‘Analytical’ Director of the Blues Foundation Plays It by Ear

Like a Beale Street tourist who has had one slug of Tennessee whiskey too many, the Blues Foundation has been stumbling in recent years. The Memphis organization, whose mission is to preserve and promote blues music, had run up a $90,000 deficit, and was stunned when its executive director resigned in June to pursue business interests.

The organization hopes it will regain its balance under a new leader, Jay Sieleman, a 50-year-old lawyer who has never before worked for a nonprofit organization.

Mr. Sieleman’s peripatetic career has taken him from his native Iowa to such locales as the Solomon Islands, where he was a Peace Corps volunteer, and the Panama Canal, where he was the U.S. government’s top lawyer at the agency that oversaw the historic waterway and the canal’s transfer to Panama in 2000.

Mr. Sieleman, who took over at the Blues Foundation last month, says that what he lacks in nonprofit experience, he makes up for in administrative skills and, most important, passion for the blues.

“I’ve got friends who say, leave it to you to turn something that was fun into work,” he says. “But for me, this is fun. I like to help out. I am not content standing around watching when things need to be done.”

Mr. Sieleman is the first to admit much needs to be done. The organization was thrown into turmoil by the resignation of Howard Stovall, who had served as executive director for the previous five years. It’s also been hurt by the slowdown in giving affecting charities nationwide as the economy has slumped. As of December, the group was running a $90,000 deficit in its $1-million annual budget.

Even the Blues Foundation’s signature event, the nationally renowned W.C. Handy Blues Awards, has been affected. At the end of last year, Northwest Airlines said money woes would force it to withdraw its annual sponsorship of the Handys. Northwest previously provided $20,000 a year, plus free travel, to bring artists to the show. While Northwest still donates some free air tickets, the foundation is now looking for new financial support for the awards, sometimes referred to as the “blues Grammys.” Handys have been won by such renowned performers as B.B. King and Etta James, as well as rising young talents like Susan Tedeschi and Shemekia Copeland.

At the same time, a group from Baton Rouge, La., with an offer of free office space and additional financial support, attempted to entice the foundation to consider moving to the city. Such a move would have been a serious departure from the Blues Foundation’s Memphis roots. While the organization is national, its cultural ties are in the town that has long called itself the Home of the Blues.

Mr. Sieleman says the group isn’t moving, and that he is now turning his attention to getting the group’s finances and administrative processes in order, as well as to putting the organization in a position to capitalize on the musical momentum that comes with Congress designating 2003 as the Year of the Blues.

He says he is not daunted by the challenge. “I’m an individual who likes order in his life, and there will be order here eventually,” he says.

Indeed, Mr. Stovall says such qualities were one reason he recommended Mr. Sieleman, who had served on an advisory board to the foundation, as his successor.

When the search first got under way, says Kevin Kane, president of the Blues Foundation board of directors, “one of the things we were looking for is someone who had fund-raising skills — and Jay doesn’t have any.” But, he says, the board was taken with Mr. Sieleman’s “detailed and analytical thinking.” He adds: “When we talked to him, we saw his passion and enthusiasm for the blues and for this organization. It was something that was really infectious and something we really liked,” Mr. Kane says. “I really believe he would work for free.” (Mr. Sieleman did not have to volunteer his services; he is paid $60,000 a year.)

Since Mr. Sieleman has come on board as the director of administration, the foundation’s financial state has begun to improve. The group has shaved its deficit to $65,000, and the Memphis City Council last month agreed to contribute $25,000 in emergency funds to the foundation. And last week the Community Foundation of Greater Memphis agreed to provide $37,500, as long as the Blues Foundation raises an equal amount from other sources.

Meanwhile, the Blues Foundation’s trustees will take a much more active role in solicitations, says Mr. Kane.

In an interview, Mr. Sieleman discussed his plans for the foundation.

Why do you love the blues?

At the most elemental level, the music moves me. I am not a musician and so do not get too complicated about it. I like the sound and the feel. There is some sort of deepness that gets me. But if it was just that, I would merely listen to blues CDs or go see live blues from time to time. But once you discover the blues world, the music, and its history, as well as the dedication of the performers, the writers, the managers and agents, the everyday fans who run blues societies and blues bars and clubs, it is like passing through the looking glass. There is a whole other music world, and it is so much better than what the average person hears in the mass media. Either it gets you or it don’t. It got me.

What led to your interest in this organization?

I came to a W.C. Handy awards program in 1996. Luther Allison [a guitar player] was the big winner in 1996. I don’t know how many people have ever met Luther Allison, but once you meet with him, it’s like you’ve been touched by someone special. You develop this deeper affinity, respect, and desire to do something for the music he plays. I introduced myself to the then-executive director, and over time I got more involved.

You’ve never worked at a nonprofit group. How will your background help the foundation?

As opposed to experience, it’s skills that I have developed. We’re talking about leadership skills, problem-solving skills, personal skills to develop relations, to manage a staff, and to work successfully with a board of directors. I look forward to these opportunities and challenges. I’m confident that I’m up to the job. The Panama Canal Commission, that was all about making decisions, solving problems, and methodically dealing with the issues that come up on a day-to-day basis. A good legal education allows you to clearly see and deal with the issues without getting sidetracked.

Are you worried that administrative duties will hurt your enthusiasm for the music?

I’m not concerned about that. If it happens, I’ll deal with it then. But you look around the whole blues field and you see people who have been involved for many years. You take your fun and enjoyment in different ways, and doing something constructive can bring a lot of joys to someone’s life, as much as dancing in the front row. It’s still cool.

ABOUT JAY SIELEMAN, DIRECTOR OF ADMINISTRATION, THE BLUES FOUNDATION

Education: Earned an associate in arts degree at Ellsworth Community College, Iowa Falls, Iowa, in 1973, a bachelor of arts at the University of Iowa in 1975, and a law degree from that university’s law school in 1977.

Previous employment: Served as a lawyer for the Panama Canal Commission Office of Transition Administration, and for the Panama Canal Commission Office of General Counsel. Has also worked as a lawyer in the Atlanta office of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and at the Polk County Attorney’s Office in Des Moines. Was a Peace Corps member from 1983 to 1985, working in the Solomon Islands.

Most recent book read: Can’t Be Satisfied: The Life and Times of Muddy Waters, by Robert Gordon.

Favorite blues musician: Taj Mahal