NASHVILLE (AP) — The senior vice president and general manager for the Great American Country network, Sarah Trahern, has been named the new CEO of the Country Music Association.

The board of directors announced Trahern's selection this week after a nationwide search for candidates to fill the position vacated by former CEO Steve Moore, who left earlier this year.

Trahern has more than 27 years of experience in the network television business. She began her career at C-SPAN in Washington, D.C., and moved to Nashville in 1995 to work for the cable network TNN. She joined GAC in 2005 when Scripps Networks Interactive took ownership of the network.

The CMA includes more than 7,000 professional members and holds the annual CMA Festival in Nashville and the CMA Awards, which were televised live on ABC last week.