BMAC BOARD OF DIRECTORS
WILLIE “PROPHET” STIGGERS Willie “Prophet” Stiggers is a lifelong activist, and the Co-Founder, CEO, and President of BMAC. Under his leadership, BMAC has emerged as the most influential organization dedicated to holding the music industry accountable while building new pipelines of access and opportunity for the next generation of music professionals and artists. A driving force for economic justice in both music and communities, Prophet has been recognized among Billboard’s Power Players for multiple consecutive years, earning accolades from the Associated Press and The New York Times. In 2024 alone, he was honored with the Charley Pride Celebration of Inclusion Award (presented by Amazon Studios, Amazon Music, and the Academy of Country Music), recognized by the National Action Network for his lifelong activism and commitment to youth, received the SESAC Visionary Award for advancing equity in the industry, and was awarded the Songwriters of North America Warrior Award for championing songwriters’ and artists’ rights. In 2025, Prophet was named to the Billboard Power 100 List and recognized by Spin Magazine as one of the 25 Most Influential People in Music as well named to the Billboard R&B/Hip Hop Power Players List. Beyond advocacy, he has also served on the board of the Neil Lasher Music Fund, on the board of Lifebeat, an initiative of the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Fund, on the board of the Hip Hop Museum and as Executive Producer of the annual BMAC Gala for the past four years, curating one of the most impactful gatherings in the music industry. ASHUANNA K. AYARS Ashaunna K. Ayars is a creative powerhouse who has helmed high-impact campaigns for some of the biggest names in entertainment. She’s a multi-hyphenate brand mastermind with deep roots in the music industry. After influential senior executive roles at Def Jam and Warner Music, she established her own firm- The Ayars Agency- building a client list that includes Netflix, Prime Video, Universal Music Group, and Paramount. As the Founder and CEO of The Ayars Agency, her work extends to producing long and short from content, experiential marketing, influencer strategy, talent management, and brand development.
SHAWN HOLIDAY Shawn “Tubby” Holiday is one of the most influential behind-the-scenes forces in music today, with a career spanning more than two decades across label, publishing, and artist management. He currently manages Cardi B and Offset at Full Stop Management and is co-founder of Giant Music, launched in partnership with Irving and Jeff Azoff. Under his leadership, Giant has become a powerhouse for breakout talent, including Cash Cobain. Holiday began on the Bad Boy Records street team in the early 2000s and quickly rose, holding senior roles as SVP of Urban A&R at Interscope and Co-Head of Urban A&R at Columbia Records, where he worked across publishing and recorded music a rare dual appointment with artists Travis Scott, Solange, Lil Nas X, Roddy Ricch, Robin Thicke, and 50 Cent. At Full Stop, Holiday has overseen major chart successes. Cardi B’s “Enough (Miami)” debuted at No. 9 on the Hot 100 (12th Top-10, 7th Digital Song Sales No. 1), “Outside” hit No. 10, topping Rhythmic and Rap Airplay, and “Imaginary Playerz” debuted at No. 70. She is set to release her highly anticipated sophomore album, Am I The Drama?, on September 19, 2025. Offset’s “Worth It” reached No. 1 on Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, his 2025 album Kiari debuted at No. 17 on the Billboard 200, and “Bodies” featuring JID entered the Hot 100 at No. 72.
At Giant Music, Cash Cobain’s Gold-certified “Fisherrr” charted on the Bubbling Under Hot 100, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, and Rhythmic Airplay. His debut album PLAY CASH COBAIN reached Billboard 200 No. 113, and he earned a Hot 100 feature with Don Toliver and a placement on Justin Bieber’s “SWAG.”
Holiday co-founded the Black Music Action Coalition (BMAC), where he champions equity and systemic reform. A Brooklyn native, he continues to shape the sound and future of popular music.
CARON VEAZEY Caron Veazey is the Founder of Something In Common, a management/consulting agency and Partner at Three Six Zero, an international entertainment company at the forefront of music, film/tv, and sports. Caron managed the career of Pharrell Williams from 2010-2019, and partnered with him as General Manager of his creative collective, i am OTHER. Veazey architected some of Pharrell’s most historic music and cultural moments including: “Happy,” “Blurred Lines,” seven Grammy Awards, two Academy Award nominations, and unprecedented collaborations in the fashion, art, business, and philanthropic arenas. A veteran record executive, Caron Veazey is proud to have been included on both the Billboard Women In Music list and the Billboard Hip-Hop & R&B Power Players list for multiple years, and also the first ever Billboard Change Agents issue for her advocacy work with the Black Music Action Coalition. Prior to expanding into artist management, Veazey held executive positions at major music companies including Sony Music, RCA Records, and Island Def Jam, among others. NAIMA COCHRANE Naima Cochrane is an award-winning music marketer and leading voice in Black music and culture whose superpower is storytelling. A music industry veteran of more than 20 years, Naima honed her craft at culture-shifting labels Bad Boy and Arista Records, then legacy majors Columbia and Epic Records, working with mold-breaking acts including Beyoncé, John Legend, and Tyler, the Creator as a marketing executive. After leaving the label side of the business, she continued her career with EGOT Legend and later Oscar-nominated, Emmy, Grammy, and Tony award-winning actress and singer Cynthia Erivo as management. In 2017, Naima created #MusicSermon, a curated storytelling series on Twitter about pre-blog era Soul and Hip-Hop. The series was a viral hit, with Sunday “services” drawing engagement from esteemed artists, creatives, and storytellers such as Ava Duvernay, Lin Manuel Miranda, and Missy Elliot. #MusicSermon transitioned Naima into journalism, and since 2018 her voice and work have been featured in outlets including Billboard, Essence, and the NY Times, as well as published works including 2021’s Smithsonian Anthology of Hip-Hop and Rap. Partners including Spotify, Sirius XM/Pandora and Netflix have tapped Naima’s unique expertise for special and scripted projects, including Sirius/Pandora’s Webby-award-winning All Music is Black Music podcast. She remains entrenched in the business side of the entertainment industry as a marketing consultant, and led the creative strategy for Empire Records’ Clio Award-winning campaign for late singer Aaliyah’s highly anticipated catalog re-release in 2021. Naima is passionate about framing music within a broader cultural and historical context and using that work in ways that serve both current and future Black artists and executives. She leads mission-critical research as a board member of the Black Music Association. She’s also a Visiting Professor at the Clive Davis Institute at New York University, Tisch School of the Arts, translating her experiences in music marketing for students.
Ayars also plays a critical role as a co-founder of the Black Music Action Coalition, advocating for social and racial justice within the music business.
SHAY M. LAWSON Shay M. Lawson Esq is the Managing Attorney of the Law Firm of Lawson McKinley. Billboard Magazine has named Shay a Top Music Attorney for five consecutive years for her work protecting the brand and legacies of multi-platinum, GRAMMY award winning artists, songwriters, engineers, and producers. Her keen understanding of the entertainment business and leveraging IP has allowed her to negotiate millions in client deals with brands such as Apple Music, Capital One, iHeart Media, NBC Universal, and AT&T. Her work protecting clients has been featured by Essence, Rolling Stone, The Hollywood Reporter, Atlanta Business Chronicle, and Black Enterprise. Shay’s passion for political advocacy drives her service as chair of Policy and Civic Engagement for the Black Music Action Coalition, three terms as Governor for the Atlanta Chapter of the Recording Academy (GRAMMYS ® ) as co-chair of advocacy, and Advisory Board service with Songwriters of North America. Shay is an alumna of Hampton University, Case Western Reserve University College of Law, and holds a certificate in Minority Political Leadership from the Grace E Harris Leadership School at Virginia Commonwealth University and a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated
DAMIEN SMITH Damien Smith is an accomplished music industry veteran who skillfully helps guide the careers of some of the music industry’s most legendary and accomplished acts.
Artists such as Earth, Wind & Fire, Jennifer Hudson, Raphael Saadiq, Kanye West, Travis Scott, Anderson.Paak, 070 Shake, Offset, et al. have entrusted their careers to Smith’s instincts and creativity, helping them reach new heights and blaze new trails.
In addition, Smith serves as Head of Music for Beyonce’s Parkwood Entertainment company.
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