College Sports Information Directors of America

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• 2021 Special Awards Announcements and Features
• #CoSIDA21 Virtual Convention Home
• Past 25-Year Award Recipients

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Sue Edson – Syracuse University, Executive Senior Associate AD/Communications

CoSIDA 25-Year Award

by Tracey Edson – Syracuse University, Athletic Communications Intern

In the years Sue Edson has worked for Syracuse University Athletics she has become a trailblazer in the sports communications industry and a role model for many and a Hall of Famer. (She has been at Syracuse for 31 years, and just catching up for this 25-Year Award.) Her Syracuse journey began as a student studying broadcast journalism and policy studies. Three months following her graduation in 1990, the opportunity to return to her alma mater as the assistant sports information director called her back to the place she loved.
 
Today, my mom is Syracuse’s Executive Senior Associate AD for Communications.
 
Our family started when my mom and her late husband (my dad), Rob, met as students at Syracuse. They both began their professional careers in the Orange athletics department. They married in 1996. My mom will complete her 31st year with Syracuse Athletics in September and my dad worked for Syracuse as an athletics administrator for 20 years before becoming the Athletic Director at Onondaga Community College until his sudden passing in 2013.
 
When my brother, Thomas, and I entered our parents' world, work didn’t stop for them, but they made sure that we were a part of it. Although our parents often apologized for their busy schedules, my brother and I embraced each opportunity and looked at it as a way to learn and grow, while having a fun childhood.
 
 
I am a freshman at Syracuse and my brother is a senior at Ithaca College. We both work in college athletics. The memories that my mom’s colleagues share about her tremendous impact stick with us.
 
“When I think of the ultimate professional I think of Sue,” said NFL public relations specialist Jordyn White ’17. “Sue welcomed me with open arms on my first day working in the Syracuse athletic communications department and always had her door open. She is the reason I became so passionate about public relations and, to this day, motivates me to be the best I can be. I always find myself wondering, ‘What would Sue do?’ and then I have my solution.”
 
No matter what career path students choose, her mentorship helps them grow as professionals.
 
“Sue is the definition of a leader and mentor,” recalls Whitney Dixon, former SUAC intern who is an event strategist and programming coordinator at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. “Her vast network of influence, including countless grateful members of SUAC (SU Athletic Communications) family, are a testament to her wisdom, passion, and dedication to this field. I’m forever grateful to her for welcoming me into that family and am proud to call her a lifelong mentor and friend.”
 
She is also a mentor for student-athletes.
 
“Sue’s impact has transformed my life completely, and I am forever grateful,” noted Cameron Lynch ’15, a Syracuse football captain and entrepreneur who owns Heart Work Media. “Sue believed that I would have a greater impact on the community outside of playing sports. She encouraged me to produce and host a show called ‘Cam’s Cam’ at Syracuse. I decided at that moment that my calling was media production and broadcasting. She’s shaped many people’s lives in the best way possible. Sue will go down in the history books as one of the best communications professionals in the world.”
 
For my mom, work never ends. She uses her time away from the office to support SU, the community, and family. She taught as an adjunct professor at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, served as ECAC-SIDA president and on the board of directors and coached my brother and me in multiple sports. She is a member of the Greater Syracuse Sports Hall of Fame Board of Directors and the Women’s Fund of Central New York Leadership Council.
 
Among her honors, she was inducted into the CoSIDA Hall of Fame in 2012 and earned the ECAC-SIDA Irving T. Marsh Award in 2006 for excellence in athletic communications.
 
With so many things on her plate, she continues to go above and beyond, serving as a mentor for many and a friend to lean on. Her presence lights up the room.
 
“Throughout my four years here, Sue has been an amazing role model for my career and personal life,” said Syracuse ice hockey captain Kristen Siermachesky ’21. “Her love for those around her and her passion to tell unique stories about the lives of student-athletes are just a few things that set her apart. Sue is extremely supportive and continues to push me to be my best.”
 
“Sue and her family have meant a lot to me over the years, and I credit her for my interest and passion in the profession,” said Jacksonville Jaguars director of public relations Alex Brooks ’14. “She instilled in me a love of work and for Syracuse which I carry with me today. She has an uncanny ability of nurturing a family atmosphere in the office while demanding excellence in everything that she and her department does. She always knows the right thing to say. I am proud she is a mentor and a friend.”
 
Congratulations, Mom. I’m so proud to be your daughter!