College Sports Information Directors of America

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Christianson, a nationally recognized leader in strategic communications and advocacy leadership who has served as the NCAA Managing Director of Communications since 2012, will assume CoSIDA leadership duties in June as he replaces retiring Executive Director Doug Vance.

Erik Christianson, a nationally recognized and award-winning strategic communications leader who has served in senior leadership positions at the NCAA since 2004, has been named executive director of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

The announcement was made by CoSIDA 2021-22 President Cindy Potter, Columbia College (Mo.) Senior Deputy Athletic Director, and the CoSIDA Executive Board of Directors.

Christianson has significant experience leading integrated and collaborative communications efforts at local, state and national levels. A longtime advocate for and advisor to CoSIDA, Christianson currently serves as the NCAA managing director of communications, a role he has held since November 2012.

With an extensive background in helping guide communication policy and outreach, Christianson oversees NCAA public and media relations, content and engagement, issues and crisis management related to all the core functions of the national organization, including regulatory and legal affairs, academics, championships, inclusion and financial.
 

In his CoSIDA position, Christianson will provide strategic leadership, oversee CoSIDA’s many initiatives and manage the daily operations of the 3,100-plus member international organization. In its 65th year, CoSIDA is the national organization comprised of the athletic communications, sports creatives and media relations professionals throughout all levels of collegiate athletics in the United States and Canada.

Christianson will assume his CoSIDA executive director duties on June 13. He will succeed Doug Vance, who in October announced his retirement from the leadership position, effective July 2022. In this summer transition, Vance will stay on with CoSIDA through July to complete his eight-plus years of service as executive director.

“We are so pleased to announce the appointment of Erik Christianson as CoSIDA’s next executive director,” noted Potter, who chaired the selection committee. “When Doug (Vance) announced his retirement, the CoSIDA Executive Board of Directors knew it would be a tall task to find the right person to assume Doug’s role. We wanted to find a bold leader to guide the organization through this exciting time of new brand identity and initiatives. The process began back in the fall of 2021 with the hiring of CarrSports Consulting to assist with the process and the goal of finding a dynamic new leader.

“Erik rose to the top throughout the selection process. His passion, dedication and connections to the communications profession, and especially to CoSIDA, is impressive. And his widespread network of respected friends and colleagues is unmatched. We have no doubt that our organization will be in great hands with Erik at the helm. I want to thank the selection committee, as well as the Executive Board of Directors, for their work in finding our next leader, assuring that CoSIDA’s future continues to be bright.”

“I’ve worked alongside CoSIDA for nearly 20 years, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve as a strong voice for the organization and its members at a pivotal time for athletics communications and all of college sports,” said Christianson. “The ways we communicate continue to change, and we need to maximize all of them, but the why behind our work remains the same: we are telling the story of the student-athlete and providing communications solutions for college sports.”

Christianson becomes the third executive director of CoSIDA. Vance took the head position in October 2013 as he followed the organization’s first executive director John Humenik. Humenik served from February 2008 through June 2013.

“Erik has been a valued advocate for the profession and staunch proponent of CoSIDA in his role with the NCAA,” Vance stated. “He’s nationally respected and is well versed in the complex issues that are impacting not only communications, but also the overall big picture of college athletics. Erik has the experience and skills to be an impactful torchbearer for the association at a critical time when strong leadership and advocacy are needed.”

Christianson began his tenure at the NCAA as director of public and media relations, serving in that role from April 2004-November 2012.

In 2015, Christianson received the distinguished CoSIDA Keith Jackson Eternal Flame Award, presented to an individual who, or an organization which, has made a lasting contribution to intercollegiate athletics, and has demonstrated a long and consistent commitment to excellence and has been a loyal supporter of CoSIDA and its mission.

“Erik Christianson is an outstanding choice to lead CoSIDA as its new executive director,” noted Bob Williams, NCAA senior vice president for communications. “Erik is a dynamic leader, strategic thinker, and seasoned communications professional who will do a superb job leading CoSIDA into the future.”

“Erik is a highly respected leader in the athletic communications community. He brings a trusted career of leadership and advocacy for student-athletes across all sports and divisions,” said Gina Lehe, NCAA managing director of communications – strategy and branding and a 2022 CoSIDA Hall of Fame inductee.

Before coming to the NCAA, Christianson served as director of communications for the University of Wisconsin System, one of the nation’s largest public university systems. Before joining the UW System, he was employed in the main communications office at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the Wisconsin system’s flagship campus. At both the campus and system levels, he worked regularly on athletics issues.

His experience also includes serving in state government and working as a print journalist at the Tribune-Star (Terre Haute, Indiana) and the Chicago Tribune.

Christianson completed his bachelor’s degree at Northwestern College, now known as the University of Northwestern-St. Paul, where he studied communications and was a baseball student-athlete. He earned his master’s degree in public affairs reporting at the University of Illinois at Springfield.

He and his wife, Rachel, live in Zionsville, Indiana, and have three sons, Sten, Gunnar and Anders.
 

About CoSIDA
The College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), now in its 65th year as an organization, was founded in 1957-making it the second oldest management association in intercollegiate athletics. Today, it is a vibrant 3,100-plus member national association comprised of the athletic communications, media relations and sports information professionals throughout all levels of collegiate athletics in the United States and Canada. CoSIDA has two primary missions as it seeks to have its profession, organization and membership take its rightful leadership role within the decision-making levels of  the intercollegiate athletics community: 
1) Help the communications professionals at all collegiate levels with professional development and continuing education as it relates to  strategically dealing in an effective manner with the various issues, challenges and opportunities that now exist within the fast-paced and ever-changing communications environment. 
2) Play a significant leadership and resource role (i.e. “Strategic Communicators for College Athletics”) within the overall enterprise of collegiate athletics thus helping the other management groups and their respective memberships deal with a set of communications-based issues that is the most complex and challenging in history.