Board Chair • Sandi Brown, JOY FM (St. Louis)
Sandi Brown is the President of JOY FM and BOOST in St. Louis. In addition to launching JOY FM in 2001, Sandi has worked in CCM radio for 35 years. She and her husband Mike have been married for 33 years and have 3 children.
Vice Chair • Bill Sammons, WKNZ (Salisbury/Ocean City)
After stints in mainstream radio and TV, Bill built and operated Delaware’s first-ever Christian radio, WXPZ, back in 1990. In 2010 he helped launch WKNZ, 88.7 The Bridge, a 25,000 watt non-comm in Southern Delaware. The Bridge has since added frequencies in Maryland and New Jersey, serving most of the Delmarva Peninsula and South Jersey. Bill also owns and operates a video production company called Watermark Productions, specializing in corporate and non-profit video production. Bill is married and has 5 children and 2 grandchildren.
Secretary • Janet Cherry , K-LOVE & Air1
Janet Cherry is currently the Chief Transition Officer of Educational Media Foundation (also known as EMF Broadcasting), which governs K-LOVE and Air1 radio networks, WTA Media, AccessMore podcasting, EMF Publishing and more. After serving as Chief People Officer and Chief Operating Officer, Janet agreed to oversee a three year transition project to relocate the California based Headquarter Team to a new EMF Headquarters located in Franklin, Tennessee. Prior to joining EMF Broadcasting, Janet owned her own consulting firm and served on staff in leadership roles within consumer software organizations and non-profits, with a focus on organizational development, human resources, and general management. Janet and her husband, Jeff, have served together in ministry for nearly 30 years in areas of youth ministry, small group leadership, and marriage mentorship. They have two grown sons and became grandparents in January, 2023.
Executive Director • Michelle Younkman, CMB
Originally from Tulsa, Michelle Younkman has worked with radio & records in some capacity since 1988. She was invited to join the CMB team in 2011 and currently serves as the Executive Director for Christian Music Broadcasters. Michelle and her husband Dave have 3 children and live in Little Rock, AR.
Matt Austin, KCBI (Dallas/Ft. Worth)
Matt Austin is the GM and VP of Operations for KCBI, Dallas/Ft Worth. Matt began his career in general market radio in Lexington, KY. In 1997 he joined WAY-FM as Network Program Director and then SE Regional Manager in Nashville. Matt moved to KCBI in December of 2012 where he has enjoyed working with a world-class team. He has a passion for discipleship, reading (especially on leadership), travel and baseball. Matt is married to Denise, and they have eight grandchildren!
Tim Dukes, Hope Media Group
Tim Dukes spent 24 years in secular media and markets that include Chicago, Atlanta, San Diego, and Tampa before answering God’s call to vocational ministry in 2011. After four years in para-church work, he joined WayFM as General Manager of its new station in Dallas-Fort Worth to combine his media and ministry experience and added regional responsibility in 2019 for Way Media properties in Tennessee, Alabama, Kentucky, and Indiana. In 2020, Tim was promoted to Chief Operating Officer and added interim CEO responsibilities a year later. When Way Media and Hope Media Group merged in May 2022, he became the new organization’s COO. Tim and his wife Susan were married in 1989 and live in Dallas, as does their adult daughter, Macy.
Dave Gordon, Life 88.5 (Kansas City)
Dave has served Northwestern Media as Station Manager in Kansas City since launching Life 88.5 in 2013. Previously, Dave led Bethesda Christian Broadcasting as Executive Director and Salem Communications’ San Antonio cluster as Market Manager. Additionally, he served with broadcast teams in Chicago, Tulsa, and Terre Haute. Dave’s passion for uplifting others is infectious. Dave and his bride, Kerry, have two adult sons and a grandson who calls him Poppy.
Grant Hubbard, Grant Hubbard LLC (Nashville)
Grant Hubbard began his Christian radio career in 1982 as a part-time disc jockey in Nederland, Texas. From that job, he graduated to a full-time on air position in Monument, Colorado. Through the years, he filled many different roles in radio, Mid-day announcer, Afternoon drive, Music Director and, finally, Program Director. In 1990 Grant moved to Nashville to work as a radio promoter for the biggest label in Christian music, Word Records. In 1997 Grant accepted a position at Sparrow Label Group, eventually to become Capitol Christian Music Group, as Sr. Director of National Promotion, and one year later was promoted to Vice President of National Promotion. In 2019 he departed Capitol Christian Music Group and went out on his own to begin and build Grant Hubbard LLC. He is working in that capacity today, consulting record labels, promoting songs and working with artists to help them reach their maximum exposure and success through Christian radio.
Troy Kriechbaum, Encouragement Media Group (Tyler)
Troy’s passion for pointing people to Jesus through Christian music shaped his formative years and he got his start in radio spinning vinyl from DeGarmo & Key, Petra and Rez Band on the Baylor University station. Over three decades later, he serves as President/CEO of Encouragement Media Group (14 years) in Tyler, Texas. Encouragement Media Group includes KVNE (CCM), Lift Worship (Worship), Fuzión (Spanish Christian Music), The Well (Bible Teaching), Modo Vida (Spanish Bible Teaching) and Evergreen (Christmas). Troy married Teresa, his college sweetheart, 30 years ago and they have two married children, a college student, a high schooler, a precious grand girl and a grandbaby on the way.
Chris Lemke, Lemke Media Partners (Grand Rapids)
Chris began his full-time radio career 40 years ago at WCSG/Grand Rapids, serving as on-air host, PD, GM, and Executive Director. He left WCSG in June of 2021 to work with stations around the country, mentoring and coaching other persons in programming, fundraising and management. In 2011, Chris led the charge to restructure and retool CMB, serving as CMB’s interim executive director and board chairman for the next two years. He was honored by CMB in 2019 when he received the Industry Achievement award. Chris loves long walks, cooking and gardening. He and his bride of 35 years, Susan, live in Grand Rapids. They have six children, two of whom are married, and five grandchildren.
John Owens, Blue Ridge Broadcasting
John Owens began his radio career during high school in Florida working in Country radio. He gave his life to Christ in Providence, RI, when he was doing mornings at WCTK and continued in that format until he was called to be the Network PD and Morning Show Host for the Family Life Network, NY & PA, 1997-2008. He then served as Operations Manager of 89.7 WMHK, Columbia, SC, from 2008 until EMF purchased the station in 2014. Since 2015, John has served as General Manager of Blue Ridge Broadcasting, The Light FM, with studios located in Asheville, NC. John and Tamara have been married for 28 years with three sons, two daughter-in-law’s, two grandchildren and four Compassion kids. John was named one of “The 30 Best Managers in Radio”, Radio Ink, October 2020.
Jason Sharp, Northwestern Media
Since graduating from Olivet Nazarene University in 1993, Jason Sharp has devoted his life’s work to the calling placed on his heart at the age of 18, to passionately serve God through the ministry of Christian radio. Jason and his family followed that call in 2007 when they moved to Minnesota in order to be a part of the Northwestern family. Jason currently serves as Sr. Vice President for Media, overseeing all of Northwestern Media’s properties and brands.
