IRVING, Texas – Commissioner Mike Aresco has announced the promotion of Kauri Black to the position of Associate Commissioner for Broadcasting and Digital Programming at the American Athletic Conference, effective October 10, 2022.
 
Black has been a member of the conference staff since 2015 and had most recently served as Senior Director of Broadcasting and Digital Programming. He will take a new role with The American’s senior staff as the primary liaison with the conference’s television and multimedia partners following the retirement of Tom Odjakjian.
 
“Kauri has been a trusted member of our staff and has established himself as an expert in the areas of broadcasting and multimedia,” said Aresco. “He has done an outstanding job in scheduling our events for maximum television and streaming exposure and has established a strong working relationship with our media partners. His ability to navigate strategically the increasingly complex television and streaming landscape will be a valuable resource for our member institutions and for our media partners.” 
 
Black joined The American as Administrative Fellow in 2015 and was promoted to Assistant Director of Broadcast Scheduling in 2017. He was elevated to Director of Broadcast Scheduling in 2020 before earning the Senior Director title in 2021.
 
Before coming to The American, Black served as a graduate assistant at the Dodie Anderson Enrichment Center at the University of South Carolina, where he earned a master’s degree in sport and entertainment management.
 
Black, who is pursuing a graduate certificate of data science at Elmhurst University, earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Northeastern University and added a master’s degree in mathematics and science education from the University of Tulsa. He was a basketball student-athlete at both institutions.