NAMM Foundation’s Mary Luehrsen Honored For Music Education Advocacy

For her tireless efforts on behalf of music education, NAMM Foundation executive director Mary Luehrsen will be honored with the Don Johnson Industry Service Award by Musical Merchandise Review (MMR) magazine. MMR awards the honor annually to music industry professionals for outstanding and meaningful support of music education and advocacy at the community and national level. The award will be presented to Luehrsen during a SupportMusic live webcast, Saturday, January 24 at 2 p.m PST during the NAMM Show.

“This year, the selection committee for the Don Johnson Industry Service Award quickly and unanimously agreed upon their choice of recipient,” said Christian Wissmuller, executive editor of MMR, “Mary Luehrsen is the driving force behind so many effective initiatives that expand and strengthen music education and the culture of making music – it’s no exaggeration to say that everyone in the MI industry has been positively impacted by her tireless efforts.”

As NAMM Foundation executive director and director of public affairs and government relations, Luehrsen is NAMM’s chief strategist for education policy and music education advocacy. Her work for the Foundation has significantly enhanced the visibility and reach of the organizations’ music research support, and philanthropic and public service programs. Luehrsen spearheaded the development of the SupportMusic Coalition, which has galvanized more than 8,500 affiliated national and international organizations working to boost community-based music education advocacy efforts.

Luehrsen started her career as a 20-year professional flutist and taught elementary general music, band, and secondary instrumental music for 16 years.

The Don Johnson Industry Service Award was established in honor of former MMR editor Don Johnson, who passed away in 2008. According to Wissmuller, the award honors individuals who embody the best attributes of the music products industry. Last year’s award recognized John D’Addario, Jr. and Jim D’Addario. Mary Luehrsen will appear on the cover of MMR’s February 2015 edition distributed at the NAMM Show.

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About NAMM Foundation
The NAMM Foundation is a non-profit supported in part by the National Association of Music Merchants and its 9,200 members around the world. The NAMM Foundation works to advance active participation in music making across the lifespan by supporting scientific research, philanthropic giving and public service programs. For more information about The NAMM Foundation, please visit www.nammfoundation.org, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.