UT Athletics’ Media Relations office announced its staff and sport assignments for each of the 2012-2013 Longhorn teams with a number of changes from last year taking place.
The Media Relations office noted the addition of four new employees for the upcoming year. In addition, a three-person in-house web video group will make its debut this year. As these changes were occurring, several members of the department’s staff were promoted.

Jason Pommier, who will serve as an assistant media relations director, will work with the baseball and volleyball teams, both of which had different sports information directors last year in Thomas Dick (baseball) and Spencer Kitley (volleyball).

John Bianco, who has worked at UT for the past 20 years and served as assistant athletics director for media relations since 2001, has been promoted to the position of associate athletics director for media relations. Bianco’s athletic responsibility for the upcoming school year will be football, and he will also serve as the office director. Scott McConnell will hold the title of assistant athletics director for media relations, with his primary responsibilities being men’s basketball and women’s sports.

A pair of other longtime staff members also saw promotions. Joe Hernandez and Ashley Cushman were each elevated to associate media relation director roles. Hernandez will serve as coordinator for the new in-house web video group and will work with MackBrown-Texasfootball.com for the third straight year.

Cushman, who joined the UT staff in 2008, will be responsible for women’s basketball as well as men and women’s golf. Thomas Stepp, who was promoted to his current position in 2009, will also continue to work as the associate media relations director, with his primary
responsibility being football.

Shawn Nestor, Sarah Fetters and Brian Karst will all join the UT staff this year after previously working for other universities. Each will fill the role of assistant media relations director.

Travis Feldhaus will also continue serving as an assistant media relations director and will be responsible for men and women’s swimming and diving as well as women’s rowing and tennis.

The web video staff will be filled out by Ben Blevins, Chelsea Parler and Michael Tomko. Blevins will serve as the web videographer supervisor while Parler and Tomko will be assistant media relation directors with responsibilites of editing and filming videos for online.

Printed on Friday, August 31, 2012 as: Promotions, new titles alter sports media dept.