Jessica Huntley Named Director of Conference Communications

Courtesy: GNAC Communications

BOSTON, Mass. – Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Commissioner Joe Walsh announced the hiring of Jessica Huntley as the Director of Conference Communications. 

Huntley joined the GNAC last year when she was hired as the GNAC Assistant Commissioner. She will continue as the Assistant Commissioner and begin as the Director of Conference Communications in August.  In her new position, Huntley will be responsible for the conference web site management, media relations and working with and supervising the conference sports information director. She will also oversee the development of a sports information internship program for the conference office and a speaker’s bureau for GNAC coaches, athletic directors, sports information directors and athletic trainers.

Commissioner Joe Walsh in announcing the appointment stressed that “Jessica’s familiarity with the GNAC through her day-to-day interaction with each and every individual institutional member and her proven track record for successfully completing projects and new initiatives gives me great confidence that she will do a great job as we strive to establish new conference policy and procedures within our sports information and conference communication department.”

In addition, as Assistant Commissioner Huntley will coordinate the 2008 GNAC Professional Development Seminar and the community based coaching clinics featuring GNAC coaches. She also created the first ever GNAC Viewbook, which will be distributed at the 2008 GNAC Professional Development Seminar.

Before joining GNAC, Huntley spent a year working at Harvard University as the men’s basketball operations intern.  In this position, she acted as a liaison between the men’s basketball office and varied athletic department constituents.  Huntley prepared the team budget, developed monthly e-newsletters, assisted in the coordination of team travel and helped in game day operations.  She also established a community outreach program for the men’s basketball team at a local elementary school. 

Huntley is a 2006 graduate of York College (Pennsylvania) where she earned her bachelor’s degree in sport management. At York, Huntley was a senior captain and four-year letter winner for the women’s basketball team and earned academic all-conference honors all four years. Huntley also volunteered in the athletic department at York, working with the Assistant Dean of Athletics and Recreation in a number of capacities.  Through her work at the campus and conference level, Huntley was selected to serve on the NCAA National Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.  As a committee member, she spearheaded the NCAA Division III partnership with Habitat for Humanity International.

Huntley has completed her first year of graduate study at Boston College’s Lynch School of Education.  She plans to graduate with a master’s in higher education administration in May 2009.



For more information contact: Tom Humphreys, GNAC SID