Just in Time for The NAMM Show - Meet Women of NAMM
Women of NAMM (WON) returns to The 2022 NAMM Show and recognizes six recipients with an annual NAMM Show scholarship, an award that will help them attend their first NAMM Show.
WON, formerly known as Smart Women in Music (SWIM), is comprised of an official, all-volunteer council of NAMM and will “continue to pursue the vision, mission, and objectives set forth by SWIM for the benefit of women in the music products industry and expand to include female professionals in other NAMM Member categories including the pro audio and entertainment technology segments.”
Founded in 2018 by industry veterans DeDe Heid (Heid Music), Crystal Morris (Gator Cases), and Robin Walenta (West Music), WON will continue the tradition of developing leadership opportunities through the awarding of scholarships to attend The NAMM Show. In addition, the group hosts professional development roundtables, network gatherings, and leadership summits at NAMM Headquarters in Carlsbad, California.
The annual WON scholarship selected Hailer Canfield, Dietze Music; Alia DiLullo, Gator Co.; Tamara Freethy, Cosmo Music; Kristi Noble, Quinlan and Fabish Music; Jessica Palmer, West Music/Music ConstructED; and Mandy Stertz, Pecknel Music Company as the recipients of this year’s award. Selected via an independent review process, each winner will receive a one-time stipend to support travel, attendance and participation, and job shadowing opportunities with female industry executives at The NAMM Show.
Tamara Freethy is the marketing manager for Canada’s Cosmo Music. After earning a promotion in January of 2021, Freethy saw an opportunity to capitalize on this shift in her career trajectory. She said, “The opportunity the Women of NAMM Scholarship provides to continue to develop myself professionally and engage with a wider network of women made it extremely hard to find a reason not to apply.” Set to attend her first NAMM Show, Freethy is excited to experience the show and plans to take advantage of the networking and learning opportunities alongside her peers and develop deeper connections within the industry.
When asked why women should consider becoming involved with WON and apply for future iterations of the scholarship, Freethy said, “WON is the perfect opportunity to connect with accomplished, like-minded women and gain from their experiences. Women should apply for this scholarship because it's important we continue increasing female representation in our industry.”
WON will gather at The 2022 NAMM Show in Anaheim, California, on Friday, June 3 from 6-7p.m. at The Westin Hotel, part of the NAMM campus. Information on attending The NAMM Show can be found at /thenammshow/2022/attend.
For more information on Women of NAMM, please visit /women-of-namm, and to donate to the WON Fund, please visit https://www.nammfoundation.org/donate.