IL Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp

Jumbo Shrimp Announce Staff Promotions, Additions

Published on March 15, 2021 under International League (IL)
Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp News Release


JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp have promoted several members of their front office staff and announced the addition of three new team members in preparation for the 2021 season, the club announced Monday.

Noel Blaha has been promoted to the role of Vice President, Marketing and Media. Linda McNabb has been named Senior Vice President, Sales. Andrea Williams has been elevated from Director of Community Relations to Senior Director, Community Engagement. Christine Collins becomes the club's Travel Coordinator in addition to her role as Front Office Administrator. The Jumbo Shrimp are also welcoming Jenna Smith and Cal Cannestra as Account Executives, with Chris Campbell filling the role of Field Operations Assistant.

Blaha oversees the Jumbo Shrimp's marketing, media, merchandise and promotions departments and directs the club's social media channels. He also plays an integral role in the corporate partnership department. A proud graduate of Bowling Green State University, Blaha initially joined the Jacksonville front office in 2015 after 10 seasons in various marketing, promotions, box office and media relations roles with the Charleston RiverDogs. With the Jumbo Shrimp, Blaha spearheaded efforts to win the Southern League's Don Mincher Organization of the Year and two Promotional Trophies. In Charleston, the Aberdeen, Scotland native helped oversee the 2012 South Atlantic League Home Run Derby from the flight deck of the USS Yorktown, a promotion that resulted in two Minor League Baseball Golden Bobbleheads. He also led the RiverDogs win the 2013 Larry MacPhail Award for Minor League Baseball's top promotional effort.

A Cleveland native, McNabb oversees the Jumbo Shrimp's corporate partnership and ticketing departments. She joined the club in July 2015, bringing more than 30 years of award-winning experience in sales and management with her to Northeast Florida. After working in sales for three different Southwest Florida radio stations, McNabb began her baseball career in 1994 with Fort Myers. She was promoted from Director of Sales to Vice President and later President of Miracle Professional Baseball. In 2001, she became a senior officer of the Goldklang Group and was awarded the Rawlings Female Executive of the Year award.

Williams oversees the Jumbo Shrimp's community program, leads the team's diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and spearheads the one-of-its-kind partnership between the Jumbo Shrimp and Andrew Jackson High School, which features a unique high school management apprenticeship program. Recently named to the Jacksonville Human Rights Commission, Williams also oversees player, mascot and staff appearances, ballpark tours, non-profit fundraising, reading programs, company donations, volunteer opportunities and the club's corporate care program, through which businesses may donate tickets to non-profit organizations. A graduate of Valdosta State University, her trailblazing career began as the first African American woman to be named Director of Ticket Operations for the Quad Cities River Bandits before she moved on to work for the WNBA's Atlanta Dream. In Northeast Florida, she was part of the Jacksonville Leadership Class of 2019 and has had the honor of helping homeless veterans, mentoring young women and partnering with Habitat of Humanity Jacksonville. She is a member of the advisory council for the United Negro College Fund and a board member for Leadership Jacksonville (LJ 2019).

Collins will be responsible for coordinating all travel for the Jumbo Shrimp in their first year as a Triple-A affiliate in Minor League Baseball's Triple-A East League. She greets and assists clients and guests in the Jumbo Shrimp administrative office, as well as coordinating the front office switchboard and performing other integral front office duties. A native of Daleville, Ala., Collins joined the Jumbo Shrimp after nearly 15 years as a retail merchandiser with Mattel Toys, Warner Bros. and KRAFT Foods. She previously had been the Program Director for the Alabama-Florida Council, Boy Scouts of America.

Smith served as a Ticket Sales Associate in 2020 for the Akron RubberDucks, the Jumbo Shrimp's sister franchise in the Fast Forward Sports Group ownership. With the RubberDucks, she created the team's first Women in Sports Panel. A native of Trenton, Ohio and graduate of The Ohio State University, Smith worked for the Ohio State Marching Band as an audio and visual assistant. She served as an Event Management and Buckeye Sports camp intern with the Ohio State athletic department, and in the summer of 2018, worked as an operations intern for ProCamps in Cincinnati, where she oversaw trade deals for camper lunches and luncheons.

Cannestra joined the Jumbo Shrimp after working for The Citadel Athletic Department as the Associate Director of Tickets and Customer Service. He attended college at the University of South Carolina, earning a bachelor's degree in Sports and Entertainment Management with a minor in Business Administration, and a master's degree in Sport and Entertainment Management. During his time in school, he worked in various roles at The Masters Tournament, March Madness, Kentucky Derby, The Players Championship, the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow and the Bojangles 500 race.

Campbell worked on the Jacksonville Jaguars' sports turf staff prior to joining the Jumbo Shrimp. He is a native of Danville, Va., and graduate of Georgia Tech University.

Season tickets, mini plans, and group outings for the 2021 season are on sale now. Visit www.jaxshrimp.com or call the Jumbo Shrimp at (904) 358-2846 for more information.

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