Executive Action Day At CMA
• The Country Music Association (CMA) announced a bunch of recent promotions and new additions, further enhancing the vital roles across multiple teams and departments:
Michael Farris (left) is elevated to Vice President, Business Strategy and Insights, advancing from his previous role as Sr. Director, Business Strategy and Insights. In this elevated position, Farris drives CMA’s strategic growth by leveraging data, technology, and cross-department collaboration to streamline processes, foster innovation, and enhance organizational growth. He continues to oversee insights, ticketing, and data architecture teams. Farris can be reached at mfarris@cmaworld.com. [Farris photo: Britney Buckwalter / CMA]
Kate Watson (center) is promoted to Sr. Director, Industry Relations, moving from her previous role as Director, Industry Relations. Watson leads CMA’s industry relations and membership strategy, overseeing industry partnerships, community building, talent relations, and workforce development initiatives that strengthen CMA’s role across the music industry. Watson can be reached kwatson@cmaworld.com. [Watson photo: John Russell / CMA]
Jeff Leet (right) is promoted to Director, Brand Integrity, after joining the CMA team as Sr. Graphic Designer. Leet serves as art director for all CMA branded properties, including the CMA Awards, CMA Fest, CMA Country Christmas, industry awards, and membership. He also oversees digital, print, and merchandise design, manages creative vendors and staff, and collaborates with internal teams and television partners to ensure brand consistency and impactful execution. Reach Leet at jleet@cmaworld.com. [Leet photo: John Russell/ CMA]
Additional CMA promotions and new hires include:
Lindsey Morrison is promoted to Sr. Manager, Community Engagement for the CMA Foundation, having previously served as Manager, Community Engagement. Reach Morrison at lmorrison@cmaworld.com.
Richard Xiong is promoted to Insights Senior Analyst from his previous position of Insights Analyst. Reach Xiong at rxiong@cmaworld.com.
Mary Spaulding joins CMA as Content Production Manager, having previously held the position of Production Coordinator at FlyteVu. Reach Spaulding at mspaulding@cmaworld.com.
Kennedy Strickler is promoted to Communications Project Manager, having previously served as Communications Coordinator. Strickler can be contacted at kstrickler@cmaworld.com.
[Morrison photo: John Russell / CMA • Xiong, Spaulding & Strickler photos: Britney Buckwalter / CMA]
