Ramsey Baker (Class of '93), the associate director of athletics at Union the last two and a half years, will be leaving his alma mater in order to take a position as the assistant executive director for corporate Relations and Marketing at the United States Figure Skating Organization. Baker will begin his new duties in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on January 2.
“This is a wonderful opportunity for Ramsey and we certainly wish him and his wife, Denise, all the best,” said interim director of athletics, Dwight Wolf. “Ramsey has brought a great many new and innovative ideas to Union and his high level of energy and enthusiasm will be missed.”
Baker joined the Union athletic staff in September of 2002 and oversaw marketing, promotions, season ticket sales, corporate sponsorship and event management. Prior to Union, Baker was the director of PR/marketing and CEO of the Scholar-Athlete Games for the Institute for International Sport. Preceding his time with that job he served as the sports information director at Jacksonville University in Jacksonville, Fla. In 1999 he earned an MBA with a concentration in marketing from Georgia State University, where he served as an assistant sports information director for two years.
“I am extremely thankful to have the opportunity to be working for one of the premier sport organizations in the world,” Baker said. “U.S. Figure Skating represents the highest level of amateur sport, and with the U.S. Championships right around the corner, I can't think of a better time than now to get to know the people that make the organization work.
“Union has, and always will hold a special place in my heart. The decision to leave the College was a difficult one, but I know that my time here has prepared me well for the next step in my career, Baker continued. “I will miss the people that I work with every day a great deal, those that I knew as a student who later welcomed me as a colleague, and the many new faces that I met during my last two and a half years at Union. I think the thing that I will miss the most is the family of student-athletes and coaches that Union has. The most enjoyable part of each week for me was watching our teams compete, sharing in their joys of victory and feeling for them in defeat. Now I will be relegated to 'watching' via the internet, or through a call to the sports hotline. It won't be the same as being there, but Union will always have a huge fan wherever I am.”
As assistant executive director for corporate relations and marketing at U.S. Figure Skating, Baker will manage U.S. Figure Skating's image and visibility while enhancing public understanding of the organization; develop and implement communication, sales and marketing strategies; supervise all aspects of PR, media relations, the web site and publications; direct and coordinate sales, promotions and sponsorships; and assist local organizing committees in promoting U.S. Figure Skating events.
In addition to his collegiate athletic administration background, Baker has been involved with major international event management, serving as the CEO of the 2002 European Scholar-Athlete Games and the 2001 World Scholar-Athlete Games, the director of operations for the 1999 United States Scholar-Athlete Games, and the director of volunteers and assistant to the commissioner of PR/marketing for the 1997 World Scholar-Athlete Games.