AUSTIN, Texas -- Jen Ohlson, a veteran sports broadcaster and most recently corporate sales executive for the PGA's Austin FedEx Kinko's Classic, has joined UT Men's and Women's Athletics as Events Sales and Services Manager.

"Jen has been charged with managing sales and service efforts for home sports events," Men's Athletics Director DeLoss Dodds said. "Her initial priority is to increase attendance at men's and women's basketball games."

Since establishing an effective "non-sport specific" sales unit involves working with several long-standing departments within UT Athletics, Ohlson reports to an administrative oversight committee responsible for setting an events sales/services agenda and developing priorities for new activities, Dodds said.

The oversight committee includes Dodds, Women's Athletics Director Chris Plonsky, Senior Associate Athletics Directors Doug Messer (Longhorn Foundation and tickets) and Nick Voinis (communications), Associate Athletic Directors John Graham (Erwin Center), Jim Baker (men's events) and Lynn Wheeler (women's events), and Assistant Athletics Director Teri Pierce (marketing).

"It is important for this organizational structure to be in place to allow sales/services to function effectively and efficiently," Dodds said. "Our goal is to make a positive impact very quickly."

Dodds said other projects that could be addressed by sales/services in the future are club seating or suites in football and baseball, and improved ticket sales in Olympic sports (softball, volleyball, soccer and track).

Prior to her corporate sales responsibilities for Austin's successful PGA Champions Tour event, Ohlson was a sports reporter and anchor at KXAN-TV, Austin's NBC affiliate. She has also worked in sports broadcasting at Dallas' WFAA-TV and KTEN-TV in Denison. Ohlson has hosted the Longhorn Sports Center with Rick Barnes television show, a Longhorn Sports Network production. She will continue to perform those duties.

Ohlson is a 1993 BA graduate of George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., where she was a student-athlete in soccer and track.