This profile on 2011 CoSIDA Rising Star Chevonne Mansfield, Assistant Director of Communications/Sports Liaison for the Southwestern Athletic Conference, is the seventh in a series of profiles and features on CoSIDA's 2011 Special Awards recipients.
See link to original release and the March/April schedule of the profiles/features, below.
THE CoSIDA SPECIAL AWARDS FEATURES SERIES
March
Tue. 1 Special Awards general announcement
Thr. 3 Capital One Academic All-America Hall of Fame release
Thr. 3 Ann King (The Sage Colleges): 25-Year Award
Tue. 8 Kent Cherrington (Plymouth State University): 25-year Award
Thr. 10 Justin Doherty (University of Wisconsin): Arch Ward Award
Tue. 15 Rob Knox (Kutztown University): Rising Star Award (College Division)
Thr. 17 Jim Daves (University of Virginia): 25-Year Award
Tue. 22 Diane Nordstrom (University of Wisconsin): 25-Year Award
Thr. 24 Chevonne Mansfield (SWAC): Rising Star Award (University Division)
Tue. 29 Dr. Bill Smith (University of Arkansas): Bob Kenworthy Community Service Award
Thr. 31 Kevin Ruple (Baldwin-Wallace College): Lester Jordan Award
April
Tue. 5 Rich Herman (Clarion) - CoSIDA Hall of Fame & Warren Berg Award
Thr. 7 Paul Madison (Western Washington)- CoSIDA Hall of Fame
other profiles in the schedule to be announced; schedule subject to change
CHEVONNE MANSFIELD FEATURE
by Ed Hill, Howard University Sports Information Director
Chevonne Mansfield, Assistant Director of Communications/Sports Liaison for the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), has been honored as the 2011 CoSIDA Rising Star Award recipient for the University Division (Division I organizations). Annually, the Rising Star Award is presented to one University Division and one College Division member with 10 years of service or less whose work at their institution and service, dedication, energy and enthusiasm to the profession make that individual a “rising star” in the collegiate communications field.
Mansfield joins fellow 2011 Rising Star recipient Rob Knox of Kutztown University.
Knox, Sports Information Director at Kutztown, was awarded the College Division “Rising Star” honor.
Mansfield will be honored in June at the CoSIDA National Convention in Marcos Island, FL along with the
all other CoSIDA Special Award recipients.
“I am truly honored to be a part of CoSIDA and to receive this award with Rob Knox,” said Mansfield. “It truly means a great deal to me and I’m very proud to be honored with so many distinguished professionals.”
Mansfield has been in her current SWAC position since last August. Her duties include oversight for the Olympic sports in addition to facilitating scheduling with the league’s TV partners. She has also helped increase social media efforts and visibility of the league.
Prior to working at the SWAC, Mansfield served as assistant SID at Howard University for three years and was instrumental in the increased publicity of several sports there. Mansfield reported to four different conferences on a regular basis---the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), the Atlantic Soccer Conference (ASC), Great West Conference (GWC) and Coastal Collegiate Swimming Association (CCSA) while managing an internal staff of 13 individuals (student workers and volunteers) and administering the school’s athletic website.
Before Howard, Mansfield performed fulltime duties while completing her graduate studies at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. Her contributions resulted in two women athletes (volleyball and women’s basketball) receiving ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District team honors (2004-07). While at UMES, Mansfield received the Hawk of the Year Award, an award given annually to a top-performing employee in athletics.
Two years ago, Mansfield was selected as a participant at the NCAA Leadership Institute for Ethnic Minority Males and Females. The year-long institute was held at the NCAA national headquarters in Indianapolis and included four 2 ½ day sessions throughout 2008-09, along with a weeklong session in June 2009.
“Chevonne has always worked hard,” said G. Stan Bradley, sports information director at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore where Mansfield served. “She has done a tremendous job of setting goals for herself and then achieving them. It’s no surprise that she has moved up the ladder of success in this profession. She is very worthy of this prestigious honor.”
Mansfield also got some valuable experience as a student at St. John’s University (NY), serving as an intern with at ESPN ABC and with the National Invitational Tournament. She also worked in various part-time capacities with the New York Rangers (NHL) and the New York Liberty (WNBA).
Mansfield has served as public relations chair for the Washington, DC Chapter of the National Association of Black Sports Professionals, Inc. Her other contributions include serving as a volunteer with the National Tenpins Coaches Association and as a volunteer for the NCAA Men’s Basketball Regionals.
Mansfield has been very active in CoSIDA, having served on the Goodwill Committee and with both the Female Athletic Media Relations Executives (FAME) and the Scholarship Committee.
Mansfield received her bachelor of science degree from St. John’s in 2004 and her masters degree from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore in 2007.