The College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) approved a new set of officers and Board of Director representatives to serve the professional athletic communications association for the 2019-20 academic year and beyond during its annual business meeting on June 11th during the 2019 CoSIDA Convention. The site of the CoSIDA Convention is the Orlando World Center Marriott.
Current CoSIDA President
Rob Knox will pass the gavel to 2019-20 CoSIDA President
Herb Vincent on Wednesday, June 12 at the conclusion of the Special Awards Luncheon before the 2019 CoSIDA Convention comes to a close later in the day. Vincent is Associate Commissioner for Communications at the Southeastern Conference. Knox serves as Athletic Media Relations Associate Director at Towson University and will transition to Past President as he completes his work on the board as an officer.
CoSIDA holds its annual convention in conjunction with NACDA and Affiliates Convention Week.
Vincent will serve as the 65th president of CoSIDA for a one-year term in 2019-20 after serving as first vice president during this academic year.
“I am humbled to serve as president of an organization that consists of such incredibly dedicated and passionate members," Vincent said. "CoSIDA is vital to the entire profession of college sports communications and it's critical that we maintain a progressive organization that is ready to adapt to the changing environment in which we work. I look forward to working with and serving the membership with that perspective in mind."
Also elected to serve the 3,100-member CoSIDA organization for the 2019-20 term and in the presidential rotation are First Vice President
Sam Atkinson, Gallaudet Associate Athletic Director for Communications; Second Vice President
Cindy Potter, Associate Director of Athletics/Media Relations and Compliance at Columbia College of Missouri.
Jessica Poole, Senior Associate Athletics Director/External Relations at Florida Atlantic University, who just concluded her three-year appointment on the CoSIDA Board, was elected to serve as Third Vice President.
Potter and Poole will be the fifth and sixth women in CoSIDA history who will serve in the officer’s rotation to the president’s role, and they will be the first back-to-back female presidents in the organization's history.
Jeff Hodges (North Alabama Assistant Director/Communications) continues as secretary of the organization and rounds out the officers.
New members elected to serve the board in 2019-20 include
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Danny Kambel, Pacific (Ore.) University Sports Information Director
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Danielle Percival, Piedmont College Director of Athletic Communications
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Lenny Reich, University of Mount Union Assistant Athletic Director/Sports Information Director
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Kevin Trainor, University of Arkansas Senior Associate Athletic Director/Public Relations
Reich and Trainor will serve as At-Large representatives, while Kambel is the College Division Representative - West Region, and Percival the College Division Representative - Southeast Region. All have been elected to three-year terms.
Returning board members include:
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Amie Canfield, Mount Holyoke College Associate Director of Athletics for Communications – College Division Representative – Northeast Region (term expires 2020)
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John Kean, Missouri University of Science and Technology Sports Information Director (term expires 2021)
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KatieJo Kuhens, transitioning from Wartburg College as Sports Information Director to Bethany Lutheran College Sports Information Director (term expires 2021)
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Paul Smith, Arkansas Tech Associate Athletic Director/Director of Athletic Communications) - College Division Representative – Central Region (term expires 2020)
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Denise Thompson, Big Sky Conference Assistant Commissioner/Communications (term expires 2021)
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John Sudsbury, Allstate Sugar Bowl Director of Media Relations and Communications (term expires 2021)
The slate of 2019-20 candidates were nominated by the membership during the spring semester and were selected by the CoSIDA Nominating Committee, comprised of the organization's past presidents and out-going Board of Director members. That Committee was chaired by
Rob Carolla who served as CoSIDA's past president during 2018-19.
Ex-Officio members are CoSIDA Executive Director
Doug Vance, Associate Executive Director
Will Roleson, Director of Professional Development & External Affairs
Barb Kowal, Director of Membership Engagement
Laurie Bollig, and Director of Creative Services
Beau White.