COLONIA, N.J. – East Coast Conference Commissioner Jessica Grasso has announced the elevation of Nikki Philpot to Assistant Commissioner for Strategic Communications. Philpot enters her second year with the ECC, and 14th in collegiate athletics, in 2024-25. 

"Nikki has assisted in enhancing our conference profile in the time she has been with the ECC," said Grasso. "I am excited to recognize the work she has done thus far, as well as the elevated role she will fulfill going forward for us."

Philpot oversees the day-to-day publicity and communication efforts and assists in managing the championships of the ECC’s 20 Division II sports, coordinates weekly awards, statistics, and records, and is responsible for the conference’s digital and social media strategy. She also serves as the conference’s Senior Woman Administrator and supervises the ECC’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. 

In her first year as the conference’s Coordinator of Strategic Communications, Philpot oversaw the transition of the ECC’s website redesign in partnership with SIDEARM Sports and rebrand in partnership with Skye Design Studios. She also served as the producer of conference championship broadcasts on the ECC Sports Network, the conference-wide streaming platform, and implemented social media initiatives that saw the conference’s social media following grow by 24 percent. 

Prior to the ECC, Philpot spent a majority of her career as the Assistant Director for Athletics Communications at Saint Joseph’s University. A former Division II softball player and SAAC member at what is now Dominican University of New York, Philpot began her career with a yearlong internship in Dominican’s Sports Information Office and coached softball at both Dominican and fellow DII member Georgian Court University.