Rodkey, Michlig Named as Assistant Athletic Directors
Georgia Southwestern State University Director of Athletics
Jaclyn Kaylor announced today that current staff members Jennifer
Rodkey and Keith Michlig will both be elevated to Assistant
Athletic Director roles effective immediately. Rodkey will
serve as the Assistant Athletic Director for Compliance, while
Michlig will serve as the Assistant Athletic Director for Sports
Information and Marketing. The athletic department has been
without any Assistant Athletic Director position since Kaylor's
appointment as AD in November 2008.
Rodkey is currently working as the Compliance Coordinator for the
Hurricanes, a post she has held since August of 2007.
Jennifer is well acquainted with the inner workings of the
athletics department, as she is serving her second stint as a
Hurricane. She first came to Georgia Southwestern in 1999 as
an assistant coach for the women's basketball team under head coach
Kip Drown. After completing her Master of Education at GSW,
Jennifer worked for two years as an assistant coach again under
Drown at Grand Canyon University in Arizona. Rodkey returned
to Americus in 2003 to take the helm of the women's basketball
program at GSW.
As the Assistant Athletic Director for Compliance, Rodkey is
responsible for the NCAA rules compliance for the entire
department. This includes the monitoring of student-athlete
recruitment, financial aid, playing and practice activities, and
academic eligibility, as well as conducting compliance education
for the GSW coaching staff. Jennifer will also hold the
designation of Senior Woman Administrator within the department,
and she will supervise the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
Rodkey, an Austintown, Ohio native, earned her Bachelor of Arts in
English education from Bethany College in West Virginia. She is
engaged to Matt Stearsman of Kentucky.
When asked about her new position, Rodkey replied "I am very
honored and excited to assume this new role. I look forward
to helping our student-athletes and the athletic program grow and
succeed in NCAA Division II competition."
Michlig, a new arrival to Georgia Southwestern in the spring of
2008, is currently serving as the Sports Information Director for
the Hurricanes. Keith carries with him an extensive
background in professional and collegiate sports management,
marketing, and sports information. He came to Georgia
Southwestern from the South Georgia Peanuts baseball franchise,
where he served as General Manager from 2006 to 2007.
Prior his tenure in Albany, Michlig served as the director of
marketing and community affairs for the National Alliance for Youth
Sports in West Palm Beach, Fla. from 2003 to 2005. From 2002 to
2003, he worked as marketing manager for the Palm Beach County
Sports Commission, also in West Palm Beach. Michlig moved to
Georgia in 2000 to serve as director of marketing and promotions
for Mercer University athletics in Macon, Ga. In a two year span
with Mercer, he increased corporate sponsorship revenue by 92% and
increased fall sports attendance by 73%.
As the Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Information and
Marketing, Michlig is directly responsible not only for the upkeep
of all student-athlete statistics and team records, but also for
all public relations activities for the athletics department.
He keeps the Hurricanes' website current and runs all the game time
promotions during GSW athletic events. Michlig also assists
with fundraising initiatives for the athletics department, the
Hurricane Club and the institution.
"I am very grateful for this opportunity," Michlig commented.
"My first year with GSW has been tremendous. I think we've
come a long ways in a short period of time, and there's still a lot
of room to grow. Students have taken a greater interest in
what's happening in the department and the community has been very
receptive to programs and initiatives we've implemented."
Michlig also added that "our administrators have an outstanding
vision for Hurricane athletic success; I'm thrilled to be a part of
it in this role."
A native of Wausau, Wis., Keith earned a Bachelor of Arts in
business from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and a Master's
of Business Administration from Mercer. Keith and his wife, Angela,
have two boys, Brayden and Brantley.
Kaylor says she couldn't have picked two better people for the
job. "Moving Jennifer and Keith to these positions is crucial
to the function and management of this department. I am very
fortunate to work with two such passionate and capable individuals
who love and excel in their jobs. The hard work and energy
they put into making our Hurricanes successful is readily apparent
and contagious to those around them. So much of our everyday
success is directly attributable to Jennifer and Keith."
