Michael Mauldin will take over as chair of the Black American Music Association as the 2-year-old organization sets to create the Black American Music Awards, a Black American Music Walk of Fame and numerous educational initiatives.

Mauldin will lead the group along with two co-founders: former Columbia and Warner Bros. exec Demmette Guidry and True 3 Media’s Judy Klein. They have an agenda spread out over the next three years to “preserve, protect, and promote the legacy and future of authentic black American music as a global art form.”

The Black American Music Walk of Fame is scheduled to break ground in Atlanta this fall. In 2022, the 100th year of black American music, the inaugural Black American Music Awards are scheduled. BAM’s educational initiatives including a professional certification program as well as partnerships with organizations such as The Otis Redding Foundation, Hope For Harvest, NXG Leaders, and Power2Inspire Foundation.

“With stewardship, innovation, narrative and economic positioning we will transform our cultural relevance into community relevance empowering future generations,” Guidry said. “Black American Music has inspired over 50 different genres of music and has been one of the most powerful influences on culture, trends, fashion, dance and humanity around the world. It is one of America’s greatest and most profitable exports.”

Charter members of the group include Derrick Williams (DNA Media Group), Catherine Brewton (BMI), Steve McKeever (Hidden Beach Recordings), Dennis Ashley (ICM Partners), Nwaka Onwusa (Rock & Roll Hall of Fame), L.A. Reid (HITCO), Chaka Zulu (Spotify/Disturbing Tha Peace Records), Nicole Wyskoarko (Interscope), Frank Cooper (BlackRock Capital), Jaha Johnson (HITCO), Vivian Scott-Chew (TimeZone International), Damien Granderson (Granderson–Des Rochers) and Kirkland Alexander Lynch.