Berklee's Tonya Butler Named Music Business Educator of the Year

Berklee's Tonya Butler Named Music Business Educator of the Year The Music Business Association honored Butler at its annual Bizzy Awards.

June 10, 2026

By

Lily Chopus

Grammy-winning artist and Bizzy Awards host Lecrae (left) stands with chair of Berklee Music Business/Management Department Tonya Butler (right) after she received the Music Business Educator of the Year Award.

Image courtesy of Picture This! Photography

Tonya Butler, chair of Berklee's Music Business/Management Department, has been named Music Business Educator of the Year by the Music Business Association. The award was presented at the Bizzy Awards on May 13, held as part of the Music Biz 2026 conference in Atlanta, Georgia. Josh Rabinowitz, an associate professor at Berklee, was also nominated in the same category.

Butler leads the department with over 14 years of experience as an entertainment attorney and record label executive, along with 16 years of teaching at the undergraduate and graduate levels. She is the first woman and the first person of color to lead Berklee's Music Business/Management Department.

The fact that our industrys top trade organization chose to recognize me for the work I do with and for students is mind boggling, Butler said. Never in a million years did I see myself standing on that stage, next to the legendary rapper Lecrae, holding that trophy in front of an audience of my peers. It was indeed a humbling experience.

The Bizzy Awards were presented during the Music Biz 2026 conference (May 11-14), an annual event organized by the nonprofit Music Business Association that brought together more than 2,100 music industry professionals. To learn more about the Music Business Association and the annual Music Biz conference, visit musicbiz.org.

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