INDIANAPOLIS-Erik Christianson, former director of communications for the University of Wisconsin System, has been named director for public and media relations at the NCAA national office.
Christianson will focus primarily on NCAA governance and issues management, while also helping the national office accomplish goals tied to the NCAA strategic plan. He will supervise the media and public relations staff and report directly to Jeff Howard, managing director of media and public relations.
Christianson accepted the director of communications position for the eighth-largest public university system in the United States in January 2002. In that role, he provided public relations counsel for senior university leadership and public information colleagues on all 26 University of Wisconsin campuses. He coordinated and supervised the communications unit, which includes media relations, publications, marketing and online communications, and also served as the main university system spokesperson.
Prior to accepting the director of communications position, Christianson was the news and publications editor in the University of Wisconsin System, directing and managing news and publication projects. He also held the title of university relations specialist for the University of Wisconsin, Madison, where he developed key communications strategies, provided public relations, marketing support and counsel and wrote for the faculty/staff newspaper and alumni magazine.
In addition, Christianson worked as a special assistant to the administrator in the Division of Economic Support for the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development from January 1996-97. He also has newsroom experience with the Terre Haute Tribune-Star (1993-96); the Chicago Tribune in the State Capitol bureau (1993); the Farmington Independent (1990-92) and the New Brighton Bulletin (1989), which are suburban Minneapolis-St. Paul weekly newspapers.
Christianson is a member of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). His news writing has earned award recognition, including first place for community affairs reporting with the Hoosier State Press Association (1995) and second place for deadline news reporting with the Indiana Associated Press Managing Editors' Contest (1996).
Christianson graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in communications and journalism from Northwestern College in St. Paul, Minnesota. He also was a varsity baseball student-athlete while at the school. He earned his master's degree in public affairs reporting from the University of Illinois at Springfield.
