McDowell named NAC Associate Commissioner
WATERVILLE, Maine – Eric McDowell, a Past President of College Sports Communicators, will join the North Atlantic Conference as its new Associate Commissioner.
McDowell will begin his duties with the NAC on September 13, 2023.
McDowell returns to collegiate athletics after most recently directing his own public relations and events firm, The Eric Idea Agency, in New York’s Capital District (Albany/Schenectady/Troy). Among the initiatives he spearheaded was the creation of the Capital District Sports Women of the Year program in 2019; this program honors collegiate and scholastic female student-athletes for academics, athletics, and community service in the greater Albany region.
“Eric is a proven communications professional with the type of experience and leadership skills that will pay huge dividends to the conference office, our institutions and our student athletes”, said NAC Commissioner Marcella Zalot. “His extensive experience on campus and in leadership positions with multiple organizations are all impressive. The work he has done mentoring young people in the profession is especially exciting. I am looking forward to learning from him and working with him to grow and develop the NAC together.”
McDowell makes the transition to the conference office after previously serving as the Assistant Director of Athletics/Sports Information at Union College for over a dozen years, where he directed a department that served 24 varsity sports at the NCAA Division III level and two at the NCAA Division I level. At Union, McDowell oversaw and hosted numerous Liberty League and NCAA regional championship events, supervised Union’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), and implemented the new Union Athletics website, including content plans and design from SIDEARM, along with web streaming and live statistics. He was also responsible for all budget development, and all home event media and statistical services. McDowell also implemented “Union Hockey Coach’s Corner LIVE” and “Nice to Meet U, Union Athletics” during his time at Union.
Prior to Union, he spent time working with the AHL’s Lowell Lock Monsters and SUNY Brockport. McDowell moved back to the East Coast after serving as the Director of Media Relations for the NBA’s Golden State Warriors. Working in the NBA’s fourth largest media market, McDowell had a game-night staff of 24 individuals and was responsible for the production of the Warriors’ media guide and the monthly publication, Warrior Magazine. He previously worked at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo for five years before making the shift to professional sports.
“I am honored and so pleased to be selected to serve as the next Associate Commissioner of the North Atlantic Conference”, said McDowell. “Marcella is highly respected and has had an outstanding career, starting as a student-athlete and then as a coach and administrator. Her accomplishments are impressive, and I am excited to work for her and follow her vision for the institutions and constituents of our conference. College athletics has always been my passion and I appreciate the opportunity to return to college athletics to serve like-minded institutions that epitomize the definition of NCAA Division III, now celebrating 50 years of service.”
A native of Dennis, Massachusetts, McDowell began his career after being named the SID at his alma mater, the University of New Haven, as a junior in college. He later served at the University of New Hampshire as an assistant and later director, and served as the Yankee Conference Information Officer, a league featuring NCAA Div. I-AA football programs.
He has been active and has hosted numerous panels in both EAST COMM (Eastern Athletic Communication Association) and CSC. He served a three-year term with CSC’s Executive Board as a College Division Representative, and also served a three-year term as the first Chair of CSC’s College Division Management Advisory Committee. McDowell served as CSC’s President in 2014-15, becoming the organization’s first President to represent an NCAA Division III institution. During his term as CSC president, he implemented “CSC U,” a program to introduce the sports communications profession to sport management majors at schools throughout North America.
McDowell has received many honors in the sport communications community, including the EAST COMM Irving T. Marsh Service Bureau Award, the CSC’s Warren Berg Award for outstanding contributions to the profession, and both the CSC 25-Year Award and Lifetime Achievement Award. He was inducted into the CSC Hall of Fame in 2009.