Cole Helman was promoted to Assistant Athletic Director for Athletic Communications at Palm Beach Atlantic University in September 2024, after serving as the university’s Director of Athletic Communications from 2021-24 and Assistant Sports Information Director from 2019-21. As a member of the athletic department’s senior leadership team, Helman oversees the Sailfish athletic communications and creative strategy while serving as sport administrator for men’s and women’s golf.
Since arriving at PBA, Helman has helped expand the role of athletic communications beyond traditional media relations, with an emphasis on branding, digital strategy and revenue generation. He leads the department’s content creation strategy and serves as its primary graphic designer, helping establish a consistent and modern visual identity across Sailfish Athletics. Under his leadership, PBA has experienced several years of record-breaking growth on social media, highlighted by reaching a milestone of 10,000 Instagram followers for the PBA Sailfish account in 2026. The department also earned multiple awards in the College Sports Communicators Creative & Digital Design Contest.
Helman has played an increasingly significant role in the administrative and strategic operations of the athletics department. He has led coaching search committees, served as a sport administrator for multiple programs, and has taken on responsibilities related to departmental partnerships and external relations. He relaunched PBA’s corporate partnership program, generating new revenue, while continuing to develop opportunities that connect Sailfish Athletics with the Palm Beach County business community. He has also been involved in major department-wide initiatives, including the redesign of the athletics website, updates to athletic facilities and branding, and the relaunch of the PBA Athletics Hall of Fame.
During his tenure, Helman has served as the primary communications contact for numerous PBA programs, including men’s basketball, which he has covered throughout his seven years at the university. He has also worked closely with volleyball, baseball, softball, tennis, track, women’s lacrosse, women’s soccer and other Sailfish programs.
Helman was named to the inaugural College Sports Communicators 30 Under 30 class in November 2022, recognizing young professionals making an impact in collegiate athletics communications. He has also served College Sports Communicators as a member of the Young Professionals Committee since 2021 and has participated in Division II regional and national media initiatives. He previously served as a voter in the D2SIDA Men’s Basketball South Region Poll and earned a position on the NCAA South Region Advisory Committee for men’s golf.
Prior to joining PBA, Helman spent the 2018-19 academic year at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University as a sports information assistant. In Daytona Beach, he served as the primary contact for men’s soccer, softball and men’s golf while assisting with women’s soccer, baseball, tennis and men’s lacrosse. He also contributed to social media and print content, website development, multi-camera broadcasts and highlight video production.
Helman began his collegiate athletics communications career as a student assistant at Grace College in Winona Lake, Indiana. During his three years at Grace, he assisted with gameday operations, including six NCCAA basketball national championship events.
A native of Hagerstown, Maryland, Helman earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Sport Business & Accounting and a Master of Business Administration from Grace College.
