CMA ANNOUNCES TWO NEW
STAFF HIRES
TO SUPPORT KEY
STRATEGIC INITIATIVES
 |
| Milly Olykan_ Vice President of International Relations and Development_ CMA |
The Country Music Association has
announced the addition of two key roles in support of ongoing strategic efforts.
Milly Olykan will join CMA as Vice
President of International Relations and Development, furthering the
association's global expansion initiatives, and Falon Keith has joined CMA as
Grant Associate, continuing to support and grow CMA's philanthropic arm, the CMA
Foundation.
Olykan comes to CMA from AEG Presents in London where she was Vice
President of Live Music and
Major Arena Events. For AEG she developed in-house commercial content programs
for their leading arena property, The O2 and was the founding Festival Director
and Co-Promoter of C2C Country to
Country, Europe's largest contemporary Country Music festival. Other
projects for AEG included her management of Sundance Film and Music Festival,
the first Sundance Film Festival outside of the United States, and the
launching of numerous events including BRITs Week, Hola! London and Country Music Week.
Prior to AEG Presents, Olykan
worked in artist management, promotion, and tour management where she produced
festivals for IMG Artists and booked tours for Universal Music. She has served
on the CMA Board of Directors since 2014 and was awarded the Jo Walker Meador
International Award in March, which recognizes outstanding achievement by an
individual in supporting Country Music's marketing development in territories
outside the United States. She will begin her new role at CMA in mid-May.
"Expanding the reach of
Country Music globally has long been our focus at CMA," said Sarah Trahern, CMA Chief Executive
Officer. "We created this role to help focus and escalate these efforts on
behalf of our industry. Our staff, community and Board of Directors have worked
closely with Milly since the inception of C2C in 2013. We're thrilled to
welcome her to CMA, where she will no doubt hit the ground running and continue
to expand Country Music to an even larger global audience."
Olykan will report to Trahern and
be based in Nashville. CMA Director of International Relations Bobbi Boyce will continue to work out
of London.
 |
| Milly Olykan and John Marks (left and center) each receive a CMA Jo Walker-Meador International Award and Chris Stevens (right) receives the CMA International Country Broadcaster Award in London Friday, March 9 during CMA’s U.K. Advisory Group meeting. Photo: Brian Loschiavo |
Keith joins CMA from the YMCA of
Middle Tennessee where she supported the charitable efforts of the YMCA's
development team as Philanthropy Administrator. Prior to the YMCA, Keith served
as Communications Intern at Make-A-Wish Middle Tennessee, assisting in social
media development. In her new role, she manages the CMA Foundation's
relationships with grant recipients and assists in supporting Foundation
efforts and events. Keith is a native of York, Pennsylvania and graduated from
Western Kentucky University with a degree in Public Relations and a minor in
Sales.
The CMA Foundation is committed to improving and
sustaining music education programs all across the United States, working to
ensure every child has the opportunity to participate in music education.
Through strategic partnerships, professional development and grant
distribution, the CMA Foundation, a nonprofit 501(c)(3), has invested over $20
million in over 85 programs across the national public school system, after
school programs, summer camps and with community outreach organizations. Guided
by the generosity of the Country Music community, proceeds from CMA Fest, the
four-day long music festival held annually in Nashville, are used to drive the
CMA Foundation's social impact and unique model of giving.
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