NEW ORLEANS – Sun Belt Conference Senior Associate Commissioner, Chief Communications & Branding Officer, Sam Knehans has been appointed to a four-year term on the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Division I Cabinet. 
 
The 10-member cabinet represents and advocates for issues related to sports communicators working at NCAA Division I institutions as part of the CSC governance structure. Knehans’ term will encompass the 2026-27 to 2029-30 academic years. 
 
Knehans has spent the past decade in NCAA Division I conference offices—The Ivy League and the Sun Belt Conference—and has been an active CSC member throughout his professional career. He has served on the CSC Convention Programming (2016-20), Professional Development & Education (2020-22), Creative & Digital Media (2018-Present) and Advocacy (2022-Present) committees and has been a CSC mentor (2020-Present). He was recognized with the organization’s Rising Star Award for his work, service, dedication, energy and enthusiasm for the profession in 2024. 
 
Knehans is a multi-time honoree in CSC’s Fred Stabley Sr. Writing contest, most recently earning recognition for his stories “Sun Belt’s Rise Continues with Coastal Carolina’s Run to College World Series Final” in the NCAA Division I Event Coverage category and “Rising Sun Belt Reaches New Heights with James Madison’s College Football Playoff Appearance” in the NCAA Division I Historical Feature category during the 2025-26 academic year. He also completed the organization’s Diversity & Inclusion Fellowship—in partnership with the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics—during the 2023-24 academic year. 
 
Knehans has overseen communications & branding during a transformative era for the Sun Belt, aiding in the transition of five new members—James Madison, Louisiana Tech, Marshall, Old Dominion and Southern Miss—into the conference and serving as the architect of the Sun Belt Rising branding campaign—highlighted by billboards in Times Square in New York City. 
 
In addition to Knehans, the 2026-27 CSC Division I Cabinet includes chair Rachel White of the Horizon League, vice chair Imry Halevi of Harvard, Courtney Day of DePaul, Dave Matter of Missouri, Scottie Rodgers of the Cotton Bowl, Ryan Sakamoto of the Patriot League, Sam Schwartz of Washington, Curtis Snyder of Colorado and Amy Yakola of the Atlantic Coast Conference.