Nancy Cardwell Named Interim IBMA Executive Director

Nancy Cardwell has been named Interim Executive Director of the International Bluegrass Music Association, following the late 2011 resignation of Dan Hays.

“The search for a permanent Executive Director continues,” said IBMA Board Chairperson Stan Zdonik. “Given that planning for next year’s event is heating up, the Board decided to fill the role in the interim. We are confident that she will do a great job.”

Hired as Special Projects Director in 1994, Cardwell wrote for the trade association and served as liaison for committees overseeing professional development & webinars, Leadership Bluegrass, Special Awards, songwriter activities, and The Foundation for Bluegrass Music’s Bluegrass in the Schools program.

Cardwell also co-produced the Discover Bluegrass: Exploring American Roots Music DVD in 2004 with Greg Cahill and Dr. Tom Kopp. She received the Charlie Lamb Excellence in Country Music Journalism Award in 2006, and is a published author for her 2011 work on the songwriting of Dolly Parton.

She is a former member of the Board of Trustees for the International Bluegrass Music Museum in Owensboro, KY, and a graduate of Leadership Bluegrass (2000) and Leadership Music (2009).