Lori Badgett

Lori Badgett is senior vice president and team leader of Entertainment Banking for City National Bank with nearly 30 years of serving the entertainment industry nationwide. Badgett helped launch the first Nashville location in 2011 and co-manages the office with Diane Pearson. The bank has become Nashville’s premier entertainment bank, now serving over 85% of the Nashville music industry. The bank is instrumental in financing some of the top business and creative names – including artists, songwriters, producers, managers, performing rights organizations, agencies, publishers, business managers, and law firms. Originally from Hendersonville, Tennessee, Badgett has grown up in and around country music as her father, Ed Stone, was vice president of Marketing and Public Relations for Opryland USA from 19741990. This included Opryland theme park, Opryland Hotel, and the historic Grand Ole Opry. Badgett received her undergraduate degree in Marketing from the University of Tennessee Knoxville and a master’s degree in music business from Belmont University. Badgett started her career with SunTrust Bank for 15 years before joining City National Bank. Badgett enjoys giving back through nonprofit board involvement. She is Past Chairman of the Academy of Country Music and ACM Lifting Lives. She is an active board member of Americana Music Foundation, Belmont Curb School of Music, Girls Give and The Women’s Fund of The Community Foundation. Badgett served as past president of Young Leaders Council and Leadership Music, class of 2002. She is an active member of ACM, AMA, AIMP, CMA, Country Music Hall of Fame Circle Society, Recording Academy, and Source. Badgett has been recognized as Billboard’s Top Women in Business, Top 50 Women in Music, Country Power Players as well as Variety’s Women Who Power Country Music, Top Entertainment Industry Dealmakers, and Top 30 Music City Impact Players. She is being inducted into the Source Hall of Fame in 2025. She lives in Brentwood, TN with her husband Jon and their daughters, ages 14 and 18.