Recording Academy Restructures Awards Dept.
• The Recording Academy® has appointed Ruby Marchand as Chief Awards & Industry Officer and elevated Joanna Chu to Vice President of Awards. The redefined roles and restructuring of the Awards Department comes during a transformational period at the Recording Academy as the organization evolves to better serve its membership and the music industry at-large.
In her expanded role, Marchand (pictured) will continue to oversee both Awards and Membership & Industry Relations, reporting to the Academy’s Co-President, Valeisha Butterfield Jones. In the newly created role of VP of Awards, Chu will further her expertise in Awards systems and operations by leading the team through all aspects of the Awards season. Chu will report to Marchand and join her in reinforcing key Academy initiatives throughout the Awards process, with a special emphasis on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
“I’m proud to welcome Ruby and Joanna into their new positions as we work to enhance our awards processes from the inside out,” said Harvey Mason Jr., CEO of the Recording Academy. “Their expertise in this space is highly valuable as we continue to refine the Recording Academy’s role in the music industry and work to provide the highest quality of service to our members.”
Prior to joining the Academy’s executive team, Marchand held several elected leadership roles at the Academy — in 2004, she was elected Governor & VP of the New York Chapter, where she chaired GRAMMY In The Schools® for more than 12 years. In 2011, Marchand was elected a National Trustee from the New York Chapter and served for two terms. She was elected Vice Chair of the Academy by the National Board of Trustees in 2015 and served until 2019. She was also Co-Chair of the Awards & Nominations Committee for seven years and helped drive new eligibility rules related to streaming as well as the process of refreshing Fields and Categories for the GRAMMY Awards®.
Chu previously held Director and Managing Director roles in the Academy’s Awards Department, Prior to joining the Academy, Chu worked in Silicon Valley as one of the few female software engineers in the aerospace industry for 15 years prior to a career shift to the music industry. [Marchand photo courtesy of Alison Sheehy]
