South Hadley, Mass. – August 13, 2019 - Mount Holyoke College Chair of Physical Education and Director of Athletics Lori Hendricks '92 is pleased to announce that Jon Santer has been hired as the Associate Director of Athletics for Communications.  He began his duties with the Lyons on Monday, August 12.

In this position, Santer will be responsible for all media relations for the 14 varsity sports at Mount Holyoke College. This includes maintaining the Mount Holyoke College Athletics website, developing social media content, managing game day operations, and producing season schedules, game programs and other athletics publications. 

"I could not be more excited to begin this next chapter of my professional career as the Associate Director of Athletics for Communications at Mount Holyoke College," said Santer. "I would like to thank Mount Holyoke College Chair of Physical Education and Director of Athletics, Lori Hendricks, as well as the search committee for having the confidence in me to be able to fill this vital role within the Lyons' athletics department. I look forward to telling the stories of the incredible student-athletes at Mount Holyoke, and helping to create a first-class experience during their time on campus."

A native of East Longmeadow, Mass., Santer comes to Mount Holyoke College from Springfield College, where he was the Coordinator of Media Relations for the past five years. At Springfield College, Santer was the primary media relations contact for 13 varsity sports, including men's and women's soccer, men's and women's cross country, women's basketball, women's gymnastics, men's and women's track and field, baseball, softball and women's lacrosse.

"I am so excited for Jon to join Lyons Nation!" commented Hendricks. "He brings experience, energy, and an appetite for excellence.  As our department completes its new strategic plan, Jon will play a central role in promoting our student-athletes and alumnae. He brings with him many tools to tell the stories of our athletics family.  Our collective athletic achievements, academic accomplishments, and professional contributions provide distinction for the College and speak to Mount Holyoke's commitment to intercollegiate athletics as an integral part of the higher education experience.  Jon is the best person to support this next phase of our ambitious work."

While at Springfield College, Santer was tasked with the creation of a weekly video series called "Inside the Pride", in order to assist with Springfield's recruiting efforts. Santer also created all game day programs for home contests and helped Springfield College rise to become one of the nation's leaders in social media at the Division III level. 

In addition to his duties with Springfield College, Santer also spent the last three years with the National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA), the governing body for Division III women's gymnastics. With the NCGA, Santer served as the Director of Communications and Strategic Media beginning in June of 2016, before becoming the Executive Director of the governing body in July of 2018.

As the Executive Director of the NCGA, Santer was in charge of administering and enforcing the association's policies and procedures, while also working hand-in-hand with the association's administrators and coaches. Santer also worked to pursue and complete major initiatives for the organization, including the creation of an alumnae database, establishing a partnership with Champions Choice, and implementing a fundraising platform where online donations can be accepted.  In addition, Santer spearheaded the creation and implementation of a new logo, managed a website redesign and completed a promotional video for the NCGA to utilize for marketing and promotions purposes, particularly as it related to corporate sponsors.

Santer graduated from Springfield College with a Bachelor's degree in Communications and Sports Journalism, and is currently working towards a Master's degree in Athletic Administration. During his time with the Pride, Santer was a four-year member and two-time captain of the men's lacrosse team, helping the Pride to four-straight conference titles and four-consecutive trips to the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament.