Jeff Howard, associate director for media and public relations for the U.S. Olympic Committee, has been selected as managing director of public relations for the NCAA.

Howard, who also spent three years as an assistant director of athletics for public relations at the University of Denver, will oversee all facets of media and public relations at the NCAA. He replaces former director Wally Renfro, who resigned last year as director of public relations to assume duties with former President Cedric W. Dempsey. Renfro now serves as special assistant to President Myles Brand.

Howard earned a bachelor's degree in sports information and reporting from Metropolitan State College of Denver and currently is pursuing a master's degree in business administration from the University of Colorado, Boulder.

Howard worked for several media entities before taking the assistant director post at Denver. He was a production assistant and community producer/reporter at KCNC-TV News in Denver before becoming sports producer at KWGN-TV, also in Denver.

In addition, Howard served a stint as a public relations assistant for the Denver Broncos.

In his role at the USOC, Howard has served as U.S. delegation spokesperson for the World University Games and the Paralympic Games. He also coordinated press conferences for the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City, among other duties.

He was named Public Relations Person of the Year by the Colorado Association of Black Journalists in 2002.