BALTIMORE, MD – Johns Hopkins University Assistant Director of Athletic Communications Jill Guise has been selected as the 2025 recipient of the Eastern Athletic Communications Association's (EAST-COMM) Ann King Advocacy Award it was recently announced.  Guise will be honored at EAST-COMM's annual workshop on June 26.
 
The Ann King Advocacy Award is presented to a female with at least 15 years of experience in the Sports Information/Athletic Communications field.  The award is designed to honor an individual who exhibits a strong advocacy for intercollegiate athletics who has also mentored and improved the impact of women in the profession.  She will have demonstrated a passion to uplift those around her within the field.
 
King, who passed away in in 2023, was a staple in the Sports Information/Athletic Communications field and spent 37 years in the profession.  She was in her 15^th year at Russell Sage College at the time of her passing and had previously spent more than 17 years as the Sports Information Director at The College of New Jersey and six years as the Sports Information Director at Drew University, her alma mater.
 
EAST-COMM established the award in King's honor in 2024 and she was posthumously named as the inaugural recipient at organization's 2024 workshop.
 
"EAST-COMM has made an outstanding selection of Jill as the 2025 recipient of the Ann King Advocacy Award," noted Ernie Larossa, Associate Director of Athletics and Director of Athletic Communications at Johns Hopkins.  "Since she arrived at Johns Hopkins in 2006, she has passionately served EAST-COMM and has served as a mentor to countless individuals in our profession, including, and most notably, young women who were making their start in the athletic communications field.  The vision of her providing counsel and advice – both personal and professional – is something I was fortunate enough to watch Ann do for more than 30 years and I know she would be thrilled to see that Jill has been selected to receive this prestigious award."
 
Guise is in her 20^th year as the Assistant Director of Athletic Communications at Johns Hopkins and directly handles publicity efforts for 11 of Johns Hopkins' 24 varsity athletic programs (women's lacrosse, men's basketball, men's soccer, field hockey, water polo, men's & women's swimming, men's & women's fencing and men's & women's tennis).  The Blue Jay women's lacrosse program competes in the Big Ten at the Division I level.  In addition, she has served as the Secretary on the EAST-COMM Board of Directors since 2008.
 
During her tenure at Johns Hopkins, Guise has served as the media coordinator for a number of NCAA and Centennial Conference Championships and helped lead the media relations efforts for the 2019 and 2022 NCAA Division I Women's Lacrosse Championships that were hosted at Johns Hopkins.
 
"Three prominent members of the EAST-COMM Board of Directors, including the current President, Vice President and College Division Representative, spent at least one year working at Johns Hopkins since Jill arrived.  Each has rightfully earned their position on the board and at their respective institutions, but I know they, like so many others, have benefited greatly from the time they spent working closely with Jill.  Her example of initiative and humility and an understanding of how to build meaningful relationships with colleagues and student-athletes is a blue-print for how to build an impactful career in our profession."
 
The longest-tenured female holding an administrative role in the Department of Athletics at Johns Hopkins, Guise has served on numerous search committees for coaches, staff and administrators since arriving at Hopkins and, similar to her position in the athletic communications world, she is a valued and trusted voice within the department whose counsel and advice is sought by students and staff alike.