Hal Real is the Founder and CEO of World Cafe Live, an independent live music, restaurant, music education and community events venue located in Philadelphia, PA. In 2008, Hal assembled a team of artists and educators to launch LiveConnections, a nonprofit organization dedicated to music education that has reached more than 65,000 participants, mostly from Philadelphia schools. In 2020, the two organizations became one unified nonprofit under the World Cafe Live name.

Hal is a co-founder of NIVA (the National Independent Venue Association) and NIVF (the National Independent Venue Foundation), serving on both boards and as founding president of the Foundation board from 2020-2024. Currently Hal chairs the Honorary Board of People’s Light (Malvern, PA). He also serves on the board of Freire (Charter Schools) Foundation. In the past, he chaired the Boards of the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, and the Main Line Chamber of Commerce.  He was a member of the People’s Light and Fringe Arts boards, as well as the Chairman’s Council of the Philadelphia Zoo. Hal plays piano, enjoys traveling, and spending time in the Outer Banks of North Carolina with his wife and two yellow labs. He is a graduate of Kenyon College and Temple University School of Law.

Tobi Parks is an entertainment and intellectual property attorney, majority owner and talent buyer of xBk, a Des Moines-based creative arts venue, and the creator and Executive Director of Station 1 Records, a non-profit 501(c)(3) artist development and entrepreneurship organization. She was Director of Copyright at Sony Music for 13 years where she worked with Sony’s frontline labels Columbia Records, Epic Records, and RCA Records. She has a long history working in media having worked for a number of years as a Programming and Promotions Associate for Clear Channel Broadcasting and as Director of Marketing and Public Relations with the PBS produced series, In the Life. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communications and a Master of Arts in Media Literacy from Webster University in St. Louis and a Juris Doctor degree from Drake University Law School. She is a musician that has played bass in the NYC glam-punk band Bambï, Toronto-based The Cliks, St. Louis-based acts The Star Death, Is That You?, and Grandpa’s Ghost. As a solo performer and session player, she has worked with Cyndi Lauper, Margaret Cho, Darin Gray, Tim Garrigan, Keith Rowe, Mark Shippy, and video artist James Fotopoulos. She has composed for stage, television and film.

Laura Wilson is the Live Music Manager for The Bohemian Foundation in Fort Collins, Colorado where she oversees two club venues (Washington’s and The Armory), an outdoor summer concert series and Bohemian Nights, an annual three-day music festival. Previously, Laura was based in Philadelphia where she was a General Manager for Live Nation and Director of Programming and Assistant GM for World Cafe Live. Laura has previously served as the chair of the Reopening Task Force for NIVA.

As Senior Vice President of Publishing Administration at Warner Music Group in Nashville, Annie Brinn is responsible for overseeing licensing, rights management, and royalties for Warner’s U.S. record labels. Since joining the company in 2017, Annie has restructured the organizational design of the Publishing division and curated a team of highly innovative, passionate, and talented individuals who are focused on seeking ways to work more efficiently and develop new opportunities related to the exchange of music data and rights management. Previously, Annie served as Manager of Mechanical Licensing at Sony/ATV Music Publishing for more than a decade where she was responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of the Licensing Department.

Annie drives change within and outside of Warner Music Group in both her capacity as SVP of Publishing Administration and as one of the company’s most visible cultural ambassadors. As a member of Digital Data Exchange (DDEX) and serving as the Warner representative, Annie is continuously involved in industry-wide decisions relating to the development of the exchange of sound recordings and musical works between record labels and music publishers. Moreover, Annie’s work within the Nashville and wider Tennessee LGBTQ communities transcends her day-to-day role. She has been the company’s Nashville LGBT Chamber of Commerce (LGBTNCC) delegate for more than three years, coordinating sponsorships and engaging staff in Pride-related events. Her experience in the LGBTNCC led Annie to establish Warner’s first-ever LGBTQ Employee Resource Group for Nashville-based employees, an integral step in advancing the corporate diversity and inclusion strategy. She steered the company’s stand against discrimination laws in Tennessee, collecting signatures of all executive leadership in open letters to the state legislature that urged Governor Bill Lee’s administration to block bills that posed a threat to members of the state’s LGBTQ community. Furthermore, Annie continues to give back to her community by serving as a member of the University School of Nashville Edgehill Society where she assists in fundraising efforts that draws support from alumni like herself. She is also a member of the Victory Fund, an organization dedicated to electing openly LGBTQ people at all levels of government and serves on the Nashville Fundraising Committee. In October 2020, Annie became a Member of the Board of Directors of the National Independent Venue Foundation (NIVF), a nonprofit organization aimed at creating an emergency relief fund and other funding channels to support the National Independent Venue Association and its members.

Annie is a Nashville native and holds a B.S. in Communications with an emphasis in Music Industry Studies and Minor in Psychology from Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. She and her wife reside in Nashville with their son, Ryman, whose namesake not only pays homage to the legendary Ryman Auditorium but also its founder, Thomas Ryman, who was (and still is) revered as one of Nashville’s most prominent humanitarians and philanthropists.

Excited to contribute to the impactful work of the National Independent Venue Foundation, Jillian Sacher brings a wealth of music industry and marketing experience to the board. Currently serving as Tour Marketing Executive for Creative Artists Agency (CAA) in New York City, she specializes in developing strategic marketing campaigns and ticketing initiatives representing a diverse roster of music clients. With a background that includes marketing leadership positions at Live Nation Entertainment as well as virtual concert startups, Jillian has a proven track record of driving successful touring engagements, mentoring and empowering talent, and fostering mutually beneficial industry partnerships.

Prior to her tenure with Live Nation, Jillian worked for several independent concert promoters, instilling a foundational knowledge of the live industry and an enduring entrepreneurial spirit. At just 12-years-old, Jillian started working as a freelance music reporter and ultimately began the pursuit of a life-long career in entertainment. While studying to receive her Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Professional Writing at The College of New Jersey, Jillian served as a student talent buyer.

She lives in New Jersey with her husband, two children, and their German Shepherd Dog — for Jillian, family is the center of everything. She is dedicated to leveraging her expertise and relationships to support the foundation’s mission.

Taneshia Nash Laird is an Associate Professor at Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA, and a strategic leader in arts and community development. She created the CultureCore Blueprint, a strategic framework that leverages arts and culture to revitalize marginalized communities. As the Inaugural President & CEO, she laid the groundwork for the Greater Roxbury Arts & Cultural Center (GRACC) in Boston as a cultural hub for Afrodiasporic arts. Her career includes roles such as President & CEO of Newark Symphony Hall, Executive Director of the Arts Council of Princeton, and Director of Economic Development for Trenton, NJ.

A proud native New Yorker, Taneshia serves as board treasurer of the Billie Holiday Theatre in Brooklyn, NY, and is a National Independent Venue Foundation board member. She co-authored the book "Still I Rise: A Graphic History of African Americans" and co-produced "Battle Sounds: A Hip Hop DJ Documentary." Her contributions have earned her accolades, including NJBIZ's Power 100, The Network Journal’s "25 Influential Black Women in Business," and the Community Sentinel award from New England Blacks in Philanthropy. She holds a BBA from Baruch College and an MA from the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami.

Website: https://www.taneshia.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/taneshia/
Board treasurer, National Medal of Arts-Winning The Billie Holiday Theatre
Board member, National Independent Venue Foundation

David M. Mayeri, Founder and CEO of Berkeley Music Group (BMG), founded in 2012 as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that operates the The UC Theatre Taube Family Music Hall in Berkeley California. David also serves as BMG’s Major Gift Fundraiser. BMG’s mission is to present a vibrant and diverse range of live performances to advance the understanding and appreciation of music, culture and education in the Bay Area. The UC Theatre is a multi-tiered, all-ages 1,400 capacity community minded independent live music venue providing inclusive, diverse, and culturally rich music programming as well as transformative youth education programs. David is the Former COO of Bill Graham Presents and has over 40 years of experience developing, renovating, managing, and running live entertainment venues including The Fillmore in San Francisco and Denver, The Warfield in San Francisco, The Punch Line Comedy Clubs in San Francisco and Sacramento, Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, and the Sleep Train Pavilion in Concord. David also runs a venue development & operations consulting company DMM & Associates. In addition to the BMG Board, David serves on the Boards of the Bill Graham Memorial Foundation, and the newly formed National Independent Venue Foundation (NIVF).

Linda Bloss-Baum has a deep understanding of how public policy is shaped by legislative, legal, regulatory, public relations, and industry forces in Washington, D.C. Prior to joining the Business and Entertainment Program at KOGOD full time, she was the Senior Vice President of Government Relations and Public Affairs at SoundExchange, a digital music collective based in Washington, DC. She began her career in the tech industry and went on to serve as Counsel to the House Energy and Commerce Committee on Capitol Hill, specializing in telecommunications and technology issues. Linda has represented the interests of several leading content companies in Washington, D.C., including Time Warner, Inc., Warner Music Group, and NBC Universal/Universal Music Group. Linda has gained expertise in the challenges facing creators of content in the ever changing digital marketplace. Her extensive work with the content industry has allowed her to gain a deep understanding of the value of artistic contributions, in both economic and cultural terms. Linda sits on the Board of Directors of the Songwriters of North America (SONA) and the National Independent Venue Foundation (NIVF).