Celona and Bautista Tabbed for External Strategy Roles
10/13/2023 12:00:00 PM | Athletics
The duo will work to elevate Dartmouth Athletics through innovative and creative strategies
HANOVER, N.H. — Mike Harrity, Dartmouth's Haldeman Family Director of Athletics and Recreation, announced the hiring of Chris Celona as the Senior Associate Athletics Director for External Strategy, and Tim Bautista as the Associate Athletics Director for External Engagement. Both positions are part of the restructuring of Dartmouth's external areas to focus on revenue generation, strategic content and brand management.
"With the addition of both Chris and Tim to the Big Green team, we found two extremely talented individuals that will help lead our efforts to elevate Dartmouth Athletics through innovative and creative strategies," stated Kristine Fowler, Senior Deputy Athletics Director and Chief Operating Officer.
Celona is returning to New England after spending the last dozen years out West. His most recent post was with the University of Arizona, where he began in 2017 and led the comprehensive ticket sales and service campaigns for the Wildcats' nine ticketed athletic programs. He oversaw all traditional and digital marketing campaigns as well as 19 full-time staff in the day-to-day operations over four athletic department units, plus was responsible for the department's multimedia rights and contract negotiations.
Celona shared, "I am honored and excited to be joining the Dartmouth Athletics and Recreation team. Dartmouth has a rich tradition of academic and athletic excellence, and I am extremely eager to help build on it. The future for the department is so bright, and I am looking forward to being a part of it. I would like to thank Mike Harrity and Kristine Fowler for this incredible opportunity, and my family and I cannot wait to get to the Upper Valley and get started." Â
Prior to his stint at Arizona, Celona reimagined department-wide ticket operations and customer service initiatives as well as developed the departments ticket operation's comprehensive road map for 11 ticketed sports at the University of California Berkeley.
Celona is from Yonkers, New York, and began his career at UMass where he received his bachelor's degree in sport management. In his role at Dartmouth, he will oversee all day-to-day activities of ticketing, marketing and fan engagement, creative and strategic content, and broadcasting and multimedia, as well as work closely with Dartmouth's Learfield partner, Big Green Sports Properties. He will begin his duties at Dartmouth on Nov. 1 and will be joined in the Upper Valley by his wife, Michelle, and children, Aiden, Skylar, and Laney. Â
Bautista began in his role with the Big Green overseeing all marketing, ticketing and fan engagement on Oct. 2. He had been on staff at Army West Point since July 2021, first as the assistant athletics director of marketing and fan engagement before being promoted to assistant athletics director of strategic communications and engagement. In those roles, he directly oversaw all promotional and fan engagement elements for football and led the team that oversaw those elements for all ticketed sports.
"I am thrilled to be joining the Big Green community at this first-class institution," Bautista said. "I want to thank Mike Harrity, Kristine Fowler and the entire search committee for their time and effort during the process. Go Big Green!"
A 2013 graduate of Old Dominion with a bachelor's degree in sport management, Bautista earned his master's in education in 2016 while working as the athletic marketing coordinator at his alma mater that year. He went on to work as an inside sales consultant for the Cleveland Browns before spending a year and a half as the sales and marketing coordinator at the Wells Fargo Arena at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines. Bautista had additional stops at Cal State Fullerton as the coordinator of fan experience, and then as the assistant director of marketing at Appalachian State for two years prior to being hired at Army West Point.
"With the addition of both Chris and Tim to the Big Green team, we found two extremely talented individuals that will help lead our efforts to elevate Dartmouth Athletics through innovative and creative strategies," stated Kristine Fowler, Senior Deputy Athletics Director and Chief Operating Officer.
Celona is returning to New England after spending the last dozen years out West. His most recent post was with the University of Arizona, where he began in 2017 and led the comprehensive ticket sales and service campaigns for the Wildcats' nine ticketed athletic programs. He oversaw all traditional and digital marketing campaigns as well as 19 full-time staff in the day-to-day operations over four athletic department units, plus was responsible for the department's multimedia rights and contract negotiations.
Celona shared, "I am honored and excited to be joining the Dartmouth Athletics and Recreation team. Dartmouth has a rich tradition of academic and athletic excellence, and I am extremely eager to help build on it. The future for the department is so bright, and I am looking forward to being a part of it. I would like to thank Mike Harrity and Kristine Fowler for this incredible opportunity, and my family and I cannot wait to get to the Upper Valley and get started." Â
Prior to his stint at Arizona, Celona reimagined department-wide ticket operations and customer service initiatives as well as developed the departments ticket operation's comprehensive road map for 11 ticketed sports at the University of California Berkeley.
Celona is from Yonkers, New York, and began his career at UMass where he received his bachelor's degree in sport management. In his role at Dartmouth, he will oversee all day-to-day activities of ticketing, marketing and fan engagement, creative and strategic content, and broadcasting and multimedia, as well as work closely with Dartmouth's Learfield partner, Big Green Sports Properties. He will begin his duties at Dartmouth on Nov. 1 and will be joined in the Upper Valley by his wife, Michelle, and children, Aiden, Skylar, and Laney. Â
Bautista began in his role with the Big Green overseeing all marketing, ticketing and fan engagement on Oct. 2. He had been on staff at Army West Point since July 2021, first as the assistant athletics director of marketing and fan engagement before being promoted to assistant athletics director of strategic communications and engagement. In those roles, he directly oversaw all promotional and fan engagement elements for football and led the team that oversaw those elements for all ticketed sports.
"I am thrilled to be joining the Big Green community at this first-class institution," Bautista said. "I want to thank Mike Harrity, Kristine Fowler and the entire search committee for their time and effort during the process. Go Big Green!"
A 2013 graduate of Old Dominion with a bachelor's degree in sport management, Bautista earned his master's in education in 2016 while working as the athletic marketing coordinator at his alma mater that year. He went on to work as an inside sales consultant for the Cleveland Browns before spending a year and a half as the sales and marketing coordinator at the Wells Fargo Arena at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines. Bautista had additional stops at Cal State Fullerton as the coordinator of fan experience, and then as the assistant director of marketing at Appalachian State for two years prior to being hired at Army West Point.
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