Tiffany Kerns: Investing in the Whole Person

Tiffany Kerns: Investing in the Whole Person

July 14, 2026 · 1h 1m · Season 6 · Episode 7

About this episode

Tiffany Kerns discusses her journey in philanthropy and the importance of investing in individuals within the music industry.

Tiffany Kerns has spent thirteen years building the CMA Foundation into what it is today, and along the way, helped shift the language from donation to investment. As Executive Director of the CMA Foundation and SVP of Industry Relations and Philanthropy at CMA, Tiffany joins Natalie to talk about what it means to invest in the whole person, not just the output. She shares the story behind the Music Teachers of Excellence Award, the Women's Leadership Academy, and why she believes the best colleague you'll ever have is yourself. Learn more about the CMA Foundation. In this Episode: How music found Tiffany by accident, and the throughline from political science to philanthropy The 90-day rule that got her through a cross-country move to San Francisco, she almost talked herself out of Why CMA Foundation made the deliberate shift from "donation" to "investment" language, and what that means for how they show up for partners The origin story of the Music Teachers of Excellence Award, and how one dinner for 50 teachers became a national, industry-wide celebration Building the Women's Leadership Academy from the ground up, and what she's learned about what women in…

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Women of NAMM, AKG

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