Jon Holtz is the longest tenured member of the Athletics senior leadership team at Slippery Rock and has been part of the Athletic Communication Department since January of 2009.
He was named director of athletic communication in 2014 and oversaw the transition of the office from its former title, Sports Information, to its current title. Since transitioning the office to the title of Athletic Communication, Holtz and his staff have earned more than
165 national and regional awards for their work in publications, graphic design, writing, the website and as overall communications professionals, including 113 College Sports Communicators (formerly CoSIDA) awards and 34 "Best in the Nation" distinctions.
POSITION OVERVIEW
The coverage of SRU's 17 athletic teams is split among Holtz, the assistant director and the graduate assistant. Holtz's primary responsibilities include the coverage of the football program and men's and women's cross country teams in the fall, the men's and women's indoor track and field programs in the winter and the women's lacrosse and men's and women's outdoor track and field teams in the spring. He also handles the creative direction and graphic design projects for all sports.
Holtz and his staff are responsible for the design, layout and all current and historical content on the official Athletics website,
RockAthletics.com. The Athletic Communication Office is also responsible for the official social media accounts for Slippery Rock Athletics, including the department's video initiatives and YouTube, X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and Instagram accounts. Since adding social media to the athletic communication department in 2010, Slippery Rock has built one of the highest social media followings among all Division II schools. Holtz and his staff also handle all reporting to the PSAC and NCAA and the nominations of SRU student-athletes and coaches for hundreds of awards annually.
The Rock were also the first Division II school in the nation with their own streaming device applications for viewing live sporting events. Holtz and his staff launched the "Rock Athletics Digital Network" in 2017. The network has free apps available for download on Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Android TV devices and broadcasts more than 100 SRU home events every year.
LEADERSHIP AND COMMITTEE WORK
• President of Division II Sports Information Directors Association (Current)
• College Sports Communicators Advisory Council Member (Current)
• College Sports Communicators Division II Cabinet Member (2021-22, 2024-Current)
• President of Eastern Athletic Communications Association (2018-19)
• Executive Board Member (presidential rotation) of EAST-COMM (2017-21)
• Atlantic Region Representative of D2SIDA (2016-22)
• Board Member - SRU Hall of Fame Committee (2014-Current)
• Advisor - SRU Men's Club Lacrosse (2014-Current)
AWARDS AND HONORS | Full List
• 113 CSC Design, Publication and Writing Awards
• 34 “Best in the Nation” awards from CSC
• 24 “Gold” Awards (Collegiate Advertising/Education Digital Marketing/Educational Advertising)
• 2x National Excellence in Communications Award winner from USTFCCCA
• 2022 EAST-COMM Irving T. Marsh Award
• 2019 Mansfield University Outstanding Young Alumni Award
• 2007 ECAC-SIDA Bill Esposito Memorial Award
CAREER PATH
• Slippery Rock University (2009-Current)
• Lycoming College – Sports Information Director (2008-09)
• U.S. Military Academy at West Point (Army Athletics) – Athletic Communications Assistant (2007-08)
• Mansfield University – Sports Information Intern (2005-07)
COLLEGIATE / ATHLETIC CAREER
• Two-year captain of the track & field and cross country teams at Mansfield University
• Member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC)
• Member of the Mansfield Literary Society
• Studied English Literature
PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
• College Sports Communicators (CSC)
• Eastern Athletic Communications Association (EAST-COMM)
• National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators (NACMA)
• Division II Sports Information Directors Association (D2SIDA)
• USA Track & FIeld - Level 1 Coaching Certification
PERSONAL
• Native of Shortsville, New York
• Received bachelor’s degree from Mansfield University in 2007
• Resides in Slippery Rock with his wife, Andie
