GUNNISON, Colo. --- The Western Colorado University Athletic Department is excited to announce the hiring of Clayton Jones as the Mountaineers' new Assistant Athletic Director of Communications.
 
Jones comes to Western after spending the 2018-19 school year at New Mexico Highlands University as the Assistant Athletic Director of Communications and External Relations and brings more than 15 years of combined experience in athletic communications, journalism and public relations, including at the NCAA Division I, Division II and junior college levels.
 
"We are extremely pleased to have Clayton Jones join our Mountaineer team as our Assistant AD of Communications as he will be leading the charge in telling the Mountaineer story of our student-athletes and playing a key role publicizing the 13 NCAA sports and two varsity sports Western Colorado University athletics sponsors," Western Colorado Director of Athletics Miles Van Hee said. "Clayton brings a wealth of knowledge and experience that will be very valuable to our athletic department and university. We look forward to Clayton joining our overall team efforts in elevating our image as we continue to build and create a culture that embraces our mission, vision and values of our department."
 
Jones guided the NMHU athletic department to a third-place finish in the 2018-19 RMAC J.W. Campbell/Con Marshall Sports Information Department of the Year voting – the only school in the top three that had just one full-time employee in communications. Jones turned the NMHU communications department around by drastically increasing traffic on the department's website, more than doubled the reach of the NMHU social media accounts in a year, improved the game day atmosphere at Cowboy and Cowgirl home games and oversaw the redesign of NMHU's athletic website and logo.
 
"First, I want to thank Director of Athletics Miles Van Hee and Western Colorado University for this fantastic opportunity," Jones said. "Western Colorado athletics consistently sits in the top 25 of the Director's Cup standings year in and year out and there's a passion and strong drive to continue to raise the bar – both on and off the field and for the student-athletes and staff. Plus, being located in a great mountain community where my family can enjoy so many aspects of Colorado, I'm thrilled to be in Gunnison and eager to get to work and do my part in continuing the upward trajectory of Western Colorado athletics."
 
Prior to NMHU, Jones – a University of Oregon graduate born and raised in Portland, Oregon – spent time in athletic communications at The University of New Mexico (assistant director of communications), Pepperdine University (assistant director of communications) and Dodge City Community College (sports information director). During his two years at UNM, Jones was in charge of the communication efforts for baseball, women's soccer and women's basketball while assisting with football on game days.
 
Before transitioning to athletic communications, Jones spent more than a decade as a sports journalist - including nine-plus years at the Hobbs News-Sun in Hobbs, New Mexico. He led the News-Sun sports department to the New Mexico Press Association Best Sports Coverage award in each of his final three years at the newspaper while winning numerous writing and photography awards. Jones also spent eight years in the Army – two active duty and six in the National Guard, including the last several in public affairs as a sergeant at the Oregon National Guard Headquarters.
 
Jones and his wife, Tonya, have one daughter, Taylor (a sophomore in college).