Cal Poly Pomona announces appointments

Cal Poly Pomona fills five athletic department positions

POMONA, Calif. ¾ Cal Poly Pomona has made five appointments in its athletic department, Dan Bridges, Director of Athletics, announced today.

Brian Underwood has been named the Director of Development, David Ramirez is the Head Athletic Trainer, Steve Quintero is the Coordinator for promotions, game management and the Bronco Athletic Association, Paul Helms is the new Director of Sports Information and Maryann Tolano is the Publications and Promotions Specialist.

Underwood comes to Cal Poly Pomona from UC Irvine, where he was the Director of Community Programs since 1996. He had been with UC Irvine since 1991, serving also as an assistant coach for the men's basketball program, a lecturer for the Department of Physical Education and a Human Resources Coordinator. He was also a co-engineer and radio analyst for UC Irvine radio broadcasts of university basketball games.

At Cal Poly Pomona, he will be the Broncos' lead person for fundraising, which includes being executive director of Cal Poly Associates - an association of individuals, business and corporations whose objective is to provide athletic scholarships and support to student-athletes and their teams.

Underwood will also oversee three CPA annual events: the Bronco Golf Classic, the Green & Gold All-Sports Scholarship Dinner and the Membership Drive.

Underwood received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Cal Lutheran University and is expected to receive his Master's in management from National University in the fall of 2002.

Ramirez, who has been the interim head athletic trainer for the past three years, has had the "interim" label removed from his title. He will be in charge of ensuring the health and fitness of more than 250 student-athletes. He will also be responsible for the supervision and education of one certified athletic trainer and 12 student athletic trainers. He is also an instructor with the Department of Kinesiology working with those undergraduates who have an emphasis in athletic training.

Ramirez did his undergraduate work at Cal Poly Pomona, earning a bachelor's degree in Physical Education with an emphasis in athletic training. He was a student-assistant from 1989-91 and received his certification from the National Athletic Trainers' Association in 1991. He earned a Master's of Physical Education from Fresno State in 1993 and was certified as a strength and conditioning specialist in 1998.

He has been the Program Chair for the Far West Athletic Trainers Association since 1998. He holds memberships and certifications with the American Heart Association, American Red Cross, National Athletic Trainers' Association, California Athletic Trainers' Association, National Strength and Conditioning Association and is a certified massage therapist.

An avid runner, Ramirez has competed in 20 marathons. He and his wife Heather were married in July 1999 and reside in Long Beach. Heather is an assistant coach for women's volleyball at Loyola Marymount University.

Quintero, who was the interim Director of Sports Information for the past two years, will now coordinate the promotion of the athletic department and game management. He will also be involved in working with the Bronco Athletic Association. Quintero is a graduate of Cal Poly Pomona and has extensive experience in athletics. He was an assistant sports information director for the Broncos from 1993-96 and served as Director of Media and Community Relations at San Francisco State from 1996-99.

With a significant knowledge of NCAA rules and regulations, Quintero also maintains the department's respect and integrity by adhering to the bylaws of the NCAA.

Quintero earned his bachelor's degree in communications at Cal Poly Pomona in 1995. He is a graduate of Damien High School and resides in Pomona.

Helms comes to Cal Poly Pomona from the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, where he worked for the past 14 years. He wrote a sports column for several years and covered professional, college and high school events for the paper. Prior to the Daily Bulletin, Helms worked for weekly newspapers in Lake Elsinore and Temecula. His first job was at the Yucaipa-Calimesa News-Mirror.

He is responsible for the promotion, marketing and public relations for Cal Poly Pomona's 12 intercollegiate athletic teams. He supervises the production of all media guides, press releases and web pages for the athletic department. He also works daily during the academic year to maintain ties with the media so the department can receive coverage to a broad spectrum of the community.

Helms earned his bachelor's degree in communication from the University of Redlands in 1983. He resides in Long Beach with his wife, Caryn, and their 1-year-old twins, Drew and Emily.

Tolano begins her second year with the athletic department. She will be responsible for producing all athletic department publications including media guides, newsletters and selected press releases. She was an administrative assistant last year for marketing, promotions and development with the Office of Development in conjunction with the Office of Sports Information. She assisted in fundraising strategies to increase athletic department revenue.

Tolano, who was one of Cal Poly Pomona's most outstanding students, received her bachelor's degree in communication with an option in journalism. From 1999-2000, she was the news editor of Cal Poly Pomona's student newspaper, the Poly Post, overseeing a newsroom staff of 15 reporters.

She was also the President of Associated Students, Inc., Cal Poly Pomona's student government and she also assisted with the University's first-ever BroncoFest, which included activities, booths and entertainment focused at increasing awareness of Cal Poly Pomona to the community. She was also involved with bringing Los Angeles Laker great Magic Johnson to campus as a guest speaker.

Tolano also graduated from Workman High School and is a resident of Upland.