On his first day on the job, newly-hired University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Golden Lions Sports Information Director Habtom Keleta attended the football game in Jonesboro this past weekend. He was greeted by a rowdy pack of Golden Lion football players who accidentally ran him over as he was attempting to take a pre-game video.

Since then, Keleta has told the story to many, including the audience at this week’s Monte Coleman weekly media luncheon. Keleta has stepped right in and begun to work, and that’s expected from a guy of his pedigree. Born and raised in Ruston, Louisiana, Keleta earned an under-graduate journalism degree in 2009 from Ouachita Baptist University. At the age of 25, Keleta was hired as the SID at Wiley College in Marshall, Texas. While working as the SID at Wiley, Keleta commuted from Marshall to Ruston, where he worked on his master’s degree in communication.

In the summer of 2012, Dillard University came calling, and Keleta decided to take up the offer as their SID. While at Dillard, Keleta spearheaded their sports information department to the top of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.

In September 2016, Dillard finished 13th in the nation in the NAIA-Social Information Directors Association (SISD) Social Media contest for Twitter. Dillard also finished 21st in the nation in the Instagram contest. In 2017, Keleta was selected as one of 20 College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSID) to attend a convention as a result of him being a grant recipient.

“He is a young professional who is bright and compassionate and works hard,” said Dillard University Athletic Director Kiki Baker Barnes.

Bringing UAPB sports information up to speed, and setting a standard, is huge on Keleta’s agenda. Keleta believes his time and experiences at Dillard properly prepared him for the task at hand. Drastic changes are to be expected, as, according to Keleta, the plan is to revolutionize the athletics program.

“At Dillard is where I gained my most experienced in the last five years,” Keleta said. “We revolutionized the NAIA. Now, we want to revolution the NCAA starting with the SWAC. Being able to utilize my eight-plus years of experience at the smaller schools will give me a chance to put UAPB on the map as far as sports information, social media, etc.”

As an SID, you have to deal with numerous coaches, teams, media outlet and athletic directors. Fortunately for Keleta, he sees being diverse as one of his strengths.

“I’m sure my biggest gift is being able to relate to anybody and being able to work with all types of people,” Keleta said. “I’m a very diverse person, and my background shows it. My ability to work with people is my biggest asset.”

Social media and web sites are a big part of today’s society. Keleta plans to make improvements to the Golden Lions’ athletic website www.uapblionsroar.com, their Twitter account, Facebook page and etc. Keleta referenced the fact that they were honored at Dillard for their social media success, and there they have less to work with than at UAPB.

“We won social media awards at Dillard University, and we actually have more resources here,” Keleta said. “With us using our brilliant minds like Lonza Hardy, Alyse Kilbert and Cameo Stokes, the sky is the limit. We definitely plan on improving from where we are today on uapblionsroar.com. If you look at the industry, it’s changing everyday. Ten years ago, social media wasn’t even heard of by many, and it definitely wasn’t utilized like it is today. We’re trying to look forward to the next five-10 years as being trendsetters in the SWAC and NCAA. We must stay focused and be revolutionary. We have great leaders, and they’ve given us the resources that we need to be successful.”

Keleta was welcomed by the Golden Lion family with open arms, and since his arrival, he’s come to find out that this is the place for him.

“I made it here past midnight on Saturday, and I was greeted by my Athletic Director and Coach Nate Kilbert,” Keleta said. “By the time I got in my apartment, I had a welcome package from the Golden Lion family, which really set the table for the relationship. It’s a match made in heaven, and I want to say thank you to the Golden Lion family ... it’s time to get to work.”