PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – Dawnisha Franklin, who has spent the past two years as an Athletic Communications Assistant at Plattsburgh State, and Matthew Pitarresi, who most recently served as the Sports Information Director at SUNY Delhi, have both been named Athletic Communications Associates at Plattsburgh State, as announced Wednesday by the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics and Recreation.
 
Both Franklin and Pitarresi will oversee the day-to-day operation of the Athletic Communications Office at Plattsburgh State, with Assistant Director of Athletics Brian Savard providing administrative oversight of the office.
 
"Cardinal Country is very fortunate to have two familiar faces running the Athletic Communications Office here at Plattsburgh State," Savard said. "Dawnisha has been an incredible asset to the department these past two years, bringing with her unmatched work ethic, professionalism and rapport with our student-athletes. I've been fortunate to see Matt's growth over the years, beginning as a student worker for us before taking over his own office this past year at Delhi; I have no doubt his experience in running a one-person office will pay dividends. Finally, I want to thank Caleb Philips for his tenure as our Director of Athletic Communications. Caleb did an outstanding job in enhancing the brand of Cardinal Athletics these past few years, and I wish him all the best in his future endeavors as he moves to the Midwest."
 
Franklin has served as the Athletic Communications Assistant at Plattsburgh State since the fall of 2023. In her role, she has served as the Cardinals' primary contact for women's volleyball, cross country, men's basketball, women's basketball, men's lacrosse and women's lacrosse. Franklin worked as the primary Athletic Communications contact for Plattsburgh State's SUNYAC Men's Basketball Tournament first-round game in Memorial Hall this past year, and she has lent her talents to several projects within the Division of Enrollment and Student Success. She has helped manage the Cardinals' social media accounts that have seen the largest year-over-year growth in their existence in addition to helping transition Plattsburgh State's streaming operations over to BlueFrame as a part of the SUNYAC Sports Network.
 
Before her time at Plattsburgh State, Franklin interned with the Sports Information Office at Anna Maria College during the 2021-22 academic year; worked as a game-day operations staff intern with the New Orleans Saints and Pelicans; and served as a Resident Director at Dean College. As an undergraduate student at Anna Maria, Franklin was a two-sport student-athlete, competing in both women's basketball and women's lacrosse.
 
Pitarresi spent the 2024-25 academic year as the Sports Information Director at Delhi, where he oversaw game-day operations, the department's website, student employment, media relations and social media management. The Broncos' social media accounts saw record growth under his direction, helping give Delhi student-athletes elite promotion.
 
Prior to Delhi, he worked in the Athletic Communications Office as an undergraduate student at Plattsburgh State from 2022-24. Pitarresi also has served as a hockey statistician for the Vermont Lumberjacks of the EHL, a sports digital media intern with WABC Radio in Manhattan, a play-by-play announcer for the Staten Island FerryHawks and a sports radio personality for WARP Radio. In addition, Pitarresi was a four-year member of the Plattsburgh State men's soccer team.
 
"It means a lot to me that the contributions I have made to enhance our student-athletes' experience as the Athletic Communications Assistant have been noticed and allowed me to be promoted to the role of Athletic Communications Associate," Franklin said. "I learned a lot from Caleb, and I'm excited to continue what he has done for our department and raise the bar even higher to elevate our student-athletes' experience at Plattsburgh State."
 
"Being named an Athletic Communications Associate at my alma mater is truly a full-circle moment," Pitarresi said. "It's an incredible honor to return to a place that shaped my personal and professional journey. I'm especially thankful to those at Plattsburgh who taught me, mentored me and gave me my start—and I'm truly grateful to now be part of the team."
 
Franklin earned her Bachelor of Science in business administration from Anna Maria in 2022, while Pitarresi earned his Bachelor of Science in broadcast journalism and audio radio production from SUNY Plattsburgh in 2024.