Brett Ford

Brett Ford

By Lily Engel, The Whetstone

Anyone can find Brett Ford in his office, behind the white building across from Wesley West on North Queen Street.

Two computers – a laptop and a desktop – take up much of his desk, which is covered in paper; when he speaks, neither his blue eyes nor his hands remain still.

Ford, 27, is Wesley’s new sports information director. Since signing on with the college last July, Ford promotes media for all of the college’s athletics.

“Brett brought in a lot of knowledge and experience as far as working with video and that is something we feel like we don’t do enough of,” said Tracey Short, associate director of compliance and head field hockey coach.

Senior Dylan Kaplan, who just finished an internship with Ford, said he learned a lot from him.

“He has taught me a lot and is a good role model because of how hard he works every day,” he said.

Ford, the eldest of three, grew up in Hampstead, Md.

Baseball was his first interest in high school, but when he found out 60 others had the same idea, he switched to playing tennis.

“It was one of those things where I never intended on playing high school tennis,” he said. “One of my favorite teachers was the head coach and it turned out to be a really cool experience.”

His tennis coach and father were good friends and both history teachers at the high school Ford attended.

Before he became the sports information director, Ford made money by delivering pizzas for Dominos. He did this while living at home and searching for a job in the field during and partly after college.

He attended Misericordia University, majoring in Communications with a minor in English.

“I thought that it would be beneficial to be a better reader and writer in a communications profession, which I think has benefited me a lot,” he said.

Ford wanted to become a journalist when entering college but decided against it after taking his first journalism course.  He found a new love: video production.

Ford completed his master’s degree in Communication from Castleton State College in Vermont. He sometimes wears the name of his school on a hoodie.

At Castleton, he became a graduate’s assistant in athletic communications. During his two years there, he was the primary media contact for ten of Castleton’s sports.

After a number of jobs in the multimedia field, including helping to provide content for the Washington Redskin’s scoreboard, Ford got the Wesley job.

Ford is the contact person for all the media outlets for Wesley’s athletic programs. He in responsible for the behind-the-scenes work, such as video and photography and promotions, for the athletes.

With almost a year under his belt, Ford said he’s comfortable with the job.

“I think the first year is always the hardest, it is always like the first test,” Short said. “It has been a big learning curve for him.”

The job at Wesley has been time-consuming, he said, but it was not anything he did not expect. Athletes and his fellow faculty members have fully welcomed him.

“I am so grateful for Coach Drass and the rest of the athletic department for not only giving me this opportunity and also embracing me and my family outside of work,” he said.