By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior Correspondent – Valeisha Butterfield Jones, a leader, a global influencer, and culture shifter who co-founded the Women in Entertainment Empowerment Network (WENN) and served as the National Youth Vote Director for President Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign, has been named the Recording Academy’s first Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer.
“We are thrilled to welcome Valeisha Butterfield Jones into the Recording Academy family,” said Academy Chair and Interim President and CEO Harvey Mason in a statement.
According to the announcement, she will join the executive leadership team responsible for advancing the Recording Academy’s mission and ensuring that diversity and inclusion are core to business values and standards, and demonstrated throughout the organization.
She’s also served in the Obama Administration as the Deputy Director of Public Affairs for the International Trade Administration, and Butterfield Jones also held the post of Executive Vice President of Rush Communications and as the National Director of Diversity and Inclusion for the Alzheimer’s Association.
“The Recording Academy has an opportunity and responsibility to ensure that diversity and inclusion are embedded in its core values,” Butterfield Jones stated.
