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Photo credit: Chris Tucci / UMass Athletics
Three Up, Three Down is a new Q&A series aimed at highlighting young members of the College Sports Communicators membership, their career paths and what they enjoy in their roles on a day-to-day basis.
Young professionals spotlight: Three up, three down with Hana Johnson
by Ryan Gallant – University of Utah, Associate Director Athletic Communications @RyanGallant_
Young Professionals Committee member
In a short amount of time, Hana Johnson has managed to experience athletic communications from an array of lenses. Division I mid-major, Big Ten, Division II, and now a return voyage at the mid-major level.
Johnson, 26, is in her second year at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst as an assistant director of communications. She is the primary SID contact for field hockey, women’s basketball, baseball and tennis, while assisting the football program on communications tasks.
During a transitional period in the office, Johnson served a stint as primary football contact during Summer 2022 — at the time making her one of 10 female primary football contacts across FBS and the youngest of that group.
The 2019 University of New Hampshire alumna was a student assistant in the UNH communications office as an undergraduate. During school breaks, she held a similar role at UMass—a welcome opportunity for the native of Belchertown, Massachusetts, just a 15-minute drive from campus. After graduation from UNH, Johnson was a graduate assistant at Illinois. She completed her Master’s degree, came back East and was on staff at Franklin Pierce University in New Hampshire, before taking on her assistant director role at UMass in Fall 2021.
In working at the Power 5, mid-major, and Division II levels, what have you found most rewarding about your first few years in the profession?
“As cliché as it sounds, I think the most rewarding part, even at different levels, always comes down to being around and getting to know the student-athletes. I think that’s the most rewarding part of this job. You get to tell their stories—stories that you wouldn’t expect, fans and other people wouldn’t expect at all. The student-athletes give you that opportunity to do that. No matter the level—Division II, Power Five, mid-major—you have amazing student-athletes no matter where you go. That’s never going to change.”
This past summer, you were the youngest of 10 women across the country serving as primary FBS contacts. What did it mean to take on that role this early in your career?
“At first, it was kind of scary, to be honest. Football is a big sport no matter where you go, no matter what level. Especially at FBS. You’re jumping into it knowing there are high expectations for football among all sorts of constituent groups. Going into it, I was a little scared on the inside, but I had to just jump into it and do it. As terrifying as it seemed to learn a huge roster, coaching staff, and prepare for a season in such a short amount of time—it kind of gave me a challenge. And to grow in our industry, you’re always looking for some challenge, something to give you that next step. I think it was a challenge I needed. As a graduate assistant, you’re being told what you need to do for the day during Fall Camp. Now I was the one figuring out what needed to be done at Fall Camp. I figured out how to navigate my own system—and it helped that I had great people behind me to help during that process.”
I know you probably have several mentors that you lean on, but if you had to pick one to point out, who would that be?
“I have several mentors, but to point out one, it would have to be Jill Jakuba. When I first started as an intern at UNH, everyone in the office was fantastic, but it was an office full of men. To be interning at UMass with a woman; I didn’t really see women in the industry often. It was great to be mentored with and be an intern with another woman. It has turned into a friendship forever. It is great to have Jill as a mentor. There are things I go to her with every day—whether personal life or things in the industry. There’s a lot of things you know she’s going through that you’re also going through as a woman. That’s kind of why I’ve turned to her as a pinpointed mentor throughout my career.”
Bonus question: What is the first thing you would plan on a “free” or off day?
“Honestly, I would spend it with my family. I would spend it with my nephew and my brother. I love them, and I haven’t seen them in a while. If I could just have a day to go to the park with them, or just hang out. Anything like that. I would just want to be with my family, all together.”
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