College Sports Information Directors of America

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CSCommunicators.com/CelebrateCSC

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This feature is part of our series of profiles showcasing members throughout the CSC membership during the celebration of College Sports Communicators Membership Appreciation Week for 2022-23. See more features at CSCommunicators.com/CelebrateCSC.


Adam Planamento – Arcadia University, Director of Athletic Communications

by Rob Knox – Thurgood Marshall College Fund, Senior Director of Strategic Communications
CSC Past President (2018-19) // CSC Membership Recognition Committee

Arcadia University’s Director of Athletic Communications Adam Planamento is living a dream by working for his alma mater. Planamento, a 2012 graduate of the NCAA Division III university in Glenside, Pennsylvania, is coming up on his one-year anniversary at Arcadia. 

Planamento returned to Arcadia after spending seven years at Wilkes University, including the last five years as the University's first-ever full-time assistant sports information director.

The Arcadia graduate received his undergraduate degree in history, and then earned his master's from Wilkes in 2020. At Arcadia, Planamento was a four-year member of the Knights baseball team and served as an assistant coach for three years after graduating. Planamento also spent four years as an official scorer and datacaster with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Railriders, the AAA-affiliate of the New York Yankees.
 
Aside from the pride of promoting Arcadia’s student-athletes, Planamento is big fan of Philadelphia sports teams. He streams video games in his spare time, mostly Fortnite, Call of Duty, and NHL. In addition to attending to sporting events, Planamento enjoys trying new restaurants, working out, and hiking.
 
Planamento is one of a set of triplets that includes his brother, Craig, and sister, Jessica. Here are his thoughts about the profession.
 
 
What's the most rewarding part about your current position and what was your journey like to get to Arcadia?
AP: I would say the most rewarding part of my job are the relationships we build with student-athletes. Our job is to promote the achievements of student-athletes, and it's awesome to see not only what they achieve during their four years here but also what they accomplish after they depart. I think a close second is the relationships you build with co-workers as you work together toward the same goal.
 
How special is it to work at your alma mater and what does it mean to you?
AP: It is very special for me to work at my alma mater. I spent seven important years of my life here, and during all that time, I knew this was where I wanted to be. It is awesome to see where the athletic department is now from when I was an undergraduate. If you took someone who was here when I first started in the fall of 2008 and brought them here today, they wouldn't recognize the athletic department! I think there were maybe five full-time staff members while I was an undergrad and now our department has 38 full-time staff members.
 
And, I still have a ton of friends in the area and my family is around here for the most part, so it's great being back and seeing all the success the teams are having.
 
 
During your career, what are some of the highlights that you're most proud of?
AP: The achievement I am most proud of is what we accomplished last year. I'll admit, my head was swimming when I first joined the staff in the middle of the year. On successive weekends at the end of the spring semester we hosted our conference baseball semifinals one weekend, NCAA softball regional and baseball conference championships the next, and an NCAA baseball regional the following weekend. It was a lot for a two-person athletic comms department with both members relatively fresh in our positions, but we pulled it off with a lot of help from the university, department, and outside SIDs. For that, I am extremely grateful.
 
What advice can you give young and new content creators/athletics communications professionals as they pursue this career?
AP: I think the most important advice that I try to follow is to learn as much as you can about as much as you can. This is an always-evolving field, and it helps to have a base knowledge of as much of it as you can. If you develop a base knowledge and never stop learning, it will only benefit you as you move up the ladder.
 
 
You played baseball at Arcadia. How do you feel that contributed to you being part of the communications profession and working at a high level? What were skills you learned that translated into what you're doing now?
AP: Being a student-athlete, especially here at Arcadia, helped give me an important viewpoint of what student-athletes are going through. Although what their experience is like currently versus my experiences are vastly different — for the better — I can still relate to them and help provide them with content and tools to enhance their experience more and more. I am also able to sound old when I tell them how much better they have it now as compared to when I was here! It is also fantastic to see how successful the teams are now, especially the baseball team, who won the conference championship last year and hosted an NCAA regional for the first time.
 
Who are some of the people that have helped you in the profession so far?
AP: I have an important list: Wilkes' SID Vince Scalzo; Tom Dunsmuir, who retired after 40-plus years as the facilities and equipment manager at Wilkes; Wilkes' AD Addy Malatesta; Brian Granata, Arcadia's Executive Director of Athletics and Recreation and a former SID; former Arcadia SID, now Little East Conference Associate Commissioner Darryl Konicki; and two other CSC members, Tufts Director of Athletic Communications Jamie Chagnon and King's College Director of Sports Information Bridget Walsh.
 
I'd be remiss if I didn't thank my parents, who have been extremely supportive of me as I have chased my dream job. I love them and can't thank them enough. Special shoutout to my fellow Arcadia athletic communications colleagues Scott De Bell (associate director) and Alix Cucinotta (assistant director), who do an awesome job.
   
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