Leadership
Team
Michael
Sticka
President / CEO
Read More
Michael Sticka has led the Grammy Museum Foundation® as its President/CEO since June 2018. He oversees the strategic direction of the Foundation, including all financial and programmatic aspects, and its internationally known brand. Annually, the Foundation produces more than 120 public programs & concerts in Los Angeles and New York City, which feature some of music’s biggest names, impacts 35,000+ students through its national education programs, and curates more than 10 exhibitions.
With a focus on strategic growth, he partnered with the City of New York to launch the East Coast edition of the Museum’s acclaimed Public Programs series, A New York Evening With.... He also led the collaboration with the Recording Academy® to reimagine the Grammy Hall of Fame®, establishing the annual Grammy Hall of Fame® Gala, which honors 10 iconic recordings and the artists behind them while recognizing a record label for its outstanding impact on music over the previous year. Expanding the Museum’s physical footprint, he opened The Ray Charles Terrace at the Grammy Museum, transforming it into one of downtown Los Angeles’ premier event venues and more than tripling the Museum’s annual event revenue.
To raise the Museum’s philanthropic profile and raise needed funds to expand its educational offerings, he recruited some of music’s biggest stars, including Billie Eilish, Bruno Mars, Dua Lipa, Rosalia, & Shawn Mendes to co-chair the Museum’s first-ever fundraising campaign called the Campaign for Music Education, which quickly surpassed its initial $5 million goal in 12 months and has subsequently tripled to $15 million. With this fundraising, the Museum unveiled a state-of-the-art and one-of-a kind interactive exhibition named Sonic Playground. Additionally, Sticka secured the funding necessary to achieve one of his long-standing goals of making the Museum free for youth 17 & under, consequently removing the barrier to entry for all students and children.
Sticka's career in the arts began in Dayton, Ohio and now spans more than 20 years. In 2021, he was inducted in his high school Hall of Fame; in 2023, he received Variety Magazine Hitmaker's first “Music Education & Advocacy Leadership Award”; and in 2025, Billboard recognized him as one of the year’s top LGBTQ+ Music Business Executives.
Arin
Canbolat
VICE PRESIDENT OF EDUCATION & Community Engagement
Read More
Arin Canbolat serves as the Vice President of Education for the GRAMMY Museum®, serving as a key member of the Museum’s senior leadership team. In his role, he leads evaluating, improving and expanding existing programs, as well as designing curricula for new, scalable programming with a focus on music and music industry education for K-12 students to grow the Museum's educational impact across the United States. He oversees the following existing programs: GRAMMY Camp®, Music Educator Award™, mentorship programs, GRAMMY in the Schools® and the Museum’s online platform Learning Hub.
Canbolat was formerly Associate Dean for Education Outreach at Berklee College of Music. In that role, he developed and oversaw teacher training and course facilitation, facilitated broad assessment studies, administered educational planning for college students, implemented strategies for cross-departmental work for college student success, stewarded major gifts for pre-college students entering college, led the City Music College Scholarship awarding committee, maintained data tracking and analyzation systems and cultivated education and corporate partnerships.
In his role, he also oversaw the Berklee City Music Network, a global consortium of over 40 partner organizations reaching more than 65,000 students annually; evaluating and recruiting new members, providing them with resources and guidance in building capacity for fundraising, organizational structure, curriculum, professional development, and scholarship opportunities.
Previously, he was general manager at The School of Jazz and Contemporary Music at The New School, responsible for business operations including partnerships, strategic planning, fundraising, budget management, and union faculty management. He co-designed the Take Me To The River music history course with the film’s director, and GRAMMY® Award-Winner, Martin Shore. Before this, Canbolat worked at Concord Music Group in International Sales and Marketing.
Canbolat is a Professional Member of the Recording Academy® and board member of the Take Me To The River Education Initiative, a non-profit organization focused on sharing and teaching the origins of American music. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Jazz and Contemporary Music from The New School and Master of Music in Music Business and Entertainment Industries from the University of Miami. He is a saxophonist.
Jasen
Emmons
CHIEF CURATOR & VICE PRESIDENT OF CURATORIAL AFFAIRS
Read More
Jasen Emmons serves as Chief Curator and Vice President of Curatorial Affairs of the GRAMMY Museum®. In his role, Emmons is the Museum’s creative leader who provides an overarching vision for exhibitions that speak to music’s rich history as a cultural, social and economic change agent. He also serves as the primary host of its storied public programs, working to bring both an historic and contemporary perspective that connects artists across genres and generations to a diverse and engaged constituency.
Prior to joining the GRAMMY Museum, Emmons spent two decades in Seattle at Experience Music Project, which is now the Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP). As the museum’s director of curatorial affairs, Emmons played a critical role in helping the institution evolve from its original focus on popular music to a broader lens of pop culture, which significantly expanded its audience and bolstered its sustainability. During his tenure, Emmons oversaw more than 45 exhibits, including 11 traveling exhibits, and curated or co-curated nine exhibits, including Bob Dylan’s American Journey, 1956-1966 and American Sabor: Latinos in U.S. Popular Music.
Emmons holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Oregon and a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Washington.
Rita
George
CHIEF PROGRAM OFFICER
Read More
Rita George is Chief Program Officer for the GRAMMY Museum. In her role, George will provide leadership, strategy and managerial oversight to the curatorial, community engagement, education, and digital media teams, connecting internal and external partners to create a more cohesive approach to scale the Museum’s diverse programming. George will continue to lead new business development efforts, expand DEIA initiatives, and help oversee the Museum’s offsite locations. As part of the leadership team, George provides support to the Museum’s President and Board of Directors, policy development and HR initiatives.
Previously as Chief Operating Officer, George oversaw day-to-day business and operations for the Museum, led new business development efforts and museum renovations, and managed the strategic planning and curatorial content development for more than 100 exhibits and off-site projects, including the Woody Guthrie Center in Tulsa, Okla.; the opening of GRAMMY Museum Mississippi in Cleveland, Miss.; the GRAMMY Museum Gallery at Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tenn.; the Ray Charles Memorial Library in Los Angeles, and the GRAMMY Museum Experience Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., in 2017.
Prior to joining the GRAMMY Museum, George served as director of visitor services, security and operations for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.
George graduated from Ohio State University with a bachelor’s degree in journalism.
Lynne
Sheridan
VICE PRESIDENT OF ARTIST RELATIONS, PUBLIC PROGRAMMING & CONTENT
Read More
Lynne Sheridan serves as Vice President of Public Programming and Artist Relations for the GRAMMY Museum®. Sheridan is in charge of all public programming, including at the flagship in Los Angeles and for the recently launched series “A New York Evening With…” in New York City. She also spearheads the Museum’s artist relations efforts.
A 30+ year music industry veteran, she has been with the GRAMMY Museum since its inception in 2007. During her time at the Museum, Sheridan created the Public Programs series, booking and producing over 1,500 artist interviews, performances, film screenings, and panel discussions with artists such as Andrea Bocelli, Brandi Carlile, Common, Haim, Los Lobos, John Legend, Shawn Mendes, Stevie Nicks, Public Enemy, Mavis Staples, Ringo Starr, Sting, Barbra Streisand, Jack White, Brian Wilson, Bonnie Raitt, Billie Eilish, and more.
Prior to joining the GRAMMY Museum, Sheridan worked in New York City at Columbia Records, Epic Records, Tommy Boy Music, and the Bob Dylan Music Company. She has booked and produced panels, programs, showcases, and concerts at SXSW in Austin, Americana Music Festival & Conference in Nashville, and various tribute shows at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Sheridan has also produced concerts such as “Like a Complete Unknown: A Concert Celebrating the Music of Bob Dylan” with the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, collaborated with the New York Performing Arts Library at Lincoln Center on various programs, and co-produced all five Woody Guthrie Centennial Concert celebrations that took place nationwide in 2012.
Sheridan currently serves as an active board member for the Americana Music Association, as well as secretary on their Executive Board for the past eight years.
Board of
Directors
Brian Hoesterey
Chair of the Board
Michal Katz
Vice Chair of the Board
John Burk
Secretary / Treasurer
Tim Bucher
Chair Emeritus
Pamela Alexander
Dan Beckerman
Branden Chapman
Wellington Chen
Gary Dell’Abate
Linda Duncombe
Ken Ehrlich
Todd Goldstein
Dr. Chelsey Green
Jon Harris
Jimmy Jam
Harvey Mason jr.
Mattie McFadden-Lawson
Brenda Robinson
Ray Sliva
David Wu
Director Emeriti
John Branca
Giselle Fernandez
Ted Fikre
Joel Katz
Terry Lickona
Andra Liemandt
Jay Marciano
Charles "Chuck" Ortner
Carolyn Powers
David Webster
Subscribe
Please provide a valid email address
Please select at least one option above
Thanks for subscribing!
