BCMA Selects New Officers, Board Members

At its recent annual meeting, the Birthplace of Country Music Alliance (BCMA) elected new officers and board members for 2005. “We are very excited to have our new board and officers in place as we look forward to the challenges and opportunities of the coming year,” commented Greg Wallace, BCMA President.

Board members for 2005 include: Shirley Adair, Dan Bieger, Matt Bolas, Suzanne Brewster, Will Brown, Beulah Ferguson, Julie Finney, Amy Greear, Mark Mervis, Patt Phipps, Daveena Sexton, Fred Staples, and Greg Wallace. Officers for 2005 include: Greg Wallace, President; Daveena Sexton, Vice President; Suzanne Brewster, Treasurer; and Shirley Adair, Secretary.

“We also want to thank those members who have left the board for their service and vision to bring our organization to the place it is today.” Wallace noted that in 2004 visitors from every state and almost thirty foreign countries had visited the Birthplace of Country Music museum, located in the Bristol Mall; while over 900,00 unique visitors visited the organization’s website (www.birthplaceofcountrymusic.org). “With initiatives such as the Crooked Road, our region continues to become a destination known for its cultural and heritage.”

Wallace noted the development of a new cultural heritage center in downtown Bristol will be one of the organization’s pressing challenges in the year ahead. “We have a wide diversity of talents and skills, as well as individuals with new ideas and energy to help us achieve our goals.”

The Birthplace of Country Music Alliance is a non-profit organization dedicated to the music and culture of Appalachia and the role played by the region in the development of Country Music. The BCMA is funded in part by grants from the Virginia Commission for the Arts and the Tennessee Arts Commission.