Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby has announced new appointments to the Conference staff. Sara Stanley joins the Big 12 in a full-time position as Social Media Coordinator. Kayla Owens was selected as the 2021-22 Student-Athlete Programs Assistant while Avery Wright was named Championships Assistant. Joshua Conrad and Dajanne (DJ) Ramirez will serve this year as Will Hancock Communications Assistants.
 
With experience in both athletics and corporate communications, Stanley will manage the Big 12’s social media platforms. She began her career as an athletics communications intern at Syracuse University while earning a bachelor’s degree in sport management with a minor in marketing. Stanley’s next stop was at Tarleton State University where she served as an athletic communications assistant while obtaining her master’s degree in business administration. The New York City native’s most recent position was as marketing director for Stewart Law Group PLLC in Dallas where she handled social media, marketing and public relations duties. 
 
Owens brings a diverse background to the Big 12 with previous experience working on-campus at Texas Tech and as an intern with professional athletes and a political campaign. As part of her responsibilities, she helped plan and implement social justice initiatives in accordance with the “Black Lives Matter” movement. Owens was also the director of Miss Black Texas Tech University Scholarship Pageant. She received a bachelor of arts from TTU in 2019 and is completing a master’s degree in sports industry management through Georgetown University.  
 
Wright is a two-time graduate of Texas Tech with a bachelor’s degree in human resources and master’s degree in sport management. She served in two different positions for the Red Raiders athletics department, most recently as intern to Director of Athletics Kirby Hocutt. For the past year, she also worked as a graduate teaching assistant. Wright assisted with game operations at the 2021 Phillips 66 Big 12 Women’s Basketball Championship.
 
Conrad served the previous two years as media relations assistant in the University of Texas athletics communications office while earning his master’s degree in sport management. He gained previous experience at the student television station at the University of North Texas, where he received his undergraduate degree, as well as with the National Football Foundation, Texas Motor Speedway and FOX Sports Southwest.
 
A recent journalism graduate of Baylor University, Ramirez was the sports editor of the Baylor Lariat her final two years where she coordinated a staff of three. While working at the school’s newspaper, she gained experience as a writer, photographer and designer. Ramirez also spent two summers in her native Louisiana as an intern for the Acadiana Cane Cutters baseball team.