Brooks named Associate Commissioner; Robinson, Lewis, Huggins named to Assistant Commissioner positions
Duane Lewis
July 14, 2008
Kelly Brooks Ashley Robinson Duane Lewis Jennifer Huggins
BIRMINGHAM, AL - Southwestern Athletic Commissioner Duer Sharp announced
three new hires and one promotion in the conference office. Kelly Brooks has
been named Associate Commissioner, Ashley Robinson was named Assistant
Commissioner for Compliance, and Duane Lewis was named Assistant
Commissioner for Communications. Additionally, Jennifer Huggins has been
promoted to Assistant Commissioner for Championships.
"I am pleased to bring these talented individuals to our conference office,"
Commissioner Sharp said. "They are highly respected in their professions and
will greatly assist us in enhancing the legacy and tradition of the
Southwestern Athletic Conference. I am just as pleased to promote Jennifer
to her new title. She has done an outstanding job in a variety of capacities
over the years and her new position is well-earned."
Brooks comes to the SWAC following a three-year stint on the Membership
Services staff of the NCAA, where his responsibilities included
student-athlete reinstatement, Division I athletics certification and the
membership services hiring team. Prior to the NCAA, he served two years as
the director of student-athlete development at Xavier University. Brooks
previously served four years as an assistant coach on the women's basketball
staff at the University of Alabama. He additionally spent two years as an
academic programs advisor for the Crimson Tide athletics department. A
native of Starkville, MS, Brooks earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics
from the Mississippi University for Women in 1997 and a Master's degree in
education with a concentration in athletic administration from Alabama in
1999.
Robinson comes to the conference office after a one-year stint as Director
of Compliance at Mississippi Valley State University in Itta Bena, MS, where
he was responsible for monitoring the academic process and eligibility for
student-athletes in the Delta Devil athletic program. Prior to Mississippi
Valley, he was assistant compliance officer at Jackson State University and
formerly an academic coordinator at Delaware State University. A native of
Jackson, MS, Robinson received a bachelor's degree in physical education
with a minor in business administration in 2003 from Mississippi Valley
State. During his time at MVSU, he was a member of the Delta Devil men's
basketball team, where he finished his career as the school's single season
and career assist leader.
Lewis comes to the conference office after one year as Director of
Communications for the Allstate Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, where he served
as the media director for the double hosting of the Sugar Bowl and the
Allstate BCS National Championship Game. Prior to the Sugar Bowl, Lewis
spent ten years on the media relations staff of the NFL's St. Louis Rams,
including serving as Director of Football Media
(2003-05) and as Director of New Media (2006-07). Lewis earned his
bachelor's degree in broadcasting from Southern University in 1995. He also
has worked as a sports correspondent for both the Baton Rouge Advocate and
New Orleans Times- Picayune.
Huggins enters her first year as assistant commissioner for championships at
the Southwestern Athletic Conference after serving as assistant director for
championships the previous three years. A native of Birmingham, AL, she
began with the SWAC in 2002 as an intern and then Media Relations Assistant,
where she served as the primary media liaison for the sports women's and
Olympic sports. Huggins is a 1999 graduate of the University of Alabama
where she earned a B.A. degree in Communications and Information Sciences.
TRANSACTIONS: Southwestern Athletic Conference named Kelly Brooks Associate
Commissioner, Ashley Robinson Assistant Commissioner for Compliance, and
Duane Lewis Assistant Commissioner for Communications; promoted Jennifer
Huggins to Assistant Commissioner for Championships.