Previous Board Chair Mary Ann McCready Continues as Trustee; New Board Officers Welcomed

NASHVILLE, Tenn., – July 1, 2024 – Veteran music publishing executive Jody Williams was recently elected as the new chair of the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum’s Board of Officers and Trustees. He will serve a one-year term.

Williams, who is founder of Jody Williams Songs, has served on the museum’s board for 17 years, including in a leadership role as a trustee since 2011. He has also chaired the board’s development committee for the past decade, serving as a trusted collaborator and entertainment producer for successful fundraising initiatives in support of the nonprofit museum’s educational mission.

“Jody is woven into the fabric of country music’s creative community in a true and meaningful way,” said Kyle Young, CEO of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. “He is not only a respected executive and passionate supporter of our museum and its mission, but he’s also resolute in furthering country music’s vitality as a cultural artform. We look forward to his guidance and insights as we continue our work preserving this history and educating audiences on its importance.”

Entertainment business leader Mary Ann McCready completes three years of service as the museum’s board chair. She continues her longtime commitment to the board as an elected trustee, serving a three-year term. McCready, who is co-founder of Flood, Bumstead, McCready & McCarthy, was instrumental as board chair in expanding the museum’s education and fundraising initiatives, including record-setting All for the Hall concerts led by Keith Urban and Blake Shelton. McCready has served on the board since 2006 and will continue to chair the board’s investment committee.

“We are thankful for Mary Ann’s dedicated service as chair,” said Young. “During her tenure, she helped guide the museum’s pandemic recovery, achieving record visitation in 2022 and 2023, while continuing to expand our collection holdings, educational programs and All for the Hall fundraising initiatives. We are grateful for her continued service to our board as a trustee, and for her visionary talents as a creative, business and community leader.”

Additionally, new officers were elected to the museum’s board, including Sara Finley, Becky Gardenhire, Clint Higham and Cindy Mabe. Reelected trustees include Mark Bloom, David Conrad, Bill Denny and David Ross. 

Jody Williams

Williams is a Nashville native who has spent more than 40 years as an active member of the city’s creative community. Starting in the mailroom at BMI in 1976, he has held positions with independent and major music publishing companies, including Charlie Daniels Hat Band Music, Screen Gems Music, Chappell Music and Tree. After overseeing Dick James Music, he rejoined BMI in 1986 as a writer representative for nine years. In 1995, Williams became President of MCA Music Publishing Nashville.

In 1999, he formed his own company, Jody Williams Music, where he worked with many top songwriters and amassed a catalog containing songs recorded by Tim McGraw, Bonnie Raitt, Taylor Swift, Josh Turner and many others.

In 2006, Williams returned to BMI as vice president of creative, Nashville. Having spent half of his career at BMI, Williams was instrumental in placing dozens of songwriters and artists with publishing companies, and championing talents such as Eric Church, Robert Earl Keen, Natalie Hemby, Alison Krauss, Maren Morris, Jeffrey Steele, Carrie Underwood, Country Music Hall of Fame members Brooks & Dunn, and many more. He also gained an affinity for Texas music, leading to the establishment of a BMI office in Austin in 2019.

He most recently launched Jody Williams Songs (JWS) in 2020, a publishing company in partnership with Warner Chappell Music Nashville. JWS represents a large roster of writers, including Country Music Hall of Fame member Vince Gill, Ashley McBryde and many others. He is also a graduate of both Leadership Nashville and Leadership Music.

Visit the museum’s website to view a full list of the museum’s Board of Officers and Trustees.