Brian Magerkurth ’81 has been appointed as Chairman of the Board for SongwritingWith:Soldiers (SW:S), a nonprofit that connects veterans and their families with professional songwriters to collaborate and create songs about their service and experiences.

Magerkurth, who has served on the SW:S board for four years, is a 28-year U.S. Army veteran and graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point. He also serves as Senior Vice President of Global Distribution for Avantor, a Fortune 500 company. 

“Gary Leopold has been an incredible leader as Chairman of the Board of SW:S for the past seven years,” Magerkurth said. “His vision, dedication, and countless contributions have left a lasting impact, and I am deeply honored to follow in his footsteps as the next Chairman in 2025. I, along with the rest of the board and senior staff, would like to thank Gary for his unwavering leadership as the Chairman. As the incoming Chairman, I greatly look forward to working with our talented staff, fantastic board, and creative songwriters to continue to honor and support our veteran heroes through our many programs and collaborative songwriting.”

“Brian’s experience as a veteran and the heart he brings to everything he does has been invaluable over the past four years,” said Kristin Starling, President of SW:S. “We couldn’t be more grateful to have him take on the role of board chair. His dedication to his fellow veterans, their families and belief in music’s ability to connect us all make him an excellent choice to sustain and guide SongwritingWith:Soldiers’ mission.”