Jackie Patillo

Jackie Patillo, President of the Gospel Music Association since 2010, is an energetic force for progress within the Christian and Gospel music community. Patillo’s dedication and intimate understanding of the needs of artists equip her to be a forward-thinking community developer and supporter of diversity within the GMA’s membership. Under her leadership, the longstanding institution has thrived, reaching further into the community than ever as a bridge-builder for industry veterans and a foundation for future generations of artists and music professionals.

Drawing on her decades of experience developing artists as an A&R executive for Star Song, Benson Music Group, Integrity Music, and Sony Music’s Verity Records, Patillo understands, on both a professional and a personal level, the importance of paving the way for creatives with a vision. Her past work with CCM and Gospel artists such as Phillips, Craig & Dean, Natalie Grant, Russ Taff, Marvin Sapp, Kirk Franklin, Israel Houghton, and others uniquely qualifies her to lead the GMA.

Under her leadership, the GMA has expanded its national influence and strengthened its global presence. Along with her dedicated team, as Executive Producer of the GMA Dove Awards, Patillo has worked tirelessly to build the GMA Dove Awards, the industry’s hallmark event. Returning the celebration to the Bridgestone Arena and arriving at TBN’s highest rated shows with over 3 million views to date, bringing all genres of Christian music together into one unified expression of Christian and Gospel music in one powerful celebration of excellence, artistry, and faith.  

Yet the Dove Awards represent only one dimension of the GMA’s work. As a trade association, the GMA serves its members year-round—producing educational gatherings that nurture songwriters, creating development platforms for emerging artists, convening industry symposiums and community events, and fostering collaboration across genres and generations. The organization also partners with other mission-minded institutions, working collaboratively to strengthen the broader faith-based creative community for the greater good of all. Through these efforts, the GMA reinforces the infrastructure of Christian and Gospel music while advancing its creative and cultural influence.

In October 2025, the GMA opened the Museum of Christian and Gospel Music in the heart of Nashville—the first cultural landmark in the nation dedicated to celebrating the full spectrum of faith-based music. In partnership with the GMA Board of Directors, Patillo championed a $15 million capital campaign that turned vision into reality, working alongside the GMA Foundation Board to establish the museum as an enduring presence in Music City. The museum tells the story of 150 years of Gospel music—honoring the past, celebrating the present, and shaping the future. More than a historical archive, it is a living, breathing space where legacy and innovation meet, and where the story of faith through music continues to unfold.

With grace, humility, and her signature, inextinguishable fire, Patillo’s influence and leadership spread a wide net.  She was inducted into the Stellar Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2019 and the SOURCE Behind the Music Hall of Fame in 2023. In 2025, she received the RIAA Executive of the Year honor and the BMI Spotlight Award. In 2022, the GMA Board established the Jackie Patillo Leadership Award in her honor, presented annually at the Dove Awards to an individual or organization demonstrating outstanding leadership within the industry.

Committed to servant leadership, Patillo serves as a trustee of the Gospel Music Trust Fund, a member of Lipscomb University’s College of Entertainment & Arts Advisory Board, the Leadership Music Board of Directors, and the Studio Bank Founders Advisory Board.

“The GMA’s mission has always been to expose, promote, and celebrate the Gospel through music,” Patillo says. “My calling is to advocate for artists, elevate their voices, and build a community where every expression of faith through music has a place.”

Patillo lives in Spring Hill, Tennessee. She raised two sons as a single working mother and is the proud grandmother of three. She enjoys travel, gardening, and occasionally writing poetry.

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Jackie Patillo Short Bio

Jackie Patillo has served as President of the Gospel Music Association since 2010, bringing vision and collaborative leadership to the Christian and Gospel music community. A former A&R executive with Star Song, Benson Music Group, Integrity Music, and Sony Music’s Verity Records, she has spent decades championing artists and the creative community.

Working alongside an exceptional team, Patillo serves as Co-Executive Producer of the GMA Dove Awards, the industry’s hallmark event and TBN’s highest-rated program, reaching more than three million viewers. In October 2025, the GMA opened the Museum of Christian and Gospel Music in the heart of Nashville—the first cultural landmark in the nation dedicated to celebrating the full spectrum of faith-based music. In partnership with the GMA Board of Directors, Patillo championed a $15 million capital campaign that turned vision into reality, 

Patillo serves as a trustee of the Gospel Music Trust Fund and sits on the boards of Leadership Music, Lipscomb University’s College of Entertainment & Arts, and Studio Bank.