DALLAS – Conference USA announced Thursday a number of staffing updates, as well as additions to the league office.
Conference USA has added four new staff members over the past several months: Jessica Radford (Associate Director of Communications), Anna Evans (Assistant Director of Business Affairs & Events), Addison Franklin (Assistant Director of Digital Content – Graphic Design) and Kensley Walters (Strategic Communications Assistant).
Radford oversees communications efforts for volleyball, women’s basketball, women’s golf and beach volleyball and returns to the league office after serving as the communications assistant in 2022-23. She rejoins CUSA following a year as the assistant director of communications at the Western Athletic Conference, where she managed the communications efforts of several sports, including women’s basketball, women’s soccer, volleyball and softball. A native of Detroit, Michigan, Radford graduated with a bachelor's degree in mass communications with a focus in general broadcasting in May of 2020 from Norfolk State, where she was a four-year member of the Spartans’ volleyball team. Radford earned a master’s degree in communications with a focus in media and public relations from Pacific in May of 2022.
Evans is responsible for the day-to-day functions of the business office including accounts payable, accounts receivable (inc. sponsorships), purchasing card reconciliations, deposits, and officials’ payments, travel and expenses. She also helps oversee the execution of all special events hosted by CUSA. Prior to joining CUSA, Evans served in a similar role as the assistant director of administration and special events for the WAC. Evans graduated from Louisiana Tech in March of 2018 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. She received a Master of Arts degree in English from Louisiana Tech in November of 2020.
Franklin leads the production and design of creative content for distribution on league channels and serves as the secondary contact for day-to-day management of CUSA’s social media accounts. His prior experience includes serving as the graphic designer and digital content creator for the Dallas Jackals and as the social media intern for the Frisco Bowl. In May of 2023, Franklin received his bachelor’s degree in marketing from Abilene Christian University, where he assisted as a graphic designer and photographer for the Wildcats’ athletics department. He also holds a master’s in organizational leadership from Claremont Lincoln University.
Walters oversees communications efforts for cross country, indoor track & field, bowling, women’s tennis, men’s golf and outdoor track & field. She is a recent graduate of the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, where she was a four-year student-athlete on the acrobatics & tumbling team. During her senior year, Walters served as a sports information intern at UMHB. Her responsibilities ranged from writing feature articles and game recaps, conducting interviews, photography and capturing and editing video. The Grand Prairie, Texas, native also interned with Dave Campbell’s Texas Football and CBS 11.
Additionally, a pair of staff members earned promotions in Josh Yonis (Assistant Commissioner for Strategic Communications) and Eric Jones (Associate Director of Communications).
Yonis is entering his third year with the league and oversees the league’s communications office and serves as the primary contact for football and softball. Yonis joined CUSA following a four-year stint at the Southland Conference, most recently as senior director of communications. He served as the league’s primary contact for football, men’s basketball, soccer, beach volleyball, men’s and women’s golf and baseball. A Southlake, Texas, native, he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in sport management from Southern Methodist University in 2015 and earned his master’s in sport management from Dallas Baptist University in 2017.
Entering his third year with CUSA, Jones oversees communications efforts for women’s soccer, men’s basketball, men’s tennis and baseball, while serving as a secondary contact for football. He began his career as Assistant Director of Strategic Communications at Louisiana Tech University, serving as the primary contact and social media manager for volleyball, bowling and baseball. Jones graduated from Texas Tech University in December 2021 with a bachelor's degree in sport management and an emphasis in media communications. The Dallas native is a former student-athlete, playing two years of baseball at Weatherford College before transferring to Texas Tech University in 2019.
The league also announced the renewal of the Diversity & Inclusion Postgraduate Internship role for Taren Johnson, who provides administrative assistance to the league office and contributes to various departments to support conference initiatives. Johnson previously served as a Football Operations Intern at both Maryland and Towson, where he assisted both staffs with day-to-day team operations, compiling practice statistics, as well as recruiting and roster operations tasks. A native of Fulton, Md., Johnson graduated from Towson with a bachelor’s degree in sports management and a minor in business administration.