Missouri Valley Conference Basketball Media Guides 2013-14 MVC Women's Basketball Media Guide | Page 9

Massachusetts at Amherst. In 1994, she received the Harold J.
VanderZwaag Distinguished Alumnus Award from Massachusetts.
Married to Frank Viverito, President and Executive Director of
the St. Louis Sports Commission, they have two sons: Gregory and
Matthew.

Mike kern

Associate Commissioner
Mike Kern is in his 22nd season at
the Missouri Valley and in his 23rd year
overall in serving the membership. In a
dual role, Kern serves as Associate Commissioner for the Missouri Valley Football
Conference, and has been with the MVFC
since 1991.
For The Valley, he helps oversee all media relations for the 18-sport league, and his primary responsibility is men’s basketball. For men’s basketball, Kern’s primary
focus is communications, but he also assists in scheduling and
with the MVC’s in-house television network. Kern is also involved
in strategic planning for the conference and also helps coordinate
the league’s marketing and promotions efforts in conjunction with
MVC Sports Properties. Additionally, he handles championship
administration for men’s and women’s golf.
Counting a 2014 Second and Third Round NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, he will have served as Media Coordinator for
seven NCAA events, including two Women’s Final Fours, and the
2005 Men’s Final Four. He was assistant tournament manager
for the 2008 First and Second Round NCAA Men’s Basketball
Tournament in Omaha, and has served as assistant media coordinator for five other NCAA basketball events. He has also served
as timeout coordinator for two NCAA women’s basketball regionals and a men’s basketball regional.
In addition to communications duties with the Missouri Valley Football Conference, Kern oversees the MVFC’s merchandising and licensing program, and the in-house television package,
which includes scheduling and clearances, plus the hiring of onair talent.
In 2002, he received the St. Louis Business Journal’s annual
award for “Best Use of Technology in Sports” as he introduced the
league’s on-line statistical reporting system used for the league’s
Olympic sport programs.
Kern, 46, earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Missouri in 1988 and a master’s degree in communications management from league member Missouri State in 1990. A St. Louis
native, Kern served as a sports information graduate assistant
for two years at MSU and as a student assistant at Missouri as an
undergraduate.
His publications and features have earned numerous CoSIDA
(College Sports Information Directors of America) awards. His
1998 women’s basketball guide, 2000 and 2002 football guides
and 2006 men’s basketball guide were judged “Best in the Nation,” while his 1993, 2006 and 2007 Valley Football guides, the
1995 MVC softball guide, the 1998 women’s basketball guide,
the 2000 women’s basketball guide, and his 2004 men’s basketball guide earned “Best in the Nation” for their cover designs.
His 1997, 1998 and 2006 Valley Football guides, and his 2004
men’s basketball guide each placed third, while the 1999 football
guide, his 2005 men’s basketball guide and 2008 football guide

were second nationally. Kern’s 1990 MSU softball guide was also
second in the nation. He has a total of 30 national top-5 awards
for his publications work.
He is a member of CoSIDA, ConSIDA (Conference Sports Information Directors of America), the Football Writers Association of
America, and the United States Basketball Writers Association.
Kern and his wife Terri have two boys (Michael and Max) and two
girls (Megan and Hannah).

The Valley

Missouri Valley Conference Staff

Jack R. Watkins

Associate Commissioner
Jack R. Watkins is in his 22nd season
at the Missouri Valley, having served nine
years as Associate Commissioner for Marketing and Television and 11 years as the
league’s public information and media
services director.
In July 2012, Watkins, 50, was named
tournament director for the MVC men’s
basketball championship in St. Louis and assigned the sport of
baseball for the Conference, serving as tournament director, arranging league schedules and overseeing the assignment of umpires for MVC games.
In addition, he is the primary staff contact with MVC Sports
Properties, which handles television advertising and sponsorship
sales for The Valley, and oversees marketing and promotions for
the league. The former chair of the Missouri Valley Conference’s
Athletics Hall of Fame Committee, he also develops promotional
campaigns for league championships.
As the staff’s contact for television, Watkins coordinates contract negotiation, production, hiring on-air talent and clearances
for the MVC Television Network on FOX Sports Midwest, Comcast
SportsNet Chicago, FOX College Sports and ESPN.
During his tenure at The Valley, he has been a media coordinator for the 1993, 1998 and 1999 NCAA Men’s Basketball Division I Midwest Regionals and 2002 NCAA First and Second Round
Tournament in St. Louis, and served as a television time-out coordinator a total of 14 times for the NCAA Men’s Basketball Division
I Championship and once for the NCAA Women’s Basketball Division I Championship.
Watkins served as tournament manager for the 2013 Second
and