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This feature is one of the many profiles we are doing to showcase our diverse CoSIDA membership during 2017 CoSIDA Membership Recognition Week. To see all the feature stories, please click HERE.
 

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Kelvin Queliz: University of New Orleans
Director of Athletic Communications and New Media

by Tim Hanson, Rogers State University Sports Information Director
CoSIDA Membership Recognition Week Committee member
 
Kelvin Queliz recently made a career move from southern Texas and became the director of athletic communications and new media at the University of New Orleans in September.

Before starting at UNO, Queliz spent three years as the director of sports information at NCAA Division II institution Texas A&M-Kingsville. Creating social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat) for the Javelinas, he also successfully nominated 11 CoSIDA Academic All-America® honorees and an NCAA Top 30 Woman of the Year finalist in track and field standout Kaina Martinez.

Queliz is one of the unique athletic communicators with experience at all three levels of the NCAA. He started out in the business as a 22-year old assistant athletic director for sports information at Division III’s City College of New York. At 22 years old, he was the youngest head SID at the time in the NCAA.

Queliz, now 27, also spent time in the Louisiana Tech and Florida Tech athletic media relations departments.

Queliz is one of the most active members of CoSIDA, serving as vice chair of the new Young Professionals Committee. As a leader on the New Media Committee, he is a frequent presenter at the CoSIDA convention and during the year-round continuing education program. In addition, Queliz and Don Vieth, director of athletic communications at Northeastern (Okla.) State, originated the weekly Twitter chat (@SIDA_Chat, #SIDAchat) which takes place each Monday evening at 9 p.m. Eastern and continues to grow in popularity. He also is proud to be involved in the CoSIDA Mentorship Program.

Looking back on your career, what sparked your interest in athletics communication? How did you get your start?
I was an undergraduate student at the University of Delaware where we had a sports management program. It was created my freshman year and you had to apply for entrance into the sports management program. I volunteered with the SID office with Scott Selheimer and after the internship, I stayed on to help out. I knew I wasn't good enough to keep playing sports in college, but I wanted to stay involved. I didn't think I'd make a career out of it.
I really enjoyed my experience because you're doing so many different things. One day you're a broadcaster, one day you're doing social media. You get to do stories and be a storytelling for so many student-athletes. My personal strengths really fit in with my strengths as an SID.
 

Who were some of your early influences in the profession? How have they helped shape your career?
First one is Malcolm Butler (associate athletic director) at Louisiana Tech. He took a shot with me. He brought me on and we had volleyball matches in my first week on the job. It was trial by fire learning volleyball right from the start! Malcolm is my biggest influence.

I've been a head SID at all three NCAA divisions so anyone and everyone who has helped me along the way are people I’d like to thank. In the last three years, Ira Thor (director of athletic communications and marketing at New Jersey City University) and CoSIDA legend and Hall of Famer Fred Nuesch, who currently is the coordinator for external relations at Texas A&M-Kingsville, have been huge influences on my career. I met Ira when I was at City College. I was a 22-year-old new SID and I emailed him about providing live stats for our upcoming game. He replied to me that this was the first time City College had done live stats in his 14 years. Now I seem to talk to him once a week.

You've had a varied career – working at all three NCAA divisions as you mentioned. How have all those experiences contributed to your athletic communications career and what did you learn from all your steps along the way?
The biggest thing I learned is how to restructure. I've been fortune enough to have the opportunity to make it what I feel is right and my own thing. When I was 22 at City College, they never had game notes and the other things that I brought in. Everything I did at Kingsville and now here at UNO is what I felt was the right way to do things.

It's been interesting. You see the differences in resources in the three levels. That’s the biggest difference. Working at the NCAA Division III level is what made me what I am today. It forced me to design graphics and learn Photoshop. It's where I learned to do broadcasting and do public address duties. That experience led to my quick growth. No way did I originally think I'd be in this career for six years and five years as a head SID. I couldn't do it without all the people who helped me along the way.

 

What's been some of your most meaningful accomplishments during your career?
The opportunity to work with so many student-athletes and with some of these coaches has been some of the most meaningful events. What it’s all about for me is working with coaches and student-athletes. When they come back they really appreciate what you do. My first year at Kingsville, student-athlete Trevor Pesek was a senior cornerback. He was selected CoSIDA First Team Academic All-America. When I interviewed him, the first thing he said was how much he appreciated what I did for them. Little things like that it means the world.

When the community comes around and sees the difference you are making, especially some of the small places, and hearing some of those things makes me feel accomplished. Not just professionally, but personally.

Where did the idea come for the weekly #SIDAchat?
SIDAchat was all Don's idea. Don Vieth (Director of Athletics Communication at Northeastern State in Oklahoma) approached me when he was at Cameron University and I was at Texas A&M-Kingsville. We knew each other from being in the same conference - the Lone Star. He was talking about how saw all these twitter chats and there wasn't one for athletic communications. He wanted to start one with my help. He knew I had some connections in the field along with the people he knew. We started posting and promoting it and got it out there on CoSIDA Connect. It was something we started and little by little it grows. It was all Don's idea. He was the brain trust behind it. 

You recently were named the vice chair of CoSIDA’s Young Professionals Committee What do you plan to accomplish with that committee?
One of my closest friends in the profession is Olivia Coiro, the East Carolina assistant director of athletics communications. I joke around that she's my work wife. Luckily we have worked together in the past and we really understand each other. We already have a vision for the Young Professionals Committee. We are looking at addressing some of the tough topics in the profession, such as the turnover in the field. How do you keep the young professionals active in the field? We've talked about touching on work/life balance and what to do to prevent burnout.

We have panels and sessions once a year at CoSIDA, but we are going to try and dive in even further. Issues such as leaving a job, burnout or leaving and then coming back into the field are topics we are going to look into.

Our plan is to work with other committees to do what we can to help young professionals in the field. The industry has changed a lot even in the six years I've been in the field. When I started graphics and social media were a huge thing and something people were just learning about. We want to show what people should look for when hiring young SIDs to be part of a staff, and what to do to surround your department with a great staff with a balanced knowledge in all parts of the field.

What's been the most enjoyable part of your time in athletic communications?
The relationships you build with your student-athletes. The relationships you build with your staff. I have a lot of student workers who have gone to bigger and better things, whether it be getting married and having a family or professional opportunities. This job is the reason I met my fiancée, Christina. I met her during my time at Louisiana Tech. She was a sports reporter during my time at Louisiana Tec, and she was covering the program. If it wasn't for this profession I wouldn't have met her.

What advice would you give to someone wanting to enter the business?
Be committed and get to know a little bit of everything as far as skills in the profession. Be well rounded in writing, graphics, social media and stats. Try to learn as much as possible whether it be as a student worker, grad assistant, intern or new full-timer.