Javan Hedlund returned to the Mountain West in February 2020 and currently serves as the Senior Associate Commissioner, External Communications Strategy. Hedlund previously worked for the MW from 1999-2017.
Hedlund has served in a number of areas and currently oversees and manages all aspects of the external department, including strategic communications, digital and social media, and the Mountain West Network. He is also responsible for MW marketing, branding, and licensing units, focusing on revenue generation, corporate relations, branding, and promotions.
In his first stint with the Mountain West, Hedlund worked in a variety of areas. During his first five years with the league, Hedlund was the primary contact for men’s basketball, baseball, softball, golf and track and field. He was also the secondary contact for football, as well serving as the championship administrator for women’s soccer. In August 2004, he was promoted to assistant commissioner and oversaw the day-to-day operations of the communications staff, while providing primary communications coverage of football and men’s golf. In July 2006, Hedlund was promoted to associate commissioner where he managed and directed the communications, social media and Mountain West Network staffs, while also handling the media coordination efforts for media days, basketball tournaments and football championship games, helping launch the inaugural MW Football Championship Game in 2013. Hedlund was the media coordinator for the 2008, 2011 and 2016 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championships first and second rounds at the Pepsi Center in Denver.
A 1996 graduate of Colorado State University with a B.A. in speech communication, Hedlund began his media relations career as a student at CSU. After graduating from Colorado State, Hedlund moved to Oklahoma City, where he was a sales and marketing representative for the Texas Rangers’ Triple-A affiliate Oklahoma City 89ers (now the Dodgers). After the 1997 baseball season, he returned to the West Coast as a media relations assistant at San Diego State University. While with the Aztecs, Hedlund handled the publicity and publications for the men’s and women’s volleyball, golf, softball and crew programs. He also assisted with the publicity efforts for football and men’s basketball. During the 1998 Major League Baseball season, he worked as a media liaison on game days in the press box for the San Diego Padres.
Hedlund and his wife, Tina, live in Monument, Colo.