INDIANAPOLIS – The Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) announced Monday the hiring of Ernest Sewood as the league’s new Director of Championships and Operations. He will begin his duties with the Conference on Aug. 28.
“I am beyond excited to join the staff at the GLVC office,” said Sewood. “The GLVC was home to me for many years through being involved with collegiate athletics in two different positions at former Conference member, University of Southern Indiana. Through those experiences, I was able to work alongside the GLVC staff multiple times and had the opportunity to learn more about how family-oriented the staff is. “I am passionate about producing championship caliber athletic events that highlight the success student-athletes work so hard to achieve all season long,” Sewood stated. I would like to thank Jim and the rest of the GLVC staff for the opportunity to become of member of the team. I would also like to thank my wife for her continued support through our journey.”
In his role with the GLVC, Sewood will oversee the planning and execution of all 24 Conference Championships, produce Championship manuals and P.A. scripts, manage travel accommodations, coordinate the GLVC Awards program, secure sponsors, and organize community engagement initiatives at select neutral-site Championships. Additionally, he will assist with Conference social media initiatives and other duties as assigned by the Commissioner.
Sewood arrives to the league office after spending the previous year as the Marketing, Fan Engagement, and Special Events Coordinator for the Auburn University at Montgomery (AUM) athletics department. In his role, the Michigan City, Indiana native collaborated with on-campus groups to maximize student participation in athletic events, build brand awareness for AUM Athletics, advocate equality and inclusiveness for all students and fans attending university athletic and special events, as well as train and oversee all athletic department graduate assistants and student workers. During the athletic seasons, he coordinated and executed all gameday, promotions for home contests, produced scripts for every home game and annual award ceremony, executed run of show duties, and managed the promotions budget for the department.
Prior to AUM, Sewood attended Southern Indiana (USI), earning a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degree in sports management in 2018 and 2020, respectively. During his time at USI, Sewood worked as a gameday operations graduate assistant, planning and hosting a plethora of events, including the NCAA Division II Cross Country Midwest Regional, the GLVC Soccer Championship Tournaments, and the Division II Men's Basketball National Championships. On top of multiple other NCAA tournament events, Sewood was responsible for planning and executing USI's Midnight Madness event, where he interacted with student-athletes and coaches, organized live entertainment, and coordinated with vendors.
“We are pleased to welcome Ernest to the GLVC family and grateful that he will be bringing his time and talent to our staff and help us advance the league and our championship events,” GLVC Commissioner Jim Naumovich stated. “He emerged as our number one choice from a talented group of eight finalists for our position. When Ernest first volunteered to assist us at the 2018 GLVC Soccer Championships in Jeffersonville, Indiana, I knew at that time he would make a great future addition to our staff, so it’s been rewarding to see this addition come to fruition.”
Sewood resides in Plainfield, Indiana, with his wife, Kylie, and their two dogs – Layla and Kobe.