Texas Border Business
RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Department of Intercollegiate Athletics announced on Friday promotions for the communications staff, as Jonah Goldberg is now the Senior Associate Athletic Director for Communications while Danny Elizondo is now the Assistant Athletic Director for Communications.
Together, Goldberg and Elizondo have brought unprecedented attention to the department, the university, and the Rio Grande Valley, helping to place more than 5,200 mentions in local, regional, national, and international media outlets from March 12, 2019, through March 11, 2020. According to Meltwater, which tracks UTRGV Athletics’ media exposure, these mentions carry an advertising value equivalency (AVE) of $145.31 million. AVE is calculated as the size of the article multiplied by the outlet’s advertising rate.
Since March 12, the day all competition was suspended in the Western Athletic Conference, Goldberg and Elizondo have helped UTRGV Athletics receive approximately 271 mentions with an AVE of about $1.35 million. This includes three stories on the front page of the local newspaper, The Monitor.
“From day one, I have been impressed with the work of our communications team. We are fortunate to have two individuals who have a passion for what they do and work tirelessly on behalf of Vaquero Athletics and the University,” UTRGV Vice President and Director of Athletics Chasse Conque said. “Jonah has established himself as a leader within our department. Not only is he the consummate professional, but he also serves as a valued member of our senior administration. Danny brings a wealth of experience and a love for the Rio Grande Valley that is unmatched. I am grateful for their dedication to their profession and this institution. Both Jonah and Danny have and will continue to contribute in many ways to our department’s success.”
Goldberg had been the Associate Athletic Director for Communications since Aug. 6, 2014, following one year and five months as Assistant Athletic Director for Communications. He started his current stint with the department on Nov. 18, 2011 as Director of Athletic Media Relations after previously working as a part-time sports information assistant and broadcaster during the 2007-08 academic year.
Elizondo has been with the department on a full-time basis since Sept. 13, 2013, serving as the Athletic Media Relations Manager following two years as a part-time sports information assistant.
Goldberg and Elizondo are two of the three longest-tenured employees with the department. They have worked with each other since 2008 when they worked for opposing United League Baseball (ULB) teams. Goldberg was the Director of Media Relations and Broadcasting for the Rio Grande Valley WhiteWings (then known as the Harlingen WhiteWings) while Elizondo held a similar position with the Edinburg Coyotes, which later resumed the Roadrunners moniker that had been adopted when professional baseball first came to Edinburg.
Goldberg and Elizondo later worked together with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA G-League, for whom Goldberg was the Director of Communications and Elizondo served as the lead statistician. Elizondo also occasionally served as the in-studio producer of radio broadcasts when Goldberg was doing color commentary for broadcasts of the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees, then of the Central Hockey League.
The dynamic duo not only works together on handling UTRGV Athletics’ media relations efforts but serve as the department’s baseball broadcast team, a role they have shared since 2012. They also run and maintain the department’s official website, GoUTRGV.com, and have successfully spearheaded two major redesigns since 2015.
Elizondo grew up in Edinburg and often went to games featuring legacy institution UTPA. He went on to attend and graduate from UTPA with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication, working with the athletics department for the first time when he started broadcasting baseball games as a student in 2008. He was honored as a UTRGV Unsung Hero this past spring.
“Danny is the epitome of a team player and I am very excited to see him get this well-deserved promotion,” Goldberg said. “He does whatever is necessary of him at all times and consistently embraces the amount of work that needs to be done. The reason I’m in a position to be promoted is because Danny has earned a promotion. We operate as a single unit and we make each other better. I’m proud to not only call Danny my co-worker, but my friend as well.”
Goldberg is originally from Merrick, N.Y. and graduated from Boston University with a Bachelor of Science in Journalism before earning his Master of Business Administration from UTRGV. Goldberg started calling the Rio Grande Valley home in May of 2007. He has earned numerous recognitions during his career, including third place in the 2018-19 College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Winter Game Notes Competition (second among men’s basketball entries), third place in the 2017-18 CoSIDA Spring Game Notes Competition (second among baseball entries), fourth place in the 2016-17 CoSIDA Fall Game Notes Competition (second among volleyball entries), 2015-16 National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators (NACMA) Marketing Team of the Year Honorable Mention, 2013-14 Sportscasters Talent Agency of America (STAA) People’s Choice Top 30 Sportscasters Under the Age of 30, 2012-13 UTPA Athletics Staff Member of the Year, 2010 Co-ULB Broadcaster of the Year and San Angelo Standard Times ULB All-Star Broadcaster, and 2009 ULB Broadcaster of the Year, ULB Communications Executive of the Year, and San Angelo Standard Times ULB All-Star Broadcaster.
 Department of Intercollegiate Athletics announced on Friday promotions for the communications staff, as Jonah Goldberg is now the Senior Associate Athletic Director for Communications while Danny Elizondo is now the Assistant Athletic Director for Communications.){kind=link}