St. Lawrence University has a new Assistant Athletic Director for Communications and Marketing - Mike Nellis started work as the lead for all sport information related business within Saints Athletics effective Monday, September 18, the department announced Wednesday.
Nellis comes to the North Country from Canada, where he most recently served as Coordinator of Sport Information at York University in Toronto, Ontario.
"We are happy to have Mike join the Saints family," said Bob Durocher, Senior Associate Vice President for Athletics at St. Lawrence University. "He brings a wealth of relevant experience in the industry to the position and we are thrilled to have him join a staff that already boasts a group of hard-working individuals."
Nellis served as the sport information lead for Canada's third largest university from 2020 to 2023, where he had the opportunity to follow York's women's soccer program to a National Championship.
Prior to entering college athletics, the native of Ottawa, Ontario worked as Social Media and Communications Specialist with the CFL's Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2019, managing a brand voice with an audience of over 200,000.
Before Nellis moved to the prairies to work for the Riders, he was the Communications Manager for the Can-Am League's Ottawa Champions baseball club, where he doubled as the team communication lead and the play-by-play broadcaster from 2015 to 2019. His broadcasting career also included eight seasons of hockey play-by-play and colour commentary, beginning in 2011.
Away from the office, Nellis has spent his free time building an officiating career, where he has been a Level IV on-ice official with Hockey Canada. He officiated as high as Junior 'A' and has been selected to officiate at prestigious events such as the 2018 Telus Cup U18 national tournament qualifiers and the 2016 Arctic Winter Games in Iqaluit, Nunavut.
Nellis graduated with honors from Carleton University in his hometown of Ottawa, with a Bachelor's of Journalism from Carleton's esteemed School of Journalism and Communication; a school consistently ranked No. 1 among mass media educational programs across Canada.
Nellis will serve as the primary contact for field hockey, volleyball, cross country, basketball, swimming and diving, track and field, and softball.
To contact Mike, email him at mnellis@stlawu.edu.
