Nashville, Tenn. (September 6, 2022) – The Music for Seniors Board of Directors announced today that Rob Jack will become Interim Executive Director of the arts nonprofit. The appointment is part of a transition plan initiated last fall when founder and “Musician in Chief,” Sarah Martin McConnell, communicated her desire to pursue her next chapter.
Jack has a long career in management consulting, strategic planning and execution, technology, operations and organizational change management in the corporate world, including at Mars Petcare, Education Networks of America, and c3/consulting. Over the past 10 years, he has applied his business acumen to working with nonprofit organizations, as both a consultant and as a Board member. Since 2020, Jack has guided Middle Tennessee nonprofits in their development and implementation of post-pandemic strategic plans, including Music for Seniors. He currently serves on the Alive Hospice Board of Directors and chairs Alive’s Governance Committee. He also served for 7 years on the Board of Directors of Conexión Américas, the last two of those years as their Board Vice President.
“I’m thrilled that my longtime friend and colleague, Rob Jack, who originally began working with us on strategic planning, fell in love with the Music for Seniors mission and agreed to serve as Interim Executive Director,” said new Board Chair, Lucia Folk. “Clear succession planning and the establishing of strong operations systems when a nonprofit founder transitions out of an organization is critical for the long-term success of the next leader, and Rob is precisely the right person to lead us in those efforts.”
“I’m honored to be part of the phenomenal organization that Sarah has nurtured and grown over the last 15 years, which she was inspired to create when she became her mother’s caregiver,” Jack said. “I want to build upon her vision for the organization. With the support of the board of directors and our musician and community partners, we can honor Sarah’s legacy, continuing to light up the lives of the older adults we serve while working towards expanding the reach and impact of Music for Seniors’ mission in Tennessee and beyond.”
McConnell will continue full-time through 2022 as producer of the Nashville and Knoxville FREE Daytime Concert Series and assisting in scheduling upcoming Live Performance Learning Labs, as well as working closely with Jack and the Board to ensure a smooth transition. McConnell says she “will continue preachin’ the gospel of Music for Seniors as its chief proselytizer” and “plans to perform, record and travel, speak and write about her journey as a founder and the amazing magic of immersive, shared, live music experiences for promoting joy and enrichment and reducing isolation for ALL.”
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ABOUT MUSIC FOR SENIORS
Music for Seniors is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organization enlisting area professional, semi-professional and student musicians to provide engaging live music programming with and for older adults. Through outreach, Music for Seniors facilitates one-hour interactive programs with groups at senior centers, day programs, retirement communities (including assisted living and dementia care) and skilled nursing locations. The concert series features local artists of distinction for a monthly daytime performance at varying accessible community venues. Learning Labs offer hands-on instruction in playing a variety of instruments and songwriting. All programs span a wide range of music and genres catering to the tastes, preferences and needs of older adults with a primary focus of engagement and interaction for all participants. For more information on Music for Seniors, visit www.musicforseniors.org