WAC Welcomes Tony Jones, Matthew Boyd To Conference Staff
DENVER – Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Commissioner Brian Thornton announced on Tuesday a pair of additions to the conference office staff. Tony Jones was hired as the WAC's assistant commissioner, communications, and Matthew Boyd was named the WAC's senior director, compliance.
Jones arrived at the WAC after serving the past three years as the assistant director of communications at the American Athletic Conference (2019-22). Jones oversaw communications efforts for 14 different conference sports while at The American including women's basketball, men's soccer, softball, golf and track and field.
"Having extensive experience at the Group of 5 level, Tony is prepared for this opportunity," Thornton said. "He knows what big-time college athletics should look and sound like. He will bring a tremendous work ethic and creative vision to our league."
Prior to The American, Jones spent seven years in the athletics communications office at the University of Notre Dame (2012-19). Jones also worked as an athletics media relations intern at the University of Louisiana Monroe during the 2011-12 academic year, was a summer 2010 new media intern with the National Football League's Buffalo Bills and spent two seasons as the media relations manager of the Jamestown Jammers (2008-09), the former Single-A minor league affiliate of the Miami Marlins.
Jones graduated with a bachelor's degree in journalism/mass communication with a minor in history from St. Bonaventure University in 2011.
Before joining the WAC, Boyd spent the last eight years working in compliance offices across the country at different institutions, most recently as the assistant AD of compliance at the University of Northern Colorado (2020-22).
"As college athletics continues to evolve, having a strong compliance presence is critical," Thornton said. "Matthew has experience at all levels of Division I and has a desire to effect change for our WAC member institutions and student-athletes."
Prior to Northern Colorado, Boyd served as the assistant director of compliance at Stanford University (2018-20) and assistant director of compliance at Kansas State University (2015-18). Before making the transition to working in athletics, Boyd was an assistant director in the financial aid office at William Jewell College in Kansas City (2012-15).
Boyd graduated from the University of Missouri Kansas City with a bachelor's degree in business administration in 2012 and went on to earn a master's degree in sports administration from the University of Central Missouri in 2015. Boyd and his wife, Amber, have three daughters, Emery, Aurora and Nikki.
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