The IBMA Foundation is pleased to announce that Katy Daley, Susan Newberry, and Matthew Royles will begin three-year terms on the board effective July 1, 2025. All three bring a wealth of professional experience, leadership skills, and passion for bluegrass music.
Katy Daley–
Veteran radio and podcast broadcaster and emcee Katy Daley was inducted into IBMA’s Bluegrass Hall of Fame in 2024. She has enjoyed a 40+ year career in bluegrass and country radio, with positions at WAMU-FM, Bluegrass Country, and WMZQ-AM/FM in the Washington, DC market. A lifetime member of IBMA and a proud graduate of the 2008 Leadership Bluegrass class, Katy’s involvement with IBMA has included service on the Awards Eligibility Committee and the IBMA Awards Handbook Committee.
Daley was honored to receive the IBMA Bluegrass Broadcaster of the Year award in 2009 and 2011, and in 2017 she was the first non-musician to receive the Washington Monument Award from the DC Bluegrass Union. She has contributed articles to Bluegrass Today and was recognized with the IBMA Liner Notes Award in 2019 and 2020—for Smithsonian Folkways’ Epilogue: A Tribute to John Duffey and Rebel Records’ reissue of Seldom Scene Recorded Live at the Cellar Door, respectively. Katy also co-produces the Bluegrass Stories podcast, which highlights those working behind the scenes in the bluegrass world. She received IBMA’s Distinguished Achievement Award in 2019.
A sought-after emcee for festivals and concerts as well as a skilled interviewer and broadcaster with an immediately recognizable voice, Katy Daley’s background in public radio has also given her an understanding of the challenges of fundraising. She was successful at securing corporate and individual donations for WAMU and BluegrassCountry.org.
“Beyond my broadcasting and writing, I bring a personal understanding of the importance of educational support,” Daley said. “When I attended American University to earn my BA in Communications, I worked two jobs to repay student loans and support myself—taking home just $40 a week for living expenses. Today, my husband, Bill, and I are fortunate to fund a scholarship for students pursuing careers in broadcasting and engineering through the IBMA Foundation.”
Susan Newberry—
A graduate of the 2004 Leadership Bluegrass class, Susan Newberry served as the executive director of PineCone, the Piedmont Council of Traditional Music in Raleigh, North Carolina, for 20 years. During her tenure PineCone was awarded the Brown-Hudson Award by the North Carolina Folklore Society for its outstanding work in the preservation and promotion of North Carolina’s musical traditions.
Susan has also worked as a buyer of American talent and an artist liaison for Bluegrass Omagh, a festival produced by the Ulster American Folk Park in Omagh, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland for 26 years. She was the Exhibitor Services Coordinator for ArtsMarket, a regional booking conference produced by the North Carolina Presenters Consortium, at four conferences.
At the IBMA Business Conference beginning in Nashville, Tennessee, Newberry conceived of and implemented the popular Gig Fair networking event for artists and talent buyers, as well as the Talent Buyers Track. She has served as a speaker and a panelist multiple times.
In 2025 Susan was the Gig Fair Coordinator for “Your Roots Are Showing,” an international conference for performing artists and other music industry professionals held in Ireland.
She has worked as a consultant and workshop leader in grant writing, box office management, organization structuring, by-laws analysis and revision, board retreats, and feasibility studies. Newberry’s prior board experience includes service with the North Carolina Presenters Consortium, Arts North Carolina, Arts Access, North Carolina Dance Alliance, and the Smocking Arts Guild of America (chair of the Finance Committee). Susan is also the recipient of the Raleigh Medal of Arts for lifetime contribution to the cultural life of Raleigh, North Carolina.
Matthew Royles—
Based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Matthew Royles is a bluegrass musician and singer who brings expertise in finance and arts nonprofits to the IBMA Foundation board.
Royles’ music career includes co-founding the progressive bluegrass band, Man About a Horse, winner of the FreshGrass Band Award and an IBMA Momentum Award nomination. He is also the project director and co-founder of Philly Bluegrass, a nonprofit project that promotes the creation and appreciation of bluegrass music in Philadelphia. Philly Bluegrass offers in-person events and digital resources to its audience of more than 1,300 bluegrass fans and musicians. Royles is a voting member of the Recording Academy, and he is a graduate of Leadership Bluegrass 2019.
Royles holds a Master of Business Administration from Temple University, as well as a B.A. in English and minor in Music from Bates College in Maine. His community involvement includes board service with Young Involved Philadelphia, as well as participation in leadership development programs at the Center for Progressive Leadership and the Boston Center for Community & Justice.
Royles has worked for many years in community development finance. Currently he serves as Director of Partner Development for CNote Group, Inc. Previously, he held external relations and communications roles at Aeris Insight, Inc.; Opportunity Finance Network; Accion International; and the Community Development Venture Capital Alliance.
Return to the July 2025 issue of The Cornerstone.
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