PEMBROKE -  Athletics department officials at The University of North Carolina at Pembroke announced Tuesday afternoon that Morgan Sheehan, a former 3-sport student-athlete for the Braves and a key member of the award-winning external operations team, has been promoted to Assistant Athletics Director for Communications & Strategic Initiatives. 
 
Sheehan, a Swansboro native, has spent the last 5-1/2 years in various roles on the department's athletic communications team, including serving as the Director of Communications & Broadcasting for the 2022-23 athletic season. She joined the administrative staff as an intern prior to the start of the 2018-19 athletic season, but was quickly hired to a full-time post the following February. 
 
"No greater testament to how special UNCP is than our students and staff who are all-in on our program," said UNCP Athletics Director Dick Christy. "Morgan has not only been dedicated to UNC Pembroke, she has been dedicated to her craft.  She has grown her communications skillset during her tutelage under Todd and I'm very excited about our strategic growth under her leadership."
 
In addition to her two-year stint (2016-18) as SAAC president, Sheehan also served as a graduate assistant for the women's cross country team in Fall 2017, and then took on a role as graduate assistant in the Health and Human Performance Department the following spring. 
 
In addition to her roles in the English E. Jones Center, she was also the associate news producer for Carolina News Today during the 2015-16 academic year, and spent the following summer as an intern at ISportsNC where she provided media coverage for local athletic events, as well as shot and edited video footage for news packages.
 
A three-time member of the PBC Presidential Honor Roll, Sheehan was named to the UNCP honor roll following each of her final six semesters as an undergraduate on campus. She also earned a pair of PBC Sportsmanship Awards, was a three-time selection to the UNCP Chancellor's List, and earned the Chancellor's Award as a member of the track & field team in 2018. She was also nominated for NCAA Woman of the Year following her final year of athletic eligibility in 2018 as well. 
 
"UNCP will always hold a special place in my heart," said Sheehan. " I am so excited for the future of UNCP Athletics. I would like to thank Dick Christy for giving me this opportunity and Todd Anderson for giving me my start in the business."
 
Sheehan, who was also a member of the women's tennis team for two seasons (2013-15), graduated from UNCP with a bachelor's degree in mass communications in 2016, and completed her master's degree in physical education from UNCP in 2018.