Reading, Pa. (June 29, 2021) - Alvernia University Director of Athletics Bill Stiles announced on Tuesday the promotion of Marisa Lombardo to the role of Director of Sports Information and Operations at Alvernia.

Lombardo, who will be the only serving female Sports Information Director in the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC), is a familiar face at Alvernia. She has served as the Assistant Director of Sports Information since July of 2018, and also earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees from Alvernia.

"It has been fun to watch Marisa grow professionally from a student-worker, graduate assistant, assistant SID, and now into the head role," said Stiles. " She earned each promotion with hard work, dedication, diligence, and attention to detail.  Her passion for Alvernia and its student-athletes is evident in her daily work, and we are lucky to have her." 

Lombardo takes over for Jon King, who served as Alvernia's Director of Sports Information from the Fall of 2001 through January 2021.

As the Director of Sports Information and Operations, Lombardo will coordinate the promotion and coverage of Alvernia's 32 athletic programs and over 500 student-athletes. She is tasked with the management of auwolves.com, Alvernia Athletics social media platforms, statistics, photography, branding, and video efforts. She will also oversee the game day operations of Alvernia's home contests, and will manage the nearly 30 athletic's work-study students for game day coverage.

"I'm excited to embark on this next chapter of my Alvernia journey," said Lombardo. "Alvernia has been my home for over eight years and has helped shape me into the person I am today. I'm so excited that I am able to stay here and continue to share in and promote the success and stories of our amazing student-athletes."

Lombardo was named the Assistant Director of Sports Information in 2018, and was the first full-time Assistant Sports Information Director in the department who was tasked solely with sports information duties. Previous Assistant Sports Information Directors also had head coaching duties.

As the Assistant Director of Sports Information, Lombardo worked with all of Alvernia's athletic programs. She assisted with the coordination of social media, completed in-game statistics, served as a photographer, and assisted with game day operations.

In addition to serving as a point of contact for numerous playoff contests, Lombardo also covered the 2018 Women's Golf team that appeared in the NCAA Championship, and covered four student-athletes on the Track and Field team who qualified for the 2021 NCAA Outdoor Championship. She has worked several Mid-Atlantic Baseball regionals with the MAC, and also photographed the 2019 Division III NCAA Field Hockey National Championship game.

In May of 2021, Lombardo was named a District Winner for the 2020-21 CoSIDA Fred Stabley Sr. Writing Contest for her reflection piece on the early days of the COVID-19 Pandemic, titled  Take Me Back To 30 Days Ago: A Reflection on the Whirlwind Month That Was.

Prior to the start of the Spring 2021 semester, Lombardo assumed all sports information duties and navigated the coverage of all Alvernia teams competing in condensed and overlapping seasons.

"I would like to thank Bill Stiles and Dr. John McCloskey for the opportunity to continue my career at my alma mater," said Lombardo. "I also cannot thank Jon King enough for mentoring and guiding me the last eight years. He saw something in me as a freshman who was happy enough just to be ball-running or operating the scoreboard, and pushed me to try something new. For that, I will be forever grateful."

Lombardo began working for Alvernia Athletics as a first-year undergraduate student in 2013 as a part-time work-study student. 

In 2015 Lombardo was named the recipient of College Sports Information Directors of America's (CoSIDA) Dave Wohlhueter Scholarship, which is awarded to undergraduates with a minimum 3.00 GPA who are pursuing a career in Sports Information. 

Also in 2015, Lombardo interned with the United States Golf Association's (USGA) media relations team at the 2015 U.S. Women's Open at Lancaster Country Club.

As a senior in 2017, Lombardo served on the University's Nickname Taskforce, which was assigned the duty of transitioning Alvernia into its Golden Wolves era.

Upon the completion of her undergraduate degrees in Marketing and Communication in 2017, Lombardo was hired as Alvernia's Graduate Assistant for Athletics and Wellness. She worked primarily with sports information, while also assisting in the management of the University's Fitness Center and Intramurals programs. 

After earning her Masters in Business Administration in 2018, Lombardo began her full time duties as the Assistant Director of Sports Information.

"I look forward to continuing to work with the amazing student-athletes, coaches, and administration that make Alvernia such a special place," added Lombardo.  "I am honored to share their stories and promote their successes on and off the field."

Lombardo is a Berks County native who graduated from Governor Mifflin High School. A search for an Athletics Communications Assistant will begin immediately.