Launched in 2017 through a unique collaboration between UC Davis Athletics and ASUCD, the ICA/ASUCD Fellowship was built for one purpose: to launch the next generation of leaders in college athletics. It’s a full-time, paid opportunity where you’ll dive headfirst into the real world of sports, all while receiving mentorship from seasoned professionals.
Each fellowship runs for a one-year term with the potential to extend their position (if mutually agreed upon) for a second year, giving you time to learn, grow, and make a lasting impact before you take your next big step. Anyone interested in applying should go to the UC Davis careers website and browse available jobs.
Fellows are hired in one of four department units:
💻 Communications
📸 Creative
🤝 Development
🏟️ Facilities/Operations/Events
What Our Former Fellows Had To Say
Letty Macias
Social Media Manager for Inland Empire 66ers/Former Athletic Communications Fellow
"As a fellow within the UC Davis Athletics department, I have been exposed to a wide range of areas across athletics on a daily basis, allowing me to build a well-rounded foundation that I will carry with me throughout my career. Before stepping into this role, I was a University of California, Davis graduate working as a social media intern for the Department of Strategic Communications. While I valued that experience, I always knew my long-term goal was to work in sports. When the opportunity to specialize in communications with an emphasis on social media through this fellowship became available, I was incredibly excited. It felt like the perfect intersection of my skills, passions, and professional aspirations."
"Over the past year and a half, this fellowship has provided me with meaningful hands-on experience, strengthened my ability to perform under pressure, and instilled in me the confidence to enter the workforce fully prepared. Managing social media in a fast-paced athletics environment challenged me creatively and strategically, while also teaching me how to collaborate across teams and departments."
"As an Aggie alum, it has been especially rewarding to continue serving the university in this capacity and deepen my connection to the community. Most importantly, this opportunity helped me secure a full-time position in Minor League Baseball which is an achievement that reflects how transformative this experience has been in shaping both my professional path and personal growth."
Chris Plasterer
Assistant Director of Marketing and Fan Engagement at UC Santa Barbara Athletics/Former Marketing Fellow
"From July 2024 to December 2025, I had the privilege of serving as the Marketing Fellow at UC Davis Athletics. My primary responsibilities at Davis were to build lasting, meaningful relationships between community groups and Athletics, run game presentation, and create marketing plans for teams, including giveaways and theme games. For instance, for select theme games, such as Pride Nights, Black Futures Celebrations, and Pet Adoption events, to name a few, I led outreach to bring these community and campus groups to include them in the games by having them table or participate in in-game activations. Building these relationships reinforced the role Athletics play at the collegiate level: creating a community that welcomes everyone, which results in fan loyalty. My proudest accomplishment while at Davis was the leading outreach and organizing of the Women’s Basketball team’s Field Trip Day in 2025, which featured 5,567 people from local schools and over 30 campus organizations from UC Davis to lead a STEM Fair. The most rewarding part of this experience was hearing back from parents and teachers describing how the game impacted their students: that made them want to interact with higher education, STEM subjects, and UC Davis more consistently."
"All of these experiences taught me meaningful lessons in my career. I learned how a Division 1 Athletic Department functions and all the moving parts that are needed to run a successful season from a competitive and external standpoint. Continuing from the external standpoint, I also learned several marketing and business strategies that are unique to college athletics and are necessary to continue a career in athletics. Most importantly, I learned how to be an effective leader. My time at Davis was full of working with experienced and motivating leaders – from my immediate supervisors of Gregory LaBella and Jack Keys to the department leaders of Danielle Shank and Rocko DeLuca. I learned to lead with tact, confidence, and how to guide a group of people to achieve a shared goal while instilling confidence in them by remembering their interests and learning style to lead people effectively. All of which results in the culture necessary to run a successful athletic department."
"All of this prepared me well for my current position at the University of California, Santa Barbara, as the Assistant Director of Marketing and Fan Engagement. In my current role, I have similar responsibilities as my role at Davis: I am tasked with community outreach and building relationships, managing game day experience for our athletic events, and overseeing our Marketing Intern program. I have continuously looked back to my time at Davis to lean on for examples. So much of what I did at Davis is translatable to my current job at UCSB, so I am well prepared for every situation I encounter, so I can approach each day with a level of confidence and joy that I would not have if I was not a fellow at UC Davis."
2025-26 Fellows
Sam Ault
Broadcast Fellow
"As a fellow, I am exposed to a number of fields within the Athletic Department on a daily basis that will provide me with a broad base of knowledge and experience going forward in my career. Working in both communications and TV broadcasting has helped me gain comfort with working under pressure in tight timelines, as well as confidence in my ability to pick up new skills quickly and apply them to my work. I am looking forward to furthering my involvement in the various facets of Aggie athletics as I progress within my fellowship, with the goal of making a significant positive impact on our sports teams and the fans that enjoy watching them play."
Max Thompson
Digital Media Fellow
"The fellowship program at UC Davis has helped me gain so much valuable experience. As someone who aspires to work in a creative field, and has been a lifelong athlete, this opportunity has been perfectly suited for my interests and goals. I have learned so much in my time here and I am so thankful for the hands-on experiences I have had, creating content for UC Davis Athletics."
Where our fellows landed 🌎
Alumni of the fellowship program have gone on to build impressive careers across professional sports, college athletics, media, and beyond.
- Connor Bunfill – Crewing Administrator at Fox Sports (2022-present)
- Kami Brewer-Pozzi – Constituent Engagement Support Specialist for Cal Aggie Alumni Association Development and Alumni Relations (2025-present)
- Shay Davidson – All for One Fund Asistant Director for Xavier Athletics (2025-present), All for One Fund Coordinator for Xavier Athletics (2022-2025)
- Jay Divine – Director of Broadcast Operations-University of Washington (2024-present), Assistant Director of Video Production and Creative Services-Seattle University Athletics (2023-2024)
- Andrea Gardner – Global Marketing Manager for UC Davis School of Law (2023-present), Digital Communication Specialist III for UC Davis Health (2022-2023), Public Affairs Specialist for WellSpace Health (2020-2022), Social Media Coordinator for Professional Bull Riders (2019-2020)
- Jose C. Gastelum Rubio – ICA Events Manager (2026-present), Events and Facilities Graduate Coordinator for Saint Mary’s College (2025-2026), ICA Events Manager (2023-2025)
- Josh Gomez – Property Administrator at Stanford (2023-present), Director of Facility Operations and Projects at San Jose Earthquakes (2021-2022)
- Jeff Hardy – Director of Event Mnagament Nevada, Reno Athletics (2024-present), Coordinator of Events and Game Operations at University of Nevada, Reno Athletics (2022-2024)
- CK Hicks – Director of Creative Content for Cal Men's Basketball (2021-present)
- Julliet Hill – Social Media Specialist for the Dallas Cowboys (2024-present)
- Troy Hoang – Multimedia Specialist for UC Davis Student Affairs (2023-present), Video Specialist, Randle Communications (2022-2023)
- Rebecca Libby – Associate Producer for ESPN (2024-present), Social Media Coordinator for Phoenix Suns (2023-2024), Social Media Assistant for Kansas City Chiefs (2022-2023)
- Letty Macias – Coordinator, Digital Content & Social Media, Inland Empire 66ers
- JD Mico – Associate Director of Athletics Communications and Digital Strategy for UC Davis Athletics (2025-present), Assistant Director of Communications for UC Davis Athletics (2023-2025)
- Connor Marohn – Assistant A.D., Development for University of San Francisco Athletics (2025-present), Assistant Director of Annual Giving for UC Davis Athletics (2025-2025)
- Matt Murphy – Program Manager, Though Leadership and Executive Visibility at Sutter Health (2025-present), Senior Communications Specialist for the School Employees Association (2023-2025), Assistant Director of Communications for UC Davis Engineering (2022-2023)
- Baylee Opperman – Administrative Assistant for Singleton Schreiber (2024-present), Director of Event Logistics for USA Pickleball (2024), Director of Tournament Operations for USA Pickleball (2023-2024), Sport Clubs Coordinator at UC Davis Campus Recreation (2022-2023)
- Jeremy Parks – Assistant Athletic Director of Marketing and Revenue Generation for New Mexico Athletics (2023-present), Marketing Manager for Portland Athletics (2021-2023)
- Dino Piazza – Assistant Director of Facilities and Operations at Sacramento State Athletics (2021-present)
- Chris Plasterer – Assistant Director of Marketing and Fan Engagement, UCSB Athletics
- Sean Rose – Head Soccer Coach for ALBION SC (2024-present), Equipment Rental Specialist at Sunbelt Rentals (2022-present)
- Alex Segovia – Account Executive of Group Sales for San Jose Earthquakes (2025-present)
- Gracie Soltero – Project Manager-Operations for ABM Industries (2025-present), Operations Supervisor for Live Nation Entertainment (2024), Conversion Manager at LAFC (2022-2024), Daily Operations Coordinator at SoFi Stadium/Hollywood Park (2021-2022)
- Lucas Stetter – UC Davis Athletics Facilities Manager (2023-2024)
- Ashley Tongol – Social Media Coordinator for UC Davis Student Affairs (2023-present)
- Kris Wan – Producer/Editor for the NY Red Bulls (2022-present)
- Allison Zohn – Forensic Scientist at Texas Department of Public Safety (2020-present)
