Margaret Hart is a mom of two and the Head of Nashville Industry and Label relations at YouTube. Her primary focus at work is managing label and industry partners in Nashville - ranging from major labels to industry organizations and local universities. She oversees opportunities for Nashville based artists like out of home, programming and artist programs such as the Black Voices Fund. She is actively involved with a recently launched program at TSU called the Music Business Accelerator, as well as a frequent guest lecturer at Belmont. She serves on the board of the ACMs, and the steering committee for TedX Nashville. At home her job looks a little different and ranges from chef to storyteller to hairdresser to janitor to travel agent and beyond.

Margaret is very passionate about ensuring the music industry is a place where having a family and building a career can coexist. And though a few tradeoffs are always required to balance a family and career—she believes those tradeoffs should never necessitate leaving the music industry altogether because it isn’t sustainable for those with families.

Jackie Jones is mom to a wonderful seven year old girl. She is also the Senior Vice President, Artist and Industry Relations for the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and serves as the organization’s chief representative in Nashville. Jones not only works to elevate creators across genres nationwide, but also serves as a conduit for the D.C. world of copyright reform, trade negotiations, and creative industry policymaking. She regularly produces educational and music community events to share the impact music has on the American culture with legislators. Jones also works closely with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Musicians On Call, and the TSU Music Business Accelerator program.

Jackie believes that an environment where there are adequate benefits and support systems in place is vital to ensure we can thrive both at work and home. No one should feel that there is not space for them in our creative community because they choose to have a family or need to take care of their loved ones. While balancing work and home life is undoubtedly challenging, Jones believes there are several issues we can address to make caring for families a more realistic and possible endeavor while growing a career in the music industry.

Haley Montgomery is the Senior Manager of Awards and Membership at the Academy of Country Music, and is currently pregnant with her first child. On the awards side, her focus is on a wide array of the award process such as nomination reviews, category definitions, and expert category panels. For membership at ACM, she oversees everything from the recruitment of new members to programming, benefits, and member specific communication and marketing. Haley also has a background in brand partnerships, merchandise, brand development, touring, and industry relations.

Haley felt called to help start FAM after seeing a need for better family benefits in the music industry, covering everything from caretaker leave to maternity/paternity support. Having the friendship and mentorship of Jackie and Margaret has been a huge source of support as she has started to build her this family this year, and she hopes FAM will be able to provide that kind of comradery for others in the industry.