North Florida Bluegrass Association announces new leadership

Last week the North Florida Bluegrass Association held its annual meeting and board elections for the first time virtually, and have announced a new slate of board members and officers.

The Association will celebrate its 50th anniversary next year, and has been working to preserve, protect, and promote bluegrass music in the region since being founded in 1973 as a 501(c)(3) non-profit. Board members and officers serve as volunteers, and help guide the educational and charitable work of the NFBA.

Their mission statement reads:

We promote bluegrass music through jams, instructional workshops, concerts, community festivals, education, and our monthly newsletter, The Midnight Flier. Our membership is made up of player of all levels and listeners of all ages. We offer programs periodically for schools and other community family oriented functions. We do our best to keep you informed on events, jams, and more in our area.

There is no membership fee to join NFBA, though donations are both welcomed and encouraged where possible.

The Association has announced the results of the elections from April 14.

2022 Officers and Board of Directors

  • Ernie Evans – President
  • Paul Drummond – Vice President
  • Carolyn Roberts – Secretary/Treasurer
  • Lori Lynn Lee – Newsletter Editor
  • Stagger Lee, Rick Torzynski – Webmaster/Membership Director
  • Justin Mason – Assistant Editor
  • Deano Graham – Chaplain
  • Nicco Kiriazis – Director of Outreach
  • Gabriel Acevedo – Director of Publicity

Incoming President Evans, who promotes and manages several Florida bluegrass festivals, said last week that they are all happy to see NFBA moving with the times.

“Last night we successfully held the elections online and amended several of the bylaws to bring them up to date and it went better than expected. The last 2 years have taught us a lot about where the future is going with technology and actually sped up the process for a long learning curve for all of us.”

The Board is especially proud of one of their most recent initiatives, a scholarship for members, the NFBA Kristin Scott Benson Banjo Scholarship, awarded to 9 year old Molly Bryson.

More information about the North Florida Bluegrass Association can be found online.

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About the Author

John Lawless

John had served as primary author and editor for The Bluegrass Blog from its launch in 2004 until being folded into Bluegrass Today in September of 2011. He continues in that capacity here, managing a strong team of columnists and correspondents.