Working at Idaho, his alma mater, before arriving in Boone, Hammond helped increase revenue by an average of 35 percent during his tenure.

Before entering collegiate athletics, he spent seven years in the private sector with Columbia Bank, the largest community bank headquartered on the West Coast. His transition to athletics began as a donor to Idaho's ICCU Arena, where he developed a passion for the fundraising process and built relationships with the university's development team.

A Boise, Idaho, native, Hammond earned a bachelor's degree in business with an emphasis in marketing from Idaho in 2015 before completing a master's degree in leadership and organizational development from Idaho in 2025.

Hammond was a 2023-25 Big Sky Conference representative for both the National Association of Athletic Development Directors and the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics. During his time in the banking industry, he received multiple leadership and community service honors, including the 2020 Gold Emerging Leader Award from Columbia Bank and the 2019 Top 1% Community Service Award.

"I am a big believer in being transformational, not transactional, and I strive to live that principle every workday," Hammond said. "I cannot express enough how excited I am to be in Boone and working for App State. I have followed App State from afar for about 20 years, and I am excited to be a part of this incredible family."

Outside of work, Hammond enjoys skiing, golfing, gardening and exploring new places, as well as supporting Seattle's professional sports teams. A former youth ski racer, he lives with his dog, Kibbie, named after Idaho's Kibbie Dome.