Note: Have transactions/hirings/feature stories involving CoSIDA members and collegiate athletics communications pros? Please send all information to Barb Kowal, CoSIDA Director of External Affairs (barbkowal@cosida.com).
pictured, l to r: Marlene Navor, Coastal Carolina; Joe Glover, Indiana University Southeast; Chris Freet, University of Miami; Stefanie Ordoveza, West Coast Conference; and Jill Yamma, Penn State Behrend.
Promotions and transactions at the athletic PR directors level: These folks have - or will be - assuming leadership positions in athletic communications/PR at their respective schools for the 2010-11 academic year. One (Joe Glover) has assumed interim AD status at his school.
To see the full list of transactions for all positions, visit the CoSIDA Career Center page at
www.cosida.com/jobs.aspx
• Indiana University Southeast: Glover named interim athletic director
Full release HERE
Assistant Athletic Director Joe Glover has been named Interim Athletic Director for Indiana University Southeast following the resignation of Pat Mrozowski.
Glover joined the Grenadier Athletic Department in July of 2005. Prior to joining IU Southeast, Glover
worked in the sports information department at the University of Louisville.
During his time at IU Southeast, Glover has been responsible for marketing, facility scheduling, and media relations. In 2009, he designed and managed a complete web overhaul of the athletic department website which included the transition to the new IUSAthletics.com.
One of the youngest athletic administrators in collegiate athletics at age 25, Glover graduated with distinction from IU Southeast in May 2008 with a Bachelor of Science in Business. Glover's dedication to academics earned him the honor of being named Outstanding Marketing Graduate.
Glover has also served as media coordinator and liaison for multiple Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (KIAC) post-season tournaments, including the KIAC Men's and Women's Basketball Championships in 2006.
A native of New Albany, Indiana, Glover is an active member of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) and the NAIA Sports Information Directors Association (NAIA-SIDA). He is also a member of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), a conference representative for the National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators (NACMA), and a member of the KIAC Executive Committee.
"IU Southeast has truly benefited from the expertise of Joe Glover over the past few years in the areas of sports information, marketing, and media relations," said Ruth Garvey-Nix, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs. "We are fortunate to have someone of his caliber step into the role as Interim AD, and we look forward to the positive contributions he will make as the leader of the Athletic Department."
• College of Charleston: Marlene Navor Hired as Director of Athletic Communications
full release
HERE
Marlene Navor has been hired as the new Director of Athletics Communications at College of Charleston.
“Marlene is a gifted, creative person,” said Director of Athletics Joe Hull. “She understands how to tell a story through pictures and words in a way that makes the story come alive. The College of Charleston is a beautiful and special place. I am excited about the stories she and her staff will be able to tell about our student-athletes, coaches, teams and our school.”
Navor, 32, is entering her 15th overall season in Division I college athletics and working with local and national media outlets. She spent the last four years as an assistant media relations director at Texas A&M University where she served as the primary contact for both the top 10-ranked women’s basketball and men’s tennis programs.
While in Aggieland, her 2008-09 women’s basketball recruiting guide received “Best in the Nation” distinction by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) and was one of many other A&M publications to change the current landscape of the profession. The Aggie women won three Big 12 Conference Championship titles including the program’s first-ever NCAA Elite Eight appearance in 2008.
“Marlene Navor was on the cutting edge of technology and sports media at Texas A&M,” said Aggie head women’s basketball coach Gary Blair. “In her four years here, we not only wanted to be different, but we wanted to be a trailblazer in recruiting and information about our team to the media. Marlene is a work-aholic who will make the College of Charleston a better place to attend. She will push her staff to become as motivated as she was at Texas A&M.”
“This is a dream come true for me,” Navor said. “I would like to thank Director of Athletics Joe Hull and the search committee for affording me the opportunity to share my creative vision of showcasing the College of Charleston, our teams, our coaches and our student-athletes, in the best possible light. This is truly a special place, with unique stories to be told, and I am humbled to be a part of such a great institution and program.”
Navor becomes only the second-ever sports information director at CofC next to former assistant athletics director for media relations, Tony Ciuffo, and is one of only a few female head SIDs at a Division I institution in the country.
Prior to A&M, Navor was an assistant sports information director at Kansas State University (2003-06) and UNLV (2001-03).
A graduate of the Edward R. Murrow School of Communication at Washington State University, Navor earned her bachelor’s degree in communication with an emphasis in print journalism and a minor in sport management in 2000. She served as a student assistant in the WSU sports information office under CoSIDA Hall of Famer Rod Commons for four years and later completed an athletic communications internship at the University of Connecticut.
Navor is a member of the CoSIDA Job Seekers Committee and the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA).
The Olympia, Wash., native is the proud daughter of retired U.S. Army officer and Department of Defense civilian Martin Navor, Jr., who made several tours of duty in the Middle East and East Asia during his extensive 40-year military career having served in Operation Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Her father and mother, Maxine, are both originally from the Big Island of Hawai’i.
• West Coast Conference Announces Promotions: Stefanie Ordoveza promoted to associate director for marketing and communications
Full release
HERE
West Coast Conference Commissioner Jamie Zaninovich announced the promotion of Sarah Wilhelmi to Assistant Commissioner for Compliance and Student Services and Stefanie Ordoveza to Associate Director for Marketing and Communications.
"I'm very pleased to announce the promotions of Sarah and Stefanie," Zaninovich said. "Sarah has shown tremendous leadership and dedication since joining us and has made great progress with our Compliance and Student-Athlete Advisory Committee groups. Stefanie has been a big reason for our growth in the new media and communications areas, particularly with her work with the NCAA Women's Basketball Marketing Grant and new media initiatives."
Ordoveza came to the West Coast Conference in November of 2008 as the Communications and New Media Coordinator. Ordoveza's day-to-day responsibilities include marketing/promoting the WCC Basketball Championships, coordinating conference community service initiatives, serving as staff liaison to the NCAA Women's Basketball Marketing Grant, and day-to-day media relations responsibilities for women's volleyball, men's and women's tennis and women's rowing.
• Miami Names Freet Associate Athletic Director for Communications
Full release
HERE
University of Miami Director of Athletics Kirby Hocutt has announced the hiring of Chris Freet as the
Associate Athletic Director for Communications. In this capacity, he oversees the Hurricanes' sports media relations efforts, as well as serving as the primary liaison with the department's broadcast partner and oversight of HurricaneSports.com.
Freet joins the Hurricanes' staff after serving nearly three years as the Assistant Athletic Director for Communications at the University of South Florida and previously as the Associate Director of Media Relations at the University of Oklahoma.
"I'm pleased to welcome Chris to the University of Miami," said Hocutt. "He is a dynamic, forward-thinking professional who will reinvigorate our external communications efforts, and help position this program in the best possible way. Additionally, his enthusiasm and experience with social media will enhance our online product for fans as we strive to continually improve every facet of our program."
"There are very few brands with a stronger presence in college athletics than Miami," said Freet. "It's a privilege to join the team and work with leaders like President Shalala, Director of Athletics Kirby Hocutt and head coach Randy Shannon. There are an abundance of positive, uplifting and unique stories that haven't been told about The U and I look forward to bringing those stories to life on a local, regional and national level."
At USF, Freet's accomplishments included redesigning the website which reached upwards of nine million impressions per fiscal year; led social media efforts on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Digg; shifted core design skills of entire staff from desktop publishing to web design, becoming the first BIG EAST school to produce interactive media guides and cease the production of printed guides for all sports; and carved out budgetary dollars to create a multimedia video team.
Freet previously spent five years working in the athletics media relations department at Oklahoma, serving as the secondary contact for the football program, as well as the primary contact for women's basketball, softball, volleyball and men's and women's gymnastics.
• Atlantic Sun Conference names Patrick McCoy SID
Full release
HERE
McCoy
will coordinate all aspects of daily sports information, serve as the primary media contact for several sports and travel to majority of A-Sun championships for on-site media support. Prior to his time at the A-Sun, McCoy worked at two college athletic departments - the Charlotte 49ers and Newberry College. With the 49ers, McCoy served as the assistant contact for the nationally-ranked men’s and women’s soccer teams while also overseeing the media relation efforts for the softball, cross country and track & field squads. During his time at Newberry, McCoy worked as the contact for men’s and women’s soccer, softball and the NCAA Division II Runner-up wrestling team.
A University of Kentucky graduate, McCoy obtained a Bachelor of Science in integrated strategic communications with an emphasis in public relations and a minor in business in May 2008.
OTHER TRANSACTIONS/HIRINGS/PROMOTIONS at the DIRECTORS LEVEL
8/3/2010:
Penn State Behrend - Jillian (Jill) Yamma appointed as the college's first full-time sports information director. Most recently, Yamma was director of athletic communications and sports marketing at Allegheny College.
8/3/2010:
Green Mountain College - Hired
Daryle Tucker as the assistant director of athletics. Tucker was previously women’s basketball head coach and assistant director of sports information at NAIA member Southeastern.
8/3/2010:
Wheelock College - Josh Kessler named institution's first full-time sports information director. Kessler was the assistant sports information director for the previous five years at Wheaton (Mass.) College.
8/4/2010:
University of Arkansas - Longtime sports information director and associate AD/media relations
Kevin Trainor promoted to associate athletic director for public relations. See Trainor feature on CoSIDA.com from Aug. 9: (
COMMENTARY: Kevin Trainor's promotion good call by University of Arkansas)
8/6/2010:
Atlantic 10 Conference - Selected
Jason Leturmy as the director of media relations. Since 2007, Leturmy had served as a Florida State assistant sports information director; prior to that, he was an assistant director of media relations at the Atlantic Coast Conference.
8/9/2010:
Randolph College - Selected
Jamie Chagnon as its new sports information director. He comes to Randolph after serving at Lynchburg College as the assistant sports information director from 2003-2006 and 2008-2010.
8/12/2010:
Saint Bonaventure University -
Dallas Miller, former communications assistant at Army, named sports information director.
8/13/2010:
Bethune-Cookman University -
Mark Johnson, Sports Information Director since 2008, has been promoted to Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Information.
8/17/10:
University of South Florida - Named
Jeremy Sharpe, a six-year assistant media relations director at the University of Texas, the Assistant Athletic Director for Communications. Sharpe takes over for
Chris Freet who was named Associate Athletic Director for Communications at the University of Miami last month.