ORONO, Maine – University of Maine Athletics and Van Wagner today announced the internal promotion of Laurie Lozier to general manager and Jon Shields to director of sales.
Lozier, who previously served as assistant general manager of the property at UMaine, joined the Black Bears in 2022. She brings over 10 years of experience in marketing and media, including roles in digital media and national sales with the Bangor Daily News, as well as serving as a marketing director, leading a team of marketers, designers, and developers in the Bangor region.
In 2024, Lozier was presented the prestigious Van Wagner Chief Collaborator award. The Chief Collaborator award recognizes the individual who did the best overall job of working with and selling across multiple business units. The award is presented annually to an individual who is always thinking about the best opportunity to maximize revenue across Van Wagner partnerships.
"I'm grateful for the opportunity to step into this role and continue advancing the growth of the Black Bears' partnership program," Lozier said. "We will remain focused on collaboration and innovation to maximize the value we deliver to our partners and the UMaine community. This role provides an opportunity to expand our partnerships in new and innovative ways, ensuring long-term value for our sponsors while elevating the Black Bears brand and student-athlete experience."
As general manager of the property, Lozier will lead efforts to develop and strengthen partnerships with local, regional, and national businesses that elevate the Black Bear fan experience while supporting the shared mission and goals of UMaine Athletics.
Shields joined Van Wagner in January of 2023. In addition to his role with Van Wagner, Shields serves as the radio play-by-play voice of the UMaine Men's Hockey team on the Black Bear Sports Radio Network and hosts the Black Bear Insider podcast and UMaine Radio Coaches Shows.
"I'm honored to step into this new role and continue working alongside Laurie, our valued partners, and the incredible coaches, teams, and staff here at UMaine," Shields said. "With all the exciting facility upgrades underway, it's truly a special time to be on campus. I feel very fortunate to be part of Black Bear Nation every day."
Prior to joining the University of Maine, Shields spent 15 years as Director of Operations at Blueberry Broadcasting in Bangor. Over the course of his career, he has received multiple honors from the Maine Association of Broadcasters and was named the National Sports Media Association's Maine Sportscaster of the Year in both 2021 and 2023.
Since 2014, Van Wagner has become a leader in college sports marketing and was developed to represent the sponsorship or multimedia rights for multiple schools and athletic conferences, including the America East Conference, Big South Conference, Big West Conference, Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association, Colonial Athletic Association, Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, Southland Conference, Sun Belt Conference, Western Athletic Conference, and the West Coast Conference, as well as Arizona State National Sales, Canisius College, Coastal Carolina University, East Tennessee State University, Furman University, Florida International University, Georgia State University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Liberty University, Loyola University Maryland, Miami University, Niagara University, Pepperdine University, Samford University, Rider University, Siena College, Saint Joseph's University, Sam Houston State University, Santa Clara University, South Florida National Sales, Southern Utah University, Stony Brook University, The University of Texas at El Paso, Towson University, Valparaiso University and The College of William & Mary.
Maine Athletics is home to eight men's programs and nine women's programs. The Black Bears compete in three major conferences; America East, Hockey East, and the Coastal Athletic Association (football). In total, UMaine has won three National Championships and has more than 940 champions – including nearly 200 All-Americans and more than 550 all-conference performers. In addition, student-athletes have earned a 3.0 grade point average for nearly 20 straight years (40 semesters), dating back to the turn of the century. As the state's only Division I program, Maine Athletics is committed to developing high-character champions filled with pride and integrity who are dedicated to excellence in the classroom and in competition. We strive to unite our community by mirroring the state's deep-rooted commitment to perseverance, hard work and meaningful impact in all of our endeavors. By intentionally fostering a diverse, welcoming environment, Black Bear athletics is dedicated to equipping the next generation of leaders for success after sport.
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