Klinghard named APSU director of corporate relations
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. 鈥 Alaric Klinghard, who served as Austin Peay State University coordinator for athletics marketing and promotions, has been named the University鈥檚 director of corporate relations.
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. 鈥 Alaric Klinghard, who served as Austin Peay State University coordinator for athletics marketing and promotions, has been named the University鈥檚 director of corporate relations.
The announcement was made Monday by Derek van der Merwe, vice president for Advancement, Communication and Strategic Initiatives. Klinghard replaces Steve Shaw, who resigned in September. In this new role, Klinghard will oversee the University鈥檚 corporate partnership program and take a lead role in developing major gifts for Governors athletics.
鈥淒uring my tenure at Austin Peay, I have had the opportunity to work with many outstanding people who are passionate about this great University and are willing to go the extra mile to do things right,鈥 van der Merwe said. 鈥淎laric Klinghard is one of those individuals. He is a Governor and believes in the mission and vision of this great University. It is an honor to continue to work with him in this capacity.鈥
For the past three years, Klinghard coordinated the athletic department鈥檚 marketing and promotion efforts. He worked closely with van der Merwe, APSU鈥檚 former athletics director, and with Ryan Ivey, APSU鈥檚 new director of athletics. During his tenure, Austin Peay athletics improved its online presence in social media, launched an online ticketing site (LetsGoPeay.com/SportTix) and developed the ability to process online donations and payments for the Governors Club (www.apsu.edu/advancement/athletics-giving). Klinghard also developed close relationships with several APSU athletics corporate sponsors.
A Summertown native, Klinghard arrived at APSU in 2002 as a student in the Mass Communications program. He worked in the APSU Sports Information Office for four years, earning his B.S. degree in 2006. He returned to APSU in 2007 in a temporary position in sports information and marketing, where he helped develop APSU鈥檚 marketing and promotion efforts under former athletics director Dave Loos.
During that stint, Klinghard oversaw in-game productions for Governors football and basketball, developing game scripts and managing in-game activities, while also working in the Sports Information Office.
The amplified game-day productions led to the creation of the full-time athletics marketing and promotions coordinator position in 2009. Klinghard was named sports information/marketing and promotions coordinator in 2010, before becoming fulltime marketing and promotions coordinator two years later. That same year he completed a M.S. degree in Sports Leadership from Duquesne University.
Klinghard is a member of the Downtown Kiwanis Club and a 2013 Leadership Clarksville graduate. Community involvement and relationships within the Clarksville-Montgomery County area have played a critical role in his professional development.
Klinghard is married to the former Katie Bell, a 2005 Austin Peay graduate and a 2010 Nashville School of Law graduate. They have two sons, Noah, 15, and Owen, 3.
-- Brad Kirtley