Brittany Schaffer has been named the next Chief Executive Officer of the Country Music Association (CMA).
She succeeds Sarah Trahern, who announced in January that she would retire at the end of 2026, after leading the CMA since 2014.
Schaffer will join the CMA on September 8 as part of a transition and will formally succeed Trahern on January 1, 2027.
Schaffer joins the CMA from Belmont University, where she was appointed Dean of the Mike Curb College of Entertainment & Music Business in 2023.
During her time at Belmont, she launched the Curb College on Music Row expansion, a hub of around 90,000 square feet, and the Center for Mental Health in Entertainment.
Before Belmont, she 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 shaped strategy for the Country, Christian/Gospel and Americana genres.
Her ties to Nashville date to her undergraduate years at Vanderbilt University, and she serves on the CMA‘s Board of Directors.
The appointment follows a national search led by a committee of the CMA‘s Board of Directors, working with executive search firm Buffkin Baker.
The process opened to applicants in February.
“We met with an exceptional group of candidates, and we believe Brittany is exactly the leader to carry this organization into its next era, and to make sure Country Music’s influence continues to expand well beyond Nashville.”
Jay Williams, Country Music Association
Jay Williams, CMA Board Chairman and WME Nashville Partner and Co-Head, said: “Our search committee set out to find a leader who understands the responsibility of representing this industry, not just the opportunity of it.
“We met with an exceptional group of candidates, and we believe Brittany is exactly the leader to carry this organization into its next era, and to make sure Country Music’s influence continues to expand well beyond Nashville.”
Schaffer added: “Country Music meets people where they are, and it changes lives every day. That starts with songwriters and artists and everyone who carries this music to fans around the world.
“Serving them is the honor of a lifetime. Sarah Trahern will leave CMA and this community stronger than she found it.
“I’m grateful for her mentorship and friendship, and for a transition marked by the same professionalism and intentionality that defined her tenure. Together with CMA‘s talented staff and members, we’ll build on that foundation.
“We’ll reinforce the connectivity within this community, bring renewed energy to our signature events, and find new ways to connect Country Music with fans around the world. And if we get that right, somewhere a song will find somebody who needs to hear it.”
Schaffer takes over a CMA that has expanded its television and international reach over recent months.
In May, the CMA and Disney extended their agreement for the CMA Awards, CMA Fest and CMA Country Christmas through 2032.
Under the deal, the CMA Awards will stream live on Disney+ for the first time alongside its broadcast on ABC, beginning with the 60th Annual CMA Awards on November 18.
The CMA also hosted its first International Summit in London in March, and extended its Spotlight Stage at the C2C: Country to Country festival to Berlin and Rotterdam for the first time.
The CMA said country music consumption in the UK had grown 181% since 2020.
Trahern said: “Leading this organization for 13 years has been the honor of my life, and I have this community to thank for that.
“I’m grateful to our search committee for the time, care and integrity they brought to this process, and I trust the thoughtfulness they poured into it. I wish Brittany every success as she steps into this role, and I look forward to cheering this entire industry on for many years to come.”
Founded in 1958, the Country Music Association describes itself as the first trade organization formed to promote a genre of music, and it created the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1961.
Its core initiatives are the CMA Awards, CMA Fest and CMA Country Christmas, which air on ABC.Music Business Worldwide