Dec. 15, 2003

FAIRFAX, Va. - George Mason University Assistant Vice President and Director of Athletics Tom O'Connor has announced the hiring of Maureen Lewis Nasser as the department's Director of Public Relations and Communications. She begins her new position Monday.

No stranger to the area, Lewis Nasser has spent the last 14 years as a sports public relations professional in the Washington Metropolitan region, having been involved for 12 years in the PR department of the National Basketball Association's Washington Wizards.

"We are extremely thrilled and excited to have a person of Maureen's credentials head our Public Relations department," said O'Connor. "She is well-known throughout the region, and her experience as PR Director for the Wizards can only help to enhance the image of George Mason athletics in our area."

Hired as a public relations assistant in 1989, Lewis Nasser remained with the Wizards (Bullets) organization for several years before being promoted to Director of Public Relations in 1995. As the director, she was heavily involved in publicizing the opening of the MCI Center, a state-of-the-art facility in downtown Washington, DC, which hosts Wizards and [Washington] Capitals (National Hockey League) games as well as other special events. She also served as Wizards PR Director during Michael Jordan's time with the team, and she held the post when Washington hosted the 2001 NBA All-Star Game.

Lewis Nasser left the Wizards organization in 2002 to start her own company, Lewis Nasser Communications. As president, she was instrumental in directing the first annual Tony Kornheiser-Michael Wilbon Celebrity Golf Tournament and Roast, and was a team member on staff handling the public relations campaign and press conference for the start up World Skating Federation.

A member of the Washington Sports and Entertainment Special Events staff, Lewis Nasser served as the NBA's All-Star manager during the 2000-01 season, and was the Wizard's NBA Draft event manager in 1999. An active member of various other organizations, she is a member of the Downtown Jaycees and served as the ticket chair for the National Cherry Blossom Parade held in Washington, DC. She has also served as the volunteer Chairperson for the Cystic Fibrosis Bike-a-thon and volunteers for Special Olympics.

Hailing from Mentor, OH, Lewis Nasser received her Bachelor of Science degree in Education with a concentration in sports management from Bowling Green State University in 1988.

She and her husband, Robert, reside in Falls Church, VA with their 20-month-old son, Liam.