Matt Serletic has been selected as the new dean of the Frost School of Music, the University of Miami announced Monday. An alumnus, producer, songwriter, label executive and technologist, Serletic will have the opportunity to shape the future of music performance, scholarship and professional life by fostering creative and scholarly excellence in the context of a world-class research university. 

Serletic will officially start as dean of the Frost School of Music on Oct. 19, 2026. 

The two-time Grammy Award-winning producer (Record of the Year for Santana’s “Smooth” and Album of the Year for “Supernatural”), Billboard Producer of the Year and music industry leader is an alumnus of the Frost School of Music who earned a Bachelor of Music in 1992 and a master’s in 1994, both in trombone performance.

Serletic has produced recordings for Matchbox Twenty, Aerosmith, Santana, Collective Soul, Willie Nelson, Rob Thomas and Joe Cocker, among others, on records that have sold more than 110 million copies. He has written songs recorded by Matchbox Twenty, Rob Thomas, Willie Nelson and Lee Ann Womack, Joe Cocker, and Gloriana. He has received five Grammy Award nominations in all, including two for producer of the year, non-classical; and has received nine ASCAP and BMI songwriting awards. 

Serletic founded Melisma Records and Emblem Music Group and served as chairman and CEO of Virgin Records. He raised the capital to build and found Zya, a music technology company he sold to Google, and holds 49 patents in AI and music systems. He was a director of product at Google, leading a global team on creative content for search, and most recently served as director of AI innovation at Amazon Music, where he led a global team. 

“Across the University of Miami, we are seeing innovation take shape in new and meaningful ways, opening opportunities within our schools, departments and academic programs that span the arts, humanities, social sciences and natural sciences,” said Joel H. Samuels, University of Miami executive vice president for academic affairs and provost. “That’s why we recognized that Matt Serletic’s remarkable and wide-ranging experience as a musician and music industry veteran positions him to lead the Frost School of Music into its next century of landmark transformation for the benefit of its students, faculty, staff, alumni and partners. 

“The Frost School of Music has earned a reputation as one of the top music schools in the U.S. and around the world and, as such, regularly brings new students, faculty and opportunities to the University of Miami,” Samuels added. “With a unique background that combines musical creation, performance, business, technology and leadership skills, Matt Serletic will be able to partner with the extraordinary faculty and students of the Frost School to further elevate the school’s impact and reach.” 

Serletic has contributed his expertise to the Frost School as a member of the Dean’s Advisory Committee, a position he has held since 2018. During his tenure, he advised former dean Shelton G. “Shelly” Berg, who recently concluded nearly two decades of leadership at the school, offering industry perspective on opportunities to integrate technology and innovation across the school’s curriculum, partnerships and facilities. 

Serletic brings a long history of personal connection to both the University and the Frost School to his new role. 

“My parents met at the University of Miami,” said Serletic. “My daughter graduated from the Frost School of Music last December. Three generations. One school. It made my family, and it made me. I come home with gratitude and a promise: the music stays first, and every student leaves the Frost School of Music with the craft, the relationships and a way to make music for the rest of their lives. 

“The Frost School of Music’s faculty built one of the best music schools in the world, and built it in Miami, where a student can walk off campus into a session, a label, a festival or a tech company inside a 10-mile radius,” Serletic said. “This is the most electric moment music has seen in 100 years, and musicians who can connect with an audience are becoming more valuable, not less. The career a Frost School of Music student graduates into in 2036 doesn’t exist yet. I’m bringing a map, and I’m here to help the Frost School rise to its second century.”

Serletic is one of 100 alumni to receive a Frost Centennial Medal in recognition of his significant contributions to music artistry and the music industry. He is the sixth person to serve as dean of the Frost School of Music, which commemorated its 100th anniversary in April of 2025. 

Serletic began his career as a teenager playing keyboards with the musicians who became Collective Soul and produced the band’s debut. His instructors at the Frost School included Charles Campbell for trombone, Whit Sidener for jazz ensembles, Ken Pohlmann for music engineering, Gary Lindsay for arranging, Akira Endo for conducting, Vince Maggio for jazz piano, and Alfred Reed for music business.