Coker hires assistant director for athletics media relations
Ashley Thornton. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Ashley Thornton has been hired as an assistant director of athletics media relations at Coker University, announces Director of Athletics Media Relations Jake Miller. Thornton comes to Coker from the North Carolina Department of Public Safety, where she was a communications specialist. She created department publications and assisted with social media, as well as assisting with the development of marketing plans. She has also been volunteering in the Athletic Communications office at William Peace University, assisting with statistics, digital content and game management. “Ashley emerged as the best candidate for this position based on her volunteer experience and her involvement in college athletics,” said Miller. “She has a well-rounded set of skills that she will certainly build upon here at Coker.” Thornton was a two-sport athlete at Averett University, participating as both a member of the volleyball and tennis teams. She was involved on campus as a student volunteer in the Sports Information office, a writer for the campus student magazine and the women’s tennis Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) representative. The Goldsboro, N.C., native holds a Bachelor’s of Arts in Journalism from Averett (2019), and is pursuing her Master’s of Science in College Athletic Administration at Coker.