Alumni Highlight
Kelli Elmore
Kelli Elmore, WSU Sport Management Alumni
1. Why did you choose to attend Wichita State?
I really wasn't even considering graduate school until I met Clay Stoldt during the
Air Capital Classic golf tournament the summer before my junior year at the University
of Kansas. He told me all about the Wichita State program and told me it would be
a great way to expand not only my education but it would allow me to get more experience
in the sports realm. I did some research and started looking into jobs but found that
a lot of media relations jobs encouraged a master's degree or five years experience,
which I did not have so I decided to apply. I knew a couple people that had been through
the program and they highly recommended it. I also had an opportunity for a graduate
assistantship in WSU Athletics, which would pay for school and give me the experience
I needed. Overall, it was a no-brainer!
2. Can you tell us a little about what you do?
As the KCAC Assistant Commissioner for Operations and Sport Communications, I serve
as the conference sports information director supervising all associated activities
and managing the various awards programs in the KCAC. I also function as the event
manager for conference championships. I make sure the conference website is up to
date with previews, recaps, award stories, NAIA top 25 polls, etc. as well as continuing
to grow the KCAC brand on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
3. What do you enjoy most about your current position as Assistant Commissioner?
I love working all of the different championships. It is so rewarding to see the excitement
on a student-athlete's face when they get an award or win a championship. It definitely
gets very stressful when we prepare for the events, especially in April when we have
10 different championships within the month, but the end result is always very rewarding.
4. Did the program prepare you well for this position?
Definitely! All of the professors and advisers really know what they're talking about
and they do a great job in their respective courses to give us all of the knowledge
we will need for our futures in sports. They were all very helpful when I had a question
or advice on getting a job after graduation and I would definitely recommend this
program to other aspiring sport management undergraduates.
5. What trends do you anticipate in NAIA athletics?
I really see the expansion of more sports becoming an NAIA trend. This is the second
year for cheer and dance to have invitational status and hopefully that becomes a
championship sport in the next year or two. Men's and women's lacrosse, and men's
volleyball currently are in invitational status but more and more schools are adding
these sports. Bowling is another example that is becoming an emerging sport within
several NAIA institutions.
6. Do you use any special technology(ies) or scientific tool(s) in your current position?
I use Photoshop on a daily basis. Every press release or news story needs some type
of graphic associated with it for the website and I am always trying to think of new
ways to showcase our member schools and their student-athletes. We also use Google
Analytics every once in awhile to see the traffic on our website and look for trends
throughout the year.
7. What advice would you give students who are job hunting?
Proof read, proof read, proof read. It may sound mundane but an organization will
literally throw your resume/cover letter away if there are misspellings or poor grammar
(even in your emails to the person hiring). Take it to a former professor, your parents,
etc. in order to get some fresh eyes. Also, make as many connections as you can. If
you volunteer for an event, make sure to keep in contact with the people you come
across because it really is all about who you know. I would not have this job today
without knowing someone who knew Dr. Crawford and told me about the job opening as
well as recommending me for the job. Finally, don't limit yourself to a specific type
of organization, city/town, sport, etc. I always thought I would stay on the institutional
side of sports after working for KU Athletics and WSU Athletics but working in a conference
office has been incredible. Applying for all types of different jobs within different
organizations will give you more options instead of searching for a job within one
specific market. You may have a goal to be in the front office of an NFL/NBA/MLB team
but you can't necessarily get there right off the bat. Opening your mind to a different
area right now (minor league team, arena football, etc.) can always lead you back
to one of those jobs. Again, it's about who you know.