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CoSIDA.com/ThankYourSID
This feature is part of our series of profiles showcasing members throughout the CoSIDA membership during the celebration of CoSIDA Membership Recognition Week for 2021. See more features at CoSIDA.com/ThankYourSID.
Shelly Poe – Auburn University, Assistant Athletics Director
by Rob Knox – UNC Greensboro, Associate Athletics Director for Strategic Communications
Multi-award winner, CoSIDA Hall of Famer and CoSIDA Past President
Shelly Poe has been at Auburn University since 2012. She led the national organization during the 2013-14 academic year, and coordinated the nation-wide search for CoSIDA’s executive director, with the organization hiring Doug Vance.
Among her roles at Auburn is being one of the two chief football media relations contacts for the Tigers. She also works with men’s tennis.
Shelly Poe at an Auburn men’s tennis match.
Poe was the Director of Football Communications at Ohio State from 2007 until 2012. Previous to that, she served as Sports Information Director at West Virginia (1988 until 2007) and at the time, was the youngest Division I SID and the only female head SID at a Division I football school when taking that position. She was elevated to head SID after serving as West Virginia’s assistant SID for three years.
Along the way, Poe has promoted 21 postseason football teams, 16 All-Americans, and finalists for many national awards.
During her career, Poe has been lead publicist for men's and women's basketball, gymnastics, baseball, soccer, tennis, softball, swimming & diving teams; and media coordinator for numerous NCAA and conference championships.
One of the most decorated athletic communicators in CoSIDA history, Poe was inducted into CoSIDA’s Hall of Fame in 2006. Her additional awards and recognitions include: the 2012 CoSIDA Mary Jo Haverbeck Trailblazer Award; 2013 CoSIDA Arch Ward Award (outstanding commitment and service to the profession); a 2016 CoSIDA President's Award. She also served on the CoSIDA Board of Directors twice (1999-2003, 2010-2015).
She has chaired several CoSIDA committees and task forces, and currently serves as the chair of the Advocacy Committee. Poe also is a member of the NCAA Media Advisory Group (2014-present) and the Football Writers Association of America (2013-present).
Poe took a few minutes to share her perspectives and some of the lessons she’s learned along her journey as a leader in the profession.
Shelly Poe and family enjoying an April early-season Pittsburgh Pirates game.
What’s a key professional development tip that’s worked for you during your career that you’d be willing to share?
SP: Everybody is an expert at something, and you can learn cool things from them. Ask everyone you meet to teach you something, or ask them why they like to do it a certain way. It’s a terrific way to learn new things and enhance your relationships with others.
What’s your favorite quote and how has that inspired/motivated you?
SP: From Scarlett O’Hara: “Tomorrow’s another day” – do the best you can today and get a fresh start in the morning – especially in our business, as life keeps moving.
On the college football awards circuit in 2017: Shelly Poe with Daniel Carlson, former Auburn kicker and current NFLer with the Las Vegas Raiders.
What’s one idea that you’ve found useful as our profession has evolved from when you started?
SP: Again, ask others for a smarter way to do things, or brainstorm the same with your staff. One huge silver lining of the pandemic cloud was that we had to analyze and prioritize everything we did and find alternate ways to deliver our message - and that’s probably a good exercise to undergo every so often.
The best part of being an athletics communicator … and why?
SP: It’s the people you meet. We are elbow to elbow with highly motivated, insanely talented and ultra-competitive people. Our members would be the leaders, movers and shakers in any industry or institution – and we get to see what they do and how they do it every day, and contribute to that effort. It’s also incredibly rewarding to pour confidence and life skills into young people, and watch them absorb them and grow with them. That’s something that makes college athletics special.
Current CoSIDA President Cindy Potter with former President Shelly Poe at the 2014 CoSIDA Convention.
What did you learn about yourself when you severed as president?
SP: When I had the honor of serving as CoSIDA president, I learned about myself but mostly about our great SID family just how many wonderful, giving, talented people there are in our profession, and how hard and creatively they are working on behalf of others. One thing I made as my personal goal during that presidential year was to call 365 members that I don’t usually cross paths with and just see what was going on in their world and what was on their mind. The scope of our profession never ceases to amaze me – what a wonderful group of colleagues we have!