MusiCares® Names Theresa Wolters as Executive Director

SANTA MONICA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--MusiCares^®, the leading music charity supporting the health and wellness of music professionals, has appointed Theresa Wolters as its new Executive Director.

Wolters, who has served as MusiCares’ Vice President of Health & Human Services since 2022, brings more than two decades of global health and humanitarian leadership to the role. After stepping in as Interim Executive Director in 2025, she now formally leads MusiCares in its mission to provide a safety net of comprehensive support to the music community.

“Theresa embodies the spirit of MusiCares. She approaches her work with empathy and clarity, and she strengthens every story with facts that show why our work matters,” said Harvey Mason jr., CEO of the Recording Academy^® and MusiCares. “Her leadership ensures that music professionals will continue to have access to the care and support they need — recognizing that financial struggles, health concerns and mental health challenges are often deeply connected.”

At MusiCares, Wolters has been at the forefront of addressing the unique health, mental health, addiction recovery, and human service needs of music professionals. She is recognized for her ability to connect the lived experiences of music professionals with data that highlights both the urgency of these challenges and the impact of MusiCares’ response.

Before joining MusiCares, Wolters built a remarkable career tackling health crises around the world. At the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, she helped shape global strategies that delivered lifesaving services to tens of millions of people affected by HIV and other infectious diseases. As a founding employee of Millennium Promise, she was integral to launching the Millennium Villages Project, one of the most ambitious demonstrations of the UN’s development goals in action. Later, with the International Medical Corps, she directed health and refugee programs across five African countries, bringing care and stability to some of the most vulnerable populations on the planet. Her ability to bridge large-scale global health challenges with deeply personal impact is what now defines her work at MusiCares, where she champions music professionals as an at-risk population uniquely vulnerable to financial setbacks and health challenges.

“Every day, MusiCares has a life-changing, and often lifesaving, impact on music professionals. For 35 years, MusiCares has been driven by compassion and a relentless focus on solving the big challenges facing our community. I am truly privileged to work alongside such an outstanding team of committed professionals and know MusiCares will continually rise to meet the needs of those we serve,” said Wolters.

Wolters holds a bachelor’s degree from George Washington University, a Master of Business Administration from Heriot-Watt University and studied African Affairs at the University of Cape Town.

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Photo by Kelly Samson, Gallery Photography

ABOUT MUSICARES

MusiCares helps the humans behind music because music gives so much to the world. Offering preventive, emergency and recovery programs, MusiCares is a safety net supporting the health and welfare of the music community. Founded by the Recording Academy in 1989 as a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) charity, MusiCares safeguards the well-being of all music people through direct financial grant programs, networks of support resources, and tailored crisis relief efforts. For more information please visit: www.musicares.org.