University of Tampa athletic director Larry Marfise has announced that Laura Zambrana has been hired as the director of marketing for the athletics department. In this position, Zambrana will overseesthe athletic marketing, sponsorship and promotional efforts, in addition to directing the student athletic marketing club.

She previously worked for the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA). While at NACDA, she served as a liaison between the National Office and four Affiliate Associations, including the Collegiate Event and Facility Management Association (CEFMA), the International Collegiate Licensing Association (ICLA), the National Association of Division Ill Athletic Administrators (NADIIIAA) and the National Alliance of Two-Year Athletic Administrators (NATYCAA). She also assisted with NACDA and affiliate sponsorship initiatives and the award management process and facilitated the planning, coordination, and execution of both the NACDA and Affiliates Convention Week, hosting over 6,500 attendees, and the ICLA Winter Symposium, hosting over 400 collegiate licensing professionals.

As an undergraduate at the University of Missouri, Zambrana served as a fitness intern with Des Peres Parks and Recreation Department, overseeing programming, staffing and scheduling and special events.  Zambrana also spent time as a student-athlete development intern in the Mizzou athletic department, focusing on community outreach, career development, end of the year banquets and ROARs, an ESPY-like occasion celebrating the academic, athletic and community achievements of student-athletes.  Additionally, she worked at the recreation center, MizzouRec, as a TigerX group fitness instructor.  Zambrana was also a member of the Rho Phi Lambda honorary service fraternity, Alpha Delta Pi sorority, a CAFNR peer career coach, Mizzou baseball’s Tiger Crew, Team Mizzou, a coach for Girls on the Run and a volunteer for the Walking School Bus.

After graduating from University of Missouri, Zambrana served as an event operations and marketing intern for the St. Louis Sports Commission.  She assisted in the planning and operations of the 2015 NCAA Division I and Division II Wrestling Championships and the 2015 NCAA Women’s Bowling Championships.  Zambrana had responsibilities including special events, financial tracking, VIP servicing, event presentation, tickets and communications.

Zambrana spent the next two years as the communications and marketing graduate assistant in Maryville University’s athletic department.  At Maryville, she performed marketing and communications duties for all 21 athletic programs and special events including social media engagement, graphic and infographic design, game day programs, marketing content, tickets and game statistics.  Zambrana also coordinated event management and operations for all home athletic events and special events with responsibilities including fan engagement, promotions, guest services, outside group experiences as well as set-up and break down of events.  Zambrana was awarded the 2016-2017 SAAC Choice Award for her work in the athletic department and around the Maryville University campus.

As a graduate, Zambrana studied abroad in London where she served as a marketing intern for the Victoria and Albert Museum.  In addition, she was a member of the Girls on the Run St. Louis Young Professionals Board. She has also served as panelist at the 2018 NCAA Career in Sports Forum (Intern & Graduate Assistant Panel).

Zambrana holds a master’s of business administration from Maryville University in St. Louis and a bachelor’s of science in parks, recreation and tourism with an emphasis in sport management, along with a minor in Spanish from the University of Missouri.