Gainesville, FL
This week's Alumni Spotlight is Sean Cartell, whose career shows how far early opportunity and professionalism can take you in athletics communications. Cartell's path started at Santa Fe College, where as a high school senior, he coordinated media and public relations for women'sbasketball, softball, and baseball. At Santa Fe, he helped generate 93 articles across three local newspapers, secured regular television coverage, and contributed to the creation of a Student Athlete Guide.

After his time at Santa Fe, Cartell continued building momentum with stops at University of Central Florida and University of Florida Athletics Association before earning a major role in the Southeastern Conference office. During his time with the SEC, he served as a primary media contact for multiple sports, worked closely with national outlets, helped guide editorial direction for the league website, and managed the conference social presence, including the @SEC account on Twitter. It was during this time that was also recognized with the 2015 Rising Star Award from College Sports Information Directors of America.

Cartell later spent five years at The University of Texas at Austin. At Texas, he led media relations for nationally ranked programs, supervised a student assistant staff of 20 to 25, and served as host media coordinator for the 2019 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, overseeing operations for nearly 300 credentialed media members.

Today, Cartell serves as Chief of Staff and Senior Associate Athletic Director for Strategic Initiatives and Brand Advancement with UTSA Athletics. He oversees major strategic initiatives and brand advancement, leads communications and marketing operations, manages football game operations at the Alamodome, and oversees nearly 1 million dollars in annual budgets. He has also supported media coordination for the 2025 NCAA Men's Final Four. From his early work at Santa Fe to roles on much larger stages in college athletics, Cartell's path reflects steady growth.

Starting at Santa Fe gave him a hands-on foundation in storytelling, media relations, and representing student athletes with professionalism. His progression also highlights that the Saints experience can lead to meaningful careers in sports across major athletic departments. Santa Fe athletics is proud to have Sean as a former Saint!