JERSEY CITY, N.J. (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | Alex Falk, an athletic communications veteran at three schools over the last decade, including the last two-and-a-half years at Manhattanville College, has been named Director of Athletic Communications, Digital and Creative Services at New Jersey City University, Shawn Tucker, Associate Vice President and Director of Athletics has announced. He began in the new role on January 19, 2021.
 
Falk succeeds Ira Thor, formerly the Assistant Director of Athletics for Strategic Communications, who held the role for the previous 20 years from August 2000 to August 2020 — the longest tenured SID in the history of the university — before being promoted to Senior Director of University Communications and Media Relations and university spokesperson on August 3, 2020.
 
"I am extremely grateful for this opportunity at New Jersey City University," said Falk. "The NJAC has a very strong reputation in NCAA Division III for high-level competition, and moreover I am very excited to be a part of such an on-the-rise program as NJCU. Thank you to Shawn Tucker, Danielle Beam and the rest of the search committee for choosing me to replace a stellar athletic communications professional in Ira Thor after his 20 years of industry-leading service to the department. While it is bittersweet to move on from a wonderful program at Manhattanville, I am excited to begin my tenure at NJCU. Getting to work with a new group of passionate coaches and administrators, as well as being able to dedicate myself to improving upon the wonderful student-athlete experience of all those within the Gothic Knight community is a set of challenges I look forward to taking on."
 
Tucker said: "We are elated to have Alex join our NJCU Athletics community! He is a rising star in the business that has worked at reputable institutions. Alex is someone we have the utmost confidence in to effectively build upon the excellent foundation established by Ira Thor over the last two decades and to continue to elevate our communications, marketing and digital content to new heights." 
 
Falk will be responsible for the leadership, execution and support of NJCU Athletics in the newly restructured Athletic Communications, Digital and Creative Services department, blending the traditional athletic communications/sports information (SID) role with enhanced digital and creative content services. He will oversee all creative services, broadcasting, video production, video editing, graphic design and more for the school's 22 varsity programs as part of one of the fastest growing athletic departments in the nation.
 
Falk arrived at Manhattanville as the Director of Athletic Communications in August 2018. There he was responsible for the day-to-day operations of the athletic communications department, including written, video and digital content on GoValiants.com and all @GoValiants social media channels, in addition to the creation and production of graphics, programs, posters and all home gameday programs. He also oversaw production and broadcasts on ValiantVision, the official home of Manhattanville Athletics gameday broadcasts and simultaneously managed statistical coverage for all Valiant home events as well as departmental media relations, including all 22 varsity programs. Part of his responsibilities also included overseeing two graduate assistants and more than 16 student assistants.
 
Among his accomplishments during his tenure in Westchester County, Falk rebranded the department from sports information to athletic communications and worked with SIDEARM Sports on a three-year live event broadcasting agreement, moving from YouTube and leading to the creation of ValiantVision. He was also responsible for assisting with the annual Hall of Fame and Athletics Awards banquets. On the institutional side, Falk served as the communications chair of Manhattanville's staff council and on the College's overall communications and social media team.
 
Prior to Manhattanville, Falk spent two years on the corporate side as an account executive for Catalyst Public Relations in both New York and Los Angeles, from April 2016 to April 2018. There he was responsible for composing releases, client communication, content creation, project management, talent planning and media tours, while handling day-to-day PR deliverables. Falk spent the majority of his time focusing on Courtyard, the "Official Hotel of the NFL" and served in a media relations capacity for the brand's many events and touch points throughout the season, including the NFL Draft, Super Bowl and more. He also worked with top athletes like Drew Brees, Eli Manning and Clay Matthews, and worked with a number of national-level media outlets during his time at Catalyst.
 
Falk spent three seasons (September 2013 to April 2016) as the Assistant Sports Information Director at New York University, working under the tutelage of CoSIDA Hall of Famer Jeff Bernstein while aiding in the coverage of the Violets' 23 varsity programs. He spearheaded the statistical operations, social media presence and website design for the office while producing gameday broadcasts, programs and publications. A highlight of his NYU experience saw Falk travel to Italy with the women's basketball program, chronicling the trip with photography, video, social media and written content. He assisted in launching "Violet Nation," the official fan section for NYU Athletics.
 
Falk began his career as an Athletic Communications Assistant at the University of Pennsylvania, where he was responsible for eight of the 33 varsity programs for the Division I Quakers, including the Ivy League Champion softball program, which he traveled with during their run to the NCAA Regional at Texas A&M.
 
Falk is a member of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) and serves on the New Media committee. He has presented on a Photoshop panel at the 2015 national conference as well as on a Content Creation panel in 2020. In the Fall 2020 issue of CoSIDA 360, he co-authored "Providing a Quality Student-Athlete Experience."
 
He is also a member of the Eastern Athletic Communications Association (EAST-COMM, formerly ECAC-SIDA) and votes weekly during the winter on the USCHO.com Men's Top 15 and Women's Top 10 polls. He previously served as a voter in 2018-19 on the d3hockey.com Top 15/Top10 hockey polls.
 
Falk completed his undergraduate studies in media management at Drexel University in Philadelphia in 2012. While at Drexel, he spent four years with The Triangle, Drexel's student newspaper, including two-and-a-half years as the sports editor. A Dean's List Scholarship Recipient, he also held several undergraduate internships, most notably with NBC Sports, the Philadelphia Daily News, and the Philadelphia 76ers. He earned an M.S. in Sports Business at New York University in 2017.
 
A New Jersey native, Falk is a 2008 alumnus of Westfield High School. He resides in Port Imperial along the Hudson River with his wife Kayleigh and their boxer Louise. The couple is expecting their first child in February 2021.
 
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COLLEGE TRANSACTION: 

NEW JERSEY CITY UNIVERSITY—Named Alex Falk new Director of Athletic Communications, Digital and Creative Services.