Personal: Chris Zona, Assistant Director of Athletics for Media Relations, is in his fifth year at the head of Winston-Salem State University's Office of Sports Information/Athletic Communications. He officially started his tenure at WSSU on September 1, 2002 and has already laid out designs to strengthen the WSSU Athletic Department's media relations program through his efforts to publish comprehensive media guides for all WSSU's athletic teams.

Zona was also instrumental in the recent redesign of the WSSU Athletics' website which can be seen at www.WSSURAMS.com. For his accomplishments, Zona was named the 2003-04 John Holley Award winner which is given annually to the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association's (CIAA) Sports Information Director of the Year.

Zona came to WSSU from the Western New York area where he served as an Associate Sports Information Director at Niagara University. At Niagara, he was primarily responsible for the media relations coverage of Niagara's Division I men's ice hockey program. In addition to his duties with the ice hockey programs at Niagara, he served as the contact for men's and women's tennis, men's baseball, and women's lacrosse, as well as assisting with men's and women's basketball and women's softball.

Prior to his tenure at Niagara, Zona served as an Assistant Sports Information Director at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio. In addition to his duties in the Sports Information Department, he also served as the Assistant Men's Lacrosse Coach for the nationally-ranked Kenyon College lacrosse program. Prior to his duties at Kenyon, he served as the men's lacrosse contact and Assistant Lacrosse Coach at Canisius College in Buffalo, New York (NCAA Division I). He has worked for the Buffalo Sabres (NHL), Buffalo Bisons (AAA Baseball), Buffalo Bills (NFL), and the Buffalo Bandits and Columbus Landsharks of the National Lacrosse League (NLL) as well as compiling a brief playing career.

Zona, a two-sport college varsity athlete (lacrosse and soccer) and avid sports fan, received a B.A. degree from Niagara University in 1998 and received a pair of M.A. degrees from Canisius College in 2001. A native of Syracuse, NY, he currently resides in Winston-Salem.