ACM Announces Additions & Upgrades
• The Academy of Country Music® announced two new hires and five promotions across several departments — Kris Reyes joins as Director, Finance and Operations; Kortney Toney is hired as Manager, Programming & Community Engagement; Libby Gardner has been promoted to Sr. Manager, Content & Editorial; Jesse Knutson has been promoted to Sr. Manager, Publicity & Media Relations; Haley Montgomery has been promoted to Sr. Manager, Awards & Membership; Taylor Wolf has been promoted to Sr. Manager, ACM Lifting Lives; and Alexis Bingham has been promoted to Coordinator, Events. Top row, (l-r): Reyes, Toney, Gardner & Knutson. Second row (l-r): Montgomery, Wolf & Bingham.
Reyes has previous experience in Operations Accounting at TravelCenters of America, where she worked for the past two decades. In her new role as Director, Reyes will focus on process improvements, team building, and policies and procedures, amongst other responsibilities, across the finance and operations of the Academy. She will also lead the Academy’s HR efforts at the organization’s new Nashville headquarters. Reyes reports to Alexa Fasheh, VP of Finance & Operations and can be reached at kris@acmcountry.com.
Toney previously worked at Opry Entertainment Group, Schermerhorn Symphony Center, and Weller Media Agency, among other companies. In her role, Toney will support the Academy’s key diversity initiative programs including OnRamp, LEVel Up, and the DEI Task Force, as well as future efforts towards welcoming audiences to Country Music that transcend demographics and geography. Toney will engage the Nashville music community with ACM events and activities and identify pathways into Country Music. Toney reports to Tommy Moore, VP, Artist & Industry Relations and can be reached at kortney@acmcountry.com.
Gardner joined the Academy full-time in 2019 as Coordinator, Creative & Content and was promoted to Manager, Content & Editorial in 2021. She oversees the day-to-day management of the Academy’s owned media portfolio, including the Academy’s web properties, branded social channels, short-form digital content, photo archives, and email newsletters. She also serves as editor of the quarterly membership magazine ACM Tempo, and writes and oversees the script for the ACM Honors show. Gardner reports to Rory Levine, VP of Marketing and Digital Strategy & Engagement and can be reached at libby@acmcountry.com.
Knutson joined the Academy in January 2022 as Manager, Publicity & Media Relations and led the Academy’s publicity efforts for major live event tentpoles, including the 57th and 58th ACM Awards on Prime Video and the 15th ACM Honors show, as well as Academy and ACM Lifting Lives organizational and programmatic initiatives. She will continue to lead publicity and media relations efforts for the Academy, drafting press materials and working closely with the ACM marketing and events teams on logistics of red carpets and liaising with photographers and media, as well as organizational and programmatic priorities for the Academy. Knutson reports to Rory Levine and can be reached at jesse@acmcountry.com.
Montgomery joined the Academy in 2020 as Manager, Awards & Membership after holding a variety of roles across the industry including brand partnerships, merchandise, brand development, touring, and industry relations. In her new role as Sr. Manager, Montgomery will continue to focus on a wide array of award processes including nomination reviews, category definitions, expert category panels, voting processes and timing, and winner celebrations outside of the main award categories. On the membership side, she will continue to oversee recruitment of new members, programming, benefits, member communications, and marketing, and the development of a more inclusive and international membership base, building on her successful work leading the Academy to historic membership numbers. Montgomery reports to Tommy Moore and can be reached at haleym@acmcountry.com.
Wolf joined ACM Lifting Lives in February 2019 as Coordinator of ACM Lifting Lives after working in the healthcare industry. Wolf was promoted to Manager of ACM Lifting Lives in 2020 and is currently serving her fourth term as Secretary of the ACM Lifting Lives Board. Wolf reports to ACM Lifting Lives Executive Director Lyndsay Cruz and can be reached at taylor.wolf@acmcountry.com.
Bingham graduated from Ithaca College in December 2020, and was hired by the Academy as an Events intern and worked the 56th ACM Awards, 14th ACM Honors, and ACM Party for a Cause events before joining the staff full-time in October 2021. In her new role as Coordinator, Bingham will support red carpet planning, credentialing for ACM events, organizing and implementing health and safety protocols, and planning and executing the quarterly Academy Board meetings. She reports to Lanni Niggli, Director, Events and can be reached at alexis@acmcountry.com.
Damon Whiteside, ACM CEO, remarked, “The past year has been a truly historic one for the Academy, with extending the ACM Awards partnership with Amazon and moving the show to the Dallas Cowboys’ world headquarters in Texas for its second year on Prime Video, bringing ACM Honors back to TV, moving our headquarters to Nashville and opening a world-class hub in Wedgewood Houston, and achieving record membership numbers for the Academy. The promotions announced today reflect the hard work that so many individuals put in to make the Academy stronger than it’s ever been. Now that we’re firmly established in Nashville, we’re excited to continue to grow our team and support our staff to help fuel and further the momentum we built in 2022 and 2023 as we continue to work to further the genre, expand the audience and representation across the industry, and innovate as a leader in the Country Music space.”
