MAY 13 I NAfME I APPOINTMENT
NAfME Announces New CEO Amid Controversy
The National Association for Music Education (NAfME) has appointed Michael Blakeslee is new executive director and Chief Executive Officer. Blakeslee has worked over 30 years at NAfME, serving as editor of NAfME's award-winning Music Educators Journal and Teaching Music magazine, in addition to many other NAfME publications. He has directed the development of music education initiatives and innovative online tools for music education.

Blakeslee will replace former Executive Director and CEO Michael Butera, who was dismissed of his duties earlier this week after he made racially charged comments during a National Endowment for the Arts meeting on April 26.

"We take this issue very seriously and, understandably, have heard from many in our community in recent days," NAfME said in a statement on its website. "Diversity, inclusion and equity in music and the arts are at the core of what we do at NAfME, and we are committed to taking the appropriate actions to ensure that remains true. We are currently conducting an objective investigation, which is nearing conclusion, into the matter. We have reached out to participants in last week's discussion, including Keryl McCord of Alternate ROOTS, to fully understand what happened and assess the situation. We appreciate the dialogue that has taken place over the course of the last week and look forward to continuing this important conversation."

nafme.org