SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. - Lake Superior State Athletics has hired Abbie Laajala as Assistant Athletic Director of External Relations/Senior Woman Administrator and Gabe Schmidt as Assistant Athletic Director of Compliance and Internal Operations, as announced by Dr. Dave Diles, Director of Athletics at LSSU.
Laajala will be responsible for all athletic department ticket operations, sponsorship fulfillment, game presentation, and marketing functions. As the Senior Woman Administrator, Laajala will be involved in community outreach initiatives and student-athlete well-being.
"Abbie has developed a great foundation for serving our department, and the university, in this important role through her previous work at LSSU," said Dr. Diles. "She has outstanding relationships across campus, and articulated a clear vision for providing leadership for the external side of the department while filling the critical role of Senior Woman Administrator. I'm pleased to have her join the department."
Laajala has worked at Lake Superior State University since August 2016 as the Marketing & Membership Services Coordinator of the Norris Events Center. In her role, Laajala has managed all service areas of the Norris Center, developed all marketing materials for the Norris Center & University Recreation, created programming for all of LSSU's University Recreation, and supervised a staff of over thirty student workers. She has been responsible for the coordination of all large scale university and community events held in the Norris Center.
"I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to work for the LSSU athletic department," said Laajala. "I'm excited to promote Laker athletics while creating strong relationships within the Sault community. I'm thankful for the experiences I've had while working with the Recreation department at LSSU and am excited to continue a new chapter in a new department. I would like to thank Dr. Diles and the rest of the hiring committee for trusting me with this important role."
Since May 2016, Laajala has run the LSSU hockey social media accounts on a volunteer basis. She has increased the following on all main channels, including approximately 6,500 new followers on Twitter. Additionally, Laajala has been a committee member for Pink in the Rink/Check.Slash.Survive, and involved in numerous community outreach events.
A native of Houghton, Mich., Laajala graduated from Michigan Technological University with a bachelor's degree in sports and fitness management. Laajala currently resides in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.
Schmidt, a Lake Superior State alum, will oversee all compliance matters, and the department's adherence to both conference and NCAA rules, and regulations. Schmidt will act as a liaison between other university departments to ensure that the student-athlete experience is being fulfilled. In addition, Schmidt will assist with gameday logistics and opponent relation efforts.
"I'm pleased to welcome Gabe back to LSSU," said Dr. Diles. "He has significant college administrative experience, as a coach and an administrator, that will be invaluable in this role. His demonstrated commitment to student-athlete development became clear throughout the search process."
Schmidt joins the Lakers from Orbis Education, where he was an Admissions Advisor. In the role, Schmidt consulted and advised students who were pursuing an accelerated degree in nursing. In addition, Schmidt has served as a Volunteer Academic Coach at IUPUI (Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis) since August 2020. Schmidt was responsible for advising students on academic practices during the school year, monitoring grades to track progression throughout each semester, and collaborating with student-athletes to set up an academic plan for future semesters.
"For me, coming back to Lake Superior State is a dream opportunity," said Schmidt. "I fell in love with college athletics when I was an undergraduate here and have spent my professional career serving student athletes, so coming back to Sault Ste. Marie in this role feels poetic. I'm excited to be working and learning under the guidance of Dr. Diles. My work philosophy has always been centered around creating the best environment for student athletes to grow and thrive in, and I will continue to keep that at the forefront of my work as we start this journey here at LSSU!"
Schmidt brings years of coaching experience to the role as he worked as an Assistant Coach/Director Operations for Oakland University Volleyball and a Graduate Assistant Coach for Youngstown State Volleyball. As a coach, Schmidt was involved in various aspects of the student-athlete experience including academic affairs, housing, financial aid and admissions.
While at Youngstown, Schmidt served as a Graduate Intern for Student Tutorial Services and a Graduate Assistant/Intern AcademiC Coach at the Center for Student Progress.
Schmidt earned a bachelor's degree in political science from Lake Superior State in 2014, and a master's degree in education; college counseling and student affairs program from Youngstown State University in 2020.
For more information, visit lssulakers.com
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