Elzey, Jonas Join BYU Athletic Marketing Department

PROVO -- BYU Athletic Department has announced the restructuring of its Marketing Department with the recent hiring of Kevin Elzey and Trina Jonas. The reorganization of the department - which officially took place on October 1, 2000 - is an effort to expand the marketing, promotion and sponsorship efforts of BYU Athletics.

Elzey, who previously worked at BYU with the Cougar Club, has been hired as the new Marketing Director for Consumer Development. He will be responsible for cultivating, retaining and developing new season ticket holders. In addition, he will create yearly marketing plans and promotional materials for football and men's basketball.

Jonas will assume the role as BYU Marketing and Promotions Coordinator for Olympic Sports. She will coordinate the marketing efforts for sports such as volleyball, soccer, baseball, softball, gymnastics and women's basketball. She will also work closely with current sponsors and seek to obtain additional corporate partners for BYU's highly-successful Olympic sports. Jonas was hired to replace Heather Barlow who left the University to pursue other opportunities last summer.

Mike Deaver, who has been in the marketing department the past 18 months, has been named the new Marketing Director for Corporate Partnerships. He will focus on fostering relationships with corporate sponsors and will work closely to coordinate promotional and sales efforts with BYU's broadcast partner KSL.

"Our efforts in marketing and promotions have grown tremendously over the past couple of years," said Duff Tittle, BYU associate athletic director for external relations. "Mike has worked extremely hard and made great strides in advancing our marketing program. He has shown us a glimpse of what could be done with the support of additional personnel."

With the change in structure, Deaver will now have more opportunity to focus on developing corporate partners and assuring that current sponsors are pleased with their association with BYU Athletics.

A 1997 graduate of BYU, Elzey has worked for Hill & Knowlton Public Relations in New York and Los Angeles. He was also a marketing representative at Ascensus Insurance Services in Salt Lake City before returning to the University as the assistant director of the Cougar Club. He is married to the former Lisa Day and they are the parents of two sons, Trevor, 4, and Zack, who was born Oct. 9.

"Kevin brings an understanding of the business world as well as a knowledge of the BYU system to our marketing efforts," Tittle said. "He is very organized and will focus his efforts on increasing attendance at our events and making sure Cougar fans have a good time while they are there."

One of the projects Elzey will oversee is the new Courtside Cougar's program. Developed for the upcoming 2000-01 men's basketball season, the program includes courtside seats, a pregame meal, reserved parking, a game program and other benefits.

"I am excited to join the BYU athletic marketing team," Elzey said. "There are many new and exciting things happening in BYU Athletics and I feel fortunate to be a part of it."

Jonas, a native of Vista, Calif., comes to BYU from the Rushford Ross & Orton Marketing Firm in Provo. She is a 1999 graduate of BYU and is married to Jason Jonas of Burbank, Calif.

"I'm thrilled to be back at BYU," Jonas said. "It's rewarding to work here and experience the other side of the University. I enjoy working in sports marketing and it has been great to see the progress we've made already."

"Trina has a wealth of experience in marketing research," Tittle said. "Her charge will be to increase attendance and continue to develop corporate partnerships for BYU's Olympic sports."

Former BYU volleyball and basketball star Mari Carpenter has also been hired in the marketing department as a part-time graduate assistant. She will assist in marketing and promoting Olympic sports and will oversee the newly created Cosmo's Kids Club.