ALVA, OKLAHOMA - Northwestern Oklahoma State University Vice President of Athletics Brad Franz announced the hiring of Patrick Inkpen as the new Assistant Director of Athletic Communications. Inkpen returns to Alva, where he graduated from and served as a communications assistant.  

Inkpen brings 10 years of working in sports experience in all different levels, bringing experience in operations experience and a background in sports management and communications. He has a strong background in leadership, training, and event planning, where he utilizes it in marketing and social media projects.  

"I am happy to be coming back to not only Northwestern but to the city of Alva. It became my home back in 2013 when I started my college journey and helped mold me into who I am today," Inkpen said. "I'm excited to get to work and help promote all of the athletes to the best of my abilities and showcase the many accomplishments they achieve."  

Before returning to Northwestern, Inkpen worked for the Houston Astros' Single-A Affiliate, Fayetteville Woodpeckers, as the ballpark entertainment manager. With the Woodpeckers, he has overseen all entertainment inside the stadium, managing projects, directing game-day staff. 

Prior to his time in Fayetteville, he worked for the Spurs Sports and Entertainment. Here, he led game presentations and event planning, while serving as the game director for live events with multiple departments. In addition, he developed promotional strategies and coordinated the talent. While with the Spurs, he also served as the game operations assistant, where he managed social media and all social media content strategy.  

"Patrick is familiar with the Athletic Communications role here at Northwestern Oklahoma State University. He did an outstanding job here and I know he will again. We are happy to have him leading our Athletic Communications team and he will get our student-athletes and teams excellent coverage. He is a hard worker and a Ranger at heart and brings excellent experience to our program", said Vice President for Athletics, Brad Franz. 

He has years of sports information experience as well with Southwestern Oklahoma State University from 2018-2019 managing their social media content for all teams. He started in Athletic Communications as an Assistant at Northwestern Oklahoma State where he supervised student workers, designed various marking materials, and led digital campaigns.  

Inkpen earned his degree at Northwestern Oklahoma State in Mass Communications, before his master's degree at Southwestern Oklahoma State in Sports Management.