James Hill named Senior Director of Communications and Creative Content
FRISCO, Texas – The Southland Conference has announced the hiring of James Hill as the conference’s senior director of communications and creative content.
"I am thrilled to have James become part of the Southland family," said Southland Conference Commissioner Chris Grant. "As we explore endless opportunities to reimagine the Southland brand and modernize our communication services, his experience and creative skill set will allow us to explore more innovative ways to create content, amplify our student-athletes' accomplishments, and assist me in positioning the Southland to reflect the progressive spirit of our emerging membership."
Hill will be charged with the elevation of the conference’s visual branding efforts and leadership in communications.
“I am honored to accept this opportunity to work with this tremendous staff,” said Hill. “I am beyond excited to elevate the conference’s branding, creative, and communication standards at the Southland, while continuing to focus on the student-athlete experience as my top priority.”
Hill comes to the Southland from UT Arlington, where he was the primary media contact for women's basketball and track and field/cross country. His graphic work was featured in SkullSparks in each month of the basketball season and his coverage of the Mavs across local and national media elevated one of the best seasons in program history. He also worked extensively with facilities and broadcast partners to enhance the student-athlete experience.
Hill served as Assistant Athletics Director for Strategic Communications at Oklahoma Baptist University from 2019-21, where he led the department's communications efforts, including media and public relations, event operations, broadcasting and content creation for OBUBison.com and official social media channels. He also served as the sport administrator for lacrosse and softball.
Hills has also previously coordinated media operations for Southern Nazarene University (Okla.) and the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference and served in sports information offices with Southwestern University (Texas), Rhodes College (Tenn.), LeTourneau University (Texas) and Millsaps College (Miss.).
During the 2017-18 season, Hill, along with the Athletic Communications staff at Southwestern, was named the SCAC Sports Information Staff of the Year. He served as the Pirates’ primary football and baseball contact and headed up all graphic and social media content in addition to being a voting member in the D3football.com Top 25 poll.
Throughout his career, Hill has been active in administrating several NCAA championship events, including as the lead media contact for the 2017 NCAA Volleyball West Regional, and at the 2017 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball South Regional in Memphis. He has also provided official statistics for ESPN at the Independence and Liberty Bowls and worked numerous University of Memphis home football games and at the SEC Football Championship Game in Atlanta from 2013-17.
A native of Monroe, Louisiana, Hill spent four years at Millsaps College where he was a member of the football team which won three consecutive Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championships from 2007-09. Following his playing career he served as the "Voice of the Majors" as the play-by-play announcer for all Millsaps sporting events, as well as the SCAC basketball and baseball tournaments, and as the sports editor of the school's weekly newspaper, The Purple and White.
Hill earned his bachelor of business administration from Millsaps in 2011 with a degree in accounting, and his master of science in sports management from Southern Mississippi in 2021. He resides in Dallas with his wife, Kaitlin, and dog, Tank.
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