Valihura-Clendenin ’02 Found her Passion at Keene State College
Anne Valihura-Clendenin has been on the move since graduating from Keene State College in 2002 with a degree in sociology. A four-year member of the Keene State track and field team who once held 11 school records, Valihura-Clendenin has always been a go-getter. In addition to her busy athletic schedule, she also worked as a lifeguard and served for two years as president of Keene State’s Student Athletic Advisory Committee (SAAC), learning the valuable skill of motivating people and juggling multiple tasks.
Encouraged by members of the athletic and intramural departments, Valihura-Clendenin spent two summers doing an internship with the Keene Swamp Bats, which reinforced her fascination with the sports and entertainment field. This led her to her position as Director of Championships/Marketing and Ticketing with the NCAA based in Indianapolis.
“After finding my career path the train was on the tracks,” said Valihura-Clendenin, the first of three siblings (Christy Valihura ’06 and John Valihura ’08) to attend KSC. “I always wanted to see what I could do and just kept going for it.”
Despite a hectic schedule, Valihura-Clendenin has thrived in her position with the NCAA. Focusing on three sports: Division I men’s soccer and wresting as well as lacrosse (all three divisions), Valihura-Clendenin—working with host cities, venues, and organizing committees—is in charge of creating awareness and driving attendance for those three championships at finals and pre-determined semifinals and quarterfinals sites. “It’s a lot of work with unique challenges, but I’ve really enjoyed it,” she said.
Highly motivated and results-orientated, Valihura-Clendenin has helped the NCAA put up impressive numbers. Last fall, the NCAA set a four-year attendance high at the men’s soccer championship in Carey, NC, while the winter wrestling championships in St. Louis broke two attendance records. Not to be outdone, the three-division men’s lacrosse championship last spring saw a combined 72,897 fans go through the turnstiles at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.
Currently working on next year’s busy championship schedule, Valihura-Clendenin hopes to return to college and work on her Ph.D. or E.D. and teach at the college level.
