CIAA helps make variations to strategic communications staff
Courtesy: CIAA
CHARLOTTE, NC – The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Affiliation (CIAA) is delighted to announce the hirings of Tonia Walker as Senior Associate Commissioner for Strategic Marketing and advertising and Exterior Functions and Ja’Shawn Steward-Johnson as Assistant Director for Strategic Communications.
Also, current staff members member Jana’ Boyd has been promoted to Assistant Director for Innovative Companies and Electronic Material. “We’re fired up to welcome Tonia Walker again to the CIAA relatives,” said CIAA Commissioner Jacqie McWilliams. “Her broad expertise of the collegiate athletics landscape, familiarity with the conference footprint, and several years of senior leadership and oversight will be a must have. She’ll carry on the momentum we’ve recognized in amplifying our model and the visibility of our membership as very well as figuring out chances for strategic collaboration with external partners.”
No stranger to the CIAA, Walker formerly labored in the convention business for 7 several years starting in 1993 ahead of transferring on to Winston-Salem Point out University, where by she spent 18 several years as an athletic administrator that consists of practically 15 as Director of Athletics. Walker was an integral determine in WSSU’s changeover from NCAA Division II to Division I (football championship subdivision) position and later on reclassification again to Division II. She will come again to the conference workplace from Bluefield Faculty, in which she served as the school’s initial entire-time woman athletic director in 2019 before remaining elevated to Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics in 2020.
Walker will be a part of the CIAA personnel on July 1. Steward-Johnson, who will come to the meeting from the University of the Virgin Islands athletic section, starts his placement on June 1.“We’re equally as thrilled to have Ja’Shawn becoming a member of our communications crew,” stated Commissioner McWilliams. “He’s also acquainted with the convention, which will be a must have in this changeover, and his knowledge inside of athletics information, electronic communications, streaming, and other areas will be a great asset and will carry on to transfer us forward in this room.”
Given that June 2021, Steward-Johnson served as UVI’s to start with Sporting activities Info Director in university record, in which oversaw the introduction of a new athletics emblem and the start of a new athletics web-site and mobile app (Buccaneers Sports Network). He was instrumental in the streaming offer for the inaugural UVI HBCU Basketball Common and was a essential cog in setting up the social media existence for UVI athletics. Prior to that, he put in 3 a long time as the Assistant Sports Info Director at Division III Methodist College. In his time there, Steward-Johnson was the secondary contact for 20 intercollegiate sporting activities and was instrumental in revamping the athletic department’s social media.
Steward-Johnson will be the primary media speak to for most of the conference’s 14 sponsored sports and championships though controlling much of the working day-to-day responsibilities inside of the communications division.
Boyd, who joined the convention employees entire-time a yr ago, has been an integral portion in running the CIAA’s digital and social media technique and generating publicity by live and on-desire information. She’ll keep on in this role when adding duties that incorporates serving as principal media speak to for select Olympic athletics.“
Jana’ has ongoing to be a precious asset within just our communications and marketing crew for the past many a long time, setting up as an intern and then as a graduate assistant,” said Commissioner McWilliams. “In the 50th anniversary of Title IX, it’s enjoyable to provide accessibility and option for females and former scholar-athletes in this convention, this sort of as Jana’. We seem ahead to her continued expansion as she usually takes on added duties while continuing to force the conference’s social and electronic presence to new heights.”
Walker will supply oversight of the advertising and marketing and communications department as nicely as exterior relations. She can take more than for Ben Baxter, who will step absent from his posture as of June 3 to go after one more chance inside of the sporting activities and entertainment area.Amongst his lots of contributions, Baxter was integral in foremost the conference’s esports and gaming initiatives and partnerships, increasing the CIAA Sports activities Community electronic platform, and primary the league’s advertising and communications endeavours.
He also served as the liaison for the CIAA’s exterior associates, and along with Van Wagner Sports activities & Amusement, assisted with the conference’s multi-year offer with ESPN for the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments and a partnership with HBCUGo.Tv set to give increased visibility for all sports activities via streaming and other digital content material.
