We have some personnel news to report from the Boise Hawks (Short Season A; Northwest League) and the Akron RubberDucks (Class AA; Eastern League).
In Boise, the Hawks have announced several staff appointments, including three full-time front office staff members and four interns for the 2017 season.
Judy Petersen, Brad Israel, Matt Osbon, Victoria Ress, Morgan Buhr, Colton Hampson and Thomas Marble have all joined the Boise Hawks staff for 2017.
“We are excited about having the new faces joining our team. As our staff continues to grow, we look forward to creating an even better fan experience,” said Hawks general manager Bob Flannery.
The Hawks have hired Judy Petersen as the team’s accounting manager. Petersen had worked previously with Duke, Scalin, Hall Law Firm. Additionally, Matt Osbon has been brought on as an account executive after spending the 2016 season with the Hawks in a seasonal role. Finally, Brad Israel has been promoted to the team’s stadium operations coordinator.
Morgan Buhr (College of Idaho), Colton Hampson (University of Nevada) and Thomas Marble (Mississippi State University) have joined the Hawks at seasonal Account Executives. Also, Victoria Ress (Boise State University) has returned to the Hawks from a gameday role to media relations and marketing coordinator.
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In Akron, the RubberDucks have announced several changes within their ranks.
Jody Sellers joins the staff as the director of ticket sales. This season will mark his 16th year working in baseball. Most recently, he was the executive director of sales for the Bridgeport Bluefish of the Atlantic League. Prior to that, Sellers was the general manager of the Southern Illinois Miners and assistant general manager of the River City Rascals, both teams from the Frontier League. That followed his time as the corporate sales manager of the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds and stops with several other clubs. Sellers is a native of Steelville, Missouri, and holds bachelor’s degree from Truman State and a master’s degree from Western Illinois University.
“We are pleased with the new additions to the front office. With their experience and love for baseball, we will continue to have a strong front office focused on providing the best in affordable family fun in Northeast Ohio,” said RubberDucks general manager Jim Pfander.
In the food and beverage department, James Phillips is the new executive chef. Most recently he was the Executive Sous Chef at Canterbury Golf Club. This will mark his first season working in professional sports. He is a resident of Medina and a graduate of The University of Akron. Ohio. Bob Demyan joins the department as its new assistant director of Food and beverage. Demyan has spent the last four seasons as the Dayton Dragons’ Senior Concessions Manager for Professional Sports Catering. He is from Grafton, Ohio, and graduated of The University of Akron.
Zach Aaron is taking over as the coordinator of creative services. Aaron spent last season as a production assistant for the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. He has also worked with the Trenton Thunder and Pittsburgh Steelers. He is from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, graduating from Point Park University.
James Parsons joins the staff as the assistant director of ballpark operations. Parsons has spent the last five years for working for the Mahoning Valley Scrappers in the food and beverage department. He is from Columbus, Ohio and graduated from Muskingum University.
Three new ticket sales executives include Dominic DeMarco, Kyle Hixenbaugh, and Thyran Nowden. DeMarco is a native of Cleveland and graduate of Bowling Green State University. He served as a Food and Beverage Intern with the RubberDucks in 2016. Hixenbaugh is a Logan, Ohio, native who graduated from Ohio University where he recently worked for the school’s athletics department and as the baseball team’s student manager. Nowden has a bachelor’s degree from Bowling Green and a master’s degree from Kent State University. He most recently worked in the school’s ticketing office and field house after serving as a marketing intern in 2015.
The front office also added six ticket associates from the RubberDucks Ticket Associates Program. Brandon Fish is from Falconer, New York. He is entering his fourth season working in Minor League Baseball and he will be graduating from Kent State this spring. Jeff Bell graduated from Malone University with a degree in Sports Management where he was a student facilities and sports information manager. He’s also worked in baseball serving as a marketing intern with the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs. Joe Mayancsik is from Greenville, North Carolina, and attended East Carolina University where he majored in Communications and Public Relations.
Lisa Roos has five years of experience in sports, including working with the Cincinnati Reds serving as a game-day employee. She graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a sports administration degree. Las Vegas native Rik Segel will graduate this spring from Bowling Green State University. He has recently worked as an intern for the University of Toledo Athletic Ticket Office. Tyler Liles graduated from Bowling Green with a degree in sports management. He has previously worked with the Toledo Mud Hens on its beverage team. Tyler has lived in California, Hawaii and Texas before settling in Ohio.