On October 1, Southern University alum Laronica Conway will take her seat in
Birmingham, Ala. as the new assistant commissioner of the Southeastern Conference.
Her appointment was announced earlier this month by Commissioner Mike Slive.
"We're pleased to have Laronica Conway join the Southeastern
Conference family," said Slive. "Laronica's background in media
relations and event management help make her an ideal person for this
role in our championships department."
Conway has
served as Assistant Director of Media Relations at the NCAA since 1999.
Her intercollegiate athletic experience also includes a stint as
Assistant Sports Information Director at the University of South
Carolina from 1995-98 and as Media Relations Assistant in the Southland
Conference office from 1994-95.
"I’m thrilled to begin another phase of my athletics career. I’m going from public relations to championships and I’m excited about this new challenge," Conway said. "As an assistant commissioner for the SEC, I will be a part of the executive-level decision-makers who help shape policy for the conference. To be able to add my input and become involved in major issues at such a powerful conference is exciting and challenging all at the same time."
During her tenure at the NCAA, Conway has been instrumental in
the organization and management of many major intercollegiate athletic
events, such as the 2001-03 NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championships,
2000-03 NCAA Women's Final Four and the 1997 SEC Men's Tennis and Cross
Country Championships.
She was also the primary contact for issues pertaining to the
NCAA's 87 championships as well as serving as the primary media contact
for many national issues, such as gender equity, diversity education,
research, scholarship programs and student-athlete welfare. During a
10-month time span between 2002-03, she was the interim associate
director of media relations at the NCAA, responsible for developing
strategic media and public relations plans.
"I am extremely excited about the opportunity to work for one of
the premier conferences in intercollegiate athletics," said Conway.
"This position is a culmination of all the experiences that I have had
while working in athletics and I hope that I can assist the SEC in
maintaining its commitment to excellence."
A 1991 graduate of Southern University in Baton Rouge, La.,
Conway also worked in the school's sports information office as an
undergraduate. She was a graduate assistant in the Office of External
and Alumni Relations at Grambling State University in 1992-93, where she
received her masters degree in 1993.
"The SU Sports Information Department was where it all began for me. I received my first taste of working in athletics and I gained real-world, hands-on experience," Conway said.
