INDIANAPOLIS, IN - DePauw Associate Director of Athletics Communications Ashleigh Jones and Washington & Jefferson College Sports Information Director Shea Stanton have been named to the first class of the NCAA Division III Athletic Communicators Emerging Elite Program. The inaugural set of 30 participants for the new program were announced by the NCAA Division III Governance staff on Friday, November 8.

Jones and Stanton were selected as two of the 30 Division III athletic communicators who were nominated this fall by their leaders and peers for participation in the program, which takes place December 9-10 at the NCAA National Office in Indianapolis, Indiana. In addition to the in-person program in Indianapolis, all participants will be able to receive a one-time complimentary registration to the next College Sports Communicators (CSC) Convention held annually in June.
 
The program's goal is to provide professional development and networking opportunities for athletic communicators, particularly those early in their careers seeking to advance to a director-level position or those who have recently become a director. Topics discussed will cover a variety of professional development areas that may include leadership training, networking, positioning yourself to oversee a staff, collaborating with others, navigating expanded responsibilities, and more. The Athletic Communicators Emerging Elite Program will be held annually in December in Indianapolis.