Flagler College professor and Accounting, Economics, and Finance Department Chair Dr. Yvan Kelly has received an invitation to join the Recording Academy as part of its 2026 annual membership class, recognizing his decades of involvement in the music industry and his work bringing new opportunities in music education to Flagler students.
The Recording Academy extended invitations to more than 4,000 established music creators and industry professionals across genres, backgrounds, and disciplines.
The Recording Academy is the organization behind the Grammy Awards and represents music creators and professionals across the industry. Through its membership, the Academy supports artists and industry professionals through professional development, advocacy, networking, and other programs focused on advancing the music community.
For Kelly, the invitation came as both an honor and a surprise.
“To be considered for membership, a person must be nominated by two members,” Kelly said. “In my case, it was a professor from NYU and a country music star from Nashville.”
After learning he had been nominated, Kelly submitted an essay and evidence of his involvement in the music industry. While he was excited to apply, he said he did not expect to be selected.
“Becoming a member, to me, is an acknowledgement of my efforts in the music industry as well as a feeling of acceptance by peers in the field,” he said.
Kelly has been involved in music for most of his life. Alongside his academic career at Flagler, much of his research has focused on the music industry. He teaches BUS 340: Business of the Music Industry and created First City Records, Flagler College’s student-run record label, which gives students opportunities to record, promote, and market music.
His professional experience also includes songwriting, performing in several bands, and working as a sound mixer for the City of Orlando at the Lake Eola Bandshell while he was in college. He is currently the bass player for the Pemberwicks and serves as an Educator Ambassador for the Mechanical Licensing Collective, an organization that helps ensure streaming royalties are paid to music creators.
Kelly first became familiar with the Recording Academy more than a decade ago when his daughter was selected to participate in Grammy Camp in Los Angeles. Since then, he has developed a deeper understanding of the Academy and its work beyond the annual Grammy Awards. He and Professor Allan Marcil have also taken Flagler students to Los Angeles through FlagSHIP experiences, including visits to the Grammy Museum and meetings with Recording Academy leadership.
Kelly said he hopes his new membership will strengthen the music-related opportunities available to Flagler students.
“My hope is that being a member will add an air of legitimacy to what we’re doing in popular music at the College,” Kelly said. “The networking possibilities are pretty vast as well, and hopefully it will lead to some classroom Zoom opportunities with industry executives as well as potential internship opportunities.”