Furthering its commitment to serving the music community, the Recording Academy® has established the Music Education & Professional Development Committee (MEPD) to serve as a hub to centralize efforts, advise, and facilitate communication and collaboration regarding education and professional development initiatives across the Recording Academy and its affiliates. The Committee aims to enhance synergies and amplify the Academy’s efforts around mentorship and education among the organization’s 12 Chapters, GRAMMY U®, the GRAMMY Museum®, MusiCares®, The Latin Recording Academy®, and the Latin GRAMMY Cultural Foundation®. Distinguished industry executives Nikisha Bailey and Riggs Morales will serve as MEPD Co-Chairs, guiding the committee’s work to amplify the reach and effectiveness of the Academy’s efforts to provide mentorship and educational opportunities to its collective 29,000+ members.

“This committee was developed to ignite possibility through bold, hands-on learning experiences and professional development that only the Academy can deliver,” said Dr. Chelsey Green, Chair of the Recording Academy’s Board of Trustees. “We’re dedicated to bringing our educational work to a global stage, opening doors of access and awareness to our membership like never before. With initiatives such as GRAMMY Career Day, the GRAMMY U Conference and the Your Future is Now scholarship and immersive program presented with the Black Music Collective (BMC), we are only beginning to unlock how powerful the Academy’s exclusive GRAMMY educational experiences can be in shaping the future of music.”

Bailey is a community-driven entrepreneur, entertainment veteran and philanthropist with a lifelong commitment to music. Professionally, she has been at the nexus of artist development and technology for companies such as APG (Artist Partner Group), Atlantic Records, Nvak Collective, and Universal Music Group. Over her nearly 15-year career, the three-time Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Power Player has provided an invaluable creative perspective in A&R, marketing and label operations across a highly innovative roster of artists. Bailey is an active member of the Recording Academy, currently serving as a Trustee for the organization’s New York Chapter. She was also an Ambassador for the Academy’s BMC, dedicated to the inclusion, recognition and advancement of Black music and its creators within the Academy and the music industry at large.

Morales has been a fixture in music for over two decades. First as a journalist documenting music culture for popular hip hop publications, and later as a renowned record executive overseeing records accumulating over 80 million / 32 billion streams in worldwide record sales. He has held senior executive positions at various record companies, including Eminem’s Shady Records, Atlantic Records, Def Jam, and Republic Records. An active member of the Recording Academy, Riggs has served on the National Board of Trustees for the New York Chapter, and in October 2020, he was instrumental in launching the Academy’s BMC. His leadership in that milestone was recognized on Billboard’s Change Agents list in 2020.

“Nikisha and Riggs embody the spirit of intentional mentorship and bold vision that will propel this committee’s work to touch the world,” says Dr. Green. “Their leadership will expand the Academy’s educational reach, connect communities, and bring a fresh approach to curating opportunities for members to sustain and grow their careers. Brilliant educators and music industry professionals themselves, they reflect the best of what it means to uplift creators across every corner of our membership through the power of education.”