.

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