Tera Black Named Chief Operating Officer
Published on January 21, 2004 under ECHL (ECHL)
San Diego Gulls News Release
SAN DIEGO â Tera Black has been named the chief operating officer of the San Diego Gulls, the ECHL club announced today. She is the first-ever female COO in the ECHL, which is in its 16th season.
Black, 31, is now only the fourth female in league history to run an ECHL organization. She's also been named as an ECHL alternate governor.
As the Gulls' COO, Black is responsible for all the day-to-day business and hockey operations. She moves into her new role after serving the last two-plus seasons as the director of media and public relations. Black was named the West Coast Hockey League's Media Director of the Year in 2002-03, along with her associate Jeremy Zager.
Black began her career in hockey as the head athletic trainer and director of hockey operations for the Sacramento River Rats of the now-defunct Roller Hockey International. In 1997, after her stint in Sacramento, she was hired as the vice president of hockey operations for the North American Roller Hockey Championships (NARCh) where she remained until coming to the Gulls in 2002. She holds a bachelor's of science degree in Kinesiology from San Diego State University.
QUOTABLES:
Black:
"I am really excited about my new role within the organization. This is such a great market for hockey and I look forward to using every skill I possess to move this team forward. I cannot begin to express my gratitude for being given this opportunity. The San Diego Gulls have such a strong history in this community; it will be my main priority to increase our presence within it."
Gulls President and Majority Owner Ron Hahn:
"We want to be the most fan and media friendly organization possible and for this reason it made good sense to appoint somebody with expertise in public relations to head up the Gulls. She has been in this business for nine years and knows a tremendous amount about hockey. I feel very confident moving Tera into this role and think it can only benefit the organization."
ECHL Commissioner Brian McKenna:
"The ECHL feels that San Diego made a very good choice in the selection of Tera Black. It is great to see someone like Tera get a much deserved opportunity to lead an organization like the Gulls into the new ECHL."
Charlotte Checkers President Jeff Longo (Former Gulls president):
"I'm very excited to see Tera recognized for all her sustained efforts. It's great to see her stand out as one of the top female sports executives in professional hockey. I've been familiar with Tera's ideologies and visions for several years and know she will be successful utilizing her leadership skills to further improve the direction of the Gulls organization."
ECHL Stories from January 21, 2004
- East Beats West in All Star Game - Louisiana IceGators
- Eastern Conference Comes Back To Beat Western Conference 7-6 - ECHL
- East Beats West at ECHL All-Star Game - San Diego Gulls
- Eastern Conference Defeats Western Conference 7-6 in 2004 Par-A-Dice ECHL All-Star Game - Peoria Rivermen
- East Rallies Past West, 7-6 At ECHL All-Star Game - Mississippi Sea Wolves
- Falcons Fans Raise $17,775 for Community Food Bank - Fresno Falcons
- Gulls Announce More Front Office Changes - San Diego Gulls
- ECHL All-Star Action Tonight - Bakersfield Condors
- Stingrays Forward Spiewak Wins Fastest Skater - South Carolina Stingrays
- Tera Black Named Chief Operating Officer - San Diego Gulls
- "Behind the Bench" to Return Live Tuesday from TaleGators - Dayton Bombers
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