Nancy Cardwell Retires From IBMA Foundation
Nancy Cardwell is passing the baton for the IBMA Foundation. She has been a lifelong supporter, educator, and player of bluegrass music and is in no way losing her passion for the genre. After ten years, the IBMA Foundation Executive Director feels it is the right time for her to take another path in her musical journey.
The IBMA Foundation has worked for “a brighter future for bluegrass” since its inception in 2007, and more than $500,000 has been awarded for grants, scholarships, and programs. In 2024-25, the nonprofit organization garnered more than 500 supporters and awarded almost $75,000 for Bluegrass in the Schools Mini-grants, college scholarships, webinars, a bluegrass college band showcase, masterclasses, project & education grants, and more.
In a recent interview, Nancy began by expressing her gratitude as her job nears an end this spring. “I am really honored to have had the opportunity to work for IBMA, the trade association, for a little over twenty years and, more recently, for the IBMA Foundation. I started out as an administrator for the Foundation and then moved to executive director. I am proud of how much we have grown in almost ten years. When I came onboard, the Foundation was awarding Bluegrass in the Schools Mini-grants and project grants. Our net worth was around $100,000. We would raise funds and give away almost the same amount every year. We were steady, but not really growing. We have experienced an amazing amount of growth in the last ten years, with current assets nearing $750,000. I credit that to a very dedicated, engaged board of directors and Fred Bartenstein, the board chair and president, when I began working for the Foundation. Fred and I are old friends. He did strategic planning for IBMA and facilitated Leadership Bluegrass for the first twelve years. I’ve been blessed to have had work that combines my passion and love for bluegrass music in a job which also incorporates other things I’m interested in, like education, writing and editing, organizing programs, and encouraging and working with the bluegrass community. It’s kind of a miracle! I’m a very lucky person to have had a bluegrass day job for so long.
“I was pleased that the Foundation wanted to take the step to hire a staff person. They never had a paid staff member before me, so this meant they were serious about growth and the mission. We have great board members. I can’t recall a better board that I have been affiliated with. They are all very passionate about supporting the future of bluegrass music and committed to making things happen.”
Nancy loves the direction the organization is headed. “I’m excited about all the college scholarships, grants, different programs, and the international aspect. It is exciting to help spread bluegrass music education in Kenya, China, Uganda, Nepal, Europe, and other places around the world. It is amazing what a small foundation can do when we’re committed and working together.
“When I worked for IBMA, I was the staff person who worked with the Bluegrass in the Schools committee. That work was turned over to the Foundation in 2007. The Foundation for Bluegrass Music was created after a gentleman named Richard Barnhart from the Washington, DC area donated funds to IBMA for bluegrass education for young people. I was the IBMA staff person who organized committees and programs like teacher workshops, a bluegrass lesson plan competition, and the Discover Bluegrass educational DVD. Dan Hays was the liaison with the Foundation board, and I made sure the work got done.
“I was in a unique position. I was around before the IBMA Foundation was built. . . before the footing was dug for the foundation! It has been so exciting and rewarding to work in that area with that mission for so long. I care deeply about education and bluegrass music. Before working at IBMA, I was a teacher in the 1980s. I have a lifetime certificate to teach English and Spanish (grades 7-12), and I grew up in a family bluegrass band in Springfield, Missouri.”
Timing seemed right for the musically driven lady to make a life change. “There’s no negative reason for my departure. The decision to retire came from realizing that the Foundation is at another point of launching into the next phase of growth. You know when it’s time for the next chapter. I’m ready to hand off the job to the next executive director, and I have every confidence in the board, led by the amazing Trisha Tubbs. I know that I’m leaving things in good hands. I am very happy and proud of the work that has been done so far. I am very excited for the future of the Foundation and that Cassie Wright has taken the executive director position (effective April 1). It will be exciting to see where she leads the Foundation. I have no doubt it will continue to grow.
“I decided to leave after 30 years in a professional bluegrass day job, which seems like a good time to pass the torch. I moved (from Nashville) to North Carolina in January 2018 to marry Bob Webster. I am in my mid-60s now, and my husband is a little older. I decided to make more time for family and for music. I definitely look forward to playing more bass in 2026.”
The Missouri native has other plans, too. “I’ll keep writing. I began writing as a feature editor for my junior high newspaper, the Cherokee Smoke Signal, in the eighth grade. The highlight of my career at that time was interviewing Danny Bonaduce of The Partridge Family! Pete Kuykendall (founding editor of BU) bought the first freelance article that I ever wrote in the summer of 1979 while I was a college student taking a Magazine Writing class. It surprised the heck out of me! I enjoy writing articles, and I hope to continue to write for BU. I’ve written and edited for Bluegrass Now. And since COVID hit, I’ve been writing more songs, usually co-writing with Rick Lang and Tom Brown.”
Nancy will definitely not be bored in retirement. “I’m looking forward to it. I play hammered dulcimer at my church. I sing in the choir. I play bass in a duo with Becky King here in Burlington, North Carolina. I would like to play bass in a good bluegrass band again. My husband and I want to do some more traveling. My mother is 91 years old and lives in Missouri. My daughter is still in Nashville. For the first two weeks, though, I may just sit in my recliner, drink a lot of coffee, read library books, and crochet. Just unplug and then see what turns up. I have no idea what will happen next. We’ll see what doors the Lord opens! It should be interesting.”
Looking back over her career, she has no regrets. “It’s been hard work. I’ve put in a lot of hours for a lot of years. Working out of my home office and having a flexible schedule has been nice the past 10 years. It’s also tempting to work seven days a week, which I do sometimes! I do what it takes to get things done.”
Cardwell plans to remain a part of the bluegrass music community. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m sticking around to answer questions as needed, and I will always support the Foundation financially.”
Fred Bartenstein (IBMA Foundation board chair, 2017-2025) praised her work, “The IBMA Foundation was amazingly fortunate that Nancy Cardwell was available at just the right time to be our first staff person. Her decades of experience in the bluegrass community, her sunny personality, her work ethic and passion for the mission, thousands of friends throughout the entire bluegrass world who know and trust her, and her ability to work part-time (for which we also thank Bob Webster), made her the absolutely best person for the job. In the 10 years under her leadership, the IBMA Foundation grew tremendously in visibility, assets, programs, and impact. Most importantly, she led us with heart and integrity. There will now be another chapter in the Foundation’s life, and hopefully many chapters after that, but Nancy Cardwell will always be remembered as the person who put us on the map. We all wish Nancy many years of happiness and pride in what she has accomplished.”
The Foundation will be going into a strategic planning session in October. They will be determining their priorities for the next three years. Nancy will be a part of that meeting. “I look forward to cheering them on from the sidelines. I won’t be coaching the team anymore, but I’ll definitely be in the booster club.”
To clarify the roles of IBMA, the IBMA Trust Fund, and the IBMA Foundation: IBMA is the parent organization, the trade association. They offer professional development, showcase opportunities, leadership training, host an annual conference and awards show, and they have the Bluegrass Hall of Fame. Nancy explained, “They help people in the bluegrass industry now–to learn from each other, to make a better living, and to network.
“The IBMA Trust Fund, one of the reasons IBMA was started in 1985, was created because founders like Sonny Osborne felt so strongly that the bluegrass community needed to have something like the Opry Trust Fund to help individuals in times of emergency need.
“The IBMA Foundation is focused on supporting the FUTURE of bluegrass music in four areas: education, arts and culture, literary/academic programs, and history preservation.”
The outgoing Foundation’s executive director explained the three entities in layman’s terms. “It’s like we’re in a band together, but we play different instruments and have different roles. We complement each other, but our missions are different.”
She further described the Foundation and her role. “We try to be good stewards of the donations that people give us and be smart about investments. We have a partnership with the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, based in Nashville, where we have twelve endowment funds that support most of the grants and scholarships that we offer. As those funds continue to grow, we will be able to give more scholarships and grants in larger amounts.
“I was a single parent for many years. My late husband was a banjo player and luthier. He passed away from cancer in 1989 when my daughter was just two years old, so I’m used to stretching a dollar. I try to dream big, but make sure we’re very fiscally responsible. The IBMA Foundation has worked because we have a great team: an incredible board, plus the support of the donors. I am amazed at the generosity and good hearts of bluegrass people. It continues to overwhelm me.”
Current board members are: Trisha Tubbs (chair/president), Alan Tompkins (vice-chair), Wendy Tyner (treasurer), Mona Salyer (secretary), Kissy Black, Dr. Sam Blumenthal, Katy Daley, Laurie Greenberg, Michael Hall, Susan Newberry, Matthew Royles, Dr. Peter Salovey, Mark Schuster, Lillian Werbin, Ken White (IBMA), and John Young.
Nancy concluded, “I would like to invite people to check out bluegrassfoundation.org. If you love bluegrass music and would like to see it go on forever, the IBMA Foundation can help make that happen–with your help. We’re always open to new ideas. We have the Strings for Dreams Bluegrass Raffle that kicks off in April. The prize this year is a D-35 Martin guitar.
“We’re getting started with organizing the second Biscuits for Bluegrass fundraiser during the 2026 World of Bluegrass in Chattanooga. It sold out within three days last year, so we’re moving to a room that is twice the size. It will seat 200.”
To make a donation or volunteer to help the IBMA Foundation, visit their website or contact the organization:
(615) 260-4807
IBMA Foundation
1183 University Drive #105-215
Burlington, NC 27215
