Brett Morris is JAM’s Executive Director and President since 2014 (Independence, VA office). Brett is a native and current resident of Grayson County, Virginia, in the Southwest corner of the state, where she learned to play and dance to traditional old time and bluegrass music from family and community members. Brett is an award-winning flatfoot dancer and clawhammer banjo player, a published songwriter, and also plays several other instruments with the well-known trio, The Blue Ridge Girls, and other performing artists throughout Appalachia and the U.S. Her formal education includes two Bachelors of Arts degrees in Public Policy and Community Service, as well as English, from Emory & Henry College, and coursework in Secondary English Education and Special Education K-12. These fields of study and her love for traditional music and culture make Brett an advocate for sustainable communities and place-based learning. Contact Brett at [email protected] or set up an appointment on Calendly.
Jim Lloyd is JAM’s part time Regional Program Director (Independence, VA office), who makes his home in Rural Retreat, Virginia, where he is also a part time barber. Jim has over thirty years experience in teaching and playing traditional Appalachian music, and has often been called a keeper of stories, as he carries with him generations of music and tales from legendary musicians. Jim is an award winning finger style guitar player, clawhammer banjo player, and multi-instrumentalist of old styles ranging from fiddle and banjo music to country blues. He is utilizing this historical knowledge to develop creative projects to engage JAM students with the full cultural traditions of the music, such as My Favorite Appalachian Folk Song. Jim also works directly with programs to provide orientation training, ongoing assistance and student recruitment/enrichment. Contact Jim at [email protected]
Cody Bauer is JAM’s Field Office Coordinator (Knoxville, TN satellite office) with a concentration in fundraising and development. Cody is an award-winning bluegrass and old time fiddler and instructor. His background includes a Masters of Arts from Milligan University, as well as a Bachelors of Science in Middle School Education from Johnson University. Growing up, he loved jamming with his fellow musician friends, and would have reaped the rewards of being in a program like JAM. In addition to managing development efforts to fund the organization, Cody is coordinating the provision of resources, materials and support to existing JAM affiliates in the East TN and Western NC regions, as well as overseeing new program development. Contact Cody at [email protected]
Julie Moore is JAM’s Resources and Events Coordinator. Julie is from Glassy Mountain at the top of Greenville County in upstate South Carolina. Starting as a JAM parent, she has now directed Pacolet JAM (Tryon, NC) for 6 years. Collaboration of the parent organization with PacJAM to create a regional experience for JAM kids and families at the Earl Scruggs Music Festival led Julie to become a contractor with JAM to develop the first ever JAM Summit for traditional music education in 2024. Julie has a passion and curiosity for traditional music education, and likes studying how music, culture, and family are structured and shared around the world. Certified in Suzuki music education (cello), she ran a studio in Greenville, SC for nearly a decade and also served as secretary for the SC State Suzuki Association. Contact Julie at [email protected]
Mallory Blackwood is JAM’s Administrative Assistant. She is an up and coming singer-songwriter and musician originally from Spartanburg, SC, where she was raised in a musical family. Mallory now lives in Cana, Virginia where she is involved with the rural farming and musical community. Mallory keeps JAM organized and assists in special events. Contact Mallory at [email protected]