NEW ORLEANS – Sun Belt Conference Commissioner Karl Benson announced today the appointment of Toni Derby and Cat Krawiec as Assistant Directors of Championships.

Derby and Krawiec will be responsible for assisting with the championship administration and operations of all 18 Championship events, while also working with the coaches, officials, and campus administration.

“We are delighted to welcome Cat and Toni to the Sun Belt Conference and our staff,” said Sun Belt Commissioner Karl Benson. “They will be an integral part of our Championships department and a great asset to the entire Conference. We are very fortunate to have them join our team."

Derby comes to the Sun Belt having previously served as the Administrative Fellow for the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference in Edison, N.J.

“I’m excited to join the Sun Belt Conference and work on a staff dedicated to providing its student-athletes with great Championship experiences,” said Toni Derby.

While with the MAAC, Derby assisted the league and its 17 Championship sports by collaborating with on-campus event coordinators in the planning and execution of Championship events. She also created graphics for media releases and in-game promotions while also coordinating in-game promotions during all MAAC televised games.

Derby graduated from Pace University with a Bachelors of Business Administration in 2014.

Krawiec makes her way to the Sun Belt by way of the NCAA where she served as a Championship and Alliances Postgraduate intern. While at the NCAA, Krawiec worked in many facets of the organization such as event management, administration and operations. She assisted in the overall management and operations for several National Championships including DIII Women's Volleyball, DII Men's and Women's Basketball, National Collegiate Women's Gymnastics and Division I, II and III Men's Lacrosse.

“Thank you to the Sun Belt Conference Championships staff who has provided me this opportunity. I am excited to join the team and work with the office to make the Sun Belt Championships the most elite in the country,” said Cat Krawiec.

Prior to the NCAA, Krawiec was the Championships Assistant at the BIG EAST Conference where she assisted with the planning and execution of BIG EAST Olympic Sports Championships. She updated participant manuals for Olympic sports, created conference schedules for select sports and assisted with the coordination and delivery of awards, signage and equipment for events.

Krawiec is a 2013 Cum Laude graduate of Fairleigh Dickinson with a Bachelors of Science in Business Administration and received her Masters of Sports Administration from the same university in 2015.