Matt Panto is in his ninth year at the Ivy League and third as associate executive director for strategic communications and external relations.
In his role, Panto oversees the league’s communications team, including public and media relations, crisis communications, and overall external strategy. He manages a number of the league’s partnerships, including its comprehensive agreement with ESPN and sponsorship relationship with JMI Sports.
Additionally, he serves as the liasion to the league’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee and sport administrator for women’s basketball and women’s volleyball.
Panto played an integral role in the Ivy League’s agreement with ESPN becoming one of the earliest collegiate partners of ESPN+. The league will have at least 24 events broadcast live on ESPN’s linear platforms while over 1,100 live events will be showcased on ESPN3 or ESPN+.
He led the league’s launch of a public awareness campaign in August 2019 titled “An Unrivaled Experience” to create a synchronized and strategic messaging plan.
Panto established and manages the League’s relationship with AJT Systems, which integrates custom branding animations and real-time statistical data into Ivy League on ESPN productions. He has spearheaded the League’s relationship with Awesome Films, creating a series titled What Is #OneIvy?, that was named a finalist for the 2016 SVG/NACDA College Sports Media Awards.
Panto currently serves on the Advisory Board for Sports Video Group (SVG) and is an active participant with CoSIDA, most notably through the association’s mentorship program. Additionally, he is a member of NACDA and NACMA.
Panto was named assistant executive director for digital media and communications at the Ivy League office on September 3, 2013. During his time, the Ivy League Network averaged over 1,100 events across 37 sports annually, broadcasting events to ESPN3, Facebook, Twitter, Stadium, and regional sports networks. He also oversaw the live production and on-demand content for the League’s 14 championship events.
Panto came to the Ivy League after spending seven years at Lafayette College in Easton, PA, where he was responsible for all digital media content for Lafayette’s 23 varsity sports, including scheduling and production of live events, on-demand content, and staffing. Through his oversight, GoLeopards.com thrived and became one of the Patriot League’s leading platforms for video content.
Panto’s responsibilities also included an integral role with the television and radio packages of the Lafayette Sports Network (LSN), including sponsorship, radio broadcasts, stadium and arena signage, weekly television shows, video streaming, hospitality areas, and game-day promotional events.
Prior to his time at Lafayette, Panto earned his bachelor’s degree in marketing and communications from DeSales University in 2006. He also has a graduate degree from Purdue University in strategic communication management.
Panto resides in Langhorne, PA.
