Mike Williams Position: Associate Athletics Communications Director

After working as a student and graduate assistant at Illinois State, Mike Williams returned to his alma mater in 2009 to serve as the assistant media relations director for Redbird Athletics Communications.

In 2011, he assumed the role of associate athletics communication director and is the primary contact for the Illinois State football program. In addition to covering the Redbird football team, he has also served as the media contact for Redbird track and field, and in 2010, he was the media coordinator for the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championship hosted by ISU.

Williams also oversees the student intern training and development program for the athletics communcations office and directly oversees the student media contacts for the swimming and diving program and the gymnastics program. He is also the staff liaison between the athletics communication office and the athletics development office.

Before returning to Illinois State, Williams served as the assistant director of athletics media relations at Indiana State where he was the primary contact for Sycamore men's basketball and cross country for two years, and football for one year. In 2007 and 2008, Williams served as the media coordinator for the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships held in Terre Haute, Ind.

Prior to that, Williams worked three years in the Illinois State Athletics Communications office, including the last two as a graduate assistant. During his two years as a graduate assistant, Williams was the secondary football contact and the primary contact for the baseball program.

Originally from Lincoln, Ill., Williams earned his bachelor's degree from Illinois State in 2004, and his master's degree, also from ISU, in 2007. Williams lives in Pontiac, Ill., with his wife, formerly Amanda Thomason, a 2005 Illinois State graduate.