College Sports Information Directors of America

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• Previous Women to Watch Features: Mary Beth Challoner, Toronto  |  Jolisa Williams, Shaw  |  Jill Guise, John Hopkins  |  Natalie Davis, Co-Lin  |  Sammi Wellman, California Baptist  |  Jenna Willhoit, Dayton

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  WoSIDA Women to Watch: June 2018
Kris Petersen, Associate Director of Strategic Communications
Penn State University
by Olivia Coiro, Syracuse Assistant Director, Athletic Communications

 

Kris Petersen is the Associate Director of Strategic Communications at Penn State University. She currently serves as the primary media contact for PSU’s football team and previously was the primary communications contact for Penn State’s women’s basketball program. She is the first female to serve as the primary football contact at Penn State and at her time of appointment in 2015 was one of just 13 females to serve in a similar capacity in the FBS.
 
What got you into sports information and how did you get started?
KP: I’d say it was generally my love for sports in general. I had always wanted to go into sports broadcasting and didn’t realize until college that athletics communications existed. I enjoyed numbers and stats and it kind of became a match made in heaven when I realized sports broadcasting was not going to be the way I would make a living. The whole reason I am in this business is because of Steve McCloskey, who was the SID at Mansfield when I was a softball player there. He showed me the ropes and was instrumental in helping me get my first job. As an intern at the BIG EAST, John Paquette (BIG EAST), Tammy Donovan and Sue Edson (Syracuse) were super helpful of a small school SID learning the ropes and helped me develop my skills even further. 
 
What is the best part of working in the college athletics communications field?
KP: My favorite part is watching kids come in as freshmen, timid or in other ways over confident, and watching them grow and change into fantastic young men and women. When I worked with women’s basketball at Penn State we had a very quiet young lady that was an art major and barely said two words to me her first three years. By her senior year she had opened up to me and when we went on a trip to Europe it was great to see how much she had grown and was able to share her passions outside of athletics.
 
What’s your best piece of advice for being a woman in the profession?
KP: In some ways the advice I would give to a woman is the same advice I would give to anyone. If you work hard and love what you do, it doesn’t matter whether you are a male or female, you will succeed. You have to be flexible and you can’t get your feelings hurt easily. Sometimes it is just a high energy environment and people might snap at someone, you can’t get upset or take that too personally.
 
What is the dynamic working with coaches and players as a woman working with a football team? Do you think it would be different if you were male?
KP: The dynamic isn’t much different than what it was like working with my women’s teams in the past. I am treated like “one of the guys” but not in a bad way. The biggest thing is that I just can’t walk right into the locker room. I have to send somebody in to ask for who I need. When I first became the football contact, I asked another student-athlete to go in and check for one of his teammates and he turned and looked at me funny almost saying, “why don’t you go in yourself” with his reaction. It was funny because they don’t see me differently. That is a testament to Coach Franklin and our guys. They treat me like the communications person not the female communications person.
  What is your most memorable event/moment from your SID career?
KP: My most memorable moment would have to be winning the Big Ten Championship in 2016 and going to the Rose Bowl. But, I have a ton of great experiences throughout my time including three B1G Championships with women’s basketball, traveling the country with Carl Nassib and Saquon Barkley when they were finalists for awards. I’ve had some unbelievable experiences in my time. In terms of team accomplishments, it is the Big Ten Championship. When everyone had given up on us four games into the season and we turned it around and won a championship, that was pretty special.
 
What do you believe are the characteristics of a good SID?
KP: I believe organization is very important because there is a lot of stuff flying around so having a plan of attack is very important. Being a good communicator and having a good personality, as well as being flexible, those are all super important too.
 
How do you decompress after a stressful season?
KP: There’s not much of a chance to decompress but I catch up on my DVR of the previous four months of television once football ends. My must-watch show are probably NCIS, Grey’s Anatomy and How to Get Away with Murder. Those are the two I stay up on during the season. I also enjoy golfing and playing softball. I like to hang out with my friends and visit my family too.
 
Once they’ve left Penn State, what do you hope your student-athletes will remember most about you?
KP: I hope they remember me as someone who had a passion for my student-athletes who I worked with, my job and sports. I hope that they all know how much I care about them and I want to see them succeed beyond college. I hope they know how much I’ve enjoyed my time working with them as they became young men and women who are ready to take on life as an adult.