Wednesday, April 26, 2017
by Eric McDowell, Union College Assistant Athletic Director/Sports Information

When you are dedicated to your craft, people notice. When you are a sports information director, student-athletes, coaches, administrators and members of the media notice. So do your colleagues and friends in CoSIDA. And they all benefit.

Blake Timm is dedicated all right, and a remarkable colleague, professional and person. CoSIDA has indeed noticed, and benefited, and will award him with the 2017 Warren Berg Award for his outstanding work for the college division.

Blake served two terms on the CoSIDA Board and spent six years on the College Division Management Advisory Committee with a three-year term as chair of that committee.

In July of 2015, after 16 seasons at NCAA Division III Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon, Blake joined the NCAA Division II Great Northwest Athletic Conference. As the student-athletes at Pacific benefitted from his service, now do the hundreds of student-athletes at the 11 institutions in which he serves in the GNAC.

“I consider Blake to be very innovative and dedicated,” said Dan Dutcher, the Vice President of NCAA Division III. “He was one of the first I followed on Twitter and he showed me how important social media could be telling the story of our DIII schools and student-athletes. As Chair of CDMAC, he was strongly committed to supporting and growing the great partnership between Division III management and D3SIDA.”

“I followed Blake in the role of chair of CDMAC, just trying to maintain what he had started,” said Moravian’s Mark Fleming. “He is always thinking of his fellow members of the athletic communications field and trying to better the profession.”

One of those beneficiaries is Kelly Bird, a long time “local rival” colleague from Linfield.

“Organized. Articulate. Friendly. Encouraging. Perfectionist,” praised Bird. “He strives for excellence in his work. As social media evolved into a valid pipeline of communication, Blake was on the front edge in embracing the new technology.”

“He set a standard of professionalism for his colleagues to model,” said Steve Flegel of Whitworth. “Yet he is easily approachable and friendly for newcomers just getting started in the league. Blake was a national leader for CoSIDA with his multiple board terms. He is sought after for advice on many issues from other leaders within CoSIDA.”

Blake is also an idea man. Just ask another longtime friend, Dave Reed of Colorado College.

“He helped develop and launch CoSIDA’s online membership resource library and developed and presented a CoSIDA Division III salary and job responsibility survey,” said Reed. “He also put forward the idea of having a ‘rising star’ in CoSIDA to recognize up-and-coming talent in our profession.”

In fact, this year’s Rising Star Award recipient for the university division will be New Mexico’s Chelsea Chamberlain, a former assistant of Blake’s at Pacific. She will receive the award the same day Blake receives his this summer. Emotions will truly run high for both individuals, their families and friends.

Current NAIA-SIDA president Cindy Potter of Columbia (Missouri) won the college division Rising Star honor in 2008 and met Blake on a shuttle bus to a hotel at her first CoSIDA Convention.

“Sometimes you meet people by accident that change your life forever and Blake Timm was one of those people for me,” Potter noted. “He opened my eyes to the world of CoSIDA and gave me an avenue to grow and succeed beyond measure. I am forever grateful for that accidental meeting that made a profound impact on my career.”

In 2007 and 2011, Blake was selected by his peers as the winner of the Jack Sareault Award as the Northwest Conference’s Sports Information Director of the Year. He has also won 29 CoSIDA publication and digital design contest awards, including eight Best In Nation citations and 18 Fred Stabley, Sr., Writing Contest awards, with two national winners. Blake’s work has also been recognized by the American Volleyball Coaches Association, USA Volleyball and Swimming World magazine.

Timm currently serves on the CoSIDA Special Awards Committee and is the West Region coordinator for the D2CCA Volleyball All-America program. His past roles include serving as a district coordinator for the Academic All-America® Committee, three years as chair of the Membership Services Committee and as a member of the search committee for CoSIDA’s first executive director.

Through all this, Blake finds time to volunteer in a variety of ways. Assisting the NCAA at Championships ... IAAF world track and field events … the Women’s World Cup … among a host of other events. And, in the community, there is Blake, from serving as vice president and program chair with the Rotary Club of Forest Grove — he will serve as club president in 2018-19 — to dressing up as a character when reading books to his children’s classes. Yet, as Kelly explains, Blake knows his priorities.

“I greatly admire Blake’s commitment to his wife and two growing daughters,” said Bird. “In an occupation where it is easy to become swallowed up by the non-stop stream of demands, Blake always makes time for family activities.”

Dave Haglund, the GNAC Commissioner, is proud to have Blake in his conference office.

“This is a tremendous national honor, and extremely well deserved,” said Dave Haglund. “In nearly 20 years in the field of collegiate athletic media relations, Blake has served with distinction, and we congratulate him on being chosen for this prestigious award.”

Yes, Blake Timm, people do notice. And benefit. And this summer in Orlando, your colleagues and friends will take pleasure for you and your family when you receive the 2017 Warren Berg Award.