RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Senior Vice President and Director of Athletics Chasse Conque announced on Wednesday the promotion of Leo Cantu to financial analyst, Julie Vasquez to assistant athletic director for marketing and digital content, Kristella Cruz to assistant director for athletics creative services, Mikey Rodriguez to assistant athletic director for broadcasting, and Julissa Martinez to assistant director for athletics broadcasting.
 
Business Office
 
Leo Cantu has worked with UTRGV Athletics since the 2022-23 academic when he served as an intern for the business office before his promotion to accountant II in August 2023.
 
"We are grateful for Leo's commitment to our department and the University. Leo has become a trusted and valued member of our team by building meaningful relationships across our department and throughout campus," Senior Associate Athletic Director for Business Operations James Martinez said. "He leads with integrity, care, and a genuine willingness to go above and beyond what is expected. These qualities not only earned him the respect of his colleagues and the RISE Up Award, as voted on by his peers, but also make him exceptionally deserving of this promotion."
 
In his new role, Cantu oversees and analyzes the financial activities for UTRGV Athletics. The role will require more forecasting as he will understand financial data, monitor budgets and accounts, prepare financial reports, identify discrepancies, and analyzing expenditures.
 
Cantu will also work closely with different departments and teams to ensure funds are managed appropriately, financial processes are followed, and that departmental leadership has accurate information to support decision-making.
 
"I'm so grateful for the opportunity to step into this new role and continue growing at UTRGV Athletics," Cantu said. "Working with such amazing and talented peers and having the exceptional leadership of Chasse and James has been an incredible experience. I want to thank them for the trust invested in me, and I'm committed to serving our team and department at the highest level."
 
Marketing
 
The UTRGV Athletics marketing team was vital in UTRGV's efforts to earn three-consecutive years of department records in attendance across all sports, including the program record of average attendance, 3,546 fans, during the 2026 baseball season.
 
I feel incredibly fortunate to work alongside Julie and Kristella," Senior Associate Athletic Director for Marketing and Strategic Initiatives Sara Hernandez said. "They are both exceptionally talented, deeply committed to UTRGV and the Rio Grande Valley, and constantly looking for ways to enhance the experiences of our fans and student-athletes."
 
Julie Vasquez joined UTRGV Athletics as the director of athletics marketing and digital media in January 2023 before her most recent promotion to assistant athletic director for marketing and digital content in Aug. 2026.
 
Since then, Vasquez has been an integral part of the UTRGV Athletics Marketing Team which helped create, develop, and integrate the "Our Valley. Our Team. Our Time." campaign that started prior to the 2024-25 athletic year. The campaign was recognized by the American Advertising Federation-RGV with the best of show award for sales and marketing and received gold in the cross-platform campaigns.
 
On game days, Vasquez oversees the in-game promotions and fan engagement team for all ticketed UTRGV sporting events.
 
In addition to her work with the marketing team, Vasquez has also helped with licensing for UTRGV Athletics which saw over $2.5 million in licensed merchandise sales during the 2025-26 athletic year.
 
"I'm incredibly grateful for this opportunity, and I'm proud of what we've accomplished in elevating our brand, supporting our student-athletes, and expanding our social media and licensing efforts" Vasquez said. "From strategic campaigns to engaging game-day experiences, it's been rewarding to see our work come to life, and I'm excited for what's ahead. I'm especially thankful for the leadership and support of Sara Hernandez and Chasse Conque, and I look forward to continuing to contribute to the success of UTRGV Athletics."
 
Kristella Cruz has worked with UTRGV Athletics since Oct. 2019, initially serving as a part-time creative team member. She joined the department full-time as the athletics marketing and digital coordinator in Sept. 2024 before her promotion to assistant director for athletics creative services.
 
For the last two years, Cruz has led the creative team on gameday, managed social media accounts, coordinated and shot content days, and helped with special projects including but not limited to RallyTheValley.com.
 
"I'm incredibly grateful for the opportunity to continue growing with UTRGV Athletics and step into this new role," Cruz said. "I'm thankful for the trust and support of my leadership, and especially grateful for our creative team and everything they bring to what we do. I'm excited to keep building on what we've created and finding new ways to showcase UTRGV Athletics and the Valley."
 
Cruz has helped UTRGV Athletics social media accounts increase by a total of 577,891 followers across all platforms. In addition, UTRGV Athletics has created an aggregate performance of just over 338 million when accounting for reach, impressions, and engagement across all accounts on Facebook and Instagram.
 
"Julie and Kristella have been instrumental to our department's success, not only through their creativity and dedication, but also through the exceptional leadership and mentorship they provide to our student team," Hernandez said. "They complement each other very well, make an outstanding team, and are wonderful colleagues to those around them. I couldn't be happier to see them recognized for their hard work and contributions."
 
Broadcast Services
 
The duo of Mikey Rodriguez and Julissa Martinez oversees all broadcasts for UTRGV Athletics which spans the sports of baseball, men's and women's basketball, football, men's and women's soccer, and volleyball.
 
The team was instrumental in expanding UTRGV Football's reach during the inaugural season, producing broadcasts that brought the Vaqueros into homes across the Rio Grande Valley and throughout the country.
 
In addition, they have produced multiple special broadcasts such as the 2024 Western Athletic Conference Tennis Championships in Harlingen, the inaugural home meet for UTRGV Swimming & Diving during the 2024-25 season, and UTRGV Men's Tennis' home matches against Arkansas and Rice in Harlingen in Jan. 2026.
 
"We are fortunate to have Mikey's leadership as he has done a remarkable job telling our story through first-class broadcast productions," Conque said. "Both Mikey and Julissa are fantastic at what they do, they are innovative and have elevated our broadcast production to rival some of the best in the country. Mikey and Julissa not only do an excellent job showcasing our student-athletes and programs, but their work also helps tell the story of UTRGV and the Rio Grande Valley."
 
Rodriguez joined UTRGV Athletics on a full-time basis as athletics video production coordinator in July 2021 before being promoted to assistant director of athletics video production in Aug. 2024. Rodriguez was promoted to assistant athletic director for broadcasting in Aug. 2026.
 
"It has been a pleasure and a privilege to have grown professionally alongside our entire athletics department. When I first was brought onboard in a fulltime capacity, I could never have imagined this department, and by extension the university, growing into what it has become," Rodriguez said. "Our broadcasts couldn't have reached the heights it has without the help of my team of freelancers and students. Julissa, who started working here as a student, has proven herself to be one of the brightest stars in our field and has helped propel our broadcasts to where they are today. I couldn't do what I do without the team I am blessed to have, and I am thankful to every single one of them."
 
Martinez has assisted Rodriguez on most broadcasts since she joined UTRGV Athletics in 2024 as the athletics video production coordinator. Previously, Martinez spent two years in a part-time role as athletics video production coordinator at UTRGV Athletics. Martinez also worked closely with Rodriguez as a student experience intern during the 2021-22 school year.
 
"Working alongside Mikey has been an incredible opportunity for me to grow both professionally and personally, and I'm proud of everything we've been able to accomplish together," Martinez said. "From our regular-season broadcasts to special events and the launch of UTRGV Football, it's been rewarding to see how much our productions have grown and how many people we've been able to reach. I'm excited to continue building on that success and continuing to showcase UTRGV and our student-athletes at the highest level."

Support UTRGV Vaqueros™ | Become a Fan on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter | Follow us on Instagram | Follow us on YouTube