WESTLAKE, Ohio | Florida Memorial's Assistant Athletics Director for Communications Habtom Keleta has been selected to participate in the Minority Opportunities Athletic Association (MOAA) Rising Stars Mentoring Program.
"It is a true blessing to be selected for the MOAA Rising Stars Mentoring Program," said Keleta, who has been a director in athletics communications in higher education for 13 years. "I find it extremely valuable to give back to our youth. It's crazy to think I'm already considered an elder in the world of sports information, but I've been in the game for a while, learning from some of the best athletic directors and sports information directors in the industry. I'm truly honored and humbled that my athletic director Jason Horn noticed my hard work enough to nominate me for this opportunity, and now I have a chance to pour back into the lives of the new generation of sports communicators and journalists such as my new SID assistant Armany DePaul."
The MOAA Rising Stars Mentoring Program is designed specifically to support the early career of promising minority athletic administrators through educational sessions and workshops. The program emphasizes professional development, both personally and professionally, with a purpose of providing minority administrators, early in their careers, with tools regarding how to add value to their brand, position themselves for their next career move, and enlighten individuals on the "unwritten rules" of the industry. MOAA is committed to investing in its membership and future industry leaders.
The program will begin in conjunction with the 2023 MOAA Symposium and annual NACDA Convention at the World Center Marriott Resort in Orlando, Fla.
This is a fantastic opportunity for young professionals to receive personalized training from respected industry veterans (like Keleta) who find themselves answering this frequently asked question. "What do you know now that you wish you would have known when you first started your career in athletics?"
The orientation and opening session will be held on Saturday, June 10 from 12 noon to 4:00 p.m. at the World Center Marriott Resort, followed by the MOAA Symposium Sunday, June 11.
Keleta joined Florida Memorial University as Assistant AD for Communications and SID in August of 2022 after a stint in the news media at Tegna's KYTX CBS19 as a digital contest producer in East Texas.
Before moving to South Florida, he worked at the following HBCU's: Wiley College, Dillard University, the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and his alma mater, Grambling State University. At GSU, during COVID-19 pandemic, he revolutionized the NCAA and HBCU's with a live weekly show on Instagram that featured some of the most prominent figures in the history of Grambling athletics. The platform allowed him and his crew to share positive stories amongst HBCU fans during an unprecedented time in collegiate athletics that helped uplift and encourage student-athletes, alumni, fans and youth.
