Aug. 1, 2013
CENTER VALLEY, Pa. - Patriot League Executive Director Carolyn Schlie Femovich announced Thursday the addition of Stephanie Spada as its Associate Director for Compliance and Sport Management and the promotion of Jimmy Johnson to Director of Multimedia and Creative Services.
"We are delighted to welcome Stephanie to the Patriot League as Associate Director for Compliance and Sports Management," Femovich stated. "Her strong background in NCAA compliance and experiences in sport administration at the campus level will be a great asset for the League. Her ability to successfully manage a variety of responsibilities and enthusiasm for the profession will serve the League's membership quite well."
Spada joins the League office after a five-year stint at Philadelphia University, where she most recently served as Associate Director of Athletics and Senior Woman Administrator. In her most recent role, she functioned as the director of NCAA compliance for the 16-sport athletic department. In addition, she was the athletic department's liaison with other campus offices, served as the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) staff advisor, helped organize the department's special events, orchestrated several community engagement initiatives, managed the school's fitness center and health and wellness programs, and recruited and oversaw work study and graduate students for the department. Spada started at Philadelphia University in September 2008 as its Coordinator of Fitness and Recreational Programming, and was promoted three times during her tenure. A 2007 graduate of Brown University with a bachelor's degree in history, Spada earned her MBA from Philadelphia University in 2012.
"I can't express how excited I am to join the Patriot League family," Spada said. "I believe athletics in general provides students with the prospect to enhance the learning environment through the integration of extracurricular opportunities into their course of study. I consider it an honor to join a team that serves such high caliber institutions."
Johnson will play a key role in the new Patriot League Network (PLN), set for launch later this month. As the League's Director of Multimedia and Creative Services, he will serve as the League's video contact for all 24 sports and will oversee live and on-demand production for the Network. Since returning to the League office in August 2010, Johnson has overseen the League's expansion of its multimedia initiatives that have included the creation of weekly highlight shows, top plays packages, championship recaps and feature stories for the League's YouTube portal and streaming partners. He produced videos for the Patriot League's Women in Sport coverage in 2012, and has served as editor-in-chief of the League's Year-in-Review publication for the past three seasons. He has also worked as a media relations contact for a handful of sports, and aids member schools in their multimedia platforms. Johnson first came to the League in the fall of 2009 and rejoined the office in August 2010. Last year he was the League's Associate Director for Communications/Multimedia.
"I am very pleased to promote Jimmy to this position as Director of Multimedia and Creative Services. He has provided strong and innovative direction for the League's digital productions over the past three years and viewership on the League's sites has increased significantly," Femovich said. "With the launch of the Patriot League Network, Jimmy will provide leadership and creativity for the creation of digital programming for this exciting new League endeavor."
Johnson earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Pittsburgh and has a master's in electronic media from Kutztown University.
"The Patriot League has made great strides in multimedia over the last four years and I look forward to continuing my work to keep the League ahead of the curve in the ever-changing electronic media field," Johnson said.