Thank you John Sinkevics!

The Michigan Music Alliance wants to thank John Sinkevics for his tremendous leadership and support over the past three years. Previously president of the board of directors since 2022, Sinkevics wrapped up his term in March to focus more on his family and Local Spins publication.

“We truly appreciate the hard work, time, and dedication John has put into leading the organization and supporting its mission and vision,” said Nicholas James Thomasma, executive director of the Michigan Music Alliance. “John has played an integral role in helping us provide professional development, education, networking, and collaborative opportunities for Michigan musicians.”

Since 2019, the Michigan Music Alliance has provided professional growth opportunities for the state’s music community. The organization first rose to prominence in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, raising and distributing more than $40,000 for struggling musicians over a two-year period.

Since then, the Michigan Music Alliance has hosted numerous online B-Side Sessions—workshops covering various business-related topics for musicians—and otherwise embraced its mission of providing equitable professional growth opportunities for the Michigan music community.

Looking ahead, the Michigan Music Alliance is pleased to announce that Cindy McSurely is the new president of the board of directors. McSurely joined the Michigan Music Alliance board of directors as a member in 2024 and has been instrumental in helping the organization retool its mission, vision, and governance system and secure funding. McSurely later became vice president of the Michigan Music Alliance’s board of directors. She is a nonprofit consultant with over 20 years of experience in the sector.

“We have been extremely fortunate to have John’s leadership and deep industry insight over the past three years,” McSurely said. “The Michigan Music Alliance board of directors has such a strong balance and breadth of industry experience—every board member brings something that deeply resonates with our mission.”

In addition, Andrea “Dre” Wallace has been named the new vice president of the board of directors for the Michigan Music Alliance. She joined the board as a member in 2022. Wallace is the CEO of Opnr and entrepreneur-in-residence at Start Garden in Grand Rapids.

The Michigan Music Alliance’s board of directors leadership team also includes Chris Newberg as secretary and Casey Rasmussen as treasurer. Newberg is an attorney and partner at Rodenhouse Law Group in Grand Rapids and is the lead guitarist for Gunnar & The Grizzly Boys. Rasmussen is a Battle Creek-based finance professional with over 25 years of experience and is the lead singer and songwriter for Mad Hat Mojo. Rasmussen and Newberg will continue in their current roles for the Michigan Music Alliance.

Rounding out the board of directors are members John Bommarito and Lori Stratton. John is a longtime radio DJ and works as a digital operations specialist at WEMU. He also hosts the Acoustic Alternatives video podcast and curates a weekly Acoustic Alternatives playlist on YouTube. Lori Stratton is a music journalist and works as a library technician/writer-editor at the Ann Arbor District Library. She also publishes The Stratton Setlist music blog.

Let's welcome McSurely and Wallace in their new leadership roles for the Michigan Music Alliance!