In August 2017, Derek W. Bryant arrived at Howard University after spending four seasons (2013-2017) at Maryland Eastern Shore as their Assistant Director of Media Relations.
Bryant took over the Department of Media Relations after long-time Sports Information Director and Bison Hall of Famer Ed Hill, Jr., who retired and served the department in that capacity for 33 years.
Bryant's duties and responsibilities with Howard include, but not limited to: overseeing the day-to-day operations of the Media Relations and Sports Information Office; serving as liaison between the athletics department and media outlets on local, regional, and national levels and maintaining and updating the athletic website and its social media platforms.
Additionally, Bryant has established weekly content for the Howard University Department of Athletics, including "Bison Brief," "Where Are They Now?" and "Bison 5@5."
During his tenure with Maryland Eastern Shore, he served as the primary contact for several sports, including women's basketball, men's & women's golf, men’s & women's tennis, softball, and women’s volleyball.
Bryant's duties and responsibilities included composing weekly releases, game notes, & recaps; managing the athletic department's website; and developing & researching stats and records in addition to feature stories and marketing publications.
Furthermore, he initially compiled two school record books from scratch, women's basketball and men's golf, while assisting with the redesign of the athletic website, which launched January 2016. Additionally, he has covered milestone achievements through athletics, including men's golf program's historic tournament victory as a NCAA Division I affiliate in 2015 and women's basketball reaching the 2014 MEAC Finals for the first time in school history.
Over the years, Bryant has gained experience in the athletic media relations field at both levels, collegiate and professional. In 2012, Bryant served as a Media Specialist for the Miami Dolphins Youth Programs Department, a member of the National Football League (NFL). In 2011, Bryant joined the Miami Dolphins as a Media Relations Staff Assistant in their public relations department.
In 2010, Bryant was an intern for the NFL and served as the Super Bowl Media Center Intern for Super Bowl XLIV (44). In 2009, Bryant held a position as the Media Relations & Game Operations Assistant for the Peninsula Pilots Baseball Club (Coastal Plain League), a collegiate summer league team located in Hampton, Virginia.
Prior to his position with the Pilots, Bryant began his career in athletic media relations as a Sports Information & Game Operations Assistant for Chowan University Athletics, a member of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) located in Murfreesboro, North Carolina. Other notable stops along the way included the Bridgeport Bluefish Professional Baseball Club (Atlantic League), Miami Heat (National Basketball Association), and Barry University Athletics (Sunshine State Conference).
In May 2012, the Chesapeake native received his Master of Science degree from Barry University, located in Miami Shores, Florida. In May 2009, Bryant earned his Bachelor of Science from Chowan University.
Bryant was born and raised in Chesapeake, Virginia and currently resides in Maryland.
Derek is a member of College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) and Black College Sports Information Director's Association (BCSIDA).
