Erica Conover, who has marketing and development experience from roles in the NFL, Major League Baseball and Baylor Athletics, has been named director of development and engagement for Northwestern State Athletics, while current external staffers Mike Jacklich and Andrew Clausen have been promoted.
NSU director of athletics Greg Burke and associate athletics director Dr. Haley Taitano announced the personnel moves, which have been approved by the Board of Supervisors of the University of Louisiana System, which includes NSU.
Conover began her duties late last month. Jacklich, director of ticket operations for the past two years at NSU, is now assistant athletic director for ticketing and special events while Clausen, who has worked as director of marketing and promotions, is now director of marketing and digital media, said Taitano.
“We are thrilled to have Erica joining our Marketing and Development team. Having worked in both marketing and development roles for the Washington Nationals, the Houston Texans, and the Baylor Bears, Erica brings a wide variety of experience and knowledge to NSU,” said Taitano. “In this new role of Director of Development and Engagement, Erica joins our team to help increase our outreach and further develop our corporate and community partnerships.”
A 2016 Baylor graduate, Conover has served internships with MLB’s Washington Nationals, the NFL’s Houston Texans and worked as a member of Baylor Athletics’ marketing event staff. She also served as communications and marketing intern at Baylor’s renowned Hankamer School of Business.
“She has already provided some new and exciting ideas to enhance Vic’s Kids Club and to increase our development and alumni engagement efforts,” said Taitano. “Erica has a strong work ethic and enjoys the relationship-building aspect of this business, so she is hitting the ground running and will be a great asset to our department and our community. “
Jacklich, with 30 months of experience in charge of ticketing for NSU Athletics, has previous experience in professional baseball and the private sector.
“Mike has proven to be an integral part of our team. In this new role, he will inherit some of our special event planning as it relates to increasing ticket sales and expanding our external footprint,” said Taitano. “Mike is a great team player and I’m thrilled to be able to work alongside him in this new capacity.
Clausen earned his master’s degree in sport administration from NSU in 2015 after two years working in NSU Athletics as a marketing assistant. Following a year’s internship in Boston with Harvard Athletics, he rejoined NSU Athletics last May in a fulltime capacity managing marketing and promotional activities.
“After having returned to us from Harvard, Andrew has worked tirelessly to sustain our marketing efforts while bringing new and innovative ideas to the table to help expand all of our digital media,” said Taitano. “Social media and graphic design are two very important and ever-evolving aspects of marketing in intercollegiate athletics and Andrew has worked in tandem with our sports information staff to ensure that we continue to provide fresh and engaging content for our fans.
“We have some exciting marketing initiatives in store for 2017, especially as it relates to expanding community engagement, and I know Andrew will thrive in this new role,” she said.