ANNOUNCEMENT

Dear Alumni and friends of CMC Nashville,

It’s hard to believe that Semester 45 just wrapped and we’re in our 23rd year of providing transformative experiential education. A new chapter is starting and I want to be the first to share with you the plans we have for the future.

Since our founding, CMC Nashville has been committed to equipping college-age students with the tools, experiences, and faith-centered perspective they need to excel in their careers and live out their calling as Christ-followers. Over the years, we’ve seen our alumni grow into a vibrant community of artists, innovators, and change-makers, for which we will be eternally grateful.

Now, as part of our “CMC 2.0 Vision”, we’re building on this legacy with a vision of growth and further educational innovation, deepening our impact on students and the industry. As part of this vision, the CMC Nashville leadership team is expanding and I’m delighted to announce that Michelle Wright will be joining us as our new Executive Director in January. Michelle brings incredible expertise and passion for operational growth, partnerships, and program outreach. Her addition will allow us to broaden our reach while maintaining the program’s hallmark of excellence.

As for me, I will continue in my role as Co-Founder of the program and oversee the curriculum and faculty, ensuring that the heart of our program—practical, faith-based, real-world education—remains strong. I’ll also work alongside Michelle to bring the CMC 2.0 Vision to life.

This transition is not just about leadership; it’s also about imagining new opportunities for our students and strengthening our relationships within the music industry community. With this expanded team, we are better equipped than ever to pursue these goals.

Your ongoing support, prayers, and partnership have always been vital to our mission, and we look forward to continuing this journey together.

Thank you for being part of the CMC Nashville family.

Blessings,
Warren Pettit
Co-Founder and Executive Director
CMC Nashville

MICHELLE WRIGHT

Michelle Wright (née Fink), Greenville University class of 1990, is deeply connected to her alma mater. In fact, she is a 4th generation alum. Earning her Bachelors of Science degree in Business Administration and Marketing, coupled with her experience as the Agape music festival coordinator, she set her trajectory for Nashville and a deeper dive into the Christian music industry.

Michelle landed in radio promotions at Reunion Records, home of recording artists including Michael W. Smith, Rich Mullins, and Third Day. After several years at the label, she was promoted to the VP of Marketing and Artist Development. Her next career step was joining the Blanton-Harrell Entertainment management team who represented Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, and Rachael Lampa among others. This role found her traveling the globe representing their roster at high profile events from the Grammy Awards to presidential inaugurations.

After marrying and starting a family, she returned to Provident (Reunion Records parent company). Only this time she managed their partnership with Twentieth Century Fox home entertainment as the conduit for faith and family friendly films. The biggest highlight was spearheading the Christian market retail campaign for The Bible miniseries, which was the highest-grossing, non-theatrical video through the Christian retail market.

Then her family relocated to California for non- profit work with the Cantinas Foundation and eventually landing in higher education as an administrator in the Cuesta College Performing Arts department on the central coast for the past 7 years.

She has been married to Eric Wright for 23 years and has three children, Quinn (21), Jenson (20) and Jocelyn (12).

ALUMNI

OUR ALUMNI HAVE WORKED WITH…

ALUMNI PROFILES

I am a full-time freelancing audio engineer and production manager. I spend most of the year on the road with a variety of different acts. You can typically find me behind a console on stage left, mixing ears for the artist and the band, or out mixing at FOH. I’m often brought out on tours as the production manager, so throughout the week I’m working with venues and advancing shows. A lot of emails and phone calls, and a lot of coordinating labor and directing the load in/out on day of show.
This past summer I spent five weeks in an advanced tutorial hanging and tuning PA .Some of the acts I’ve toured with include:
Sara Evans, Phillip Phillips, Matt Maher, Michael W Smith, Lindsey Stirling

Abigial La Bianca

SCOTTY McCREERY

I have been in the music industry since 2006 after I completed the CMC (semester 7) and graduated from Montreat College. I quickly hit the road within months of graduating and haven’t stopped since. For the last 12 years of my almost 20 year career, I have toured with country music superstar Scotty McCreery. Not only have I provided the musical foundation for Scotty as his bass player, but I also keep everything held together on the road as Scotty's Tour Manager.
I have a large list of credits as a session bass player, producer and mix engineer.

NATHAN THOMAS

I am the Quality Control (QC) Supervisor at PixelFLEX, a leading LED Manufacturer based in Nashville. We specialize in offering creative solutions, reliable products, and dependable services for churches, tours, and more! My role is specifically to oversee the QC process to guarantee each LED wall meets our high standards before installation or production. I am still a technician at heart, and I travel to repair, install, and showcase our LED throughout the country.
Here is our portfolio of clients!

KACI LEHMAN

After graduating from the CMC program, Becca Redl is making waves in the music industry. Director of Marketing at Capitol CMG, a division of Universal Music Group, Becca is spearheading marketing strategy and implementation for some of the industry’s biggest talent including Anne Wilson, Blessing Offer, Kari Jobe, Cody Carnes, We The Kingdom, and more. She partners with label teams, artist management, PR, digital media platforms, and social media agencies to help bring to life the vision each artist casts for their newest projects.

becca redl

clayton thornton

Clayton serves as the AVL Director at Alliance Bible Fellowship in Boone, NC. You can find him running front of house sound every Sunday, which is funny because he spent nearly a decade touring out of Nashville as a lighting designer. That background, combined with experience at a TV station serves him well with the other letters in his title. Alliance is equipped with a full broadcast suite for live-streaming services, and an intelligent LED lighting rig which Clayton gets to design sets with throughout the year.