RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Department of Intercollegiate Athletics and Vice President and Director of Athletics Chasse Conque announced on Tuesday the addition of Job Martinez as the Corporate Sales Administrator and the return of Klarissa Rodriguez to be the Business Operations Manager. 
 
After a terrific 2021-22 year for UTRGV Athletics that saw new records set in ticket sales, corporate partnerships and philanthropic giving, the new additions will fill crucial roles to continue the momentum for the athletic department and the academic and competitive success of UTRGV's student-athletes. 
 
Job Martinez 
Martinez joined UTRGV Athletics as the Corporate Sales Administrator on Oct. 17. He is a Rio Grande Valley native, graduate of IDEA Weslaco and received a Bachelor of Business Administration in Management from UTRGV in May 2022. 
 
Martinez spent the last three years working with the College of Business, first as an assistant internship coordinator and then as a career advisor. He scheduled and ran weekly resume builder workshops and advised 20 students monthly on internships, while also serving as a mentor and tutor through programs for business students. 
 
Martinez thrived in creating and sustaining relationships to advance the students he worked with, and he'll be using those skills in his new role with UTRGV Athletics. Martinez also gained experience with partnerships, fundraising and events as an Economic and Workforce Development intern with RGV Partnerships. As the Corporate Sales Administrator, Martinez creates and maintains relationships with corporate sponsors and facilitates partnership agreements to ensure revenue, brand awareness and promotion. 
 
"At its core, my job is to maintain the relationships that we have with corporate sponsors that decide to have that partnership with us. I have to ensure they are taken care of and their needs are met," Martinez said. "Our university is a very special place. It's growing fast and there's a lot of opportunity and I'm so fortunate to be part of the team. It's been a fantastic experience. I believe in the Valley, I believe in UTRGV and I believe in the students that come here, so one of the ways for me to pay it forward is working with UTRGV. It's a lot of work, but we all depend on each other and that's what makes us successful and we have people that make it fun, engaging and worthwhile once you see all the hard work pay off." 
 
Klarissa Rodriguez
Rodriguez returned to UTRGV Athletics on Nov. 1 to serve as the Business Operations Manager. Previously, she was the Travel and Insurance Coordinator from September 2017 to June 2022.
 
Rodriguez first began working with the athletic department in January 2015 as a business office assistant, offering accounting and purchasing support to the business staff and helping to coordinate team travel. She graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from UTRGV in 2016. While attending legacy institution UTPA, Rodriguez worked as an admissions office aide. 
 
In her new role, Rodriguez will be handling human resources contracts, game guarantees and operating contracts. She'll also be leaning on previous experience to fill in temporarily to oversee travel coordination. She is skilled with invoicing, financial reports, budgeting, and creating, implementing and complying with policies, and she's looking forward to learning more about contracts and other legal things she'll be taking care of. 
 
Rodriguez said the previous years she spent with the department helped her learn "how to read the coaches and that each sport is different and has different needs and that each coach has a different pace," and she's confident that her relationships and knowledge with the coaches and other departmental staff will smooth her transition to business operations manager. 
 
"I decided to return to UTRGV Athletics because it feels like family and like home. I love the culture. It's all I've known and I have been growing professionally and spiritually with Melba Cantu and James Martinez. I love working with all these different personalities and I've been learning a lot along the way," Rodriguez said. "I'm super excited and happy to be back. It's an awesome feeling knowing I missed them as much as they missed me. I can't wait to learn my new role. I'm here to help everyone as much as I can with a smile on my face." 

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