INDIANAPOLIS – The Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) announced on Monday the addition of Marcel Atisso and ZaLeeya Martin to the Conference office staff as interns for the 2024-25 academic year, along with the return of Erin Perry who started in January.
“One of the most successful initiatives that we’ve embarked upon in the GLVC over the past several years is our internship program,” said GLVC Commissioner Jim Naumovich. “We’ve been very fortunate to secure some extremely bright, talented, and hard-working, young people to work on behalf of our member institutions in the conference office through the NCAA Division II Strategic Priorities Fund. This year’s internship class of Erin, Marcel, and ZaLeeya certainly uphold the lofty standards of their predecessors.”
A native of Gary, Indiana, Perry currently resides in Indianapolis while pursuing a Master of Science in sports management at the University of Indianapolis. During her time at UIndy, she worked in the retail sales department for the Indianapolis Indians and Indy Fuel between Oct. 2021 and Sept. 2022. Perry went on to aid her high school alma mater, Andrean (Ind.), as an Athletic Department Intern during the summer of 2023. In that role, she assisted with communications, event operations, and compliance.
Atisso – originally from West Lafayette, Indiana – is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in sports management at UIndy. During his time at Indianapolis, Atisso served as treasurer of the Sports Business Professionals Club from April 2022 to August 2023. His responsibilities included budgeting for club sponsored activities and planning unique member events. Additionally, Atisso has served internships with the NCAA and Pacers Sports & Entertainment. During those internships, Atisso assisted in marketing efforts for NCAA championships, along with facilitating mascot appearances and helping with aspects of game presentation for the 2023 Indiana Fever season. Atisso also has experience as a collegiate student-athlete, participating in track and field & football at UIndy.
Martin – a Shelbyville, Indiana native – is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Sport Management degree from UIndy with an anticipated graduate date of May 2025. In addition to her internship with the Conference, she currently works as a camera runner for NFL Films and a substitute teacher at Shelbyville Central Schools. Martin received a Bachelor of Science degree in health and movement studies from Hanover College in May 2023, while also working as social media director for the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), covering athletic events as a member of the event staff, and working as event director for her sorority – Kappa Alpha Theta. After graduation, she served as the student-athlete alumni representative for the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference's (HCAC) Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) committee. Martin was a sprinter on the track and field team at both Hanover and UIndy, breaking the HCAC 60-meter dash record and numerous school records for the Panthers.
With the GLVC, the trio will help with league championships in multiple ways, including soliciting food sponsors; assisting with championship preparation and execution; organizing in-game promotions; gathering data for research projects; and helping with social media initiatives and GLVCSN productions. More specifically, Perry will continue to assist with NCAA Rules Compliance, GLVC SAAC, and the GLVC SAAC Challenge while Atisso’s individual responsibilities will include organizing hotel accommodations, helping with championship manuals, and assisting with coordinating signage and the GLVC awards program. Martin’s duties will involve organizing staff transportation and community engagement initiatives, coordinating the GLVC apparel program, updating the GLVC directory, and compiling the weekly soccer card report.
Atisso and Martin began their tenure on July 24 at the annual GLVC Athletic Directors (AD) and Senior Woman Administrators (SWA) Summit in Jefferson City, Missouri.