Lots of new faces in the Altoona Curve (Double-A Northeast) front office, including the announcement of Nate Bowen as the new General Manager, becoming just the the sixth GM in franchise history.
He replaces Derek Martin, who moves to the Property and Casualty Insurance Division at Leavitt Group – L.R. Webber Associates. Martin will step down from his day-to-day responsibilities at the Curve and serve as a Senior Advisor where he will assist Nate in his new role as well as assist in the development of Corporate Partnerships for the 2022 season.
The 2022 season will mark Bowen’s tenth season as a member of the Altoona Curve front office after spending the past three seasons as Assistant General Manager. He first joined Altoona as the Communications and Broadcast Assistant in 2013 before rising through the ticket sales department, he was named Assistant General Manager in the fall of 2018.
“Nate has been an integral part of our team here for a long time. He has helped our organization in countless ways throughout his career, and we all think that he is ready for this next challenge,” said Curve Chief Operating Officer David Lozinak via press statement. “Nate has extensive experience in all aspects of our operation, so he’s just not a pretty voice that most people have heard on the radio; he’s an extremely intelligent individual that is well-versed in minor league baseball. He is a natural successor to Derek since Nate has been his right-hand man for the past 3 ½ years, and we expect him to excel with Derek’s help along the way.”
A native of Fremont, Ohio, Bowen earned a bachelor’s degree in Broadcasting/Mass Communications/Public Relations from Baldwin-Wallace University in 2009 and began his career in professional baseball as a broadcast and media relations representative with the Princeton Rays (Rookie; Appalachian League), Durham Bulls (Triple-A; International League) and Northwest Arkansas Naturals (Double-A; Texas League).
Bowen’s time in the broadcast booth in Altoona stretched across five seasons that included the 2017 Eastern League Championship clincher, the 2014 Eastern League All-Star Game as well as the Pirates vs. Altoona Curve exhibition game at PNG Field in 2013.
The Curve also made the following personnel announcements.
Jess Knott has been named Director of Corporate Partnerships after previously serving as the Curve’s Director of Ticketing since the fall of 2018. Knott began her career in Curve, PA as a Box Office Intern in 2014 and was hired as a full-time Ticket Associate in 2015 before being named Box Office Manager beginning in 2017. A standout basketball player at Altoona Area High School, where she graduated in 2010, Jess played two seasons of college basketball at Lycoming College before finishing her degree in Business at Penn State in 2015.
Ed Moffett returns to the Curve after spending three seasons with Altoona rising to the role of Senior Ticket Account Manager. As Director of Ticketing, Moffett will oversee all ticket sales and operations. A native of Bernville, PA, Moffett graduated from Penn State and spent three seasons with the Reading Fightin Phils (Double-A; Eastern League) before joining the Altoona front office in the fall of 2016.
Joining the ticket department on a full-time basis is Austin Finochio as Box Office Manager, Maddie Shetrom, Rebekah Grainer and Reagan McKeon as Ticket Account Managers.
A Hollidaysburg native, Finochio joined the Curve during the 2021 season after earning his degree in Sport Administration from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. While at IUP, Austin was a member of the Kappa Theta Chapter of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity and held multiple different leadership positions and a member of IUP’s Sport Management club. Prior to arriving at the Curve, Austin completed internships in Athletic Facilities with the Kiski School and served as a Sports Director with the YMCA of Indiana County.
Shetrom also joined the Curve during the 2021 season after obtaining her degree in Communications from Le Moyne College where she was a member of the Women’s Basketball team after starring at Altoona Area High School. A member of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee while competing for the Dolphins, Shetrom is thrilled to be back home working for the team she grew up watching.
Grainer hails from Richmond, VA originally and attended James Madison University before joining the Curve for the 2021 season as a Sales Intern. While earning her degree in Sport Management and Recreation Management with a minor in Business, Grainer worked with the local county’s parks and recreation department where she helped run the afterschool program at local elementary and middle schools and spent the 2019 season as a gameday ticket sales representative with the Richmond Flying Squirrels (Double-A; Eastern League).
A native of McKees Rock, PA, McKeon graduated from Penn State a semester early in December 2020 with a degree in Advertising and Public Relations. She comes to the Curve from the York Revolution where she interned for two seasons in Marketing and the Box Office. Reagan grew up in Northern Virginia, while at Penn State she was part of Alpha Delta Pi sorority and the John Curley Center for Sports Journalism.
The Curve also welcomed Ryan Long to the full-time staff as Concessions Assistant. Long hails from Centre Hall, PA and graduated in 2021 from Penn State with a Management and Marketing degree and a minor in Entrepreneurship. While in school, he was a member of the Sheetz Fellows Entrepreneurial program which gave him opportunities to travel and network. Through the program, he met Curve General Manager Derek Martin who has become Ryan’s mentor.
In the Creative Services Department, Morgan Ebersole has joined the team as Creative Services Assistant. A native of Martinsburg, PA, Ebersole worked as a Front Office Intern for the Curve in 2019 and completed her degree in Graphic Design at Pennsylvania College of Technology in May of 2021 and re-joined the team during the 2021 season doing gameday production and assisting the Creative Services department.
In the Ballpark Operations department, Matt Clark has been hired as Assistant Groundskeeper after spending the 2021 season assisting Head Groundskeeper, James Petrella. A native of Wadsworth, Ohio, Clark completed his degree in Sport Administration at the University of Louisville. Clark worked as a member of the Gameday Grounds Crew with the Akron RubberDucks (Double-A; Eastern League) for the 2017 and 2018 seasons before joining the Louisville Bats (Reds, Triple-A) as the Stadium Operations Intern. Clark then spent the 2020-21 academic year working with University of Louisville Athletics as a Stadium Operations and Facilities Assistant.