The Academy of Country Music (ACM) has greatly expanded its leadership team with three strategic new hires across multiple departments, positioning itself for continued growth in the country music landscape. As of September 2025, Lauren Burchett will step into the role of Head of Partnerships & Revenue, while Kylie Goudreau joins the Industry Relations & Awards team as Manager and Helena Capps takes on the position of Project Manager to strengthen execution capabilities.
These professionals bring valuable expertise from prestigious backgrounds including Disney, Google, and ESPN. Burchett’s appointment signals ACM’s intensified focus on sponsorship and partnership strategy, particularly with Fortune 500 brands and multimillion-dollar negotiations. Her portfolio will include managing relationships with key industry players such as Legends, Amazon Prime Video, and Dick Clark Productions across award shows, live events, and digital platform activations, all supporting the organization’s core mission and Lifting Lives initiatives. The team will implement social media advertising strategies to increase fan engagement and boost promotional reach across platforms.
Strategic leadership expansion brings elite corporate expertise to elevate ACM’s sponsorships and partnerships with global entertainment giants.
Simultaneously, ACM has announced its 2025 cohort for the LEVel Up: Lift Every Voice program, featuring 10 rising leaders from across the country music industry. The program, fully funded by ACM, has strategically selected participants representing diverse roles from performing rights organizations to management and labels, with this year’s cohort including members from previously unrepresented organizations. The rigorous two-year intensive program will enable participants to learn from industry thought leaders in the first year before implementing audience expansion plans in the second year. In addition, the program will introduce participants to sync licensing opportunities that can provide substantial revenue streams for emerging artists in the country music space.
Since its 2022 inception, the program has included over 30 unique organizations, demonstrating ACM’s commitment to industry-wide inclusion. The organization’s expanded influence is further evidenced by the recent 18th ACM Honors event, which showcased performances by Chris Janson, Jamey Johnson, Miko Marks, and Victoria Shaw alongside previously announced stars like Luke Bryan and Carly Pearce. The prestigious ceremony was held at The Pinnacle, Nashville Yards, offering attendees various seating options starting at $50.
The event, honoring 12 industry legends including Eric Church, Luke Combs, and Randy Travis, will reach national audiences through a partnership with CMT, which will broadcast a three-hour special featuring exclusive backstage content and performances. This collaboration underscores ACM’s growing media presence and dedication to evolving country music’s demographics while transcending geographic boundaries.
