The Country Music Association has named Tawni Fite Senior Director of Strategic Partnerships. Fite joins CMA from PepsiCo, where she served as the Mid-Atlantic Region Food Service Senior Field Marketing Manager for two years and worked as a contractor for the company. Prior to her role at PepsiCo, Fite was the beverage company’s account executive at international advertising agency TracyLocke for five years. She is a graduate of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Coopers Honors Program where she majored in English and minored in journalism.
“Tawni is a consummate professional who brings to CMA a wealth of experience from a brand perspective, and we are very lucky to have her join our team,” said Sheri Warnke, CMA Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications.

Several staffers have been promoted at the organization as well. Ben Bennett has been promoted to Director of Digital Strategy, Catherine Blackwell has been elevated to Senior Marketing Manager, and Amanda Eckard has risen to Director of Creative Services. Bennett has been with CMA for five years and joined the company as its first Online and Mobile Marketing Manager.
Throughout his tenure, Bennett has helped propel CMA-branded digital media to an audience of more than 1.9 million, and as director, he will continue to oversee development and maintenance of all CMA consumer digital platforms.

Blackwell joined CMA in 2004 as Membership Administration Assistant and previously worked as Marketing Manager. She is a graduate of Nashville State Community College and worked at Spring Hill Music Group in Sales and Accounts Receivable before joining CMA.

A graduate of Belmont University, Eckard was previously with TNN/CMT’s public relations department before joining CMA in 2001 as an Editorial Assistant. Since then she has served as both Coordinator and Manager of Creative Services, and recently executed an entire brand redesign of the CMA corporate logo and related entities, including the CMA Songwriters Series and CMA Close Up.