Horizon League Announces Staff Additions, Re-distribution of Duties
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
Sept. 8, 2005
INDIANAPOLIS -- Horizon League Commissioner Jonathan B. LeCrone announced Thursday (Sept. 8) the implementation of a new staffing plan designed to serve the expanding needs of the League's nine member institutions.
Joining the Horizon League staff are Robert Hester as Director of Communications, Amy Wisser as Championships and Compliance Assistant, Rosie Watson as Administrative Assistant for External Operations, Lindsay Martin as Communications Intern and Crystal Soblo as Administrative Intern.
In related moves, LeCrone announced several changes in assignments for current Horizon League staff.
"Working with our Executive Council, we identified areas of staffing focus for the League, which include championships, compliance, television and basketball scheduling," said LeCrone. "This new staffing plan addresses those needs and allows us to more effectively serve our members without large additional costs."
Hester coordinates the day-to-day communications responsibilities in conjunction with Assistant Commissioner for Communications Will Roleson. Hester works directly with the sports of men's soccer, men's basketball and baseball. He also serves as the office's publications manager and men's basketball tournament media manager while assisting with media services for the 2006 NCAA Final Four in Indianapolis. Hester previously spent nine years as an assistant and associate sports information director at Northern Illinois University from 1995-2004, where he coordinated publicity and media relations functions for the 17-sport athletic program, including working closely with members of the Chicago and other national media. A native of Lombard, Ill., he earned a bachelor's degree in journalism from Northern Illinois in 1992 and an MBA in 1993.
Wisser joins the staff in the newly created full-time position of Championships and Compliance Assistant and assists Senior Associate Commissioner/Chief of Staff Alfreeda Goff and Assistant Commissioner for Compliance and Legal Affairs Stephanie Jarvis in those two areas. A native of Marion, Ind., she earned a bachelor's degree in sports administration in 2005 from the University of Indianapolis, where she was a four-year member of the varsity basketball team. During the past academic year, she interned at the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Valley Conference and served as a student assistant in U of I's athletic development office from 2003-04.
Watson had served as a temporary administrative assistant since January until her full-time hiring in July. Under the direction of Senior Associate Commissioner Bob Lovell, she handles administrative responsibilities for sales and marketing, basketball operations, various League meetings and assists with office technology. Prior to joining the League staff, she held executive assistant positions at Signature Brands Group, SMC Corporation of America and Forum Group Inc. in Indianapolis for 15 years and was an emergency paramedic for Wishard Memorial Hospital for four years.
Martin, a 2005 journalism graduate of Butler University, serves in the newly created position of full-time communications intern. In that role, she assists Hester and Assistant Director of Communications Taylor Payne with the day-to-day communications needs of the League while having direct responsibilities for the sports of volleyball, swimming and diving, and tennis. As an undergraduate, she performed internships with the Indianapolis Ice minor league hockey team, USA Gymnastics national headquarters and Indianapolis Downtown, Inc. She is a native of Farmersville, Ill.
Soblo is a 2005 graduate of the University of Michigan with a bachelor's degree in sport management and communication. She has served as a marketing and development intern at the A2 Junior Golf Association in Ann Arbor, Mich., as well as a sports marketing team manager for the U of M athletic department. A native of Taylor, Mich., she serves as the front office receptionist while assisting in many areas of the day-to-day operations of the League office.
As part of the new staffing plan, Lovell will serve as the Horizon League's sport administrator for cross country and baseball in addition to men's basketball. He will continue to coordinate the League's television packages as well as men's basketball scheduling and its postseason tournament. Goff will assume responsibility for women's basketball scheduling in addition to being staff administator for volleyball, men's soccer, women's basketball, indoor track and field, and softball. Roleson will continue to oversee the communications area while adding duties as sport administrator for golf and women's soccer, coordinator for the League's video streaming initiative and scheduling assistant for men's and women's basketball. Jarvis will continue as sport administrator for swimming and diving, tennis and outdoor track and field in addition to her duties as compliance coordinator and in-house legal counsel.
