The Recording Academy on Friday named Harvey Mason Jr. as president and CEO of the organization.
“We are delighted that Harvey will remain at the helm and continue to steer the organization through this pivotal time,” said Recording Academy co-chairs John Burk and Leslie Ann Jones in a statement. “As we journeyed deeper into our extensive search, it became clear that the best person for the job was Harvey. We are immensely impressed by the remarkable work he has done during his interim tenure and look forward to the continued evolution of the Academy under his effective, results-driven leadership.”
Since January of last year, Mason had served, unpaid, on an interim basis. During that time, the Academy implemented the recommendations of its Diversity and Inclusion Task Force — established in early 2018 — and hired Valeisha Butterfield Jones as its first-ever chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer amid an organizational restructure.
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“I want to commend the search committee and our partners at Heidrick & Struggles for orchestrating a robust and exhaustive search for our next President and CEO,” said Tammy Hurt, vice chair of the Recording Academy. “I am not surprised that they faced a significant challenge in finding candidates that would meet the standard that has been set by Harvey during these past 16 months. He has led the Academy through one of the most difficult periods in our history. As a music creator himself, he has provided hope, inspiration and a vision for the future that we are well on our way to achieving. We are all thrilled that he has agreed to become our permanent CEO and will continue to lead us into the future.”
Mason said in his own statement: “There is nothing more rewarding than having the trust and respect of your colleagues and peers. I am honored to have been appointed to continue to lead the Recording Academy on our transformative journey. While I had not initially expected to be in this position, I remain deeply invested in the success of the organization and am motivated to help us achieve our greatest ambitions. I will serve humbly with a steadfast commitment to building a more inclusive, responsive and relevant Academy.”
During Mason’s time with the organization, the Academy noted that it has improved the transparency of its Grammy Awards process and made changes to voting procedures.
