Stephen Schwartz is a senior in sports media and communication and wrote the following alumni feature story for SMC 3510, “Strategic Sports Communication.”
On Saturdays in Ames, football fills Jack Trice Stadium with sound and color. Fans see touchdowns, marching bands and halftime fireworks. What they don’t always see is the team of communicators working behind the scenes to make sure every detail runs smoothly. Two of those professionals—Nick Joos and Kelsey Boal—share something in common. Both once sat in Iowa State classrooms, both leaned on the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication, and both now make their living shaping the stories of sports.
Their paths into athletics were different. Joos entered college already drawn to sports information, while Boal stumbled into the field almost by accident. But their careers show how Greenlee prepares students not only to discover opportunities but to seize them.
Nick Joos: building a career on being indispensable
Joos came to Iowa State from West Des Moines Valley High School as a freshman eager to be involved. He quickly found his place in the sports information office, serving as the baseball contact for five years.
“That would be my advice to all of you,” Joos told a Greenlee sports media class. “Make yourself indispensable. Do the little things so they can’t get along without you and want to hire you.”
Back then, men’s basketball under Johnny Orr was the hottest ticket in town. Joos started traveling with the team, learning firsthand how communications staff manage media access, game notes and the constant flow of stories. The connections he made—through coaches, administrators and fellow students—opened doors far beyond Ames. After graduation, Joos accepted a newly created internship at Nebraska, where he worked with the powerhouse Cornhuskers football program. From there he rose through athletic departments at Baylor, Missouri and UMass before returning to Iowa State as senior associate director. Over the years he has overseen communications, marketing, ticketing and even crisis management.
“It’s all about connections,” Joos said. “Athletic communications now include digital, social and creative—so there are greater opportunities now for students to network and make themselves indispensable.”
For students wondering if those long hours in the Greenlee office matter, Joos’ answer is “yes.” The time he spent traveling with teams, managing press responsibilities, and saying yes to small tasks taught him that consistency and reliability build trust—and trust builds careers.
Kelsey Boal: from tutoring athletes to the NFL
Boal’s route to the Kansas City Chiefs was less direct. She arrived at Iowa State in 2018 planning to pursue accounting. That changed after she took a campus job tutoring athletes, including quarterback Brock Purdy.
“I remember he told me, ‘You don’t really seem like you like this,’ and I said he wasn’t wrong,” Boal said.
Encouraged to explore what she truly enjoyed, she switched to public relations through Greenlee. From there, she dove into opportunities: joining the Sports Media Club, learning new skills, becoming a sports information student assistant and connecting with professionals who talked to a sports media class via Zoom during Covid. One of those guest speakers was Brad Gee, now her boss with the Chiefs. Boal’s willingness to say yes—even when she wasn’t sure she was ready—defined her journey. When Gee assumed she had InDesign experience, she didn’t back away. Instead, she signed up for an online course, teaching herself the software overnight. That extra effort paid off. After an internship in Kansas City, she was hired full time. In just a few years she moved from intern to communications manager.
“Networking was everything,” Boal said. “You never know the connections of the people you’re talking to. Don’t only give your time to people who can offer you something immediately—those connections are worth everything.”
Behind the curtain of game day
Both Joos and Boal say one misconception is that working in athletics is glamorous all the time. In reality, success depends on preparation, attention to detail and long hours. Boal describes Monday in the Chiefs’ office as “desk work days,” focused on producing the massive weekly release—hundreds of pages of statistics, storylines and roster notes distributed to media before every game. By midweek, she and her colleagues manage locker room media access, coordinate interviews and prep players for tough questions.
The work is thankless at times, but Boal insists it’s where students learn the trade. Even something as simple as restocking press box refrigerators with all the labels facing forward, she says, reflects professionalism.
“If we can’t get the fridge to look nice, how can we have anything else organized?” Boal said.
Joos echoes that mindset. Whether overseeing signage at a football game, coordinating NIL approvals, or preparing crisis responses, he believes success comes from mastering details. “No two days are the same,” Joos said. “But every day you’re solving problems and building trust.”
The Greenlee difference
For both alums, the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication was the place where opportunities became careers. Professors connected them with mentors. Clubs like sports media and classes gave them access to professionals. Classroom lessons turned into press box responsibilities and real-world confidence.
“I was nervous I wouldn’t have enough experience, but my connections and willingness to learn made all the difference,” Boal said.
For Joos, Greenlee set the tone for a career that has stretched from Nebraska to Baylor and back home to Iowa State.
“We’re always looking for opportunities to expand the Iowa State brand,” Joos said. “The relationships I built here as a student still matter today.”
Why their stories matter for future Cyclones
Parents and students considering Iowa State often weigh programs by what happens after graduation. The careers of Joos and Boal show that Greenlee doesn’t just teach writing, public relations or media theory. It creates pathways to professional sports, college athletics and beyond.
Greenlee students don’t have to dream of the NFL to find success. But as Joos and Boal demonstrate, the foundation they built at Iowa State—through mentorships, networking and hands-on opportunities—prepares them to thrive anywhere. Their advice is straightforward: be willing to do the little things, stay connected and never stop learning. Those habits, sharpened at Greenlee, are the difference between a student job and a lifelong career.