College Sports Information Directors of America

Keeping it in the family … just four years following her graduation as a two-sport athlete at Adelphi University, Emily Dorko was named the Associate Director of Athletics and Director of External Relations at her alma-mater and just prior to the printing of this profile received word she would be promoted to Senior Women’s Administrator for the Panthers.

"We are fortunate to have Emily serving as our Associate AD/SWA at Adelphi University. She is committed to our values of providing the best possible experience to our student-athletes. As a former two-sport Adelphi student-athlete, Emily understands the dedication it takes to compete at the DII level. She is always there for our student-athletes - whether it is to support them through difficult times or to celebrate their successes.  Emily serves as a role model in our athletics department and is well-respected across our campus."  ~ Daniel P. McCabe, Director of Athletics

 
And what a decorated student-athlete she was! A two-time All-American on the Adelphi volleyball and softball teams, Dorko helped the Panthers to a pair of Northeast-10 Conference Championships while she excelled on the field and in the classroom. Not only was she successful on the field as evidenced by her All-American and numerous All-Region accolades, she was also highly successful off the field and court academically. Dorko was selected as a NE10 Scholar-Athlete Sports Excellence Award winner and received a national D2ADA Academic Achievement Award from that athletic directors’ association.

After completing her undergraduate degree in marketing, Dorko remained at Adelphi as a graduate assistant in the athletic communications office under Adam Siepiola, who she would eventually replace when returning to Adelphi in February 2017.

During her time away from the Panthers, Dorko was the Assistant Director of Athletics for Strategic Communications at NYIT.

 

What sparked your interest in a career in athletic communications? Was their one moment or person who inspired this?
I began working for Adelphi sports information as a student worker when I was a sophomore. My former boss (Adam Siepiola, who previously held my current position) allowed me and fellow student workers to focus on “tweeting at games,” since at that time that was really the extent of social media. We would do fun video features and at the time I was the go-to when it came to anything surrounding graphics/posters/etc.

The summer before my senior year I inquired as to how I would go about obtaining a graduate assistant position, which entailed sharpening my writing skills and learning how to keep stats, among other responsibilities. Once landing the position, Adam treated it as a real full-time role and held the same standard of me as he did the full-time assistant, to which I felt like this was a career I could seriously pursue once I was done with grad school.

How has being a former student-athlete shaped the way you look at your job?
When I was a student-athlete I felt as though I held myself to a very high standard. I was part of team cultures where collective responsibility and holding people accountable was very apparent and I believe I try to instill that now in both the way I work and how I manage my staff. I am diligent to the point where I almost don’t have an off switch, or can’t say no, and that stems from my desire to be great at what I do.

 

What advice would you give someone who wants to follow in your footsteps?
Be sure to fully understand what the role of a sports information director entails. This industry is nights and weekends and staying up-to-date with the latest trends on social media. In the role I currently hold as Associate AD for External Relations, I also deal one-on-one with different coaching staffs and I have to adjust the way I operate in order to work best or most effectively with different personalities.

What is your top professional development tip to share with colleagues both young and old?
Ask questions. In my role (and at my age) I’m exposed to situations and experiences that may have never dealt with before and it helps to not be afraid to go to a mentor or supervisor/manager and ask for help. I think I’m lucky in the sense that I am younger and have individuals/colleagues that I am able to reach out to when I need help.

What’s the biggest career lesson that you’ve learned?
A career in sports information/athletic communications/external relations can be a thankless job. That’s not to say that the things we do aren’t appreciated by the athletes and coaches but there isn’t always going to be a thank you for the collection of photos we take at an event or the hours of being on campus running events just to go home to cover things that were happening on the road.
 

Is there an achievement that you are most proud of?
Being a two-sport athlete and all it entailed. Specifically, playing for Adelphi volleyball and softball, two sports that won first time NE10 titles and being a two-time All-American.

Did you have any key mentors or people who deeply influenced who you are, what you believe in and what you’re committed to in your work and life?
Growing up I played travel softball and at one of our tournaments where we should have performed better, we ended up losing. While gathered behind the dugout after the game, our coaches overheard parents exclaiming “It’s alright” or “It’s okay” to us as we were young (12 and under) and upset.

The staff (two coaches who are still a part of my life today) took us away from the families and sat us down, ultimately concluding with “It’s not alright, it’s not okay, no excuses.” So to this day, if something comes up and results in disappointment to which someone says “It’s ok”, I’m the first to retort with “It’s not ok, or alright”.

 

What might someone be surprised to know about you?
I am getting married next year to a fellow Adelphi student-athlete and allum Matt Dispensa (Adelphi '08) who was an All-Conference distance runner. #GoPanthers

What's one communications/social/PR tool that you could not live without and why?
Tweetdeck/google photos/drive - Being able to access documents/graphics/images from a handheld device just brings a level of ease to our constant on-the-go positions.

What’s the most rewarding part of the job?
Celebrating the successes of the student-athletes (on the fields of play and in the classroom) and getting to know who they are and be along for their four-year careers. It has been so great having young alumni come back to campus to stop in and be excited to tell me about what they have had going on in their lives.

What do you look for in building an Athletic Communications Staff?
Communication, while directly in our job description, is - for me - one of the things I value most in a member of my staff. In athletic departments that are larger and feature more sports, things can get lost in the shuffle, especially when there are a lot of things going on. I oftentimes reflect on how effectively I am communicating with my staff in regards to how things are flowing and if my expectations are being met.