Amanda Bird Marketing and Communications Director

Amanda Bird serves as the marketing and communications director for USA Bobsled & Skeleton. In this position, Bird is responsible for promoting the sports of skeleton and bobsled, as well as the national teams, while also servicing the public and media. In addition, she is accountable for providing fulfillment services to sponsors and suppliers and assisting the CEO in marketing the properties of the organization.

Some of her public relations activities include the following:

• Creating and disseminating press releases on USABS team events, results and newsworthy activities
• Assembling media kits, which include bios and schedules about USABS programs, staff and athletes
• Maintaining the USABS web site, managing the USABS social media sites and generating online campaigns
• Servicing media for USABS, U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) and the Federation Internationale de Bobsleigh et de Tobogganing (FIBT)
• Coordinating media appearances for athletes and staff
• Managing athlete and student interns

Her marketing activities include:

• Servicing USABS sponsors and suppliers
• Managing USABS obligations to sponsors and suppliers, as well as sponsor and supplier obligations to USABS
• Drafting contracts for USABS sponsor agreements
• Managing hospitality for sponsors and suppliers at USABS events
• Writing and disseminating a monthly online newsletter to retain support from passenger ride members

Bird is a graduate of Hudson Valley Community College, where she obtained an associate's degree in independent studies. Upon graduation, she attended the University of Albany, where she received a bachelor's degree in english/journalism and a master's degree in english.

Bird was a member of the USA Skeleton national team from 1998-2006. Her athletic honors include being named the 1999 U.S. Bobsled Push Champion, the 2002 Rookie of the Year and the 2003 U.S. Junior National silver medalist. She is a four-time Empire State Games gold medalist.

In her personal life, Bird enjoys running 5k races with her husband, Jason, and two dogs, Sammy and Sochi.

Previous Job History

Freelance Writer - LIVESTRONG.COM, Examiner.com, Geico Powersports Honda Team with Geiger Media Services, Lake Placid News blog, WNYT, Albany NBC affiliate, NBCOlympics.com blog and Albany Times Union Newspaper blog
Freelance photographer/videographer - Times magazine, How They Train: Four-Man Bobsled, NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams on bobsledders Shauna Rohbock and Steven Holcomb, PBS documentary, "The Adirondacks," Michael Belk photo assistant for Calvin Klein photo shoot and Paper Studio apprentice at Green Door Studio
Fitness Coach: Curves (Clifton Park, NY and Clarksville, TN)
Skeleton Coach - International Sliding School in Lake Placid, NY each year, FIBT small nations coach for athletes from Australia, Finland, Japan, New Zealand and Russia during Intercontinental Cup races in Lake Placid and U.S. development coach
Teacher assistant - Cohoes City Schools

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