Welcome home Molly O’Mara (@HeyMollyMol)! New @UMassAthletics Assoc. AD/ Communications & PR: http://t.co/22p4iEvI73 pic.twitter.com/LY3XLGM6BL
— UMass Athletics (@UMassAthletics) July 20, 2015
The University of Massachusetts’ second newly-created athletic position of the summer was filled Monday after UMass athletic director Ryan Bamford announced Molly O’Mara will be the first associate director of athletics for communications and public relations.
O’Mara, a 2004 UMass graduate, will officially take over the position August 3 and will be tasked with supervising all areas of communications within UMass athletics.
Among her general responsibilities will be becoming the main media relations contact for the football program and overseeing department messaging, media relations, internet strategies, social media, graphic design and video production, according to the University’s press release on Monday.
Following brief stints in media relations at Texas Tech and Arkansas, O’Mara spent the past five years working at the University of Arizona, with her most recent role coming as associate communication services director.
Much of O’Mara’s past positions have revolved around each university’s football programs, which was a quality that stood out to Bamford, who has made his intentions of continuing to develop UMass as a growing FBS program known since his hiring in March.
Among her various football program accomplishments, O’Mara has coordinated media efforts for eight college football bowl games, six NCAA championships, two SEC championships and one Pac-12 championship.
“Molly is an outstanding communicator with an unbridled passion for her alma mater,” Bamford said in the press release. “Her experiences at programs in the Big XII, SEC and Pac-12 conferences will elevate our athletic communications and enhance our senior leadership team as we continue to grow as an NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision program.”
O’Mara said in a statement that returning to UMass has been a goal for years and she shares Bamford’s excitement in the Minutemen’s growth as a football program and athletic department as a whole.
“I’m a proud UMass graduate and the chance to work at my alma mater is one I have always worked towards,” O’Mara said in the press release. “I’m excited for the future of UMass athletics under Ryan’s leadership and I look forward to working with the staff to elevate UMass athletics to new heights.
“As the Commonwealth’s Flagship University, we will strive to be at the forefront of traditional, digital and social communications while building strong relationships, locally and nationally.”
O’Mara graduated from the Isenberg School of Management with a degree in sport management and spent her final two years as a student working for the media relations department.
O’Mara was the second official to be named to a newly-created role. In early June, Bamford announced Darrice Griffin would be the University’s first senior associate athletic director for internal operations/senior woman administrator.
Anthony Chiusano can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @a_chiusano24.
