The Country Music Association has announced three new hires and several staff promotions and reassignments across several CMA departments including Communications, Finance and Administration, Strategic Marketing, and Strategic Partnerships.
In Communications, Amanda Eckard has been promoted to Senior Manager of Creative Services from Manager of Creative Services and former Tennessean reporter Christian Bottorff has joined the staff as Manager of Creative Services.
“Our corporate identity and national brand – especially for our high-profile events and television properties – require a consistent and creative eye for development and presentation,” said Wendy Pearl, CMA Vice President of Corporate Communications. “With these two talented people, we are developing a team approach to this exciting challenge by bringing together complimentary skills sets with specialists for fresh design and compelling content working together to create premium results.”
As Senior Manager of Creative Services, Eckard will focus on the design and production of CMA’s numerous printed and online products including the award-winning CMA Awards Program Book, CMA Music Festival Pocket Guide, CMA Songwriter Series posters, as well as development of logos and tools for CMA’s various initiatives including CMA Awards Red Carpet, CMA Sound HealthCare, CMA Foundation, CMA EDU, and CMA’s music education campaign Keep the Music Playing.
Eckard began her career at CMA in 2001 as an Editorial Assistant. She was promoted to Creative Services Coordinator in 2004, and named Creative Services Manager in 2006. She is a graduate of Belmont University and worked at TNN/CMT from 1999-2001 in the public relations department. She serves on the Board of Advisors for the International Academy of Design & Technology.
A veteran writer, Bottorff has been hired as Manager of Creative Services with an emphasis on copywriting, editing, proofreading, and managing CMA’s archive of photography and editorial content across multiple platforms including online and CMA’s weekly news service, which reaches hundreds of newspapers and online outlets across the country.
A native of Madison, Tenn., Bottorff graduated from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, with a BS in Journalism and Mass Communication. After college, he was a reporter in Destin, Fla., and West Chester, Penn., before being hired at The Tennessean in 2001. During his seven years at the newspaper, Bottorff researched and wrote groundbreaking reports on criminal justice, public safety, and business. In 2008, he joined HealthLeaders-InterStudy in Nashville as a market overview analyst, where he conducted research and analysis of healthcare trends in major US cities. He is a volunteer board member of ALIAS Chamber Ensemble.
In Finance and Administration, Aaron Hartley has been promoted to Senior Manager of Administrative Services from Manager, and Shereme Siewnarine has been promoted to Senior Manager of Financial Services from Manger.
“They each have demonstrated a willingness to take on additional responsibility and are valuable members of the Finance and Administration department and overall CMA team,” said Amy Smartt, Vice President of Finance and Administration.
In addition to Hartley’s responsibilities related to accounts payable and accounts receivable, he works to secure talent agreements and publishing licenses for CMA’s television properties. He monitors compliance with union rules for payments to artists, musicians, directors, and writers and is CMA’s insurance broker liaison.
A Belmont University graduate with degree in Business Administration with an emphasis on Music Business Marketing, Hartley started working at CMA as Operations Assistant in 2000. In 2001, he was named Financial Services Assistant and in 2002 was promoted to coordinator. In 2004, he was named Senior Coordinator of Financial Services and named Manager of Administrative Services in 2006.
Siewnarine joined CMA in 2007 as Manager of Financial Services. She is instrument in CMA’s annual budgeting process and is currently coordinating a major restructuring of CMA’s chart of accounts.
Shereme graduated from Volunteer State Community College with an Associate of Applied Science Degree, General Business Administration with a major in Accounting. Her previous work experience includes Gaylord Entertainment from 2000 to 2007, where she was operations Coordinator for the Grand Ole Opry and Administrative Assistant for the Opryland Hotel Culinary Institute. She worked for The Beacon Insurance Company, Trinidad W.I., from 1992 to 2000 as an executive administrator. She is currently a member of the Music City Fly Girls Club which hosts an all expenses paid 2 1/2day retreat for 14 breast cancer survivors. Prior to this she served on the board of the Greater Nashville Susan G. Komen for the Cure as Treasurer, Executive Committee Member from 2005 to 2008.
Two CMA Finance and Administration staff members have been reassigned including Melissa Maynard, who is Operations and Administration Coordinator, and Stephanie Hodges, who is CMA Receptionist.
Maynard’s original hire date was in 2006 as Administration Assistant. She was promoted to Administration Coordinator in 2009 and then to Operations and Administration Coordinator earlier this year. In her new role, she will be managing the service providers for CMA’s building operations requirements.
Hodges joined CMA in 2005 as Marketing Administration Assistant and was moved to Event Ticketing Assistant in 2010. She was reassigned to the receptionist position in June.
In Strategic Marketing, former intern Amanda Horenkamp re-joins the Marketing department as Marketing Coordinator. Horenkamp is a May 2010 graduate of Lincoln Memorial University with a degree in Marketing. In addition to her internship at CMA, her experience includes management, sales and HR functions with Enterprise Rent-a-Car in Nashville.
“We were privileged last year to have Amanda join the Marketing team as an intern, during which time she showed great initiative, drive and professionalism,” said Tammy Donham, CMA Vice President of Strategic Marketing. “We are thrilled to welcome her back to CMA in this new, expanded role where she will lend support to our marketing efforts for the CMA Awards, CMA Music Festival, and CMA Country Christmas.”
In Strategic Partnerships, Sarah McGrady was promoted to Manager of Strategic Partnerships from Senior Coordinator of Strategic Partnerships, Angela Mendenhall was promoted to Senior Manager of Strategic Partnerships from Manager of Strategic Partnerships, and Wes Perry joins the team as Coordinator of Partner Programs.
McGrady joined CMA in February 2009 as Senior Coordinator of Partner Programs. With her promotion, McGrady’s duties expand to include building relationships with new and existing CMA partners, while assuming additional responsibilities related to CMA’s college campus initiative, CMA EDU, where she will manage the future expansion of the program to additional college campuses. She serves on the SOLID (Society of Leaders in Development) Board as Education Committee Co-Chair for 2011 and will serve on the Executive Board as Secretary in 2012. Her philanthropic efforts include volunteering with the ST. Jude Radio-thon, Habitat for Humanity, Friends of Warner Park, and Cross Point Community Church, where she serves as KIDZ WORLD volunteer teacher and service greeter.
Sarah graduated from King’s College in May of 2008 with her BA in Mass Communications, Marketing, and Business Administration and also served as VP of Student Government and captain of the two-time Middle Atlantic Conference Champion Field Hockey Team.
Mendenhall joined CMA in 2005 as a Regional Partnership Manager, and was promoted to National Partnership Manager a year later. During a reorganization of the department, she became an independent contractor for CMA in 2009, but returned full-time in January as Manager of Strategic Partnerships. In her new role, Mendenhall will focus on business development and partner synergies.
Mendenhall developed CMA’s budding relationship with Gildan Activewear, a premiere partner of the 2011 CMA Music Festival who set a Guinness record the World’s Largest T-shirt at the event in June. Mendenhall also conceived CMA’s long-standing relationship with Durango Boots, the 2008-2010 title partner of CMA Music Festival’s Acoustic Corner at Fan Fair® Hall as well as a CMA Awards promotional partner. She managed and built special programs for partners including Blue Bell Creameries, CMT, Coca Cola Consolidated, DiY Network, Dr. Pepper, Field and Stream, GAC, McDonalds, Microsoft, Outdoor Life Magazine, RFD-TV, Sony PlayStation, Waggin’ Train Dog Treats, and Wrangler, among others.
She also created and brought a variety of special events to CMA Music Festival including the Celebrity Bull Riding Challenge (2008-2010), CMA Celebrity Cook Off (2009), CMA Music Festival BBQ Championship (2009), and the K9 Ultimate Sports Show (2007-2010).
Prior to joining CMA, Mendenhall was a Southeast Sales Representative for Southwest Airlines, where she was responsible for five markets including Cleveland, Columbus, Jacksonville, Nashville, and Tampa. She managed more than 200 corporate accounts and was charged with maximizing Southwest’s brand exposure and commitment in each market.
A former CMA intern, Perry is a native of Nashville. He earned his Bachelors’ degree in Finance from Belmont University and his Masters Degree in Organizational Leadership from Vanderbilt University. In his new role, Perry will be responsible for the coordination and execution of CMA partner programs, including program development, management of program deliverables, and impression delivery recaps. He will also play a key role in the development, day-to-day execution, and expansion of CMA EDU, a program offering undergraduate college students a hands-on opportunity to enhance their skills in marketing and promotion.
Founded in 1958, the Country Music Association was the first trade organization formed to promote a type of music. In 1961, CMA created the Country Music Hall of Fame to recognize artists and industry professionals with Country Music’s highest honor. More than 6,400 music industry professionals and companies from around the globe are members of CMA. The organization’s objectives are to serve as an educational and professional resource for the industry and advance the growth of Country Music around the world. This is accomplished through CMA’s core initiatives – the CMA Awards, which annually recognize outstanding achievement in the industry and air Nov. 9 on the ABC Television Network; the CMA Music Festival, which benefits music education and is also taped for a three-hour special on ABC-TV; and CMA’s latest ABC-TV property, “CMA Country Christmas,” which is taped the day after the CMA Awards and features Country artists performing original music and Christmas classics for broadcast during the holiday season. For information about CMA visit www.CMAworld.com.